WHY MYLENE DIDN'T END UP WITH ANYONE
It's not unusual to see 14 year old girls end up in romantic relationships in anime, however in Macross 7 the main female character Mylene ends up with... no one.
It genuinely took me by surprise when I watched the show for the first time, largely due to me having low expectations when it comes to romance stories, and I feel bad for doubting the excellent character writing of Macross 7. I kept guessing whether she'll end up with Gamlin or with Basara. All my senses were telling me that sooner or later the writers will find some way to get her and Basara together, since he's the main character and main characters always get the girl right? No matter how wrong it would feel and how annoyed I would be with that outcome (Basara clearly showed zero romantic interest in her, or really any woman for that matter, save for possibly Sivil but I have other thoughts on that), I was convinced that somehow, they will end up together. But, they didn't. Personally I was rooting for Gamlin throughout the series, as him and Mylene actually had great chemistry, she helped him to learn how to have fun, he helped her to learn how to be more serious, they balanced each other out perfectly and had mutual interest and respect for each other, so obviously they should end up together, right? And yet... they didn't. And I am here to explain why, in case anyone cares about my opinion on it. |
Mylene is actively shown as being far too immature to be in a relationship, especially with guys who are older than her, like Basara (21) and Gamlin (19). Basara in particular points out the fact that she's a kid all the time. That's not just him being dismissive, it's also the show making sure that we understand how childish she is, by pointing it out constantly. She's a stubborn and prideful teenager who always thinks she's right and who's convinced she has it all figured out. She grew up pampered and privileged, being a child of not only two renowned war veterans, but also of the mayor and military leader of Macross 7.
|
She's actively shown to not understand Basara at all and has no idea how to approach him, while the older and more experienced Gamlin picked up on his ways after only a few interactions. That's because Mylene, while she is definitely clever and very brave, greatly lacks when it comes to just, the kind of insight that comes with age. She has a limited comprehension of others because she's in the developmental stage, where a person is generally focused more on themselves.
I feel a need to bring up a great joke in episode 46, in which Mylene accidentally gets drunk and refers to herself as a kid, meaning that under all that pride and know-it-all attitude she is actually aware of her youth despite always arguing when she's being referred to as a child. |
Unsurprisingly with this show's stellar record of wonderful character development, Mylene has grown a LOT through the series. She learned to look beyond her own perceptions of things, she learned to understand others, she learned what Basara was after and I think another thing she learned, which led up to her not ending up with anyone, was the fact that she is too young and too childish to devote herself to a relationship, because she's NOT in love.
She tells Gamlin that she feels the same way about him and Basara, which might seem ridiculous because the two men's treatment of her was vastly different, one respecting her and other actively dismissing her. Why would she have the same feelings for both of them? Because she is a confused child who wants attention from both of them - but not a romantic one. She wants Basara to acknowledge her because despite them always arguing, she can tell that there's something important about him, and he is an intriguing person as well as an amazing musician. Basically, he's a senpai, and the fact that he's often dismissive of her just enforces her need for him to notice her, she wants him to see and say that she is talented (which he does in episode 45). But she also craves Gamlin's attention, because he comforts and enables her, he's gentle and kind to her - an exact opposite of Basara. Because she's young she might've mistook her feelings for them as love, when in truth it was more in line with great appreciation, a wish to impress, and definitely friendship. When she told Gamlin that she feels the same for both him and Basara, I think she finally grew enough to realize that. When Basara was written off as practically dead, and she had to think about a world without him, she most likely didn't think about the lack of potential future they could have together. It was more likely a fear of losing someone who became such an integral part of her life, someone who never really changed, who was a constant, and imagining a life where they don't bicker in the band room was unfathomable, because the band most likely felt like a second home, flaws and all. I assume this because when she yelled at comatose Basara to wake up, she said "You always fly out as soon as you can, why are you still here?!", which implies a shock due to the cancellation of a routine. Basara's antics are something she grew to view as a part of her life and she can't fathom a life where Basara isn't around to do his Basara-ish things anymore. When she thought she lost Gamlin, her feelings and way of mourning were VERY different though. She withdrew and mourned quietly, which came across much more personal. The relationship between Gamlin and Mylene was always a more personal one, and always held a very strong potential for a good relationship. They had a good chance to develop a romantic relationship, but I think that the shock of nearly losing Basara had a lot to do with Mylene deciding not to take that path. |
|
I think the presumed loss of someone with a presence as powerful as Basara's put a lot of things into perspective for Mylene, and she reconsidered her feelings, deciding that she is not ready.
