Macross Frontier Anime Review

Macross Frontier
Makurosu Furontia
Bandai Visual
Complete Collection - 5 discs
600 mins. - 25 episodes
MSRP - n/a (no official US release available)
¥33,600 (2013) Blu-Ray
¥3,990 (2008-2009) Vol. 1-9/ea.
¥7,350 (2008-2009) Vol. 1-9/ea. Blu-Ray
ISBN - n/a
Japanese Audio - English Subtitles (only on HK bootleg version, not official Japanese version)
Director - Shoji Kawamori/Yasuhito Kikuchi
Studio - Satelight

Synopsis: The human race was almost wiped out in Space War I when a massive alien spacecraft crash-landed on Earth in 1999 and then a hostile alien race attempted to reclaim it ten years later.  The alien race was the Zentraedi, giant humanoids bred only for war by a mysterious ancient race called the Protoculture.  The alien craft was studied and rebuilt by a consortium of the world's governments called U.N. Spacy and commissioned as the SDF-1 - Super-Dimensional Fortress.  Incredible technology allowed the creation of variable fighter planes called Valkyries.  The brave crew managed to defeat the race of giants by exposing them to the rich culture of humanity - music, love, and laughter.  They were victorious, but not before the Earth was razed by the giants' leaders.

Macross Frontier colony ship with Battle Frontier space fortress in front.
A small fleet of auxiliary ships serve as main line of defense.

The world was rebuilt and a strategic plan was launched to colonize the stars in an effort to safeguard humanity from extinction.  Massive colony ships containing an entire city were built and each was guided by a space fortress into the far reaches of the universe to find habitable planets.  Most of the Zentraedi were assimilated into human culture, but some pockets of resistance still existed.  These colony ships were a combination of both races and encountered new dangers in uncharted star territories.  Valkyrie and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies flourished.

The latest Valkyrie type is the VF-25 Messiah (shown with upgrade armor and
 reactive missiles) which has only been deployed in limited numbers to special
 groups within the fleets. Standard NUNS variable fighter is the VF-171 Nightmare

It's 47 years after the first encounter with the Zentraedi the colony fleet called Macross Frontier is travelling through space.  There is a New U.N. Spacy government (NUNS) which controls and coordinates between the colony fleets and planets.  They are visited by Sheryl Nome, a famous idol singer known as the "Galactic Fairy", who comes from the Macross Galaxy fleet.  Alto Saotome is the heir to a prestigious kabuki family, but has chosen to become a pilot instead in an effort to escape his rigid upbringing.  He is part of a group of aerialists who perform as part of Sheryl's concert on the Frontier.  During the concert a group of hostile alien lifeforms attack the fleet.  Alto saves the life of teenager Ranka Lee who is an aspiring singer.

Sheryl Nome's first concert on the Frontier with Alto flying aerial
acrobatics and Ranka watching in the crowd

The lifeforms are an incredibly deadly organism called the Vajra.  They continue to trouble the Frontier while Alto becomes friends with both Ranka and Sheryl.  Alto pilots a new VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie during a Vajra attack and later is accepted into a private military force known as the SMS (Strategic Military Force).  Both of his aerialist partners were secretly part of this group as well.  They are Mikhail Blanc, pilot of a VF-25G sniper type Valkyrie, and Luca Angelloni, pilot of a RVF-25 reconnaissance type Valkyrie with three Ghost drones.  The three pilots go to flight school together as well as serve with the SMS.

A swarm of Vajra spot the Frontier fleet.  They are deemed the first
Super Dimension Life Form due to their ability to fold space

Leader of the SMS squadron is ace pilot Ozma Lee who also happens to be Ranka's older brother.  He is very protective of her and gives Alto a very hard time for being her friend.  During the fierce battles with the Vajra it becomes clear the creatures are a potentially devastating threat to the entire fleet.  The Macross Galaxy later is assailed by a swarm of Vajra and Sheryl is stranded on the Frontier.  She and Alto become close friends despite her galactic fame.  She gives Ranka singing advice and she later joins a Miss Macross contest.  It soon becomes clear Ranka has real singing talent and her career begins.

