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Episode
8: Longest Birthday
Review by Chris Original
Review: May 1, 2000 Following the Macross's successful escape from the trap on Mars, the Zentradi relentlessly attack the ship. Inside Macross City, Hikaru remembers that it is Minmay's sixteenth birthday today. At that moment, he is paged to report to Colonel Maistrov's office. In space, Quamzin prepares to attack the Macross under the guise that he is on a training flight. Maistrov has called a meeting to reward pilots who showed great courage during the battle on Salla Base. Hikaru is awarded a metal of honor. After the meeting ends, Roy asks Hikaru to follow him to his quarters. Hikaru is promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant. As another surprise, Roy tells Hikaru that he'll have two subordinates: Corporal Maximilian Jenius and Corporal Hayao Kakizaki. Moments later, the two men arrive and are introduced to Hikaru. They ask Hikaru if they can join him wherever he's going, which happens to be Minmay's party in the city. On the bridge, Misa is shocked to read that Hikaru has been promoted. Claudia figures it is a reward for rescuing Misa on Salla Base. Kakizaki wonders where they are going, and he thinks it is a strip bar. When they arrive at the Chinese restaurant, Hikaru is amazed to see Minmay in a beautiful dress with her hair rolled up. He introduces her to Max and Kakizaki, and Max charms Minmay with his shyness. When Minmay asks for her present, Hikaru lies and says he forgot it at base. The mayor asks Minmay to sing a song, and she says Hikaru should sing in place of giving her a present. He says he can't sing, and Max volunteers to take his place. The mayor warns Hikaru that if he doesn't keep up he could lose Minmay to Max. On the bridge, Misa notices that the radar screens are empty. She realizes the Zentradi are jamming their radar in preparation for an attack. In space, Quamzin's forces being their approach on the Macross. Back in Macross City, Minmay's party is interrupted when Misa sounds the battle alert. Hikaru, Max, Kakizaki and a dozen other pilots cram themselves into a taxi. Kakizaki asks Hikaru if Minmay is his girlfriend, and Hikaru tells him to be more considerate. Upon reaching the battle, Kakizaki is disappointed that they are on the rear defense line. When Kakizaki sees several Regult pods, he flies right in between them and is rescued by Hikaru. Nearby, Quamzin notices that the Ramidon quadrant is weak in defense and decides to attack there. As the pilots are engaged in battle, Hikaru and Kakizaki are amazed to see Max's incredible (and showy) fighting style. As the battle moves closer to the ship, Global orders the deployment of Destroid Defenders and Monsters on the hull. Quamzin and his forces land on the ship's hull and begin destroying the Destroid Defender and Monster forces. Hikaru, Max, and Kakizaki land on the hull to fight off the Regults. Kakizaki's Valkyrie is damaged, leaving Hikaru and Max to do the fighting. At that moment, Quamzin appears with his Glaug and attacks Hikaru. The two engage in a fierce battle, and Quamzin is surprised by Hikaru's fighting ability. During the exchange of fire, they each destroy each other's arms and pause to see who fires next. On the Zentradi flagship, Vrlitwhai is furious when he discovers that Quamzin has disobeyed orders. He orders Exsedol to active the signal beam that will force Kamujin to acknowledge him. After the battle, Hikaru remembers Minmay's birthday and runs off to get her a present. He arrives at Minmay's house to apologize, and she opens her window and asks if he brought the present. He searches his pockets and pulls out his medal of honor. Realizing it could be a gift, he tosses it up to Minmay. She loves the gift, and he wishes her a happy birthday as he runs off. Well, now we have two new characters added to the mix: Max and Kakizaki. Max is shy and nerdy, and Kakizaki is a brute (and he seems to know a lot about strip bars). Although Max may claim to be inexperienced, he has incredible natural talent (which will manifest itself even more later on). Kakizaki is a dumb brute who has no skills to speak of, and he gains no skills. All he manages to do is talk a lot and get shot down. This episode also features a great battle between Quamzin and Hikaru. Even at this early stage, Hikaru closely matches the skills of Quamzin. That'll change eventually as he improves even further. Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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