(Summary/Translation) Macross Frontier Episode 20 Staff/Cast Commentary

with Nakamura Yuuichi (Alto), Kamiya Hiroshi (Michel) and Toyoguchi Megumi (Klan).

…Klan?

Note 1 This summary-translation is completely my own work. Please DO NOT reproduce it anywhere else, though you are quite welcome to link to it if you wish.

Note 2: Don’t take these as straight-out translations, but as paraphrases of what the commentators say. I simply don’t have the time to note down everything that they say. Furthermore, I’ve probably misheard or mistyped something somewhere, but well, sue me. (^_^)

Note 3: Remember, You-kyan is Nakamura, and HiroC is Kamiya. Additionally, HiroC calls Toyoguchi Megumi “Megu”…though I don’t use that nickname. I’m not sure if she has a common one that seiyuu fans use…

Also, a note before we start: this commentary may not be what you expect. It’s something that really should be listened to, rather than read off a page, because the atmosphere is completely lost in translation and transcription. I’ve subbed two short clips as a taste…but if you’re annoyed by the first, I’m not entirely sure you should listen to the second…or even continue reading, for that matter. If you’re up for it, please continue. If not…well, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

The commentary begins with Toyoguchi and HiroC fooling around, and You-kyan trying to get them to actually talk about the episode:

(You can also download it here.)

2:10 “Lion”
Nakamura: I asked Yoshino about why the opening only changed with 18, because it usually changes at 14
Toyoguchi: That’s true. 18’s neither here nor there.
Nakamura: but he didn’t give me a clear answer. All I got was “You know why, right?”
Toyoguchi: That means…they didn’t make it on time?
Kamiya: Ah…who was it that didn’t make it?
Toyoguchi (singing): “I want to survive. I want to survive.
Kamiya: Was it (Tanadata Tayuki) who did the storyboarding?
(laughter)
Nakamura: Hey…don’t mention his name here…it’ll be like asking if he was responsible (for the delay)!!
Kamiya: No no…we really believe in Tanadata Tayuki, don’t we?
[er…Tanadata Tayuki doesn’t exist. If you need a reminder about who they’re speaking of here, try the Episode 18 commentary… -karice]

2:55 May’n, Megumi-chan and singing talent
Toyoguchi: Sooo cute! All her actions here – doesn’t (Megumi-chan) do exactly the same moves when performing?
Nakamura: Yeah…it’s kinda cool, huh? It’s like Ranka really exists. (Toyoguchi: Totally) May’n-chan too, dances as Sheryl does. (Toyoguchi: they really are them, both of them!)
Toyoguchi: Why is there so much difference in singing ability when we’re all humans?
Nakamura: “Singing ability”?
Kamiya: I wonder about that too.
…
Toyoguchi: They really are amazing, aren’t they?
Nakamura: I asked them once, “were you born with this ability, this singing ability”, and Nakajima said: just stop right there!
Toyoguchi: But why?
Kamiya: What did she mean?
Nakamura: I have no idea. Perhaps it’s because they had to practice a lot to get this far?
Toyoguchi: Ah, I see…but still, they probably had ‘it’ from the start
Nakamura: the talent, you mean? Yeah, I agree.
…
Toyoguchi: They would have been good right from the start, and practice only makes them EVEN better.

One thing on top of another…

3:54
Toyoguchi: Here…Ranka…you really feel for her here, huh? (Yeah.) Like, the shock-
Nakamura: Right when things have been built right up-
Toyoguchi: it’s like, ‘now, let’s just throw this on top…Ahhh!
Toyoguchi & Kamiya: Behind you! Look behind! Mr. President!! Behind you!!
Toyoguchi: Ahhhhhh!!
Nakamura: Er…do you both like the President or something?
Toyoguchi: Ahh…Nooo!!
Nakamura: It’s not Sugitan, you know!
[And then they talk about the sniper that met that horrible end and the poor high school girl who could only have been traumatised by that…]
Toyoguchi: Was this how it was (from the start)?
Kamiya: Was that exactly how the scene went when it aired? Hm…I think so.
Toyoguchi: Really?
…
Toyoguchi: This really is horrendous.
Kamiya: Isn’t it? I mean, for the normal everyday environment to turn into a battlefield…it’s pretty terrifying.

