Macross Frontier Season 1 Episode 3 On Your Marks

On Your Marks is the third episode of the first season of the anime series Macross Frontier. The episode begins with the Macross Frontier fleet travelling through space and encountering a massive asteroid field. The asteroid field is causing some damage to the fleet's ships, so a team is sent out to clear the path. Meanwhile, the pilot of one of the ships, Alto Saotome, is training for an upcoming pilot competition at the New Edwards Air Force Base.

As the asteroid clearing team does their work, they come across a strange object that appears to be a spaceship of some sort. They note that it's not from any known alien race and that it's mysterious nature is odd. The team is ordered to investigate the object and they find that it has been abandoned. While searching the ship, they come across a small robot called a Vajra.

At New Edwards, Alto is practicing with his new VF-25 Messiah and is joined by Ranka Lee, a friend he made when he rescued her from some bullies. Ranka has a love for music and singing, and is intrigued by Alto's performing with his aircraft. After Alto completes his training, the two see an announcement for a Miss Macross Frontier competition and decide to attend.

During the competition, Ranka sings and impresses the audience with her performance. Meanwhile, the asteroid clearing team returns to the fleet with the Vajra in tow. They discover that the Vajra had been attacking their ship earlier and that it's actually a hostile alien force. While trying to find a way to defeat the new threat, they also learn that the Vajra seem to have some sort of connection to Ranka.

As the episode progresses, all the characters are brought together to take on the Vajra and save the fleet. Alto and Ranka are central in the efforts to stop them, since they uncover how the Vajra seem to be drawn to Ranka's unique singing voice. Additionally, the military force plans to use Ranka's voice as a way of controlling the Vajra and turning them against the enemy. The mission is dangerous, and the Macross Frontier fleet has to work together in order to succeed.

Overall, On Your Marks introduces the audience to the central problem of the show: the Vajra threat. This episode also highlights the characters of Alto and Ranka, showing the budding relationship between them and their individual talents. As the plot thickens, it will be interesting to see how the characters continue to interact and how they will face the challenges the Vajra present.