From the get go, the very first soft, feminine tones of
the opening lyrics to “Voices,” (Macross Plus’ main theme) you know that this
is going to be something special. This
is one of the big ones, of the greats that inspired a generation and gave added
weight of excitement to projects like Escaflowne and Cowboy Bebop just because
of the people who worked on this OVA.
But first a bit of background and trivia:
Macross. The
legend, the groundbreaker, the memorable sci fi opus. What’s kind of funny is how Macross first got
recognized here in the states. In the
80’s the original Super Dimensional Fortress Macross series was used as the
basis for the first saga of Robotech: The Macross Saga. Of the three series that ended up making
Robotech: Macross, Super Dimensional Calvary Southern Cross and Genesis Climber
Mospeada, Macross is the most associated and recognized with it. While changes were made to suit Robotech’s
story, it remained pretty faithful to original Macross tale. Not only that, but
the characters, mecha, music and that infamous love triangle are forever
ingrained in the minds of most Anime fans who were thrilled by Macross’s out of
this world adventures…who also cringed at the voice of Lynn Minmei but we’ll touch
on that briefly in a moment.
And now we come to one of the more legendary entries in
that saga, Macross Plus. It’s
interesting to note that even though it’s written on the cover of the DVDs,
many will already agree that this OVA is the Top Gun of Japanese
Animation. Hard to argue, you could
easily throw in Harold Faltermeyer’s score or any of the songs from the
soundtrack and it would match up just fine.
Plus you’ve got the hot headed pilots, the rivalry, the sweet freaking
fighter jet sequences. And if there had
been a love triangle between Maverick, Charlie and Iceman, you can bet it could
have turned out something like Isamu, Myung and Gould.
It’s both sad and
yet very fun to watch the core three interact with each other. We only get glimpses of the defining moment
that drove them all apart but you get how powerful it was, how hurt they still
are after seven years. Myung shows her
hurt more than any of the trio. Her
brave public face is admirable but she’s not the most skilled at hiding how
much the past still haunts her. She
wants to move on and yet she is the only one of the three who hasn’t achieved
her childhood dream, not exactly anyway.
Why Myung choses to be the Wizard behind the curtain for Sharon Apple is
beyond me when her voice, beauty and talent could win the masses over in a
heartbeat. Myung’s the biggest mystery
of the main trio and that makes her also the most tragic and sad of the bunch.
And yet, Isamu and Gould’s bickering is so great. From love of Myung to love of the
competition, these two are great rivals who cant wait to grasp victory while really
wanting to stick it to one another. What’s
interesting more so are the tactics Isamu and Gould are using for their new
planes. Isamu is the old school Maverick
who is all instinct and thrill at the controls of a Veritech. Gould, however, uses a new possibly ground
breaking mental control system that requires a calm and composed mind, even
though he runs the risk of hulking out (more or less) around Dyson because of
bad memories. Egos and ideologies clash
in equal amounts. And when they finally
go at it, first in simple training exercises and then on an off the grid
showdown, man do we get some great action.
Missile dodges, mid air transformations, even a Pacific Rim style boxing
match, if you love your combat fast paced and full on hard hitting…chances are
you have this series to thank for that.
Much like the original Macross, music is still a key plot
element rather than a simple marketing grab.
I’m pretty certain this was the score that put Yoko Kanno on the map and
elements of touches she would go on to feature in later productions like
Escaflowne, Turn A Gundam and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex are all
present. Orchestra is used amazingly for
the flight and fight sequences, matching up perfectly with the images on
screen. But my personal favorite are the
Sharon Apple songs. Cyberpunk inspired
and synth infused tracks, they do sound like the Pop songs of the future. And Sharon’s voice is haunting and heart
racing depending on the song and a far cry better than the annoying tunes
belted by Lynn Minmei in the original Macross.
Sharon’s adoration by the media and her hold over the crowd can never be
questioned. Even her incredibly trippy
musical numbers cant really be questioned just because they look so freaking
fantastic, fusing 2D and 3D animation spectacularly.
A lot of important plot elements are also set up in
regards to Sharon that I think will pay off in the next part. How will Myung’s reuniting with Isamu and
Gould and her eye opening catch of Isamu at the concert affect Sharon further than
it might have? Will Sharon play a role
in forcing her to choose between Isamu and Gould at the end or is there
something darker in the mind of the cybernetic diva? Myung’s boss seems like he could play a shady
role in some of this, acquiring illegal (?) tech to complete Sharon. It raises all kinds of red flags, especially
for Myung’s safety…and not just because Sharon started a fire to get Gould and
Isamu’s attention, almost killing Myung.
Whatever the answers may be, this series has my
attention. I want to see more one on one
fighter combat, I want to hear more Sharon Apple, I want Isamu to keep being a
reckless bad ass and I just want to know in general how this series will wow me
more. Will I be accepting of it’s 4
episode length or sad it couldn’t be longer? You’ll have your answers next
week, and so will I.
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