Alto and Ranka become good friends. He is constantly folding paper airplanes

Something is not right within the NUNS government when it is revealed the Vajra have come into contact with the colony fleets before attacking the Frontier.  What is their strange link to Ranka and Sheryl's past?  Ozma's former lover, Catherine Glass, is the daughter of the Frontier's President and Ozma tries to get clues to the mystery surrounding the Vajra from her.  She is sent to keep tabs on the SMS which possess a small version of a Macross class space fortress called the Macross Quarter.  Vajra attacks become heavier and the Frontier's fleet is in real danger.

Ranka enters the Miss Macross contest and competes against
some majorly hot girls!  Does she even have a chance?

The true threat is slowly revealed as Alto must choose between supporting Sheryl or Ranka.  The SMS goes into action, but will the corruption plaguing the NUNS government stop them?  Will Ozma Lee's love of pineapple-cake spell his doom?  It's an epic continuation to the grand Macross story, but will humanity prevail?

Sheryl gets Alto to take her on a 'date' to see the sights of the Frontier

Pros: Complex story with several exciting plot twists, excellent variable (transforming) mecha designs (VF-25 Messiah, VF-171 Cannon Fodder, and Koenig Monster), Shoji Kawamori directs, incredible musical score and original songs (May'n!), pays homage to every Macross release that has come before, validates Macross Zero due to the addition of Mao Nome references and Bird-Human movie, excellent music by legendary Yoko Kanno!

The Frontier's colony dome closes to protect the city during a Vajra
attack.  A powerful pinpoint barrier system deflects any direct hits.

Cons: No official U.S. release (EVER, due to the Macross copyright dispute between Harmony Gold and Big West), CG rendering of mecha is pretty stiff, HK version subtitles are not great (some missed timing in later episodes), no English subtitles in the official Japanese release, Alto is a former Kabuki actor who was prized for his female portrayals (his hairstyle is very feminine) - ha!

One of the Vajra beams breaches the Frontier's protective dome

Mike Tells It Straight: This latest Macross series is absolutely incredible!  The sheer amount of production values present are staggering and I was quite impressed.  Shoji Kawamori and Studio Nue really pulled out all the stops to create this epic series.  It was released during the 25th anniversary of the original Macross series and firmly established a continuing legacy.  One of my first introductions to Japanese animation was the highly edited cartoon series Robotech from the 1980s.  It was spliced together from three separate anime series and Super Dimension Fortress Macross was the first season (Super Dimension Calvarly Southern Cross was the second and Genesis Climber Mospeada was the third).  I truly loved Robotech when it aired and later discovered the original series (shout out to Sean and Graham's MacrossWorld).  Due to a copyright conflict the original Macross owners Big West have with Robotech producers Harmony Gold it has been almost impossible to release Macross-related merchandise domestically.

Ranka and Alto discover a destroyed space fortress

Super Dimension Fortress Macross was developed into a movie called Macross: Do You Remember Love? (DYRL) which was a retelling (with better animation) of the original series.  It was wildly popular in Japan and had a cult following in the West thanks to Robotech.  DYRL had an epilogue released as an OVA (original video animation) called Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012, a sequel OVA (released domestically as a movie) called Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lover's Again which was a resounding failure (lacked story involvement from Kawamori and Studio Nue - relegated to 'parallel' world status), a highly successful OVA (later spliced into a theatrical feature) called Macross Plus (this time Kawamori/Studio Nue were involved and the show was able to be released domestically), a 49-episode series called Macross 7, a movie and OVA series of Macross 7, a prequel OVA to the original series called Macross Zero, and then this series Macross Frontier.

Klan Klang is a macronized Meltran who leads the Pixie Squadron for the SMS.
  She and Mikhail are childhood friends, but they have never dated because
she turns into a child when micronized.  Bummer!

Macross is one of the most popular mecha anime series next to Mobile Suit Gundam, but with far less 'parallel world' and spinoff series in its production history.  Macross Frontier represents a major leap forward in storyline and evolution of production values, but managed to pay homage and includes almost every single preceding Macross story.  The love triangle between Alto, Sheryl, and Ranka hearkened back to the classic one with Hikaru, Minmay, and Misa from the original SDFM and DYRL.  Ranka works in a Chinese restaurant and competes in a Miss Macross contest just like Lynn Minmay in SDFM.  Ozma Lee is highly reminiscent of Roy Focker right down to enjoying pineapple deserts - will he suffer the same fate?  A movie called Bird-Human is produced on the Frontier and based on the events of Macross Zero.  Artificial intelligence plays a big role as it did in Macross Plus.  VF-17 Nightmares are the cannon fodder planes of the Frontier and first debuted in Macross 7.

