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Macross Plus 30th Anniversary

Oberstein

Member
Ah, Macross Plus, brings back so many good memories. These 4 OVAs are simply extraordinary, whether you like the license or not. As has been said, it's so ahead of its time and hasn't aged a bit.

It's funny that Blade Runer 2049 is mentioned, because I immediately thought of Macross Plus when I saw the hologram. Joi is good, but nothing will top Sharon Apple. It reminds me of Avatar the movie when it came out, my colleagues thought it was incredible, aesthetically crazy, while well, bitches, I've seen a thousand times more beautiful and dreamlike in the evil forest of FFXI. When video games and anime are so many years ahead of their time, it sometimes creates culture shocks. But anyway, I digress.

You can also see that hand-drawn animation has a style that you just can't find in modern anime. I even get the impression that the Japanese couldn't do it again. My disinterest in post-2000/2010 anime is only reinforced when I see these gems of anime from yesteryear.

I'm also trying to interest the younger generation, in particular a friend's niece, but it's no use: for her, it's Marvel & co. That's when you realize that there's a generation gap and that we've lived through a golden age. And it's very difficult to get new generations to love these amazing products.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
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Macross Plus, a four part anime OVA, came out on August 25th, 1994, so this marks the 30th anniversary. It was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe (director of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo), with Shoji Kawamori (creator of Macross and Escaflowne) as chief director and mechanical designer, and music by Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Turn A Gundam, GitS:SAC).

Looking back on it, this was the golden age of anime: beautiful hand-drawn animation, mature storytelling, and highly prescient science fiction concepts. Macross Plus tackles the idea of near-future military pilots being rendered obsolete by unmanned AI-powered drones, in a self-contained story that follows up on the original Macross series. Its vision of the future is harrowingly accurate in many ways, with our increasing reliance on AI and drones, and it even predicts the eventual success of Hatsune Miku.

If you haven't watched it, I strongly recommend.
There really weren't many higher budgeted OVAs made after this. Then again, 1994 has sorta umofficially been the year before cel painted anime budgets tanked. This OVA also knocked Southern Cross outta the water by leagues.
 
The story of Robotech/Macross in the US is some truly insane stuff.
I loved Robotech as a kid, some local affiliate aired episodes at like 6AM, and my ass was always up for them.
On a trip to B. Dalton books I happened upon something wonderful, an entire boxed set of the novel adaptations of Robotech. It was over a dozen books, and it included the original run, Southern Cross, and Invid Invasion, I loved them all. Hell, we even played the Palladium RPG based off of Robotech.
It wasn’t until I was an adult decades later when I learned that Robotech didn’t even really exist. The OG show was based off Macross, and Southern Cross and Invid Invasion were COMPLETELY unrelated series that had been redubbed to fit the Robotech storyline. My mind remains blown to this day.
 

Trogdor1123

Member
The story of Robotech/Macross in the US is some truly insane stuff.
I loved Robotech as a kid, some local affiliate aired episodes at like 6AM, and my ass was always up for them.
On a trip to B. Dalton books I happened upon something wonderful, an entire boxed set of the novel adaptations of Robotech. It was over a dozen books, and it included the original run, Southern Cross, and Invid Invasion, I loved them all. Hell, we even played the Palladium RPG based off of Robotech.
It wasn’t until I was an adult decades later when I learned that Robotech didn’t even really exist. The OG show was based off Macross, and Southern Cross and Invid Invasion were COMPLETELY unrelated series that had been redubbed to fit the Robotech storyline. My mind remains blown to this day.
I was exactly the same. I had no idea till a nerdy buddy told me in University. It was crazy. They really did an amazing job of pulling there series together.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
Raise your hand if the Jetfire Transformer was your first veritech fighter, rather than a Macross/Robotech toy?

I actually had a robotech veritech, with a friend who had Jetfire. I remember wanting the ~foot tall SDF toy SO BADLY but it was expensive and my mom refused :p Childhood trauma!

Definitely read the novelizations to death and had most of the RPG, even tried to work out how to have all the series co-exist so you could have Zentradi vs invid battles with bioroids showing up.
 
Raise your hand if the Jetfire Transformer was your first veritech fighter, rather than a Macross/Robotech toy?

I actually had a robotech veritech, with a friend who had Jetfire. I remember wanting the ~foot tall SDF toy SO BADLY but it was expensive and my mom refused :p Childhood trauma!

