CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Seriesto feature new galactic fleet and the VF-25 variable fighter.

The December issue (on sale November 10) of Japan's Newtype magazine previews the characters and the new VF-25 variable fighter design that will appear in Macross F (Frontier), next year's television sequel to the Macross franchise of love triangles, pop music, and robotic mecha. A 25th anniversary program special called "Frontiers of Macross" will broadcast this winter with a retrospective on the previous Macross project and clips from the new series.

The story of Macross F takes place in 2070s (three decades after the last major sequels, Macross Plus and Macross 7) aboard the 11th Macross Frontier super-long-distance colonization fleet with 10 million citizens. Ranka Lee (newcomer Megumi Nakajima, pictured above) is heading to the concert of Macross Frontier's top Galaxy Network idol, Sheryl Nome, when she encounters a pilot trainee named Alto Saotome — and when a mysterious enemy attacks the fleet. The story will also feature Ranka's older brother, the veteran pilot Ozma Lee, and the U.N. Forces' latest main variable fighter, the VF-25.

As previously reported, Macross creator Shoji Kawamori of Studio Nue will collaborate with the animation studio Satelight (Macross Zero, Noein) and music composer Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop) for the series. Due to the rigors of composing a television series, Kawamori said that Kanno will be sharing her duties with another composer as she did with The Vision of Escaflowne and Aquarion. Kawamori will oversee the project and design the main variable fighters while Junya Ishigaki (Macross Zero's Destroids, Noein) and Takeshi Takakura (Appleseed movies, Noein) will contribute additional mechanical designs.