The Macross Quarter goes to battle the oncoming Vajra swarm

Music is always a primary component to any Macross series and Frontier has incredible music.  Yoko Kanno is a preeminent anime soundtrack composer and was responsible for the epic Macross Plus soundtrack.  She returns to Macross and delivers another set of breathtaking songs.  Rising star singer May'n was the vocal talent for Sheryl Nome and her career has taken off after Frontier.  The voice of Ranka Lee was Megumi Nakajima who was discovered for Macross Frontier and has started a promising career.

Alto pilots his VF-25 against a mysterious VF-27 during a Vajra battle

Macross Frontier was a crossover media sensation and truly unforgettable chapter in the Macross franchise.  The characters were endearing and story contained all of the rich history built over the years.  Great music, awesome new mecha designs (VF-25, VF-27), complex plot, and spawned two compilation movies (slightly altered from the series and deemed 'alternate timeline') - The False Songstress and The Wings of Goodbye.  I'm a huge Macross fan and this series was an absolute treat.  Don't get me wrong, a few things didn't resonate with me - the mecha were all CG rendered (just like in Macross Zero and Aquarion) and felt it, some of the characters were lame, a few scenes of the Macross Quarter reminded me of old super-robot shows, and the ending could have been more definitive.  None of these nit-picks matter because seeing this amazing Macross series and being held at the edge of my seat was so much fun.

Sheryl falls mysteriously ill and Grace, her singing manager, gives her
an unknown medicine to make her better.  What is the shocking
secret behind her ailment?

It breaks my heart to say this series will probably never see a domestic release due to the Robotech/Harmony Gold copyright issues.  With the advent of Blu-Ray and new region assignments putting Japan and the US in Region A I really wish Japanese companies would add English subtitles or dub to their releases.  I would literally kill to have an official (not HK bootleg) Macross Frontier Blu-Ray set with English subs!  As of this post the new BD box set is not going to have subs or a dub (the only Japanese BD Macross release I know of with subs or dub is Macross Plus BD).  I had to resort to getting this series as an HK bootleg in order to watch it, but find it any way you can and check it out!  Highest possible recommendation!

Sheryl and Ranka sing together for the survival of the Frontier!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Angel Beats! Anime Review

Angel Beats!
Enjeru Bitsu!
Sentai Filmworks
Complete Collection - 3 discs
350 mins. - 13 episodes
$59.98 (2011)
$69.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
ISBN 814131011114
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Seiji Kishi
Studio - P.A. Works

Synopsis: Yuzuru Otonashi wakes up without any memories at an unknown high school and is immediately thrown into a conflict involving a student group calling themselves the Afterlife Battlefront.  He meets their leader, Yuri (called Yurippe) Nakamura, and is recruited to join their fight against Angel.  He thinks they're crazy and talks to Angel to prove them wrong.  She stabs him through the heart and he dies again.  He wakes up fully healed a little while later and meets the rest of the Battlefront.  They all had tragic previous lives and found themselves in this strange afterlife world.

Otonoshi first appears in the afterlife world and meets Yurippe

Angel is the student body president at the school which is made up of two types of students - students with souls who had previous lives and NPCs (non-participating characters) without souls who act like regular high school students.  Angel has incredible powers of strength, distortion fields, creating weapons, and a host of others.  She keeps order in the school and is the Battlefront's chief opposition.

Otonoshi learns he cant die

Yurippe leads the Battlefront against Angel and runs special missions to rebel against the system.  Members have weapons like swords and guns to fight Angel, but she is an apparently invincible opponent.  The best they can hope is to distract her in order to carry out their missions.  They have a special rock band called Girls Dead Monster with a huge NPC following hold guerrilla concerts in the cafeteria.

Angel may look like a regular student, but she has incredible powers

The purpose of the Battlefront is to rebel against God for giving them unfair lives before they died.  If they become too complacent and lose themselves in the afterlife school culture they will become obliterated, disappearing from this world.  Everyone in the Battlefront fights to avoid being obliterated.  Angel has a special knack for making people become obliterated and that is why the Battlefront fights her.

