Brighter (Ranka Lee)

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Tara
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Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Tara »

Image
ohmygodit'sfinallyfinished
I have been meaning to make this shrine ever since I can really remember. Ranka Lee is a very important and personal favourite character of mine, and I'm glad to finally have this shrine up and running. I'd still like to write more eventually, but I needed a bit of a break from the content for a little bit but wanted to get it up! This is probably a shrine I'll constantly be adding more to and editing because... it means a lot to me...

A recent rewatch of Macross Frontier with my gf got me really motivated to make this. I wanted to finish it as soon as possible so that all the information was fresh in my head. The design is actually over a year old... I'm glad it held up so I didn't have to completely remake it. :swt:
I used to practice smiling when i'm feeling sad, y'know.
Destinie
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Destinie »

Congrats on finishing your shrine, Tara! I want to first mention the design: I think it's lovely, clean, and I love the colors. The quotes at the top of each page are so nice, too!

I like the sections where you talk about Ranka's possible PTSD and also the possibility of romance between her and Sheryl. I would actually like to read more on that section like why you think they would make a good couple, maybe any evidence from the series, or perhaps any headcanons! I also love the page where you discuss about why you like Ranka. Very cute!
Todd
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Todd »

Oh man, it feels so good to finish a shrine to a character you love and have wanted to shrine for a while. I had that euphoria when I opened my Tidus shrine, and later when I opened my Drew Barrymore shrine. Congratulations! It's so awesome you finally got it up!

I am not familiar with the series, but it's something I might watch (I've been looking for good anime!). I read your introduction, and I have one question as someone not familiar with the series: can a new fan pick it up, or do they need to watch Macross 7 and Macross Dynamite 7 first?

Anyway, your layout is so gorgeous. I love your use of color. All the little details, like the subtitles under each page's title, and other stylistic things you did really give the site a unique feel.
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Tara
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Tara »

@Destinie: Ahh! Thank you! :heart:

As for the Sheryl and Ranka section: I would definitely like to expand on that someday! I'm not sure if it will warrant a whole new page or if I'll add onto what's already there, but thank you for the suggestion!! I'm glad you'd like to hear about my silly headcanons. :D

@Todd: THANK YOU AS WELL, and as far as watching the series goes, I watched Frontier first and had no trouble getting into it because it explains the world and what's happened pretty well. There are some references you won't catch, but they're very subtle and you don't need to get them to enjoy the series! I... still need to watch Macross 7 myself still... lol. I will probably add more to the shrine when I do since I'll finally get the full references. :swt:
I used to practice smiling when i'm feeling sad, y'know.
Destinie
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Destinie »

Of course! Headcanons are one of my favorite things to read about! :P
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Re: Brighter (Ranka Lee)

Post by Robin »

Beautiful work, so touching and poignant; it clearly shows the personal connection to the series and Ranka as a character. It's gratifying to be able to put into words exactly why a character resonates with us, even if we've carried the thought around in our heads for years, and that's what this site feels like. WELL DONE!! :D
~ a dream is a wish your heart makes ~
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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.
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