Hello and Welcome Dear Readers to a special New Years Day Premiere review. For a long time now, I’ve debated reviewing the US Adapted Anime Anthology (is that even the correct term for it?) Robotech and spacing it out over the course of a year like ive done with Slayers and Full Metal Panic. A few months back, a good friend of mine suggested I review the shows themselves that form the basis of Robotech. If I’m absolutely honest, like most Robotech fans im not too big on Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross or Genesis Climber Mospeda…if you need further proof of that you can check out the First Impressions I did of both shows way back when (ill link them at the end of the review). However, I was willing to accept part of my friends request and review on series that I’ve really wanted to for some time. And honestly, I cant think of a better title to open 2021 with or start this new review schedule off with. Welcome, Dear Readers, to the legendary…Super Dimension Fortress MACROSS!!!
I’ll be upfront about something right off the bat: it’s been forever since I looked at The Macross Saga of Robotech (aka Robotech Season 1), so beyond names and the very beginning, I wont be drawing or looking at comparrisons between the original Japanese series or the US adaptation. This will all strictly be a look at Macross in its original, purest form. So no calling anyone by their US names…unless their names weren’t changed like Roy or Claudia. But seriously, no calling Hikaru Rick, Misa Lisa or Minmay…well she has the same name too. Anyway, that disclaimer aside, how was the beginning of Macross?
Right away, you can tell the Macross was trying to do for the mecha genre what Mobile Suit Gundam did towards the tail end of the 70’s. This isn’t a Real Robot Anime like Gundam though. Instead, Macross looks to be diving back into a more classical Alien war space opera a la Space Battleship Yamato, but with a newer, sharper edge (for the time it came out). The first three episodes of Macross are one continuous action epic that gave off some shades of War of the Worlds. With how the Zentradi bipodal mecha bounce around and the carnage ravaging South Ataria, or how the Zentradi themselves first appear, one could almost sync some of the infamous Orson Wells broadcast alongside it and get the same desired effect. But humanity is ready to combat these enormous warriors with giant robots of their own and the Valkyrie’s are just as iconic now as they were back then, equally efficient as fighter planes as they are walking monuments with machine guns. It’s funny that people refer to Macross Plus as the “Top Gun” of Anime when it’s parent series could be seen the same with its fast paced dogfights…even though Macross came out 4 years before Top Gun.
But Macross is known for more than just its iconic mecha and that beautiful battleship. There’s a surprisingly very human story here and man can it get dark sometimes. The fact that an entire island gets warped to the other end of the solar system isn’t played for laughs and it does force the rather diverse cast to consider their options. Handling an overwhelming Alien Armada is one thing. But having to provide and shelter 50,000 civilians within the bowels of the Macross, that’s something else entirely and I like that while the solutions might seem instantaneous, it’s a continuous weight hanging over the bridge crew. Captain Gloval, Misa, Claudia and the bridge bunnies all have good chemistry and feel like a well oiled crew despite this being their shared maiden voyage aboard the Macross. Gloval is freaking awesome as a Captain, boasting age old wisdom but also being a realist and not taking anything lightly. He even makes the hard call to transform the Macross to save the ship even though the process heavily damages the city being constructed within…that’s not an easy order to give and it wont be the last as the Macross begins its long trip back to Earth.
As for two of our main focal points for the series: Hikaru Ichijo and Lynn Minmay can be both a fascinating tale and kind of an annoying one. The fourth episode calmed things down and focused soley on their surviving within the Macross, cut off from any help, for over two weeks. There’s a stark contrast between Hikaru’s never give up hope attitude and Minemei suddenly desiring to marry Hikaru and then throw them both into space because it looks like the end is nigh. Honestly, I was surprised Macross stepped into this territory. It’s kind of bleak but also mature too. I’m with Hikaru though, Minmay’s heel turn once she was rescued had some major whiplash too it. She’s now back to her bubbly, kind of aloof princess personality like nothing ever happened. Poor Hikaru. I really hope he’s not joining the military just to impress Minmay…cause right now she doesn’t seem worth it, even if she is letting him stay at her place.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention more about the strong female presence in Macross. In a genre where you usually only get one or two cute girls in a team of all male bad asses, the Bridge Crew is made up of all women, save for Gloval, and all play integral roles in handling the day to day operations of the Macross. While Misa is the very by the books hard ass, Claudia is her counterpoint. She takes her job seriously but also knows when to cut loose and make sure everyone isn’t right on the edge when the going gets tough. Also, Claudia pilots the freaking Macross itself, which is quite the job to have. I think it's also worth noting that Claudia is the sole character of color in Macross (right now and not counting the different alien shades of the Zentradi). I wonder if this was done intentionally, as was giving her a romance with bad ass ace pilot Roy Focker. Either way, it shows that Macross was surprisingly progressive for its time and I hope to see Claudia’s role grow more and more.
All in all, this beginning is the stuff of legends. From the Macross’ fiery arrival on Earth to its disastrous space fold to Hikaru and Minmay bonding, the basic building blocks are here and all fit together nicely. There’s a surprising amount of good drama to balance all the amazing action and I can see already why Macross was sought to be brought to the US in the 80s before it became the basis for Robotech’s beginnings. We’ll be delving into more Macross when we return on Monday. And if you didn’t catch my start of the year intro: We’ll be doing 2 reviews a week for the first half of 2021, which means youll get double the Macross (or whatever show or series im reviewing at the time) every week. It’s gonna be a different kind of year at the Gundam Anime Corner…and Macross is just the sort of show to launch it. See ya on Monday everyone.
Oh yeah and as promised, if you wanna check out my First Impression features on Southern Cross and Mospeda (aka Robotech Season 2 and 3), here they are below:
Super Dimension Calvary Southern Cross
http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/fif63-super-dimension-cavalry-southern.html
Genesis Climber Mospeda
http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/fif64-genesis-climber-mospeda.html
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