The Battlefront plan a new maneuver using a band concert as cover

What is the origin of this strange afterlife world and who is Angel?  Will Otonashi's memories trigger him to become obliterated?  What are the tragic stories of the members of Battlefront?  Does this artificial world have any limits to what can be done?  An opposing force besides Angel gathers its forces, but can the Battlefront take on two enemies at once?

Girls Dead Monster play a gig in the cafeteria

Pros: Great animation (particularly the backgrounds), good music especially the opening theme, likable characters, an interesting plot and unique ending, great fusion of different genres like music/school life/action/supernatural

The Battlefront have a mission in secret tunnels beneath the school

Cons: Ending wrapped up too nicely, some of the characters were annoying, highly religious types will dislike the references to God and Christ, series could have been longer to build up the finale, the whole Guild piece was kinda far-fetched, includes the OVA episode "Stairway to Heaven", doesn't include the alternate epilogue included with the original Japanese release

Otonoshi sits down and has lunch with Angel

Mike Tells It Straight: I found Angel Beats! to be an interesting genre-fusion with high production values. It had great music and included a rock band in the story, but I expected some musical element since the word 'beats' was in the title.  It combines elements of school life being based in a high school, action as the Battlefront fights Angel, music, comedy, mystery, and supernatural elements with the whole afterlife theme.

The Battlefront take on an army of Angels

At first I wasn't sure what to make of the series since it was so all over the place.  Angel seemed like a simple antagonist, but her story unfolds as the series progresses.  Otonashi seemed like a typical protagonist and nothing special, but similarly grows with each episode.  I can see why a lot of people give this series praise.  It's not typical and keeps you guessing at what will happen next.  The theme of being unfulfilled in your life and getting a second chance is really well done.

Hinata takes down Yui after she annoys him

Being a huge mix of different genres kind of dilutes the overall strength of the series (i.e. it doesn't do any one thing really well, but a lot of things fairly well).  The comedy offsets the serious moments to a point of taking away their impact.  I see this a lot in anime which is silly one minute and then switches to action the next.  The character designs were a bit simple too.  The ending was great and one of the best I've seen in a long time.  It was poignant and capped the whole series off.  I'm impressed since most anime endings are kind of unsatisfying.

A new enemy appears besides Angel!

It's too bad the series was only 13 episodes as I bet the writers could have brought more twists into the story.  On the other hand more episodes may have just unnecessarily dragged out the series.  I would recommend this show to folks looking for something different and with a little bit of everything mixed in.  It was a pleasant surprise and kept me interested to the end (btw, watch the ending credits of the last episode for an additional epilogue).

The members of the Afterlife Battlefront

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again Anime Review

Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again
Manga Entertainment
Complete Collection - 1 disc
160 mins. - 6 episodes
$29.95 (1998)
$29.95 (2000)
ISBN 660200405625
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kenichi Yatagai
Studio - AIC

Synopsis: It has been eighty years since the human race was almost wiped out by an invading alien force known as the Zentradi in the first Space War.  Ten years prior to the war a mysterious ship crashlanded on Earth and was rebuilt by the unified world governments.  The rebuilt ship was called the Super Dimension Fortress Macross (SDF-1 Macross).  Its reconstruction was completed just in time to repel the first wave of Zentradi forces.  Over the course of the war the Macross executed a space fold to the outer edge of our solar system and contained a small city of civilians.  The Zentradi were giant humanoids and feared humans (called 'microns') possessed the secrets of the Protoculture (thought to be the creators and masters of the Zentradi).  99% of Earth's population was annihilated over the course of the war, but the crew of the Macross and its civilians were able to defeat the Zentradi through a combination of variable mecha fighters (transforming planes called Valkyries) and human culture.  The Zentradi race was consumed by war to the point where males (Zentradi) and females (Meltrandi) stayed in separate fleets and never mixed together.  They used cloning for procreation and had lost all aspects of culture to the point where a simple love song could irreparably disrupt their composure.

The SDF-1 Macross main cannon lights up to fire on the new alien threat

The human race has repopulated the Earth and the Macross is now considered an ancient relic.  It sits lifeless in the center of Macross City.  Renegade Zentradi forces still attack the planet occasionally, but the 'Minmay Attack' (where love songs are broadcast to throw the Zentradi forces off-balance) has successfully prevailed ever since the original war.  The U.N. Spacy forces have grown complacent and soft without a true threat to challenge them.   Hibiki Kanzaki is a young reporter for Scramble News Network (SNN) who is trying to make a name for himself.  He is critical of the government due to their tendency to censor any broadcasts which don't portray them in a positive light.

