Lynn Minmay
Encyclopedia
Lynn Minmay, also spelled Ling Mingmei (Japanese
: リン・ミンメイ Rin Minmei, Chinese
: 鈴明美/林明美 Pinyin
: Líng Míngměi/Lín Míngměi) is a fictional anime
character from Super Dimension Fortress Macross
television series and Macross: Do You Remember Love?
movie. She is also in Macross: Flash Back 2012
music video collection. The first Macross series and its Minmay character was adapted as the first part of the Robotech
television series. Minmay is the embodiment of the music that plays a crucial role in setting Macross apart; as such, she has become the iconic character of that series.
In Macross (and Robotech), Minmay is the love interest of the main character Hikaru Ichijyo
(Rick Hunter
in Robotech) and becomes an idol
singer and movie star on board the spacecraft SDF-1 Macross
. Her songs, which cause confusion amongst alien Zentradi
soldiers, play a critical role in Space War I against Boddole Zer's Zentradi fleet.
The original Japanese Minmay is voiced by Mari Iijima
, who also wrote some of the songs and sang for the series. She became a famous J-Pop
singer in part due to the success of the series. Iijima has also undertaken to reprise the role in the English dub of the series for ADV. This would be the first time that a key character in an anime series was voiced by the same voice actor in both Japanese and English.
An English
translation
of the Chinese
characters in Lynn Minmay's name is "bright and beautiful bell". The localizers of Macross in Chinese-speaking territories changed the character 鈴 (Líng, "bell") for her family name to 林 (Lín "grove").
Minmay is Japanese-Chinese by ethnicity. Her Chinese-Japanese father is Líng Bǎoxióng (鈴宝雄). Her mother is Shigeyo (しげよ).
To some extent, the morale raised by Lynn Minmay in Space War I is very reminiscent of Vera Lynn
during the Second World War
.
, Japan
(though she is of partial Chinese
descent) as Linn Minmei, Minmay moved in with her uncle Shaochin (少江) and aunt Feichun (慧中) on South Ataria Island in hopes of finding the path to fulfill her dream of becoming a star. On the day of the Zentradi
invasion, she meets Hikaru
and a series of events leads to her being swept off on the SDF-1 Macross along with the rest of the surviving population from that island. While on the space fortress, Minmay wins the Miss Macross beauty pageant and is propelled into celebrity.
When the Macross returns to Earth, she is the only civilian allowed off the space fortress. After her trip home in Japan (where her parents remained), Minmay returned to the fortress with her cousin Lynn Kaifunn (and Hikaru's competition for her affection) in tow. Ultimately, Minmay sings the songs that end the first war against the Zentradi.
During the second part of the series, the very fame and success she craved finally left her tired and virtually alone. She tries to run away from her celebrity status and start anew, with a more simple life alongside Hikaru, who is now more confused than ever in defining his feelings for Minmay and Misa Hayase
; all of this while new conflicts arise between the human and Zentradi survivors of the first war. At the end of the series both Hikaru and Minmay realize they are very different people, and Minmay accepts that Hikaru belongs with Misa, remaining a friend to the couple afterwards.
In 2012, she embarks on the SDF-2 Megaroad-01
colony ship, which disappears 4 years later during its voyage towards the center of the Milky Way
galaxy, becoming a legend in the Macross
universe since then.
In the film The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?
, Minmay's portrait was a bit different from the first Macross series. In the movie's story, she was already a popular singer and movie star, and she and Hikaru had never met before until the events that turn up on the movie. Hikaru is portrayed as a Valkyrie pilot who is a Minmay fan, and apparently falls for her after their meeting; Minmay, for her part, already tired of living in the eye of the media, initially befriends Hikaru after he saves her life, and she sees him as a friend from the outside of the crazy world of fame she has been living. As the plot evolves, she also begins to fall for him, yet it is too late, as Hikaru realizes he loves Misa, and his fascination for Minmay was just that and nothing more.
