Happy Armstice Day! Today Macross fans share a celebration of peace to go along with the more solemn remembrance of love for the dead related to the World Trade Center crashes a decade ago, which then became the impetus for a new war. As part of this celebration I perform my annual rewatch of Macross: Do You Remember Love? the show that actually mentioned September 11th as the date an armstice was reached between the Zentreadi and the Miclones. I have now seen this film 11 times, at least 5 times the past 3 years.
In this post I will examine this film as a propaganda piece for the UN SPACY Earth-Zentran government, and some of its key variation with the more extensive TV series which prove to be far more critical of the UN SPACY’s involvement in the Great Space War. It begins with Lynn Minmay.
In the account provided in the TV Series, it was the Zentraedi who took the initiative to find out more about the humans, from surveillance, to kidnapping, to inserting spies, and ultimately by sending Exsedol Folmo as ambassador to the Macross (some records say that the treaty was signed in February 11, 2009). This is a very sympathetic view of the Zentraedi without ignoring or whitewashing the notion that they are a race genetically manipulated for warfare.
In the propaganda film DYRL there is ample interest and investigation of the Miclones by the Zentraedi, entirely fueled by both curiosity and dread towards the Protoculture. There was no envoy sent to the SDF-1. Rather, it was the continued incarceration (post-abduction) of Minmay that allowed her to act as the envoy of Earth towards the Zentrans. By the time she is returned to the Macross, Global already announced the Armstice.
Did Minmay tame the Zentraedi while she was there? With Bodolle Zer too?
If Britai and Exsedol shared the melody for “Ai oboete imasu ka?” to Minmay, did she not perform songs for them while she was there? After all, she did a recording of the melody that was broadcast during the Armstice announcement. Minmay wasn’t rescued, she was returned. In the TV series account, the only time Minmay was abducted, the damage she did to the Zentraedi was complete. It was Kamujin’s work in a straight kidnap-for-ransom operation.
Why is this important? It’s because the final decisive battle is very important.
In DYRL, the Armstice was signed after Bodolle Zer (presumably) destroyed almost all the Earth’s surface. Also, the Armstice was signed (presumably) without Bodolle Zer’s knowledge or, he didn’t really care much about Britai making this peace. Why? It’s because the Armstice was precisely with the 425th Bodolle Fleet – Britai had not broken from Bodolle Zer at this point.
Britai represented Bodolle Zer’s own interests at this point, the Earth didn’t pose much of a threat having been reduced to ruin, with the Macross itself heavily damaged and its main gun no longer operational. All of this happened off-screen which reduces me to speculation. I don’t even know how to begin the casting of the Meltrandi as the primary enemy of the Zentradi.
Exsedol confirmed with Britai that they were forbidden to watch any broadcasts until after the “operation.” This makes me think that Bodolle Zer instructed him to go ahead with the Armstice only to betray the humans. But…
“I also, would like to try becoming a Miclone” – Vrlithwai (Britai)
“That was a joke… Mimay of the Protoculture taught me. Evidently it means ‘I am not serious’.”
“Deculture.” – Exsedol
LOL this is where it gets problematic. Why would Bodolle Zer have to resort to this kind of duplicity? For one, he isn’t a wily human used to statecraft. This should at least explain the clumsiness of it all. But on the other hand, there’s really no need whatsoever to further indulge this since the Earth is practically annihilated, unless they are trying to find a weapon they can use against the Meltrandi. Bodolle Zer later confirms:
The Armstice was signed to develop Minmay’s song as a means to make the Meltrandi surrender.
But then Laplamiz shows up, apparently to take on what seems to be a vastly numerically superior force of the Bodolle fleets. Bodolle Zer assesses that the song won’t be finished on time, and then decides to just fuck everyone. Shoots his ultimate death ray, taking out Laplamiz and tens of thousands of his own ships.
(Meanwhile, MAX JENIUS HAS TOTALLY DEFECTED TO THE MELTRANS AND HAS UNDERGONE MACRONIZATION TO PILOT A BLUE QUAEDLUN-RAU WITH MILLYA, WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT MAX? SERIOUSLY)
When Minmay starts singing, Britai and Exsedol started feeling that Culture was really, really, REALLY important and that this song represents the hope that they as a race can reacquire it. Thus, they throw themselves behind the Macross, an instantaneous mutiny/defection of the 67th Glruimal branch Adoclass Fleet. Britai promises to protect the Macross and pave the way to attack Bodolle Zer’s capital ship.
“To all listening to Minmay’s song, we but have one enemy. Defeat Golg Bodolle Zer… and restore Culture to our race.”
There was no real tactics, none. Bodolle Zer just got surprised by the sudden mutiny, add to this the chaos caused by him fragging his own front line, and suddenly the Macross is punching a hole in Bodolle Zer’s ship and that’s pretty much all she wrote.
This is all very important, especially when reading DYRL as a UN SPACY propaganda film. the Zentraedi defected at the last minute for the express purpose of protecting culture. The effect of Minmay’s song is to inspire this longing for culture. Britai and Exsedol later reflect on the power of one song to have done all this.
Contrast this with the TV Series. The effect of Minmay’s singing, is the precise weapon used against Bodolle Zer’s grand fleet. Laplamiz and Britai were forced to fight alongside each other because Bodolle Zer considered all of them contaminated by Culture and therefore must be annihilated. Minmay singing her discography sent Zentraedi into culture shock! Those who haven’t heard it before literally went into a form of shock, rendering them incapacitated for battle.
Why omit this, as a propagandist? Was it a mere concession to Minmay? To hear her is to love her? No shock involved, only awe? Certainly, Britai comes off perhaps better here. He really saved the day, and for a very PR-friendly reason. After all, Britai became the UN SPACY’s commander in 2015… but, the movie premiered no sooner than 2032! Britai wouldn’t have had a practical need for it. Some records show that the movie rekindled a Minmay boom, so maybe it really just was a Minmay tribute.
After all, there could’ve been Zentraedi fanboys who struck it rich like Richard Bilrer did in Macross Frontier, and who knows what his involvement was in this enterprise. I think there is more than one truth, and the speculation for all of these truths remains an interesting activity for a fanboy like me.
Some records show, however, that in 2030 the second battle of Macross City occurred, the attack was made by armored Zentraedi. The succeeding legislation resulted in giant Zentraedi prohibited from Earth. Thus, it does make sense that DYRL is a propaganda piece. We just need to think for whom it was propaganda for?
It was for the Zentreadi, for lack of the actual Minmay (who disappeared with the Megaroad-01), they had to make ALL the Zentraedi uh, well, remember love.
The records I consulted may be found here, in the old compilation of often conflicting Macross histories (for reasons Kawamori)
Filed under: Do You Remember Love? Tagged: DYRL, macross, Macross: Do You Remember Love? 9/11