Silvie and Hibiki disagree due to their differing views of the U.N. Spacy 

Enter the Marduk - an alien micron race seeking to destroy every other culture they come into contact with in the universe.  They use enslaved Zentradi (both male and female) warriors as their main combat force through the singing of specially trained female Marduk called Emulators.  They sing songs of war and destruction to boil the blood of their fighters.  Needless to say, the Minmay Attack fails miserably and the U.N. Spacy forces are being crushed mercilessly by the Marduk.  Hibiki rushes out to cover the combat with veteran reporter Dennis Lone (who is drunk) who values seeing both sides of any conflict and urges Hibiki to break enemy lines to get more information.

Hibiki kidnaps the beautiful Ishtar, a Marduk Emulator

Inside a Marduk ship, Hibiki and Dennis discover Ishtar, one of the Marduk Emulators.  Dennis is killed and Hibiki steals Ishtar away to Earth.  He becomes obsessed with showing the truth after his footage of the initial defeat by the Marduk is censored by the U.N. Spacy government.  Ishtar is delighted by the rich human culture she witnesses with Hibiki because the Marduk only wage war.  Lord Feff is the Marduk commander in charge of Ishtar and attempts to get her back by invading Macross City.  He pilots a fearsome battle armor against the U.N. Spacy's current variable fighter - the VF-2SS Valkyrie II.

Hibiki introduces Ishtar to human culture

After being exposed to Earth's culture, Ishtar renounces the war-like ways of the Marduk and wishes to see peace among the three cultures (Marduk, human, and Zentradi).  Can Hibiki with the help of ace pilots Silvie Gena and Nexx Gilbert get Ishtar back to the Marduk to spread the word?  They had better figure it out fast as Lord Emperor Ingues, the xenophobic and despotic ruler of the Marduk, has ordered all of his forces to crush Earth!

The fearsome Emperor Ingues - more machine than organic being

Pros: Marduk are cool villains (except that bastard Ingues!), Ishtar is beautiful, Haruhiko Mikimoto's character designs are great (he did the original SDF Macross designs), new mecha designs for practically all of the original series' mecha (VF-2SS Valkyrie II is particularly striking along with the Macross Cannons), songs are slightly decent in the old J-Pop 1980s way

The VF-2SS Valkyrie 2

Cons: Quite possibly the worst anime dub ever perpetrated upon the American public, plot is so bad it was expunged from canonical Macross history, none of the original Macross characters are seen or referenced (except the SDF-1 Macross itself), original creators Shoji Kawamori and Studio Nue were absent from this production, characters are terrible - Hibiki, Silvie, Nexx, Mash, Ishtar, and Feff, death of Dennis Lone in the beginning was almost comical in its absurdity, mecha designs are very different from original Macross series

Marduk-controlled Zentradi/Meltrandi battle armors

Mike Tells It Straight: Macross II is almost universally despised by the anime fan community for being one of the worst sequels in history.  I see where the producers went wrong - the original movie Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (which was an original retelling of the Super Dimension Fortress Macross television series, i.e. original = no reused footage from the show) was a huge success and they wanted to capitalize on the franchise by creating a sequel.  Unfortunately the majority of the original creators didn't sign on for the sequel - writer/mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori, director Noburu Ishiguro, composer Kentaro Haneda, and the art studios: Studio Nue/Artland/Tatsunoko.

Ishtar implores Lord Feff to spare the humans

Only three original creators joined the sequel production team: character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto, the scripter, and the sound director.  The sequel had an all new writer, director, mechanical designer, composer, and animation studio with incredibly big shoes to fill.  Expectations were high and only perfection would be satisfactory to the fans.  I believe the creators did their best and produced a relatively good quality work, but nothing close to the cultural phenomenon of the first Macross.

Emperor Ingues supreme battle fortress closes in on Earth

The storyline itself was mildly compelling with the Marduk a clever foil to the established Minmay Attack of the first Space War.  This time around the love triangle felt forced between Hibiki, Silvia and Ishtar.  They should have focused on Hibiki and Ishtar by themselves.  The character of Hibiki himself was slightly dubious as he seemed to be more interested in breaking a story to make his career than truly caring about Ishtar.  The mecha designs were also highly controversial and a departure from the original series.  The VF-2SS and practically all the mecha are love-it-or-hate-it - over-complicated upgrades to the originals.  Ending was too similar to the first movie as well - final battle with alien fleet and finishing barrage to destroy the head bad guy (it was satisfying to see Ingues get his in the end).

