Often in anime, sequels are as much renewals rather than continuations, the same themes stripped down and retooled for a younger audience, sometimes retaining continuity with the original, but often ignoring it. Look at the many editions of shows like Sailor Moon, Bubblegum Crisis and Tenchi Muyo. Even the mighty Gundam franchise has been eating its own tail for some 13 years now. Macross Frontier seemed fated to follow this trend, as it was developed to mark the 25th anniversary of the franchise. Has it gone beyond that? And is it any good?