Macross Plus // Food Wars S05
A week in Anime - January
Hey there!
Thanks for the sub, and for reading my first ever post on substack. I’ve been writing some mini anime reviews since late last year, mostly for my own pleasure, and a groupchat who had no choice but to read them or risk social opprobrium.
I thought: why not free them of this burden and share my glowing thought content on this timely and ever relevant, multi-generational artform we call Anime. I’m delighted to share with you two such reviews from around the end of January this year. Hope you enjoy!
Food Wars: The Fifth Plate (2020) | series | 12 episodes.
The 5th season of Food Wars features a dominatrix in military attire with a chainsaw that she uses to season her meat with. It is referred to as her "seasoning chainsaw". Later she enhances the flavour of her pastry by exploding it in her exploding oven using flavour grenades or something. I wish I could point out more outrageous moments like that one but unfortunately the rest of this season is pretty lifeless.
The big bad of this season's special power is he can use two knives at the same time. I shrug.
I read somewhere that the author had to wrap up the series ahead of schedule so I guess that explains the uninspired main story, myriad loose plot threads and throwaway cast of baddies.
What sucks the most is that the attention to detail given to cooking and the focus on food is almost entirely gone! Guess they couldn't schedule their celebrity chef consultant. Instead this season relies on tired shounen tropes and types, instead of genuine cooking we get goofy weapons and inexplicable jutsus. The dishes are forgettable and in some cases they just don't even bother showing them at all.
I am grateful to Food Wars though for getting me hype about cooking again. It was lots of fun while it lasted. As embarrassing as it is to say: I have learned things from this anime. I am looking forward to eating with y'all again soon 😭. 5 out of 10
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Macross Plus (1994) | OVA series | 4 eps.
What if the chad and the virgin were transforming mecha fighter pilots? What if masculinity was toxic but necessary to colonise space? What if a woman getting what she wanted led to the destruction of everything? What if race science?? These are the questions that Macross Plus handles poorly.
It looks fucking sick doing it tho.
Isamu and Guld are test pilots and the worst boys ever. They're in love with Myung, who is inadvertently loading an AI pop idol she's developing with her own traumas and insecurities. They are reunited by fate to sort through the mess of their emotionally stunted lives together as the past returns to haunt them.
I thought this was a really compelling yet fraught love triangle when you keep in mind that none of these people are okay and they all need therapy. Then it throws some really shitty curveballs in the form of fantasy racism and implied sexual assault that muddy the waters a bit. It's never egregious or explicit, but it wasn't necessary, and in the case of the race science shit not canonical either in my opinion. (Ed: Holla if you want a piece about Macross and genetic determinism)
All that said this series is stunning in its visual design and kinetic elements. There's no other anime out there that conveys the thrill and danger of high-speed flight like this. The backgrounds and virtual concert visuals are wild and vivid. The OST is by Yoko Kanno featuring some abrasive house beats and discordant hyper pop. Most of the folks working on this one went on to do Cowboy Bebop and those vibes are very much present throughout. Also this is one of Bryan Cranston's first voice acting credits. I watched the sub though because I'm not a heathen. 7.5 out of 10