Definitely read the novelizations to death and had most of the RPG, even tried to work out how to have all the series co-exist so you could have Zentradi vs invid battles with bioroids showing up.

Jetfire was awesome. I remember seeing the episode that had the veritech with the armor and boosters and being like “holy shit!”
Such a great toy, it was partially die cast and a thing of beauty. The fact that you could transform it to all three modes was icing on the cake.
Then I saw the Wasp model from Battletech and I was mind blown again. How can you have a virtually identical model across three properties? A whole lot of contract and rights disputes apparently.
 

kunonabi

Member
Raise your hand if the Jetfire Transformer was your first veritech fighter, rather than a Macross/Robotech toy?

I actually had a robotech veritech, with a friend who had Jetfire. I remember wanting the ~foot tall SDF toy SO BADLY but it was expensive and my mom refused :p Childhood trauma!

Definitely read the novelizations to death and had most of the RPG, even tried to work out how to have all the series co-exist so you could have Zentradi vs invid battles with bioroids showing up.
Never had a veritech as a kid. There was an older kid who had one but he was asking way too much to sell it. To this day I still just want a really good transformable VF-1A in Max's colors that I don't have to mortgage my house for.
 

Liljagare

Member
Never had a veritech as a kid. There was an older kid who had one but he was asking way too much to sell it. To this day I still just want a really good transformable VF-1A in Max's colors that I don't have to mortgage my house for.

I am never able to find them in stock, the one I want is the DX Chogokin Macross Movie Version Vf-1a Valkyre, also, usually around 500 bucks - lol!!

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I have been wanting to see this since it first came out. I know I can google this, but I would just get a load of crappy answers. What order should I see it in, and what parts can. Iskip?
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
I have been wanting to see this since it first came out. I know I can google this, but I would just get a load of crappy answers. What order should I see it in, and what parts can. Iskip?
Macross Plus is a standalone story set after the events of the original Macross TV series. It's a four part OVA, roughly movie length. You can either (in ascending time commitment):

A) Watch the Macross Plus OVA and be done.

B) For a brief introduction to the original, watch the Macross: Do You Remember Love movie first, which is a heavily condensed retelling of the original TV series, then the Macross Plus OVA.

C) For the full treatment, start with the original Super Dimensional Fortress Macross TV series, then the Macross: Do You Remember Love movie, then the Macross Plus OVA.
 

Thaedolus

Member
God damnit, if I take some condensed route I will just wonder what I missed. C it is.
I’d argue it’s not just condensed, but a retelling with a different perspective. Either way, they both set up Macross Plus. I think option C is the right choice.

My kids have been on a Ghibli kick lately and it’s been fun watching those together, and now I’m wondering if my 6 year old could handle the OG Macross series…

BTW does anyone have any info on the animation style of DYRL? It has such a distinct look, I wonder if they did what Batman: TAS did and drew on black backgrounds?
 
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Liljagare

Member
Lol, managed to get one home, thanks to EviLore EviLore !!! :p The thing is huuuuuuuge, and looks supersharp. Not unpacking completely yet, in the middle of moving. :) Also have the armourup kit on the way, it is a little bit of milking with selling that kit separately. Also found something I completely missed was even released.




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This kit is just too big, but daaaaang.. :D

 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Lol, managed to get one home, thanks to EviLore EviLore !!! :p The thing is huuuuuuuge, and looks supersharp. Not unpacking completely yet, in the middle of moving. :) Also have the armourup kit on the way, it is a little bit of milking with selling that kit separately. Also found something I completely missed was even released.




IlokFWM.jpeg
mjcdrAt.jpeg

T6l7LCo.jpeg



This kit is just too big, but daaaaang.. :D


Congrats, looks great :messenger_smiling_with_eyes:
 

near

Gold Member
Macross Plus is getting Cinema screenings across the UK from Sept. 21.


In other news, Disney+ is making the following Macross anime available in Canada:

Macross Plus
Macross Plus Movie Edition
Macross 7 the Movie: The Galaxy's Calling Me!
Macross Frontier
Macross Frontier: The False Songstress
Macross Frontier: The Wings of Farewell
Macross FB7 the Movie: Listen to My Song!
Macross Frontier: Labyrinth of Time
Macross Delta
Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walkūre
Macross Delta: Zettai LIVE!!!!!!

 
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