Review of Robotech: Remastered Extended Edition 3

Introduction

The third 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 third volume contains the last third of the Macross saga, the final 12 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. So began an epic struggle that saw the SDF-1 and its population of warriors and refugees sent on a desperate voyage through the solar system. The struggle didn`t cease when they made it back to Earth, indeed it intensified asking the ultimate sacrifice of many of Earth`s best pilots. 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. The more that the Zentradi and the humans interacted, the more they found they had in common. But while the Zentradi in the solar system begin to find common ground with their foe, those conducting the war from light years distant have more sinister plans.

Volume 3 begins in an uncharacteristic high note, with wedding bells ringing for Max Sterling and Miriya, a former Zentradi spy. But there is no time for the honeymoon, as the Zentradi has decided on enacting the final solution for the human race. Fortunately for Captain Gloval and the crew of the SDF-1, certain Zentradi have developed sympathies for the Micronians, having partaken of the humans` lifestyles and enjoyed Minmei`s singing. But one Space Fortress and a handful of Zentradi rebels surely can`t be enough to battle the 5 million Zentradi warships that appear out of hyperspace over Earth, and unleash devastation on the planet?

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. This volume isn`t as pristine as the previous discs however, tape artefacts are a little more common, and I was surprised by the rare burst of pixellation. 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. Minmei gets some more songs to sing in this volume, but to be honest, I don`t see why the Zentradi and the Macross residents get all worked up over her star appeal, unless the songs lose a whole lot in the dub. 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. No subtitles.

Features

7 minutes of the new trailers for other Manga releases that made their debut with the previous volume. A fault on my review discs had the menus for disc 1 repeated on disc 2. But while the episode titles are identical on both discs, the correct episodes are actually all present and accounted for.

Conclusion

Robotech represents pretty good value for money, presenting 5 hours of nostalgia on 2 discs. This volume wraps up the Macross saga, and sets up the stage for the Robotech Masters, due to be released in another 3 volumes. The trouble is with that key word, nostalgia. I had never seen Robotech before encountering these discs, and while I quickly became aware of the esteem in which this show is regarded, I found myself unable to share that awe, judging the show from a purely modern perspective. For me the flaws are overwhelming, it`s easy to nitpick and poke fun, and I feel that anyone else coming to the show for the first time will have to be a great deal more forgiving than I to appreciate this. On the other hand, those who saw this show originally will be in heaven with these sets, with restored and remastered footage as well as a thumping soundtrack. If you had Robotech as your introduction to anime, then a rosy glow beckons with these volumes.

I certainly shouldn`t dismiss how important these shows are in terms of animation significance. These were made in an era almost thirty years ago, where the average animation consisted of routine formulaic cartoons that espoused comedy above all else, where narrative only existed within the few minutes of their running times, where character development was a dirty word, and where everything reset back to square one at the end credits. When Carl Macek converted Macross into the first third of Robotech in the early eighties it must have been a bolt from the blue. Animation that told an epic story over the course of 15 hours, characters that grew, changed, and had relationships, all must have seemed so breathtaking. With the 12 episodes in this volume, the audience used to the reset button and happy endings must have gasped in shock by the third episode. You would have expected the war between mankind and the Zentradi to go right to the wire in the final episode, but it actually finishes early in this volume, with the Earth laid waste before a final stand can be mounted. The final nine episodes see the human and Zentradi survivors actually working together to rebuild the Earth. The narrative ambition of a show where the consequences of a destructive conflict have to be faced by the survivors is impressive indeed. It`s no easy task either, as the peace between the Zentradi and humans is a fragile one.

While the Earth shattering battle happens early on, the subsequent conflict between the survivors and renegade Zentradi build to a climax in the final episode that doesn`t disappoint in terms of action. Macross doesn`t end in a whimper, but the ending is more personal and character driven than the Armageddon episode. You can also see where the Robotech Masters arc is being set up, with the inclusion of footage that is obviously from another show, as well as one or two gaping plot holes in the finale.

While narrative ambition speaks for much in Robotech, I can`t help but find the characters and interactions to be a hindrance. The dialogue is laughable at times, the characters juvenile and lacking in emotional depth. The Rick, Minmei and Lisa triangle finally gets resolved here, but it is such a painful and awkward path (for me as the viewer) that I often found that laughter was a more appropriate response than any form of sympathy. Again, I`m approaching this for the first time now, rather than as an adolescent in my early teens as I would assume the original target audience was. Nostalgia may soften the ridiculous characterisation, but in the harsh light of day for this thirty-something reviewer, there are very few points of note. Yet I do admit I did take sides in the Lisa, Rick, Minmei triangle. Also one moment sticks in my mind, which had one of the characters talking to her father on a viewscreen when the Zentradi attack begins. She ends up watching her father die in the resulting inferno. It was a powerful moment for me, and I wonder how much more effective it was when it was originally broadcast.

Robotech is a strong show that hasn`t aged too well. I found it entertaining, but cheesy and immature at times, and my desire to do violence whenever Minmei sang increased alarmingly. The problem is that Robotech`s target audience will probably settle for nothing less than cutting edge CGI today. That leaves those of my age who bask in nostalgia for the first time they saw Robotech. For others who like myself come to Robotech for the first time, it helps to keep an open mind and be forgiving of the characterisation. The final volume of Macross wraps things up with an explosive conclusion. Here`s hoping that the Robotech Masters can live up to the promise of Macross.