Robotech Remastered, Extended Edition #02 -- Review
Studio Summary
Contains 12 episodes on 2 discs! Plus - comes with a limited edition Super Veritech Morpher!
After battling their way back to Earth, Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes and the crew of the SDF-1 must learn to cope with a new set of rules imposed by a bureaucracy with little understanding of the grave threat that faces the entire world.
Unfortunately, the horrors of war hit close to home as heroes are forced to make the ultimate sacrifice... And the survivors must face the bitter realities of the conflict in the most personal of ways. But as the battle to save their planet seems out of their reach, a series of lucky breaks give these besieged heroes of the massive space battle fortress a small glimmer of hope.
Spoken Languages: English, Spanish, and English Subtitles.
Grades
Video: B+
Audio: A-
Dub/script: B-
Story: A
Overall: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Purchase Robotech Remastered from Amazon.
Reviewed by Johaan
Grade Notes
There aren't any big changes since my last review ... so please reference Robotech Remastered, Extended Edition #01 for more grade notes.
Review
As we begin the second act in this three-act story, the show really begins to pick up speed. Surrounded by Zentraedi, spies in their midst, and very far from home, the crew aboard the Macross continues trudging through the solar system in a desperate attempt to survive.
Following their harrowing escape, Rick, Lisa, Max, and Ben give their report on the sheer size and power of the Zentraedi forces. Captain Gloval decides that the information is too important to risk interception by the enemy - and decides to make a break for the Earth to make a full report in person. The Macross makes it home successfully, allowing the residents some time to celebrate as they see the blue skies of the Earth for the first time in nearly two years.
They won't have time to celebrate long, however. The United Earth Government is not convinced by Gloval's report and refuses to let the refugees aboard the Macross return to Earth. As it turns out, they were all declared dead after the attack in an attempt to cover-up the fact that the Earth was being threatened by alien forces. The Macross is ordered back into space in an attempt to try to keep the Zentraedi at bay.
And, if things were not complicated enough, Rick finds himself irritated by the return of Minmay's long lost cousin, Kyle - an outspoken peace activist who hates the military. Rick still does not quite have his feelings for Minmay sorted out yet, and Kyle's return makes matters worse.
Rick soon finds out that his love life is the least of his worries however, as a near death experience teaches him just how precariously close he is to dying every day. Even more, the deaths of some of his closest companions, and the total destruction of an entire Earth city, serve as a catalyst to drive the notion of his mortality home even further.
Needless to say, things are getting hairy aboard the Macross. Love, jealousy, death, despair, hope - all these things come to pass within the span of a few short episodes. The love triangle between Rick, Lisa, and Minmay becomes very clear by the end of this disc set, and the deaths of several of the main characters send irrevocable shockwaves through the crew.
When I saw this show years ago, this was the first cartoon I ever saw that dealt with death in such a heavy and realistic way. We see how Rick ages after he loses his companions, and as the war continues to take its toll on him. He is no longer the naive boy that joined the service. He is now a seasoned veteran of war who carries with him the scars of loss and pain.
Lisa, for her part, is changing as well. She is softening up to the fighter pilot who once called her an "old sourpuss," and who saved her life on more than one occasion. The pain of her lost fiancée is still evident, especially once Kyle comes to the scene, but she is growing past that pain and trying to make a life for herself on board the Macross.
Minmay, irritatingly, does not change for the better. If nothing else, she grows more self-absorbed than before. Most viewers are probably rooting for Rick and Lisa to get together at this point, but Rick has a long way to go before he'll be ready to give up his little starlet. Also, as much as music is a part of this show, you'd think Harmony Gold could have come up with more than 2 songs for Minmay to sing ... they do grow a bit tedious after awhile.
The animation, although cleaned up, still looks incredibly dated. It jarred me enough in this viewing that I knocked the grade down by half a point ... and it probably did not help that I just got done watching some very recent releases. The story allows you to see past the animated shortcomings, but the character designs are quaint by todays standards. It's funny, I remember how they originally blew me away years ago ...
Honestly though, you won't watch Robotech Remastered for the beauty of its animation, at least not now in 2005 ... but you should watch it for its story. Even after all these years, Macross still retains its power and sophistication. It remains a must-see title for any anime fan.
