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This is the first entry in Animation Unlimited's Macross vs. Robotech series of posts.
Perhaps I'm just an ubergeek, but ever since I watched Robotech for the first time, I've wondered what the real differences were between the Macross Saga in Robotech and the original Macross: Super Dimensional Fortress. Sure, you can find some information on how the Macross story was changed so that it would fit into the greater Robotech Saga (I won't rehash how they made Robotech here, you can read about it in the Robotech FAQ), but I've never been satisfied with the descriptions I Googled or Yahoo!ed.
Now, after over a dozen years, I finally get my chance. As I said in an earlier post, I bought the subtitled version of Macross in its original form. It's the remaster that was released by AnimEigo a few years ago, and they used to be more expensive than I care to think about. The DVDs arrived from Rightstuf yesterday.
I'll be watching the Robotech DVDs first as I am more familiar with that format, then I'll view the Macross DVDs for comparison. As we get deeper and deeper I'll give spoiler warnings, but for now I'm not giving much away. I only got to watch the first two episodes of Macross SDF last night, and there are differences - and in some ways they are a bit more heavy-duty than I expected. It actually feels like a completely different show. Within the first 10 minutes of the first episode, I wrote down 10 changes I thought noteworthy. I guess I should not be surprised, purists have often said Macross is better, but I am by no means a purist - I'll say just say different for now.
So, without further ado, here is:
Macross vs. Robotech: Part 1 - "10 Differences in the First 10 Minutes"
Perhaps I'm just an ubergeek, but ever since I watched Robotech for the first time, I've wondered what the real differences were between the Macross Saga in Robotech and the original Macross: Super Dimensional Fortress. Sure, you can find some information on how the Macross story was changed so that it would fit into the greater Robotech Saga (I won't rehash how they made Robotech here, you can read about it in the Robotech FAQ), but I've never been satisfied with the descriptions I Googled or Yahoo!ed.Now, after over a dozen years, I finally get my chance. As I said in an earlier post, I bought the subtitled version of Macross in its original form. It's the remaster that was released by AnimEigo a few years ago, and they used to be more expensive than I care to think about. The DVDs arrived from Rightstuf yesterday.
I'll be watching the Robotech DVDs first as I am more familiar with that format, then I'll view the Macross DVDs for comparison. As we get deeper and deeper I'll give spoiler warnings, but for now I'm not giving much away. I only got to watch the first two episodes of Macross SDF last night, and there are differences - and in some ways they are a bit more heavy-duty than I expected. It actually feels like a completely different show. Within the first 10 minutes of the first episode, I wrote down 10 changes I thought noteworthy. I guess I should not be surprised, purists have often said Macross is better, but I am by no means a purist - I'll say just say different for now.
So, without further ado, here is:
Macross vs. Robotech: Part 1 - "10 Differences in the First 10 Minutes"
There is a great thread going on over at slashdot.org about an article that came out on C|Net today. Fansubs under fire! The gist of it is this: Media Factory, an animation studio out of Japan, is the first studio to break ranks and not turn a blind eye to the phenomenon that is known as fansubbing - and the fansub community is apprehensive.
What is fansubbing? Fansubbing is when fans of an anime show get a copy of a title that is not in the US and then subtitle it for free distribution on the net. In the old days, fansubs were done on VHS and the quality of the video was generally pretty bad ... but fansubs were often the only way to see anime titles that would have never made it to the states otherwise. More recently, the shows are done in high-quality DIVX format and released on BitTorrent to a much wider audience. Some of the fansubs are often considered as good, if not better than the subs of the big studio houses.
Why has this gone on for so long without any studio raising a stink? There has always been an is an unwritten rule that fansubs are only done on unlicensed shows. If a show get "picked up" by a US company, the fansub distribution for that title stops and the show all but disappears from the net. Basically, once a legit company can make a buck on it in the states, it goes away. What is different here is that Media Factory is the first company to give cease and desist notifications on unlicensed shows ... shows no one is making any money on in the states yet.
How do I feel about this? Well, it's a double edge sword to be honest - fansubbing seems to walk the line between moral and illegal. It is illegal no doubt, copyright laws transverse national boundaries - but morally, the line is much more gray. While it's not right that the creators are not getting paid for their work, these are shows that no one from Japan can make money off of in the states anyway, they are not licensed and unobtainable by the masses. What's more, once they are licensed, the shows will disappear from fansub distribution. Sure someone will hold on to that rogue copy of thishotnewshow, but one positive aspect is that fansubs often promote titles and build anticipation in advance of an actual licensed release - they can help the studio sales by building a fanbase before the licensed titles are released.
In the past I have watched fansubs from time to time. For instance, I found Battle Athletes Victory, a show I would have never thought to purchase, as a result of the fansub I found on the net a few years ago. But it has been a number of years since I went looking for them. I find that with the rate anime shows are being released in the states, there really is not much need for fansubs anymore ... at least not for me. I have a hard enough time keeping up as it is.
In the end, I don't think this shift will really affect one way or another how much anime is seen in the states - though it may hurt some grassroots efforts for particular shows and the community in general. Sure the industry can get along without them, but is it much better off? I really doubt it, but it is one more sign of the changing times in the digital age.
What is fansubbing? Fansubbing is when fans of an anime show get a copy of a title that is not in the US and then subtitle it for free distribution on the net. In the old days, fansubs were done on VHS and the quality of the video was generally pretty bad ... but fansubs were often the only way to see anime titles that would have never made it to the states otherwise. More recently, the shows are done in high-quality DIVX format and released on BitTorrent to a much wider audience. Some of the fansubs are often considered as good, if not better than the subs of the big studio houses.
Why has this gone on for so long without any studio raising a stink? There has always been an is an unwritten rule that fansubs are only done on unlicensed shows. If a show get "picked up" by a US company, the fansub distribution for that title stops and the show all but disappears from the net. Basically, once a legit company can make a buck on it in the states, it goes away. What is different here is that Media Factory is the first company to give cease and desist notifications on unlicensed shows ... shows no one is making any money on in the states yet.
How do I feel about this? Well, it's a double edge sword to be honest - fansubbing seems to walk the line between moral and illegal. It is illegal no doubt, copyright laws transverse national boundaries - but morally, the line is much more gray. While it's not right that the creators are not getting paid for their work, these are shows that no one from Japan can make money off of in the states anyway, they are not licensed and unobtainable by the masses. What's more, once they are licensed, the shows will disappear from fansub distribution. Sure someone will hold on to that rogue copy of thishotnewshow, but one positive aspect is that fansubs often promote titles and build anticipation in advance of an actual licensed release - they can help the studio sales by building a fanbase before the licensed titles are released.
In the past I have watched fansubs from time to time. For instance, I found Battle Athletes Victory, a show I would have never thought to purchase, as a result of the fansub I found on the net a few years ago. But it has been a number of years since I went looking for them. I find that with the rate anime shows are being released in the states, there really is not much need for fansubs anymore ... at least not for me. I have a hard enough time keeping up as it is.
In the end, I don't think this shift will really affect one way or another how much anime is seen in the states - though it may hurt some grassroots efforts for particular shows and the community in general. Sure the industry can get along without them, but is it much better off? I really doubt it, but it is one more sign of the changing times in the digital age.
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