Macross Plus (Parts 1 & 2).
January 21st 2008 01:17
Category: Videos
Original Story by: Studio Nue/Shoji Kawamori.
Director: Shoji Kawamori.
Screenplay by: Keiko Nobumoto.
Producers: Kaya Ohnishi, Minoru Takanashi, Yosio Tsuda, Akira Inokuchi & Hirotake Kanda.
English Voice Cast: Richard Epcar (Guld Goa Bowman), Dan Woren (Yang Neumann), Bryan Cranston (Isamu Dyson), Anne Sherman (Myung), Bambi Darro (Lucy McMillan) and Beau Billingslea (Millard)..
Produced by: 1994/95 Big West/Macross Plus Project.
English Language Version: 1999 Manga Entertainment/Animaze Inc.
Running Time: 80 minutes. Rating: PG.
What do you get when you mix in transforming mecha, a virtual AI pop singer who is the number one performer in the known galaxy, a love triangle between two test pilots and a former singer as well as a world known as Eden which is inhabited by some rather exotic life forms? Macross Plus is what you get when you throw in all these elements and mix them up together along with some other ingredients to spice up the drama. This series is based in the Macross universe which was responsible all so many years ago for spawning the franchise that would become Robotech yet there the similarities end. Whilst both had similar characters, transforming mecha, the Zentraedi, Macross City and the SDF-1 that was about it, protoculture and robotechnology which became mainstays of Robotech did not feature in the parent show. And Macross, that parent show, was until later on down the track a fairly stand alone series whilst the spin off from it merged three different shows into the franchise that would later become the immensely popular Robotech.
Eventually though Macross would end up spawning a few ‘sequels’ of its own in order to expand its universe and give viewers more of the crazy zany mecha action that seems to be a big thing in anime. Macross II was released which introduced a new species into the mix known as the Marduk, then there was this show Macross Plus along with a Macross 7 and a Macross 7: Trash to name a few. All of these shows share the same universe, though whether they could be considered true ‘sequels’ is something the Green Lantern has been unable to discern, due to seen only this particular Macross as well as Macross II some time in the past, the original I haven’t seen nor the other two shows. Most likely they use the same fictional universe in order to illustrate a particularly unique story and this is the only real common defining element rather than them being direct follow ons from the original. Still who knows definitely something to keep an eye on.
Macross Plus opens up with a scene in which the three protagonists Myung, Guld and Isamu at a location known as Star Hill on Eden. Myung is watching her two friends, Isamu and Guld trying to launch a homemade aircraft built in the shape of pterosaur from the hill. It’s a scene loaded with sentimentality, innocence and foreshadowing, all three are teenagers and they seem to be full of hope and potential. Eventually the makeshift aircraft takes to flight and we see Isamu soaring into the sky, his two friends watching him. The pterosaur soars on the winds drifting across the sun and then the drama moves into the present and a completely different locale.
It’s the year 2040 AD and somewhere in deep space, a confrontation between fighters of the UN Space Forces and unnamed hostile forces is taking place. Right in the thick of the action is Lt Dyson, an ace pilot who seems to be a little bit bored with things, the action just isn’t what he’s looking for and if anything it seems like combat to him is just another chore that he has to do in order to get through the day. Effortlessly he seems to waltz through the enemy and their attempts to destroy him, the same cannot be said for his fellow pilots who sound and look like they are having a hellish time of it all. Next we see Dyson in the office of his commander being told that he is being transferred from active duty, his maverick tendencies have made numerous enemies so the UN Space Forces have decided to send him somewhere where he won’t be at risk of getting killed or maimed by his own people; the place they send him is New Edwards on Eden.
Dyson is ecstatic about the transfer as he is to become a test pilot, he’s going to keep flying regardless and this is what he wants most in life than the big promotions, the accolades of rank and various commendations, he just wants to fly. Being involved in the test flying of new fighters is something right up his alley, what he doesn’t realise is the exact nature of the job he’s getting himself into. All he can think about is flying and his boundless enthusiasm for all things involved with piloting, the fact that the situation on Eden and the New Edwards base is extremely complicated and not without its dangers. Flying into the Eden system and then towards New Edwards he encounters the new fighter in action, screaming past him like a banshee.