The show depicted Mylene as a bratty 14 year old who grew wonderfully as she gained more experience. She witnessed loss and war and realized how she needs to adjust her position and mindset. Upon self-reflecting, she chose to back away from a romantic relationship because she simply wasn't ready. It was obviously never meant to be with Basara, but I'd say give it a few years and Gamlin might get a second chance, since their chemistry was very genuine. |
Macross Chroncle 30th Anniversary book RELATIONSHIP CHART
Lastly, I want to quickly address the relationship chart seen in the Macross Chroncle 30th Anniversary book, some of which were kindly translated for my by a lovely anon on my Macross tumblr blog
The relationship charts for Mylene from before and after Operation Stargazer cite, that Mylene and Basara's initial relationship was "always arguing", and it later changed to Mylene having feelings for Basara (and Gamlin), which were returned by Gamlin, while Basara sees her as a little sister.
MYLENE/BASARA PROMOTIONAL ARTWORK
So while it's quite clear now that Basara and Mylene have not and most likely will not ever end up together, then why is there Macross 7 promotional art that seems to depict them interacting as a couple? It's like they want you to believe that Macross 7 will end with the two main characters becoming a couple, but we know that's not what happens, making the end result an unexpected twist. Let's review these illustrations and see what's up, because it turns out that if you look closer at these works, Basara actually seems to be entirely uninterested in Mylene on nearly all of them.
The illustrations are below, in the same order as described;
The illustrations are below, in the same order as described;
- The Sweet Potato Illustration:
It looks gentle and romantic at the first glance, but give it another look and Basara is clearly practically making heart eyes at Mylene's sweet potato. My theory is that this entire illustration is just a plot for him to get revenge for that hot dog she stole from him. - The Laying On The Grass Illustration:
Taking perspective of this into consideration, Basara is literally in the process of turning away from Mylene. - The Magazine Cover:
It's a magazine cover, meaning the 'photo' was taken during a photoshoot and they are most likely acting. Basara doesn't look too thrilled. That's a very tiny and forced looking smile paired with what's clearly a frown, and it's probably the best they could get from him on command. - The Pencil Board Illustration:
This illustration is found on a pencil board, meaning it has two sides. The front side looks fairly lovey dovey, but turn it around and you realize that Basara doesn't even seem to acknowledge Mylene's presence. - The Roman Album Poster Illustration:
This one came as a poster in Fire Bomber Roman Album and is the only one I could find that I don't really have a solid explanation for, except for "fanservice". If I had to guess, I'd say it was another photoshoot thing, like the magazine cover.
We've seen in the episode 31 that the fans and the media seem to largely speculate that Basara and Mylene are together (something Basara neither denies or confirms because he's just Like That), so there being a photoshoot that would depict them as such is not completely out of the question, but that's really just a theory based on the fact that they clearly don't end up together. More proof for the photoshoot theory also comes from the fact that this is clearly not in either of their rooms; Basara does not have a window or a wall on that side of his bed, and the walls look far too worn out to be in Mylene's apartment.
Of course the actual reason that there is so much artwork depicting them together in this way is because they are the two main characters and most likely the most popular fan pairing despite their clear lack of chemistry (I will never understand shipping), so the promo material just provided some fan service to pull people in. That is not unheard of, as a lot of anime has promo artwork depicting characters in alternate universe situations, which this would technically count as. In the universe where Ichijyo ends up with Minmay, Basara might end up with Mylene for some reason.