Macross Plus

[drazzl]

As a follow-up to our first viewing, this anime (suggested by me) is also part of the space-mecha genre and has a fairly developed storyline relying on strong emotional ties going on. Rough plot, 2 rival test pilots compete over a project and a childhood friend's love. It is set in the Macross universe, which got chopped up along with 2 other series to form the American 80's show Robotech. This OVA is 4 episodes at about 40 minutes each. We've set the deadline at October 15th for viewing and will meet in vent at 6 server to discuss.

Some minor backstory on the world setting. Humans create a massive battleship with a city built in called the SDF1, also referred to as the Macross, and go into space. On their first hyperspace test going out to Mars they encounter an fleet of alien ships, the Zentradi. The series revolves around the desperate fight staving off this fleet. The finale of the series saw the Zentradi laying siege to earth (and doing a dam good job of it) and the destruction of their fleet. The Macross sets down in the middle of the ocean never to move again. They build a city around it and sorta restart civilization on the decimated planet. There's further storyarcs I'm not familiar with, but the 2 races come to peace terms and coexist fine. This series takes place 50 years in the future. A small note on the tech, the fighter jets can transform into mechs with a basic rifle as well as a hybrid form that's like a jet with limbs. These variations provide for maneuverability and more interesting action sequences. The Macross also transformed from a battleship into a giant robot, though even the original series commented this was a pointless and silly idea. The original series also had some weird ideas about the search for something called Protoculture and that the Zentradi freaked out/shut down when they heard singing - thankfully none of these things exist in this series.

Here is the link to the OVA. The website is a bit weird to use but is the best one I've seen. The first time I clicked an episode link it gave me an ad pop-up and nothing else. The second time it opened a new tab but the player looked like a non-interactive link until I clicked a hyperlink underneath that activated the player properly. You'll note this is for an English dubbed version of the series and this is intentional. IMO, it is one of the few anime where the English sounds better then the Japanese. The cast boasts some amazing talent with Bryan Cranston, Richard Epcar (Ghost in the Shell, Digimon), Steven Blum (Cowboy Bebop) and Beau Billingslea (Cowboy Bebop).

[Unsu]

I liked it, good short series. Is there a suggestions box somewhere?

[<3 :] Mirannah :] <3]

We usually have a vent meeting and do suggestions there, but if you can't make it you can always talk to Ten about it, or post a new thread!

[Unsu]

ok coolness

[drazzl]

Mira was thorough and watched the Japanese version of the original Macross and wow, such insight.

The Zentradi are basically humans who modified themselves into 20-foot tall battle machines that know nothing but war. Now that I put it that way, i wonder if the series was inspired at all by Warhammer 40k. Anyway, the series becomes about the Zentradi discovering proto-culture, basically learning how to be human again.

And then there's Robotech, the mash up on 3 different anime: Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA. The American producers wanted a show that would run 5 days a week which required a minimum of 85 episodes. Macross was only 35 episodes. So they strung together all 3 shows and tried to make the plot coherent. In Robotech, the Zentradi are the servants of an evil galactic empire, the Robotech Masters, who become the villains of the second season. The third season has earth taken over by another alien race and he expeditionary force on the 2nd season sending back freedom fighters. Proto-culture is now a form of fuel that only humans seem to know how to make, without actually knowing what it is.


Anyways,

Macross Plus is a favorite of mine for its music and beautiful battles. The romantic triangle is tense while giving the series a bit of mystery as to what the hell actually happened. Isamu is the carefree type of hero who selfishly pursues his dreams, an angle that is quite detrimental to the woman who loves him. The final fight between Isamu and Gould stuck with me when I was younger for the way in which these former friends drag up years of resentments ranging from serious to petty and eventually just learn to let it all go. To me, that become an idea of how serious rifts could be healed. 

It also scores a lot of points for being short and sweet and having a solid ending. It is too often the case with anime where you see a series with a great concept and an amazing world setting, only to see it all go horribly wrong in the final act. The series also stands out as being more Americanized then the typical anime, not steeped in Japanese culture, but ends up being something like Top Gun with personal drama mixed in.

[drazzl]

As a follow-up, because I'm in a weird mood.

I consider it a blessing to have a friend who is willing to fight me. Only people who care enough to want a relationship will bother, because it takes effort to fight. All wounds can be healed, so even the fiercest fight can still leave no scars. How much worse to be greeted by silence from a friend who no longer cares enough or is too scared to fight, too afraid of losing. But losing what?

I didn't learn this from the series, but it helped me to see it and recognize it. The final fight between Isamu and Gould helped shaped my understanding of how far the emotional bonds can be stretched and still not break. I see those bonds as a tether, not as limitations. It is something you affix yourself to and then let go of as you lose yourself, it's there to help you find your way back afterwards.