04:38 What’s so funny about the Vajra?
Toyoguchi: Nakamura, when you look at the Vajra, you always burst out laughing, don’t you?
Nakamura: Not this ‘stage’ – it’s the smaller, developing type that’s cute, like, the one that follows Ranka around, that little-
Kamiya: Ai-kun
Nakamura: Well…it’s got this somewhat ‘hard’ form – it’s like an arthropod.
Toyoguchi: It’s legs are kinda…strange.
Nakamura: yeah, it’s got really cute reactions, like “whacha doing? Whacha doing with this paper airplane?” It’s REALLY interesting.
Toyoguchi: So that’s why. I mean, even when it’s a really serious scene, you’re always off to the side laughing. It’s unbearable! Seriously, just stop laughing!
[Er…just in case, ‘Studio Recordings 101’: all the seiyuu record in the same studio/room at the same time, but come up to the microphone for their scenes. There are benches at the back / on the side for them to sit when their characters aren’t on screen. -karice]
Nakamura: Yup, with Kobayashi Sanae (Cathy), right? She, too, keeps finding these little scenes during the actual recording.
Toyoguchi: And you guys point out each and every (checkpoint?)!
Nakamura: Like, I sometimes forget before the test (recording), but before the actual recording, I’ll tell her to look at cut 123 and so on [for all the cute Ai-kun spots]
Kamiya: …what the hell are you doing? Why are you so (annoying)!?
Toyoguchi: Especially when we’re doing a serious scene!
Nakamura: I’m sorry.
Kamiya: Seriously.
Nakamura: I’m really sorry.

05:50 Alto’s ‘indecisive’ behaviour
Kamiya: And here we are again
Toyoguchi: Really, which one do you like?
Kamiya/Toyoguchi: in just a few moments, he again extends his hand to another girl
Nakamura: Even though I’m the one playing him, I also think that he’s a horrible guy. Like, thinking that this one is useful at this point, he starts to rely on her.
Toyoguchi: Right from the start, everyone was like “Boo! Boo!” right? “What’s with Alto”?
Nakamura: I really wish you’d all said that to Yotchin [Yoshino Hiroyuki, script] rather than to me, and to Kawamori.
Kamiya: Ah, to that quasi-Indian person and Yotchin.
Toyoguchi: I mean, just what is with that guy?

6:25 Ranka
Toyoguchi/Kamiya: Of course she can’t sing under these circumstances! You’d want to cry [if it was you]!
Nakamura: She’s had a lot of stress up to now, like having to sing songs she doesn’t want to sing.
Toyoguchi: and then seeing the person she likes flirting with another girl! Poor thing!
Kamiya: and then Sheryl slaps her
Nakamura: She can’t run away – she’s being held firmly by her shoulders.
Toyoguchi: So you’re saying it’s not that she isn’t running away, it’s that ‘Sheryl won’t let her run away.”? No, that’s not what happened.
Kamiya: You’re weird for thinking that!
Nakamura: Am I somewhat warped then?
Kamiya: A little, yeah
Toyoguchi: As expected of Alto, huh?

7:05 On Sheryl
Toyoguchi: I prefer Sheryl as she was at the start, when she was ‘strong’. It’s like…as the show’s gone on, her girlish characteristics have become more obvious, right?
Nakamura: True, in the middle parts.
Toyoguchi: Like, her fragility comes out. Perhaps guys think it’s cute, for a girl who acts strong to show them her weak side? But I really prefer that strong side…so I thought that Sheryl was really cool at the start.
Nakamura: I see. Yeah, both Kamiya and I are guys, after all, so we don’t really know how you girls look at them, how Sheryl and Ranka appear to you.
Toyoguchi: So how is it for you?
Kamiya: You mean, Sheryl at the start when she was strong? When she was singing half naked?
Nakamura: You call that “half naked?”
Toyoguchi: If you’re saying “half naked”…
Kamiya: Like, that after-school bit.
Nakamura: That wasn’t “half naked” (Kamiya: Ehh?) More like “pretty much naked”.
(Laughter)
Toyoguchi: So…how is it? With Sheryl gradually changing-
Kamiya: Well, Sheryl singing in that scandalous get-up-
Toyoguchi: I’m not talking about what she wore! I mean her character! What she was like inside!
Nakamura: Ah, what she was like inside. Well, yeah, when you see a girl’s weak side, you think she’s just showing it to you, so you do feel as if you’ve gotten closer.
Toyoguchi: Ah, so it’s true. And…that’s what guys like?
Nakamura: I guess.
Kamiya (laughs): Nakamura’s got this really naughty look on his face!
Toyoguchi: And yourself?
Kamiya: I understand what he means.

