Macross Frontier Episode 5: Star Date

Episode 5 begins with Sheryl visiting Alto at Mihoshi Academy to find her earing she lost at some point in episode 3. With only a few days left before her farewell concert Sheryl is desperate to find her earing which she explains to Alto is very precious to her. Meanwhile Ozma finds out that Ranka was in the Miss Macross contest and that she was suspended from school, Ozma goes on to tell her that she's too shy to be a singer and Ranka begins crying and runs out.
Unable to find Sheryls earing in his locker Alto suggests they look in another location, Sheryl thinks he's making up excuses to spend time with her. Back home Ozma waits for Ranka but gets a visit from Cathy instead, who brings him to Frontier security counsel meeting that Leon organized....I don't trust this guy!
Back at Mihoshi academy Nanase breaks the news that Ranka was suspended to Mikhail and Luca, Ozma calls Mikhail and asks him to go find Ranka, later Luca sees Alto leaving school with someone, he calls Alto to tell him about Ranka, Alto then trys to call Ranka while with Sheryl after getting the news but she has turned her cell phone off. Alto and Sheryl spend the rest of the day traveling around the city, riding the tram, eating "hot" dogs and going to a Zentradi farm! Hippocows FTW!
Meanwhile Mikhail finds Ranka outside Mihoshi Academy and Mikhail tries to convince Ranka to go home but instead they wander around the city and end up at a Zentradi Mall. There Mikhail tries to tell Ranka she may have been able to sing during Miss Macross infront of an organized crowd but she doesn't have the determination to sing when no one is listening.
After spotting Mikhail and Ranka on a monitor getting on a skyrail to the Zentran Mall Alto offers to take Sheryl on one too, Sheryl mentions how beautiful Macross Frontier is compared to Macross Galaxy.
When Alto and Sheryl arrive at the mall Sheryl is amazed at all the wonderful Zentradi macronized sites like plates and shoes, she suddenly gets inspired and grabs the first thing she finds to write on....which happens to be a pair of giant Meltrandi panties LOL! Klan Klan shows up and asks Alto whats going on.
At another section of the mall Ranka spots a paper airplane floating in the air and remembers what Alto told her about "hoping and wishing", sudenly Ranka begins singing one of Sheryl's sogns and a crowd gathers to watch her perform, thus proving Ozma and Mikhail wrong. Alto and Sheryl watch her and after the performance Sheryl thanks Alto for a nice time and kisses him, Ranka and Mikhail spot this.
The episode concludes with a small craft defolding from the Galaxy fleet with a distress signal that a large swarm of Vajra have attacked the Galaxy fleet.
I really enjoyed this episode for many reasons, first the relationships between many of the characters get further developed ie: Cathy Glass and Ozma Sheryl and Alto and Ranka and Alto...in a less direct manner. Also I've read that at the beginning of Star Date, when Alto and Sheryl are in the locker room, Sheryl says, "Atashi to ishou ja, iya?" almost indentically to the scene in DYRL, when Hikaru meets Minmay in the park, and he recognizes her, she says, "Atashi to ishou ja, iya?", i.e. "You don't want to be {seen} with me?". Also the scene in the Zentradi mall felt very reminiscent of the date scene in DYRL. Another fantastic episode that fans of Macross can enjoy and newcomers will too!