Review of Robotech: Remastered Extended Edition 2

Introduction

The second volume of Robotech is upon us, the anime epic crafted by Carl Macek for US television. He took three unrelated series, Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeadia, and from them created the Robotech saga, editing them into one multigenerational story. With a new English soundtrack to match the new story, Robotech served as introduction to the world of anime for many a fan. There have been several releases of Robotech, especially in the US, but this Remastered version sees the image cleared up, the soundtrack given a DD 5.1 work over, and more interestingly, the restoration of those elements originally considered unsuitable for audience consumption. Of course, this being my introduction to Robotech, I can`t really compare and contrast.

This second volume contains the middle third of the Macross saga, 12 more episodes in the first arc of the Robotech epic.

Uniting around salvaged alien technology, the people of the world created the SDF-1 spacefortress, and then gathered to celebrate its launch. Which was when the alien Zentradi had attacked, searching for the ship and the mysterious Protoculture. As a last ditch attempt to escape, Captain Gloval of the SDF-1 activated the ship`s fold engines, leaving them stranded beyond the orbit of Pluto, along with 70000 refugees from Macross Island. They began their slow journey back to Earth, as the refugees rebuilt their city in the bowels of the ship, and the ship`s military complement worked to stave off the constant Zentradi attacks. Most notable among the ship`s defenders was Rick Hunter, a civilian pilot who joined up when he became stranded along with the rest of the refugees. We followed him as he completed his training and gradually became more proficient in his abilities. There was also his complicated personal life, as he found himself torn between Lynn Minmei, a girl who he rescued from Macross, and Lisa Hayes, second in command of the SDF-1. The story became more complex when the Zentradi were found to be not so alien as previously thought. Although many times larger than humans (who they call Micronians), they are genetically identical to humans, and through cloning can even reduce their size to blend in. By the time Volume 2 starts, there are Zentradi spies operating on the SDF-1.

Volume 2 sees the SDF-1`s return to Earth, one that is far from triumphant, as it seems that Earth`s government is less than pleased to see them. Rick gets some competition in his affections for Minmei, when her cousin Kyle joins the ship. The Zentradi attacks continue, exacting a personal toll for many on the ship, and also damaging the chances of the refugees being welcomed home.

Video

Robotech is presented with a simple 4:3 regular picture. For an animation that is over 20 years old, the picture is remarkably bright and vibrant, with a minimum of print damage marring the image. The image quality does vary though, grain is prevalent at times, and the animation is determinedly old style, though certainly well accomplished. However you can see where new scenes have been inserted at times, there is degradation in the animation and oddly, aliasing becomes apparent. You can also see where edits have been made for content, as the action suddenly slows down and begins looking like flick book animation, suggesting several frames have been removed. There is the rare tape artefact also. On the whole, while the character design is not on a par with more recent animations, an epic feel distinguishes the show.

Audio

Just a single English track, but it has been given a DD 5.1 Surround polish. The dialogue is mostly clear and front focussed (although it occasionally gets a little muffled when there is a lot going on.) The surrounds are put to hefty use for the action sequences, with explosions, swooping fighter planes and bullets galore making themselves felt around the soundstage.

The theme tune is beginning to get repetitive now, and there is very little variation in the show`s score. Despite Minmei becoming a major star, she only has two songs in her English repertoire, including all the new ones. The English dub isn`t too bad, with the character voices more than suitable. Some of the dialogue is a laughable though. Fortunately it doesn`t detract too much from the overall story. Don`t expect a Japanese track though, given the changes made to the Macross storyline to fit it into the Robotech saga. The original series is still available as Macross if you want to see it as the makers intended. Still no subtitles.

Features

7 minutes of trailers for other Manga released, repeated across both discs. These are brand new trailers too, making a change from the same trailer reel that has graced Manga titles for many a year now.

Conclusion

After the relative novelty of the first volume of Robotech and its impressive storyline, the shine goes off things just a tad with volume 2. The story is still a cut above the regular animation of the period, with the SDF-1 and it`s inhabitants returning to Earth to find public opinion swaying against them and the war that is developing in space. There are also some intriguing links between the Zentradi invaders and the humans becoming apparent. The Zentradi are also being painted as more than just the token villains, with distinct personalities and agendas developing among their number, as well as the seeds of an internal dissension. The Zentradi spies who return from the Spacefortress describe a society that is more free and liberal than their own, and naturally that becomes an attraction.

But while the overall narrative remains robust, the individual episodes and character stories fall into a somewhat desultory repetition that begins to drag. The Zentradi attack on a regular basis, Rick`s personal life shows no sign of resolution, torn as he is between Lisa and Minmei, and there is the occasional aside showing the Zentradi spies encountering a new aspect of humanity. When the episodes begin to pall somewhat, the age of the show becomes more apparent, and this time around, I was noticing the quality of the animation and the creaky dub scripts far more than before. It doesn`t help that many of the episodes start relying on flashbacks, and two of the twelve are nothing more than clip shows in their entirety.

That said, there are a couple of noteworthy episodes that makes Robotech stand out from its peers. I doubt that any other animation of the period was apt to kill a major character in the middle of the run and have the characters deal with the repercussions. At the time the idea must have seemed revolutionary in a cartoon, yet Robotech does just that. Speaking from a perspective 20 years after the show`s release, the characters and relationships in Robotech seem immature and juvenile, lacking in reality. It`s easy to forget that it was aimed at a young audience, which again points to the strength of the overriding story.

This is the middle third of the Macross arc of Robotech, and just as in most trilogies, this is perhaps the weakest segment. There`s no beginning, and there are no resolutions, merely exposition and (limited) character development. And while the politics and machinations are enough to keep the story ticking over, the vague love triangle sketched out between Rick, Minmei and Lisa doesn`t come close to igniting. It isn`t improved any by the arrival of perhaps the most annoying character thus far, Minmei`s cousin Kyle who is being set up as a potential rival for Rick. It feels as if the story is spinning its wheels for 12 episodes, and I found my attention beginning to drift. With any luck, the next volume will gather all the threads and weave a fitting climax, but without that volume to put this in perspective, Volume 2 feels somewhat lacking.