Her hit songs include "My Boyfriend's a Pilot," "Little White Dragon," and "Do You Remember Love?" The first song that Minmay sings, "Cinderella" in Episode 4, was not written for the show. Instead, the song had been written by Iijima prior to being picked for the role of Minmay. The fact that she was a songwriter was one of the factors that led to her being selected. Coincidentally, the very last song that Minmay would sing in a Macross animated production, "An Angel's Paints" (天使の絵の具 Tenshi no Enogu) from the Do You Remember Love? movie and Flash Back 2012 video, was also written by Iijima.
Macross creators Mikimoto Haruhiko and Kawamori Shoji have stated that Minmay's popularity in both sides of the war is partially inspired by the song Lili Marleen
, a German love song which was popular on both sides during World War II.
world, Minmay is continued to be remembered even decades after Space War I. Her songs are constantly cherished and she will always be known as the girl who ended a war by singing. Throughout every Macross sequel (even the non-canon Macross II OVA and movie), Minmay is referred either indirectly (through references of her songs) or explicitly.
In Macross 7
, she became an inspiration to Basara Nekki
, who intends to win over his enemies through singing. In Macross 7 Trash, performed a singing contest called "Voice Minmay 2046" to transform the winner in the new version of Minmay. Likewise, the winner and co-star of the story, Enika Chelini, is a fan of Minmay. In Macross Frontier her song "My Boyfriend's A Pilot", sung by Ranka Lee during a Miss Macross Frontier competition, was referred to as "a legendary song every person here knows.". The final bars of "My Boyfriend's A Pilot" are heard in Macross Plus
when Myung Fan Lone is taken by old schoolmates to a karaoke lounge.
Ranka Lee can also be seen as the "new" Minmay. Both of them are playful, insecure, young teenage girls who pursue their singing dreams. Minmay and Ranka both have Chinese names and they both worked at the Nyan Nyan restaurant.
In the final episode of Macross Frontier
, a picture of Minmay can be seen in a locket belonging to a Zentradi mogul
called Richard Bilrer.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: リン・ミンメイ Rin Minmei, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: 鈴明美/林明美 Pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Líng Míngměi/Lín Míngměi) is a fictional anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
character from Super Dimension Fortress Macross
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
is an anime television series. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war....
television series and Macross: Do You Remember Love?
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?
, also known as The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? or Super Spacefortress Macross , is a 1984 Japanese animated movie based around the Macross television series.The movie is a film adaptation of the original Macross series, with new animation...
movie. She is also in Macross: Flash Back 2012
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012
is a 1987 collection of music videos from the The Super Dimension Fortress Macross animated television series and the Macross: Do You Remember Love? theatrical film remake...
music video collection. The first Macross series and its Minmay character was adapted as the first part of the Robotech
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
television series. Minmay is the embodiment of the music that plays a crucial role in setting Macross apart; as such, she has become the iconic character of that series.
In Macross (and Robotech), Minmay is the love interest of the main character Hikaru Ichijyo
Hikaru Ichijyo
Hikaru Ichijyo is one of the main fictional characters of the Macross Japanese anime series. His voice actor was Arihiro Hase in the Original Japanese version and Vic Mignogna in the English dub by ADV Films in January 2006...
(Rick Hunter
Rick Hunter
Rick Hunter, voiced by veteran voice actor Tony Oliver, is one of the fictional characters in the Robotech anime television series. He begins the series as a naive and headstrong nineteen-year-old civilian pilot, having flown for his father "Pops" Hunter's world-class flying circus...
in Robotech) and becomes an idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
singer and movie star on board the spacecraft SDF-1 Macross
SDF-1 Macross
The SDF-1 Macross is a fictional interstellar transforming spacecraft from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, an anime science fiction series that aired in Japan in 1982–1983, and its American adaptation Robotech...
. Her songs, which cause confusion amongst alien Zentradi
Zentradi
The are a fictional, militastic race of alien, humanoid giants and often the main antagonist in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime series and its Robotech adaptation....
soldiers, play a critical role in Space War I against Boddole Zer's Zentradi fleet.
