One thing that is not lacking in all the Macross series, is the love triangle. Three people who seem to be amiss in the game called love. Everyone remembers from back in the day, and even now how frustrated they were by Lisa and Rick's well . . . relationship in Robotech. We'd always say, "When is Rick going to ask Lisa out?" and "When is Lisa going to say how she feels?" But all that driving us crazy made us not want to get detention because we might miss it. So this is dedicated to all three. Let's give them a hand.
He's
the young pilot who didn't want to fight. He didn't want to be a killer,
but found himself in the middle of an alien invasion. Not only that but
he gets yelled at by a hostile female, the Commander Lisa Hayes/Misa Hayase.
Left alone in a Variable fighter, he is ordered to fight. He gets shot
down and lands into a bunch of buildings then runs into Minmay, that same
cute girl he spotted during the air show. Later Minmay is caught in the
midst of alien fire and he narrowly rescues her. During the space fold,
Rick and Minmay are stranded in a deserted section of the ship. Twelve
long days they are trapped together and during that time he falls in love
with her. She shares her dreams of one day getting married and of singing.
After they are rescued he is still in love, but she seems preoccupied with
her uncle's restaurant and singing. In a move to quell his boredom and
impress Minmay, he joins the military to be a pilot. His strong feelings
for Minmay help give him strength to fight because he wants to protect
her. Yet, his love is unrequited. Then there's Lisa who he always argues
with. But over time, he forms a strong bond with her. The realities of
war and lost love tie them. His love for Minmay and attraction for Lisa
confuses him and he can't seem to get his love life in order.
Misa
has much to mourn over. The love of her life died during an attack on Mars
Base. Misa had not much to live for except a distinguished career in the
military. Disciplined and polished she knew her stuff on the bridge. But
her personal life was fraught with shyness. Her high rank and seriousness
was probably the most intimidating. She appeared to hide herself behind
her thick locks of hair. Over time she had to fight her memories of her
fiancee her feelings towards Kyle, Minmay's cousin who reminded her of
her dead fiancee. Over time, she realizes her love for Rick. But she knows
of his fawning over the pop idol Minmay and cannot bring herself to tell
him how she feels. She leaves the SDF-1, barely missing Rick in the hallways
without telling him. But as her shuttle is attacked, Rick is able to express
his growing connection with her. After the final battle with the Zentraedi
armada, Rick rescues Misa. They are close friends with a lot unsaid between
them. Lisa still knows how much Rick loves Minmay. So she waits in hope.
Not
yet sixteen, Minmay is caught up in the middle of a terrible war. She had
so many hopes and desires that any young girl has, like having a singing
careers and entering a beauty contest. All that seemed destroyed when the
Zentraedi came. When the entire Macross city was incorporated into the
SDF-1, little could she know that her dreams would come true and she'd
do so much more. Rescued by Rick, she was locked inside the ship with him
for twelve days. He stirred up feelings that were confusing to the starry
eyed girl and she instead chose to set down her affections towards him
and focus on her goals. Rick seemed to busy to spend time with her after
he joined the military. She had so many responsibilities that she could
barely enjoy a real life. On a return visit to see her family she was reunited
with her cousin he brought up all the comforts of her life before the war.
They returned to the ship where he took over her managing career. She had
to deal with increasing rumors about what happened between herself and
Rick when they were stranded and speculation between herself and her cousin.
Before she knew it, Kyle was also pressing relationship issues on her.
Not until the great battle between the Zentraedi armada and the SDF-1,
did she know the true extent of Rick's feelings for her. She only flirted
with the notion of love. And saying good-bye for what seemed like the last
time, she realized that she too loved Rick. But then it was too late.
So . . .
Everyone flirts with disaster sometime. Two years of rebuilding the Earth, everyone is wiser and weary. But some things never change. Four years later, Rick is still in love with Minmay. Lisa still won't tell Rick how she feels. Minmay is still elusive and now seeing her cousin Kyle. Poor Minmay is stuck with an abusive and manipulative partner. Poor Lisa cleans Rick's apartment and he doesn't take her out on a date. Poor Rick who has to be harangued by Lisa and watch Minmay with Kyle. Rick stood up Lisa, Minmay, in her desperation, came to Rick, Lisa was left forlorn. Lisa is commissioned to command the SDF-02, so she decides to pick up the strength to tell Rick how she really feels. She goes to his house were Minmay is staying and says good-bye, but not before saying that she had always loved him. As she's running off, Rick realizes that he really loved her and tries to stop her. Now Minmay who was dreaming of marriage and settling down is left in the cold. The SDF-1 is attacked, and Rick tells Lisa how much she meant to him. They join the life and death struggle and eventually the SDF-1 is left in ruins with the entire crew dead. Rick finds Lisa who was pushed into the ejection module and the lone survivor. Minmay comes to them, with a sad acknowledgement. She knows her sense of duty and that it was no fair for her to ask him to leave the service and for her to leave her fans. She joins the crowd of survivors. Rick and Lisa hold each other, promising that they'd build another Space Fortress and go to the stars.
Who
could forget love? Do You Remember Love was the Romanticized chronicle
of the first space war. Events are different than the series, but it captures
the essence of Macross and intensifies many of the feelings. This love
story is even sadder. Hikaru and Minmay's were two happy lovers separated
by the war. Minmay was captured by the aliens, Hikaru stranded by a fold
on Earth. On the devastated Earth he and Misa wander trying to find survivors.
But they don't find anybody. Instead the discover a lost city from the
Protoculture. In their wanderings, they discover love. The three are reunited
on stage and Minmay had little idea what had been going on between the
two on Earth. Later Minmay goes to Hikaru's quarters and declares that
she loves him despite what has happened. Misa walks in on them with the
lyrics to the Protoculture song. Hikaru tries to explain that it's not
what it looks like and Minmay runs off. Misa tells him to run after Minmay,
but Hikaru tells her that he wants to live his life with her. They still
have to get Minmay to sing against the BaDolza fleet. So Hikaru runs to
find Minmay. At first she thought he came back to her, but then he explains
that she has to sing. She wants to just be with him and gets really hysterical.
Hikaru is forced to slap sense into her. Finally she calms and agrees to
sing for her family and for the people of the ship. Hikaru goes off to
battle, Misa commands from the bridge, and Minmay takes the lyrics that
Misa translated to sing the beautiful song, "Do you remember love."
To see another love memorable Macross romance, go to Max and Miriya's page. Find out more about the Macross cast, go to my Macross characters page. Want more Minmay?? I have a page dedicated to Macross's songbrid, my Minmay page.
Macros fan??email me!!
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