8:45
Toyoguchi: So, which character do you like then, in Frontier?
Kamiya: I like Klan!
Toyoguchi: Why’s that?
Kamiya: Because it’s you, of course! [smooth, HiroC, real smooth -karice]
Toyoguchi: Oh really? So that’s the reason?
Nakamura: What’s with the two of you?
Toyoguchi: Well…it’s because there’s mutual love between us [our characters]. (Kamiya: Yeah. We can’t help it.) How about you? Who’s your ‘mutual love’ character?
Nakamura: Everyone.
(Laughter)
Nakamura: It was everyone. Or the sky, maybe.
Toyoguchi: Yeah. In the end, everyone’s thinking about him, but we have no idea who he actually thought about.
Nakamura: He thought only about the sky, for the longest time.
Toyoguchi: So he thought only about his own problems.
Nakamura: Yeah.
Kamiya: Or maybe he loves himself?
Nakamura: I was thinking, maybe his mother?
Kamiya/Toyoguchi: Ah…his mum?
Nakamura: I think he has a big mother complex. I mean, he likes the sky because “my mother loved the sky”, right?
Kamiya/Toyoguchi: Ah…is that so?
Nakamura: and this person (Leon) probably has a mother complex too.
Kamiya: Ah, the kappa?
Nakamura: Yeah, the kappa. (Kamiya: The kappa too.)
Toyoguchi: yeah, just from his appearance, you could think that.
Kamiya: And the lines that Sugita-kun says here are something else, doncha think? I mean, he’s already something else, but here, he went above and beyond that. I was stunned, watching this.
…
Toyoguchi: He really was perfect, wasn’t he?
Kamiya: Absolutely. It’s fantastic that he has that voice, huh?
Toyoguchi: Voice? You’re not talking about his personality? I mean, isn’t it that his personality brings Leon forth?
Kamiya: Well, both the voice and the personality.
Nakamura: Makes you wonder…’if I’d been born with that voice, what might I have been?’

And it all goes up in flames…

10:20
Kamiya: It’s really turned into a battleground here, huh?
Nakamura: Shall we return to the actual episode then? (laughter)
Toyoguchi: Should we?
Nakamura: After all, Klan even dressed up!
Toyoguchi: Totally!
Kamiya: What’s she wearing here, over her clothes? Is that a lab coat? She’s always dressed in those kiddy clothes-
Toyoguchi: Ah, I wondered about that too! (Kamiya: is that a lab coat?) Whether it’s a lab coat.
Nakamura: That white coat, it’s kinda…
Kamiya: And how about Luca? Like, how is that hood attached?
Nakamura: It’s put on over his other clothes, right?
Toyoguchi: Perhaps to his collar? It’s something that can be taken off?
Nakamura: Ah…so he’s someone who’s really concerned about being fashionable. I mean, no one else has one.
Toyoguchi: Right, they don’t. It’s cute.
Nakamura: Ah, Luca really knows his selling points. And he talks in a way that shows it.
Toyoguchi: Like “I’m cute, aren’t I?”
Nakamura/Kamiya: Yeah, that.

11:10
Nakamura: And in the blink of an eye-
Kamiya: The fire-
Nakamura: Kuwashima has been…
Kamiya: Ah…Hou-chan.
Nakamura: She’s been knocked out. And here, how Sheryl’s holding on to her is actually quite dangerous.
Toyoguchi: It is?
Nakamura: For someone who’s lost consciousness, it’s dangerous not to support their head!
Toyoguchi: Ah, true.
Nakamura: Like, her head could just flop about!
Kamiya: Yeah, Sheryl really should be supporting her head.
Nakamura: Remember that, everyone. If by any chance, you get attacked by the Vajra.
Kamiya: If you get attacked by the Vajra.
Toyoguchi: In that one in a million chance that you do. (and HiroC loses it) Because it does happen sometimes.
Nakamura: When that happens, and someone loses consciousness, please be careful.
Kamiya: You have to be prepared to respond, right?
Nakamura: Yes.
Kamiya: So everyone, be careful when you are being attacked by the Vajra. Because they attack once in a while.