The original Japanese Minmay is voiced by Mari Iijima
Mari Iijima
is a Japanese singer-songwriter who has released over 20 original albums to date. She writes and produces most of her own music, is a multi-instrumentalist, and is an accomplished piano player. After being signed to JVC Victor in 1982, Mari first became known for her voice-acting role as Lynn...
, who also wrote some of the songs and sang for the series. She became a famous J-Pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
singer in part due to the success of the series. Iijima has also undertaken to reprise the role in the English dub of the series for ADV. This would be the first time that a key character in an anime series was voiced by the same voice actor in both Japanese and English.
An English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
characters in Lynn Minmay's name is "bright and beautiful bell". The localizers of Macross in Chinese-speaking territories changed the character 鈴 (Líng, "bell") for her family name to 林 (Lín "grove").
Minmay is Japanese-Chinese by ethnicity. Her Chinese-Japanese father is Líng Bǎoxióng (鈴宝雄). Her mother is Shigeyo (しげよ).
To some extent, the morale raised by Lynn Minmay in Space War I is very reminiscent of Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Background
Born in Yokohama ChinatownYokohama Chinatown
Yokohama Chinatown is located in Yokohama, Japan, which is located just south of Tokyo. Its history is about 150 years long...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(though she is of partial Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
descent) as Linn Minmei, Minmay moved in with her uncle Shaochin (少江) and aunt Feichun (慧中) on South Ataria Island in hopes of finding the path to fulfill her dream of becoming a star. On the day of the Zentradi
Zentradi
The are a fictional, militastic race of alien, humanoid giants and often the main antagonist in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime series and its Robotech adaptation....
invasion, she meets Hikaru
Hikaru Ichijyo
Hikaru Ichijyo is one of the main fictional characters of the Macross Japanese anime series. His voice actor was Arihiro Hase in the Original Japanese version and Vic Mignogna in the English dub by ADV Films in January 2006...
and a series of events leads to her being swept off on the SDF-1 Macross along with the rest of the surviving population from that island. While on the space fortress, Minmay wins the Miss Macross beauty pageant and is propelled into celebrity.
When the Macross returns to Earth, she is the only civilian allowed off the space fortress. After her trip home in Japan (where her parents remained), Minmay returned to the fortress with her cousin Lynn Kaifunn (and Hikaru's competition for her affection) in tow. Ultimately, Minmay sings the songs that end the first war against the Zentradi.
During the second part of the series, the very fame and success she craved finally left her tired and virtually alone. She tries to run away from her celebrity status and start anew, with a more simple life alongside Hikaru, who is now more confused than ever in defining his feelings for Minmay and Misa Hayase
Misa Hayase
is one of the central fictional characters of the Macross Japanese anime series. Her voice actress was Mika Doi in the original Japanese TV version, in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? movie adaptation, and in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012 OVA...
; all of this while new conflicts arise between the human and Zentradi survivors of the first war. At the end of the series both Hikaru and Minmay realize they are very different people, and Minmay accepts that Hikaru belongs with Misa, remaining a friend to the couple afterwards.
In 2012, she embarks on the SDF-2 Megaroad-01
SDF-2 Megaroad-01
The SDF-2 Megaroad-01 is a fictional spacecraft from the Macross series. It was first featured in the OVA title The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012, a 30-minute Music Video production released on June 21 in 1987 in Japan...
colony ship, which disappears 4 years later during its voyage towards the center of the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
galaxy, becoming a legend in the Macross
Macross
is a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
universe since then.
Additional notes on the character
Minmay's personality is that of any teenage girl, fun-loving, playful, full of dreams and hopes that she may realize some day. After their initial encounter during the start of the Space War I, Hikaru builds a deep infatuation on her that grows on and on throughout the series. But after Minmay wins the Miss Macross contest and becomes a distant pop idol, his feelings for her change, as she becomes too involved not only in the popular culture, but as a symbol of the human struggle against the Zentradi. Minmay also displayed insecurity and doubts about her attraction toward Hikaru and her cousin Lynn Kaifunn.The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?
, also known as The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? or Super Spacefortress Macross , is a 1984 Japanese animated movie based around the Macross television series.The movie is a film adaptation of the original Macross series, with new animation...
