T5W#354-Top 5 Top Gun Inspirations in Macross Plus

This Friday, Tom Cruise returns to the cockpit of a souped up fighter jet in the long awaited sequel to Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick.  Top Gun is a cinema action classic and it’s influence has continued to be felt for over 35 in the shaping of both action blockbusters and, believe it or not, Anime.  One franchise that’s always seemed to have a kinship with Top Gun is the Super Dimension Fortress Macross saga.  While Macross’ beginnings predate Top Gun by 4 years (the original Macross Series began in 1982 while Top Gun premiered in 1986), the combination of hot shot pilots, top notch fighter jets (that can become giant robots), cute girls giving the orders and several popular musical tunes would make anyone think these two were a match made in heaven.  Of all the entries in the Macross pantheon, only one has been constantly marketed as the “Top Gun of Anime” here in the West, my personal favorite entry, Macross Plus.  Is there truth to this claim?  Is Macross Plus the closest to a Top Gun Anime we’re ever going to get?  Who knows, maybe.  For today though, I get to talk about a movie and an Anime I both hold close to my heart.  These are the Top 5 Top Gun Inspirations in Macross Plus on todays Top 5 Wednesday.

 
#5-Isamu “Maverick” Dyson and Gould Goa “Iceman” Bowman (The Leads)

Let’s start with our leads.  Isamu and Gould were childhood friends on planet Eden.  After a violent falling out, the two went their separate ways but eventually became pilots for the UN Spacey, reuniting on Eden years later for the events of Macross Plus.  Upon a quick glimpse, you can see who these two are clearly meant to be inspired by.  Isamu’s clearly rocking some of Tom Cruise’ longer haired looks and possesses the wild card attitude of Maverick plus his penchant for crazy aerial stunts.  Meanwhile Gould has the face and haircut of Val Kilmer’s Iceman and is more a stickler for the rules when compared to Isamu’s more cowboy-ish antics.  The animosity between Isamu and Gould is a bit more fierce than the clear underlying bromance between Maverick and Iceman though and both are just as compelling leads, if not more compelling, than their Top Gun counterparts.

 
#4-“No Points for Second Best” (The Competition)

The initial premise of Macross Plus involves Isamu and Gould being selected for Project Super Nova, which will decide which of two experimental aircraft will replace the YF-11 fighter still in service.  Isamu pilots the YF-19, which is a more souped up version of the YF-11, while Gould controls the YF-21, which is piloted by his brainwaves.  This is a competition through and through and the winner gets to see their fighter put into mass production and flown by the hundreds by other pilots.  Top Gun has a similar competition, with Maverick and his fellow Top 1% pilots vying for the Top Gun Trophy that proves they are the best of the best.  Everyone is put through various missions, exercises and tests, though Isamu and Gould don’t have to attend classes like Maverick does.  Every point gathered counts because only one pilot can get the Top Gun Trophy and only one fighter jet can be chosen for mass production.  As the title of this entry goes, “There are no points for Second Best.”

 
#3-“Take my Breath Away” (The Romance)

One thing Macross Plus does a bit differently from Top Gun is continuing a classic Macross story trope: The Love Triangle.  First, it was Hikaru Ichijo, Misa Hayse and Lynn Minmei.  Now it’s Isamu Dyson, Gould Goa Bowman and Myung Fan Long.  But before that triangle can really take off, Isamu pursues an instant romance with a member of his testing team, Lucy Macmillian.  She’s quickly taken in by Isamu’s gung ho antics and clearly warms up to riding with him on a motorcycle.  It’s hard not to look at these two and not get some flashback to Maverick’s steamy romance with his Top Gun instructor, Charlie.  While the OVA does surprisingly little with Isamu and Lucy’s romance, the Movie Edition of Macross Plus has a few more intimate scenes between the two, including Lucy giving Isamu a very seductive “Take me to bed or lose me forever” advance that was so freaking hot.  It may not have been the central romance of Macross Plus but Isamu and Lucy were hella cute together.

 
#2-“Great Balls of Fire” (The Tragic Death Scene-SPOILER ALERT)

Top Gun is an awesome movie, no question.  But it isn’t without its drama and it doesn’t get much heavier in the movie than the tragic death of Maverick’s best friend, Goose.  It’s a loss that tears at him throughout the latter half of the movie and one that will still be sticking with him a little bit in the sequel, especially since he has to mentor Goose’s young son.  While Macross Plus doesn’t have a Goose per say, the more you learn about Isamu and Gould’s past, the more you want them to make peace with one another.  That moment does eventually happen but its very, very brief.  During a final battle with the Sharon Apple controlled Ghost Fighter, Gould has to take the YF-21 beyond its safety limits to take it out.  He succeeds but is crushed to death in the process.  It’s a much more heroic sacrifice but no less tragic as Isamu and Gould finally made peace after decades of conflict. 
 

#1-“You’ve Lost that Lovin Feelin, Sharon Apple” (The Music)

While it isn’t integral to the plot, the Top Gun soundtrack is still one of the most popular and inspirational film soundtracks of all time.  From Kenny Loggin’s signature track “Danger Zone” to Berlin’s award winning “Take My Breath Away”, when you hear the music of Top Gun, you know it’s from Top Gun.  It’s a staple of 80s action soundtracks and is still a massive hit today.  Macross Plus might not have a “Danger Zone” theme but it does have something just as good going for it: OST Queen Yoko Kanno.  The Mistress of Anime Soundtracks delivers one of her greatest OST with a sweeping orchestra that set the standard for future project like The Vision of Escaflowne (which featured a lot of Macross Plus contributors in its ranks, including Director Shoji Kawamori).  More importantly, because it’s Macross, pop music is a major musical factor and the tunes of AI Pop Sensation Sharon Apple are no exception.  From the hypnotic “Borderline” and “Santi-U” to the bad ass beats of “Information High”, this is definitely the music that will take you right into the Danger Zone no matter where you are…and wont lie, it’s better than Minmei’s music from the OG Macross, fight me.