Macross 7 Trash

vol. 1 and 2
by Keith Rhee

Although it was successful in Japan, the MACROSS 7 TV show wasn't nearly as well received in the USA. It had great music (see the review of the Let's Fire! Fire Bomber CD in AMPlus issue 3) and an interesting premise (the replenishing effect of singing on a person's life-force), but the overall visual quality wasn't very consistent, and the show was wrought with an extremely cheesy execution. While this writer managed to set aside the blemishes and enjoy MACROSS 7 for its premise, most fans already spoiled by the stunning MACROSS PLUS were turned off by the disappointing visuals and the tone of the series.
While the show was still on the air in Japan, Mikimoto Haruhiko went to work on a side story set in the MACROSS 7 universe, called MACROSS 7 TRASH. The story takes place during the events in MACROSS 7, and initially I thought it'd be more of the Valkyries and pop culture singing that makes up most MACROSS stories. Halfway through volume 1 came the realization that the story and its tone were much different from MACROSS 7, or any other MACROSS show for that matter.

So what is it about?

Perhaps the only thing that this manga has in common with the MACROSS 7 TV show is the setting -- namely, the Macross 7 fleet. Max and Milia make brief cameo appearances, and there are the occasional Fire Bomber posters out on the street, but that's where the tie-ins with MACROSS 7 end. The main focus isn't on singing, culture, or mecha duels. Instead, the reader is presented with the happenings surrounding a sport called T-Crush and the characters involved with it. The ubiquitous love triangle is back -- what MACROSS story would be complete without one? -- and in this story it revolves around Chiba, his girlfriend Enika, and a former female Valkyrie pilot named Mahara. The circumstances under which Chiba and Mahara first meet are unusual at best.

Minmay's legacy lives on -- Enika singing DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE? as Chiba prepares for combat.

The story

The story begins with a wealthy businessman trying to kill Mahara and make it look like a car accident. After drugging her, he puts Mahara in a sports car and lets it roll towards a cliff. Just before she falls to her death, however, Chiba rushes in and rescues her from the car.
It turns out that Chiba is a player in T-Crush, a competitive sport combining racing with hand-to-hand combat. Chiba's place in the Black Bombers is no. 4, the lead attacker; a position Chiba earned with his lighting-fast reflexes and athletic genius. Mahara comes to watch Chiba play. Developing an interest in the boy who rescued her, the former Valkyrie pilot signs on as the new coach of Chiba's team.
In the meantime, Enika isn't having much luck with the "Minmay Voice 2046," a contest that picks a girl for a music video commemorating Lynn Minmay's exploits in Space War 1. Envious of Minmay for her voice and of Chiba for his talent, Enika gripes to Chiba about it, only to be told that "Minmay is Minmay, and you are you."

Is it worth getting?

The story really does take a while to get somewhere. It's amusing to see Enika frustrated with her singing efforts, and to see Chiba meet his rival in a newly recruited member who wants his no. 4 position, but it's hard to discern what the actual plot is about until well into volume 2. It turns out that the military is interested in the T-Crush players due to their well-honed reflexes and combat instincts. This makes them natural candidates as jet pilots, and Mahara is keeping a special eye on Chiba. Hints are dropped here and there that Chiba may actually be the son of Max Jenius, former ace pilot in Space War I and now captain of the Macross 7 fleet. And as for Mahara's past, it turns out the wealthy businessman was her former love interest, until his son died during a training mission under Mahara's command.
The slower pacing of the story may not be a bad thing, however. There is still plenty of intrigue to keep you going, and the pace makes for some solid character development as they and their motivations are built up in the mind of the reader, making for very believable characters. All the while, one is treated to very nice visuals. The backgrounds are ziptoned extremely well, and fans of Mikimoto's drawing style will be glad to know that the character designs are sharp, elegant, and in the case of the females, gorgeous.
So is it worth it? This reader offers a cautious "yes." The slower-paced, character driven story may not be your cup of tea, especially if you associate MACROSS with a good amount of action. But the visuals and the interesting characters, accompanied by the story, make for a pleasant read. It's worth a look.