I was planning to save these for the actual day (along with the series finale of Gundam: 08th MS Team). But a friend urged me to post these today, who am I to argue? Been sitting on these reviews for a while, waiting for the right time to post them. Fireworks and Giant Robots? Sounds like a winning combination to me. So here we go, I present to you the final part of the Robotech Trilogy. See you next Monday for the Conclusion of Gundam: The 08th MS Team, followed the week after by the beginning of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.)
Earth 2044 A.D. The Invid have been expelled from the
planet and the third Robotech War is now over.
As peace begins to feel real again, Lancer, the freedom fighter also
known as legendary rocker Yellow Dancer, sits down with a reporter to tell his
story. This is the tale of how Lancer
came to meet a group of stitched together comrades and how they would play a
pivotal role in the downfall of the Invid.
And as Lancer reflects on the past, he sets his sights on what the
future may hold for him in this new era.
Fans of Robotech looking for a brand new adventure in the
wake of The Shadow Chronicles will come away pretty disappointed with Love Live
Alive. The movie is more or less a
compilation film detailing the events of the third season of Robotech-The New
Generation (based on Genesis Climber Mospeda).
There is a new epilogue included that the film plays itself around based
on a Mospeda OVA. But the promise held
in promos featuring brand new animated looks at Dana Stirling falls terribly
flat. Had this film been about the
period between the second and third Robotech wars, that would have been a
better draw. Up until this film (and the
Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles graphic novel) it was unclear what happened to
Dana and the rest of the Southern Cross.
We knew they after their war with the Robotech Masters, they were in no
shape for another battle so close ahead.
And all we get for their tiny, tiny bit (Dana doesn’t even have any lines),
is a 30 second escape montage with new animation worse than the Shadow
Chronicles. It’s beyond sad and a bad
cheat.
I have a love/hate relationship with compilation
films. Some, like the Madoka Magica
movies, are pretty solid and are good substitute watch if you’re short on time
to check out an entire series. The tell
the right moments, flow correctly from one scene to the next and are pretty
well paced. Others, like Love Live
Alive, jump around a lot and have no flow or connection outside of the characters
and the timeline of events. Even the
introduction of the main New Generation cast is handled way too quickly. It’s cool to see the old animation at times
and it’s great to hear the old Robotech music again (something The Shadow
Chronicles definitely needed). I guess
as far as compilation films go though, this one was just eh. Personally I never finished The New
Generation as I thought it was just ok.
Maybe I need to finish it but I’m sure it would be better served to me
in full season format rather than a movie.
At the end of the day, this just isn’t the Robotech movie
I wanted to see. I was set for either a
Shadow Chronicles continuation or an interquel taking place between the Masters
and New Generation sagas. I might be
acting a bit harsh towards this film.
The music is great, old Robotech themes and the Yellow Dancer
songs. Scott Bernard is a solid lead
character. The Cyclones and new
Veritechs of that era still look cool.
This just isn’t what I wanted to watch though and I think that’s a
problem most Robotech projects have. We
want Rick, Lisa, Max and the Macross crew again. We want to see their adventures continue
properly…or you know, KNOW THAT THEYRE STILL ALIVE!!!! Fans of the New Generation will enjoy this
last, greatest hits look at the final season of Robotech. Others like myself will be let down, knowing
that the Robotech adventure we really want to watch still eludes us.
5/10
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