Brighter (Ranka Lee)

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Aku
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Aku »

Yay Tara, I'm so glad you got Ranka up! :music2: I feel like I've been eagerly eyeballing her on your upcoming projects forever ( :eyes: ), my wish finally came true. :sob: :heart:

I really enjoyed the way you laid out the site! Breaking it down into a progression: her intro, the dreams that drive her in the series, the people who she fights for, her stance on the war against the vajra and how she grows up through all of this. I also really liked how the various sections incorporated a number of different things: anything from laying out the lore of Macross F, to relationships, to random anecdotes (your amnesia/ptsd section). It was a nice way of experiencing all those things without breaking narrative. For me it was a little bit like re-experiencing Macross Frontier while also hearing your personal thoughts and feelings about it and I really enjoyed that! :blush: I've seen Macross F so many times, but it's always refreshing to hear it from someone else's point of view.

My favorite sections are definitely "Determination" & "Personal"--they had a lot of heart written into them, and I could really relate with so much of what you said in how Ranka has touched your life. From her inspirational optimism to her music, she really got me through a lot of tough times... so your words got me a little choked up knowing she'd done the same for you (and probably so many others :sob:). I think that's why I love your choice of Niji Iro Kuma Kuma Ranka on your layout because that song really just resonates so much with your thoughts on her as a character. (And the design is gorgeous, vibrant and beautiful btw! All things Ranka. :heart: ) Also, (gonna quote, but block because spoilers):
SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW
She stops doubting herself, she stops doing everything out of the need to make others (especially the people she loved) happy. Her departure from Frontier really stood out to me because it was the first decision she made that essentially hurt Alto—but she, for once, listened to what she wanted and went after her own desires.
YES YES YES!! :sob: This is one of the most poignant scenes in Macross Frontier for me, I love it so much.

Bless the little queen! :sob: Such a sweet tribute to such a precious character. :heart: Thank you for sharing this with us, Tara!!! :heart: I'm so happy you were finally able to put it online!
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Tara
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Tara »

@Robin: Ahhh thank you!! :heart:

@Aku: omg :sob: Thank you so much for all the feedback!! I debated for a long time how I wanted to set the site up and I'm really proud of how it's all set up now. I spent days trying to figure out how to get the content the way I wanted. :bleh:

I'm glad I'm not the only person Ranka has really inspired!! She is such an angel, truly. I didn't even think of the image I used being so relatable to the content, but now that you've mentioned it, it fits perfectly! Go past me.

I'm very glad to hear all this from you because I've looked up to your Ranka site for years, thank you so much!
I used to practice smiling when i'm feeling sad, y'know.
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Samantha
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Samantha »

This looks awesome, Tara!! I really like how you started each page with lyrics--it makes it very personal to Ranka (based on the little that I know, haha).

I never got very far in Macross Frontier, but your love for her character definitely comes across. :heart:
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Masao »

Yay, like Aku, I'm also really glad you've got this online. I love seeing people's fav character upcomings transitioning to online. The layout is so cute! I really like the colors and the text styles, though the content font color was just a tiny bit too light for me.

I pretty much agree with a lot of what you said in your "Personal" page, as a lot of what appealed to you about Ranka also appealed to me. She's so cute and she hits so many right things for me, I can't explain it. And it's really nice reading about how she's personally touched you.

I like how you split your pages on themes around her character, especially "Independence" and "Determination," both indicative of her character growth. :heart:

(also yay for Brera cameo, since I'm biased haha)
THE FATE OF DESTRUCTION IS ALSO THE JOY OF REBIRTH.
Lethe
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Lethe »

aaaah what I bright and happy layout, what a good match for the subject!! Just like the shrine name. ;_;

As Aku already mentioned, the progression through this shrine and its focus on Ranka's growth are very enjoyable! I like the careful way you described the relationship between Sheryl and Ranka (and their small blurb on the Love page :heart:), and my favourite parts are Independence and Determination - especially in the way the former leads to the latter. :star:

How you placed all the songs across the site is really lovely and brings so much flavour to the shrine (while probably encouraging people to pick up Macross Frontier haha!)... It really struck me when I reached the Personal page and you said that Ranka music lifts your spirits. :music2:

Congratulations on making one of your shrining dreams come true!! <3 <3 I very much enjoyed the personal anecdotes.
Both despair and ecstasy are part of the elements that compose a person.
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Tara
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Tara »

@Samantha: Thank you! I'm glad my love really came across because sometimes I fumble with words and how to present them so I'm glad it's so apparent.

@Masao: I LOVE BRERA :heart: I'm really glad you and a lot of others liked the more personal pages because I put a lot of heart into writing them--Ranka really is one of my biggest fictional inspirations. ;v;

@Lethe: Thank you Lethe! I had a lot of fun with the lyrics so I'm glad everyone seems to like them so much! :>
I used to practice smiling when i'm feeling sad, y'know.
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Jae
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Jae »

Brighter looks beautiful, Tara! Like Todd, I love your use of colors in a balanced but still vibrant fashion.

I've read a couple of articles so far, and I can really see how connected to the character you are. So wonderful. :heart: It's always moving to find a character you can relate to and also admire as they overcome the obstacles you face yourself. I don't think it's silly to draw strength from that, as fiction is one of many portrayals of life from which we may learn.

Anyway, I like how you were able to incorporate those personal elements while telling us more about Ranka. It was a very sweet read!
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Stefi
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Stefi »

Tara, this layout is gorgeous! I am totally in love with the fun color scheme :heart:

Like Destiny, I thought it was pretty cool you pointed out the potential romance between her and Sheryl. I actually low-key shipped them once upon a time (and still do!) when MF was airing, haha!

I enjoyed reading your personal page on her; I've always loved reading about why one particularly loves a character and how much they stand out to them. I definitely agree that she is a cute blob!
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Tara
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Tara »

@Jae: Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the more personal articles because I put a lot of work as well as myself into them. :heart:

@Stefi: Thank you as well!!! FELLOW SHIPPER. :star: :star: One day I'll write a more detailed article on the two of them but for now I just wanted to hint at it. :P
I used to practice smiling when i'm feeling sad, y'know.
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