Flashback!!

11:47
Toyoguchi: Ah, he appeared for a second.
Nakamura: Hoshi.
Kamiya: Little ‘Pappi’.
Toyoguchi: Little ‘Pappi’!

11:58
Toyoguchi: You know, those battle scenes….
Nakamura: Ah, yeah
Kamiya: Are you a grandma or something?!
Nakamura: Klan’s very first scene was a battle scene (Toyoguchi: Right? Argh!), so you were just going “which one is me? that one?” the whole time! Like, “that red one”? But the reply was typically “that’s a Vajra”!
12:18 (the ad break)
Toyoguchi: Ah, so cute! That’s me!! Ah, and now I’ve become cooler!
Kamiya: You really were like a grandma.
Toyoguchi: But it really was crazy, that CG. I wasn’t used to it, you see! And to be frank, that was the first time I’d ever been involved in a battle scene, like, one where I was piloting something to fight.
Nakamura: ah…you mean, in shows with lots of battles?
Toyoguchi: Yeah, in anime.
Nakamura: So you really didn’t have any experience.
Toyoguchi: I wasn’t used to it! To battles. So, I was like, “huh?? Eh? It just went zoom! And zip! and bang! everywhere, so I really didn’t know what the heck was happening!
Nakamura: Ah…you didn’t know what was happening with all of those? And when you realised, it was already the next shot?
Toyoguchi: And also, whilst my machine is red, so is Hoshi’s!
Nakamura: True.
Toyoguchi: They said that they’re slightly different reds, but I really couldn’t tell them apart.
Nakamura: And the Vajra were red too.
Kamiya: Like I said, you’re a grandma.

And on the ad break eye-catches

13:10
Kamiya: Going back a bit, I wanted to talk about the eye-catches. (Like, this is the first time that I’ve appeared on one of the eye-catches [I’m not sure about this one -karice])
Nakamura: and it’s the first time (just) Klan and Michel were on both eye-catches, right? So observant viewers probably thought “Oh no, something’s going to happen!”
Kamiya: Like…these two weren’t ever the centre of focus like that. Which means…
Nakamura: Suddenly giving them the spotlight…it’s unusual. And what about the main three?
Kamiya: Yeah, like, what’s happened to them? Like, so much has happened between them this episode too.
(It really was sudden.)

13:40
Kamiya: This guy in the front – he looks so serious!
(Raucous laughter)
Nakamura: True that. He’s got this really professional look on his face. Like he’s the leader of the Special Ops or something.
…
Kamiya: Ah, Mr. President, watch out!
Toyoguchi: Behind you! Though it’s now in front.
Nakamura: In the first half, he made it through, but in the second half, once again, he meets with danger.
Toyoguchi: Wah~ behind you! No, in front!
[HiroC and Megu keep going in this vein, until…”Ahhhhhhh~”]
Toyoguchi: I’m a huge fan of the President.
Kamiya: Same here!
Nakamura: Everyone said the same thing, right?

14:28 Klan’s white coat
Kamiya: You took off your white coat, huh? Why?
Toyoguchi: It was hot.
…
Nakamura: Like, “it’s really hot and sticky here”? I thought you used it to cover Nanase, but I guess not, huh?
Toyoguchi: Huh? No, I didn’t.
Nakamura: but you did, didn’t you?
Toyoguchi: did I? No, not Nanase
Nakamura: Then who?
Toyoguchi: The character there, who’s been killed
Nakamura/Kamiya: Ah, I see
Nakamura: I can’t believe you just said “it was hot” so lightly like that!
…
Kamiya: Ah! No, don’t go that way, Sanae-chan! (Cathy and Ozma are running along that conveyer.)
[Again, HiroC and Megu keep yelling at her to stop.]
Kamiya: Ahhh! I told you not to go that way!

Really, You-kyan…do you like pointing out these kinds of things…?