Contains 12 episodes on 2 discs! Plus - comes with a limited edition Super Veritech Morpher!After battling their way back to Earth, Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes and the crew of the SDF-1 must learn to cope with a new set of rules imposed by a bureaucracy with little understanding of the grave threat that faces the entire world.
Unfortunately, the horrors of war hit close to home as heroes are forced to make the ultimate sacrifice... And the survivors must face the bitter realities of the conflict in the most personal of ways. But as the battle to save their planet seems out of their reach, a series of lucky breaks give these besieged heroes of the massive space battle fortress a small glimmer of hope.
Spoken Languages: English, Spanish, and English Subtitles.
Grades
Video: B+
Audio: A-
Dub/script: B-
Story: A
Overall: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Purchase Robotech Remastered from Amazon.
Reviewed by Johaan
Grade Notes
There aren't any big changes since my last review ... so please reference Robotech Remastered, Extended Edition #01 for more grade notes.
Review
As we begin the second act in this three-act story, the show really begins to pick up speed. Surrounded by Zentraedi, spies in their midst, and very far from home, the crew aboard the Macross continues trudging through the solar system in a desperate attempt to survive.
Following their harrowing escape, Rick, Lisa, Max, and Ben give their report on the sheer size and power of the Zentraedi forces. Captain Gloval decides that the information is too important to risk interception by the enemy - and decides to make a break for the Earth to make a full report in person. The Macross makes it home successfully, allowing the residents some time to celebrate as they see the blue skies of the Earth for the first time in nearly two years.
They won't have time to celebrate long, however. The United Earth Government is not convinced by Gloval's report and refuses to let the refugees aboard the Macross return to Earth. As it turns out, they were all declared dead after the attack in an attempt to cover-up the fact that the Earth was being threatened by alien forces. The Macross is ordered back into space in an attempt to try to keep the Zentraedi at bay.
And, if things were not complicated enough, Rick finds himself irritated by the return of Minmay's long lost cousin, Kyle - an outspoken peace activist who hates the military. Rick still does not quite have his feelings for Minmay sorted out yet, and Kyle's return makes matters worse.
Rick soon finds out that his love life is the least of his worries however, as a near death experience teaches him just how precariously close he is to dying every day. Even more, the deaths of some of his closest companions, and the total destruction of an entire Earth city, serve as a catalyst to drive the notion of his mortality home even further.
Needless to say, things are getting hairy aboard the Macross. Love, jealousy, death, despair, hope - all these things come to pass within the span of a few short episodes. The love triangle between Rick, Lisa, and Minmay becomes very clear by the end of this disc set, and the deaths of several of the main characters send irrevocable shockwaves through the crew.
When I saw this show years ago, this was the first cartoon I ever saw that dealt with death in such a heavy and realistic way. We see how Rick ages after he loses his companions, and as the war continues to take its toll on him. He is no longer the naive boy that joined the service. He is now a seasoned veteran of war who carries with him the scars of loss and pain.
Lisa, for her part, is changing as well. She is softening up to the fighter pilot who once called her an "old sourpuss," and who saved her life on more than one occasion. The pain of her lost fiancée is still evident, especially once Kyle comes to the scene, but she is growing past that pain and trying to make a life for herself on board the Macross.
Minmay, irritatingly, does not change for the better. If nothing else, she grows more self-absorbed than before. Most viewers are probably rooting for Rick and Lisa to get together at this point, but Rick has a long way to go before he'll be ready to give up his little starlet. Also, as much as music is a part of this show, you'd think Harmony Gold could have come up with more than 2 songs for Minmay to sing ... they do grow a bit tedious after awhile.
The animation, although cleaned up, still looks incredibly dated. It jarred me enough in this viewing that I knocked the grade down by half a point ... and it probably did not help that I just got done watching some very recent releases. The story allows you to see past the animated shortcomings, but the character designs are quaint by todays standards. It's funny, I remember how they originally blew me away years ago ...
Honestly though, you won't watch Robotech Remastered for the beauty of its animation, at least not now in 2005 ... but you should watch it for its story. Even after all these years, Macross still retains its power and sophistication. It remains a must-see title for any anime fan.