Beautiful artwork by Haruhiko Mikimoto

Weak characters, horrendous dialogue and general plot issues combined with impossibly high expectations and the lack of original creative staff doomed this sequel from the beginning.  The voice acting and dub are particularly bad along with quite a few animation issues.  I wanted to like this sequel due to my absolute love of the first television series and movie, but the show was downright bad.  It had some good moments yet overall was a tremendous letdown.  It has since been relegated to alternate universe status and purged from canonical Macross history - that just about sums it up.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Macross Plus Anime Review

Macross Plus

Manga Entertainment
Complete Collection - 2 discs
180 mins. - 4 episodes
$39.98 (2005)
$29.95 (1999) Pts 1+2
$29.95 (1999) Pts 3+4
ISBN 013138200693
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Shoji Kawamori/Shinichiro Watanabe
Studio - Triangle Staff

Synopsis: It's the year 2040 and humanity has spread across the galaxy in the three decades since their first interstellar war with the Zentraedi.  On the planet Eden the U.N. Spacy is developing a new generation of valkyrie fighters to replace the VF-11 Thunderbolt. 

Kinda says it all, huh?

In deep space the reckless, but incredibly talented pilot Isamu Dyson is reassigned to planet Eden as the new test pilot for the YF-19 advanced variable fighter.  He's originally from Eden and his return is a homecoming after many years.  The rival test plane competing to usurp the VF-11 is the YF-21 piloted by Guld Bowman, Isamu's former childhood friend.  The two suffered a falling out prior to their leaving Eden to join the U.N. Spacy and harbor bitter resentments. 

Myung gets between the two former friends Guld and Isamu

Adding fuel to the fire is the simultaneous return of Myung Lone, the current producer of Sharon Apple, the galaxy's most popular music sensation and first A.I. (artificial intelligence, i.e. computer) star.  Myung is the former friend of both pilots and the cause of their falling out.  Tensions run high as the two men battle on the test field and for Myung's affections. 

The YF-21 and YF-19 battle it out on the test ground

Sharon's concert on Eden becomes a catalyst for dire events concerning the three reunited friends.  Myung sacrificed her singing career to become the voice behind Sharon until her (or its) A.I. can be perfected.  A dangerous bio-component is added to Sharon's hardware causing her to become unstable and a final concert/showdown on Earth ushers in the final resolution to the friends' conflict.  Now Macross City and the dormant Macross are ground zero for a defining battle between former friends and lovers.

Sharon Apple revives the Macross

Pros: Incredible new Valkyrie designs (at the time) for the VF-11B/YF-19/YF-21; soundtrack by Yoko Kanno is probably the best I've heard in an anime (runners up are Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain and Ghost in the Shell - all composed by Kanno as well), fascinating love triangle between Isamu/Myung/Guld (well, guess it's a quadrangle if you include Sharon), great use of CG for a 15-year-old+ anime
Cons: Characters designs by MASAYUKI didn't blow me away - the faces were too angular (especially Guld with his weird 'cheek chops'), it's too short!

Isamu enters Earth's atmosphere

Mike Tells It Straight: Shoji Kawamori and Studio Nue revive the Macross franchise in 1994 after the critical failure of Macross II in 1992 (which lacked both Kawamori and Studio Nue).  Often called the 'Top Gun' of anime this show is a spectacular showcase of imaginative variable airplane mecha, incredible soundtrack, and intense emotional characterization.  Easily one of my favorite anime of all time and a true classic.  I'm very biased due to growing up with Robotech (the American bastardization of Super Dimension Fortress Macross) as a major influence.

Guld and Isamu get up close and personal

Some people may complain about the love triangle detracting from the action and slowing down the pace, but sorry folks, the story is really about these three people's lives and the resolution of their childhood dreams.  Myung gave up her dreams to become the voice and talent behind Sharon Apple, Guld suppresses the violent nature of his Zentraedi heritage, and Isamu stays pretty much the same - a self-destructive, thrill-seeker with no consideration to the consequences.