, Minmay's portrait was a bit different from the first Macross series. In the movie's story, she was already a popular singer and movie star, and she and Hikaru had never met before until the events that turn up on the movie. Hikaru is portrayed as a Valkyrie pilot who is a Minmay fan, and apparently falls for her after their meeting; Minmay, for her part, already tired of living in the eye of the media, initially befriends Hikaru after he saves her life, and she sees him as a friend from the outside of the crazy world of fame she has been living. As the plot evolves, she also begins to fall for him, yet it is too late, as Hikaru realizes he loves Misa, and his fascination for Minmay was just that and nothing more.
Her hit songs include "My Boyfriend's a Pilot," "Little White Dragon," and "Do You Remember Love?" The first song that Minmay sings, "Cinderella" in Episode 4, was not written for the show. Instead, the song had been written by Iijima prior to being picked for the role of Minmay. The fact that she was a songwriter was one of the factors that led to her being selected. Coincidentally, the very last song that Minmay would sing in a Macross animated production, "An Angel's Paints" (天使の絵の具 Tenshi no Enogu) from the Do You Remember Love? movie and Flash Back 2012 video, was also written by Iijima.
Macross creators Mikimoto Haruhiko and Kawamori Shoji have stated that Minmay's popularity in both sides of the war is partially inspired by the song Lili Marleen
Lili Marleen
"Lili Marleen" is a German love song which became popular during World War II.Written in 1915 during World War I, the poem was published under the title "Das Lied eines jungen Soldaten auf der Wacht" in 1937, and was first recorded by Lale Andersen in 1939 under the...
, a German love song which was popular on both sides during World War II.
Legacy
In the MacrossMacross
is a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
world, Minmay is continued to be remembered even decades after Space War I. Her songs are constantly cherished and she will always be known as the girl who ended a war by singing. Throughout every Macross sequel (even the non-canon Macross II OVA and movie), Minmay is referred either indirectly (through references of her songs) or explicitly.
In Macross 7
Macross 7
is an anime television series. It is a sequel to the show The Super Dimension Fortress Macross that takes place many years after the events of the first series following a cast of mostly new characters. The show ran from October 16, 1994 to September 24, 1995 at 11:00 AM, and 49 episodes were aired...
, she became an inspiration to Basara Nekki
Basara Nekki
' is a fictional character in the Macross universe, the lead singer and guitarist of the band Fire Bomber. He first appears in Macross 7, and also appears in the movie Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me and the OVAs Macross 7 Encore and Macross Dynamite 7. He is voiced by Nobutoshi Kanna...
, who intends to win over his enemies through singing. In Macross 7 Trash, performed a singing contest called "Voice Minmay 2046" to transform the winner in the new version of Minmay. Likewise, the winner and co-star of the story, Enika Chelini, is a fan of Minmay. In Macross Frontier her song "My Boyfriend's A Pilot", sung by Ranka Lee during a Miss Macross Frontier competition, was referred to as "a legendary song every person here knows.". The final bars of "My Boyfriend's A Pilot" are heard in Macross Plus
Macross Plus
is a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the Macross series. It was the first sequel to the original Macross television series that took place in the official timeline...
when Myung Fan Lone is taken by old schoolmates to a karaoke lounge.
Ranka Lee can also be seen as the "new" Minmay. Both of them are playful, insecure, young teenage girls who pursue their singing dreams. Minmay and Ranka both have Chinese names and they both worked at the Nyan Nyan restaurant.
In the final episode of Macross Frontier
Macross Frontier
is a Japanese animated science fiction space drama that aired in Japan on MBS from April 3, 2008 to September 25, 2008. It is the most recent Japanese anime television series set in the Macross universe. Animated by Satelight, premiered Japan on MBS on April 3, 2008...
, a picture of Minmay can be seen in a locket belonging to a Zentradi mogul
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
called Richard Bilrer.
External links
- Official Macross website
- Lynn Minmay at the Macross Wiki
- Official website of Mari Iijima