15:16
Nakamura: Ah, there’s a little ‘sexy shot’ right here.
Toyoguchi: There was, huh? But it was little Klan, wasn’t it?
Kamiya: It’s a little bit trying for little Klan from here on.
Nakamura: During the recording, the thought crossed my mind – she’s worn some really flashy underwear here, hasn’t she?
Toyoguchi: Hm, yeah, you could say that.
Nakamura: Was this THE day?
Kamiya: Seems like it, huh?
Toyoguchi: She was going all out. I mean, think about it, she coordinated even her underwear, her red underwear.
Kamiya: And red…that gives a particular impression!
Toyoguchi: Yeah…like, lighting a fire. Her panties were also really cute!
(The two guys agree)
Kamiya: Though, wrong place and time for this, huh?
Nakamura: in truth…
Toyoguchi: Yeah, it is. It’s a serious scene, so let’s talk about it seriously.
Kamiya: It’s kinda unexpected, that she’d get down to her birthday suit. It’s pretty rough. And now she’s punched him!
(And they go back to talking about the red underwear!)
Toyoguchi: This scene…they purposely slowed it down a little, didn’t they? That shot where Klan brings her face closer to him. And she’s put everything into it.
Kamiya: Klan’s really cute, huh?
Toyoguchi: Mima [the sound director] told me to make [her confession] “real cute”, (Nakamura: Ah, so he did) to “make it even cuter”.
Nakamura: And during the test/rehearsal, you made it really cute…but he was like “MORE!”
Toyoguchi: “Make it even cuter than that!”
Kamiya: And Luca really is a closet pervert – he was staring right at her.
Nakamura: Was he now?
Kamiya: He was.
Nakamura: You mean, like “so…which are you going to take off first?”
Toyoguchi: Oh, stop that.
Kamiya: And just now, as she was running off.
Nakamura: It’s really unexpected, how detailed the animation was.
Toyoguchi: and also, you know, that scene was kinda…that “scared” bit, well, before we recorded this episode, when I was recording for the game, I had to do this line as well (“You can’t fall in love if you’re scared to die!”). I had absolutely no idea it’d be part of such an important scene, so I was like “that’s a crazy line”.
Kamiya: Oi, how could you?
Nakamura: I sort of understand. Not knowing the scene-
Toyoguchi: I was like “What is this line?!”. But then, when I read the script (for this episode)…”Wah! It’s such an important scene! I should have done that more seriously!” I really couldn’t believe it.
Kamiya: For Ace Frontier? Really?
Toyoguchi: Yeah! I mean, we did the recording for that really early, right?
Nakamura: True true.
Toyoguchi: So I really had no idea it’d be used at a time like this. It really surprised me.
Nakamura: It’s something you wished they’d told you then, huh?
Toyoguchi: I really thought it was an original line for the game.
Nakamura: Those words really went straight through Michel, after all.
Kamiya & Toyoguchi: Of course.
Nakamura: Ah, perfectly in unison. As expected.
Toyoguchi: We said it together.

And she stands up once again.

18:14 Diamond Crevasse
Nakamura: And here, Sheryl too, makes another resolution.
Toyoguchi: Everyone, one after another, they’re all making these resolutions.
Nakamura: The song here…it was recorded afresh but, you know how it segues into the ending? That was Kanno’s idea
Kamiya: For this episode, #20, is also named after it, “Diamond Crevasse”.
Nakamura: When you look at it, you think that it was determined right from the get-go that it’d segue straight into the ending, huh? I was really surprised to find out that it wasn’t.
Kamiya: They’d actually planned to use the original version
Toyoguchi: The ending version, right? And during the rehearsal and the recording, that’s what they played. It was only when it went on air that it changed.
Nakamura: I think they only recorded the song around the time that we recorded the episode.
Toyoguchi: So it really was last minute!
Nakamura: And here, we also see her son, Kanaria’s son.
Toyoguchi: Eddie. I really didn’t expect that he’d appear.
Kamiya: Yeah, from Kanaria’s photo. And that was her husband, huh?
Nakamura: Was he voiced by Miyake Kenta?
Toyoguchi: Eh? No, I don’t think so. I think it wasn’t Miyake Ken.
Nakamura: Who was it then?
Toyoguchi: Hm…who was it?
Nakamura & Kamiya: I’ve forgotten.
…
Nakamura: It’s really interesting that they include all these little extras, these innumerable little extras.

And then they go on to talk about the scene with possibly the greatest impact in the entire series…but, it might not be quite what you expect!

23:37 See you next time
Nakamura: So, everyone, we have just one more DVD volume left. Please watch it!
Kamiya: Yes, please do.
Nakamura: We’re counting on you!
Kamiya: Although I don’t appear in it, but about Macross Frontier, I lov-”
Nakamura: See you, everyone!