Guld and the YF-21 battle the Ghost X-9

It's a beautiful thrill ride of mecha action while Isamu and Guld battle for supremacy on the test battlefield, but countered with emotionally charged music from Myung and Sharon Apple.  Garnered enough interest in Macross to produce a television series/OVA/movie Macross 7 (now that's a review for another day) and eventually the current Macross Frontier efforts.  Absolutely worth checking out if you like mecha, airplanes, or music. 

The Movie Edition has a few differences and I'll hopefully get a review of it up soon (check the 'browse by franchise' section for Macross).

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Macross Zero Anime Review

Macross Zero
Bandai Visual
Complete Collection - 5 episodes
175 minutes
MSRP - n/a (no official US release available)

¥21,000 (2008) Blu-Ray

¥5,250 (2002-2004) Vol. 1-5/ea.

ISBN - n/a
Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Shoji Kawamori
Studio - Satelight
TO BUY: Macross Zero

Synopsis: In 1999 an alien spacecraft crash lands on South Ataria Island on Earth proving we are not alone. The world is divided between the constant fighting of U.N. and Anti-U.N. factions, but now a new battle has begun to harness the alien technology.

Pilot Shin Kudo first encounters Sara Nome

By 2008 both sides have secretly developed variable aircraft - the U.N. Spacy through research of the alien artifacts and the Anti-U.N. by stealing that information. Pilot Shin Kudo is shot down by an incredible plane which transforms itself into a robot. He lands on Mayan Island where the inhabitants lead a mostly tribal lifestyle and greatly shun modern technology.

Meet the Focker!

Here he meets Sara Nome - the young priestess of the Mayan people. She distrusts outsiders, but her sister Mao secretly wishes to leave the island and journey to a modern city. The island and its people hold a startling link to the downed spacecraft and both groups of outsiders desperately seek to uncover it.

The VF-0S piloted by Roy Focker

Shin rejoins his fleet and begins training with ace test pilot Roy Focker on the top secret U.N. variable fighter plane - the VF-0 Phoenix! Just in time as the Anti-U.N. forces converge on Mayan Island.  It's a dogfight to the finish with Shin and Sara in the middle as the U.N. Wars come to a spectacular close!

"Oh, hey. I didn't see you singing naked there.  What's up?"

Pros: Roy Focker! - we get some worthy backstory on our favorite Senpai, Sara Nome sings in the buff, great mecha designs for the prototype valkyries, even better design for the Anti-U.N. fighter, soundtrack is decent

The VF-0S in action

Cons: Subtitles were awful - barely understood what

Shin and Roy let loose in their new Valkyries

was happening in some crucial scenes, story was confusing (probably due to the subtitles) - especially the ending, CG mecha rendering and dogfights don't feel flawless, color choices for some visual effects are questionable (neon green/pink thruster flames on the missiles?)

Nora Polyansky flies her SV-51 against the U.N. forces

Mike Tells It Straight: This show ain't no Macross Plus. Lush visuals (Satelight went on to create Macross Frontier) and some great dogfight sequences, but the overall plot was a bit unclear. The ending left me scratching my head. I really enjoyed seeing old favorite Roy Focker back in action and the mecha designs were top notch (the prototype Monster and GBP armor were incredible).

"Listen to my song...and stop looking at my boobs!"

Having original creator Shoji Kawamori at the helm had me completely psyched, but it felt like too much was being crammed into this five episode OVA. It's an interesting entry into Macross canon and worth a viewing for the stunning visuals, but won't leave you satisfied at the end.  What the heck is a Bird-Human anyway!?  I was left scratching my head a bit after the dust settled.  Watch Macross Zero before Macross Frontier as episode 10 of MF pays homage to the OVA.  Ranka Lee plays Mao Nome in a movie version of the events of this story!  

1/60 scale VF-0S perfect transformation 'toy' by Yamato

* Note: Macross Zero is not available as an official US release due to the continuing copyright battle between Harmony Gold (licensees of the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross in the US/outside of Japan - aka Robotech season one) and Big West (original license owners of Macross).  For purposes of this review I watched the HK unofficial version because it was relatively cheap and had subtitles (the Japanese official versions don't have English subtitles).  Bah!

Just imagine Ride of the Valkyries playing in the background ;)

Site recommendations: Macross World, Macross Compendium

TO BUY and Recommendations: Macross Zero FX Macross Frontier FX
Macross: Do You Remember Love Perfect Edition