Of course Dyson isn’t the only big sensation (at least in his mind) arriving in the Eden system, Sharon Apple virtual AI pop star sensation and number one performer in the known galaxy is also in system getting ready for a major concert. Her producer and tour manager is Myung, the former friend of Isamu Dyson and Guld Goa Bowman though neither of these two is aware that she has returned home after a long absence. In fact as previously mentioned Dyson is so wrapped up in his own circumstances that the other two don’t really enter into his thoughts until he is suddenly confronted by them through his new job or his new love interest.
Macross Plus combines the elements of tragedy along with comical moments and adrenalin pumping action and intrigue all into an ongoing drama. The triangle between Isamu, Myung and Guld is one that is filled with some kind of secret tragedy that in a ‘distant past’ somehow broke the friendship between the three. Precisely what the tragedy is is not revealed in any specific way but every so often there are slight hints at what may have happened but not any real details. When Isamu is confronted by Guld in the New Edwards base as he’s about to assume his test pilot duties there is an intense feeling of antagonism between the two, whatever friendship may have existed has long since died. The two have through the ebb and flow of circumstances become rivals, in their work and in their personal life though this seems to be a one sided affair. Guld thinks that he and Isamu are in competition over Myung but this doesn’t seem to be an issue for Isamu his focus is on the project, the competition between rival fighter manufacturers to win the funding and contract for a new UN Space Force fighter.
It would be easy to simply dismiss Macross Plus as an anime soap opera or just a mindless clone of Top Gun, fortunately this is not the case. These first two episodes are setting up the situation that gradually unfolds throughout the series and it is something with a lot more depth than your average soap opera and Top Gun combined. This is like the opening stanzas of an epic poem, you’re not going to get the whole thing in one hit, that’s not the point but the drama they illuminate is well worth watching. The animation is pretty good considering its fourteen years old and it stands up well, there are elements of computer animation in particular the Sharon Apple icon which forms the logo for the show. In Sharon it seems is a fairly ubiquitous character, in fact it seems that Isamu and Guld are probably only two people in the universe who don’t seem to know much about ‘her’ and seem fairly oblivious to her impact upon the world around them. There are shades of Lynn Minmei here and her influence on the Zentraedi in the first series of Robotech; although Sharon Apple despite the wholesome name has a slightly darker edge to her character and is not some kind of squeaky and whiny pop sensation.
Macross Plus, an anime series that is to be savoured and not all consumed in a rush, well worth the experience.
Director: Shoji Kawamori.
Screenplay by: Keiko Nobumoto.
Producers: Kaya Ohnishi, Minoru Takanashi, Yosio Tsuda, Akira Inokuchi & Hirotake Kanda.
English Voice Cast: Richard Epcar (Guld Goa Bowman), Dan Woren (Yang Neumann), Bryan Cranston (Isamu Dyson), Anne Sherman (Myung), Bambi Darro (Lucy McMillan) and Beau Billingslea (Millard)..
Produced by: 1994/95 Big West/Macross Plus Project.
English Language Version: 1999 Manga Entertainment/Animaze Inc.
Running Time: 80 minutes. Rating: PG.
What do you get when you mix in transforming mecha, a virtual AI pop singer who is the number one performer in the known galaxy, a love triangle between two test pilots and a former singer as well as a world known as Eden which is inhabited by some rather exotic life forms? Macross Plus is what you get when you throw in all these elements and mix them up together along with some other ingredients to spice up the drama. This series is based in the Macross universe which was responsible all so many years ago for spawning the franchise that would become Robotech yet there the similarities end. Whilst both had similar characters, transforming mecha, the Zentraedi, Macross City and the SDF-1 that was about it, protoculture and robotechnology which became mainstays of Robotech did not feature in the parent show. And Macross, that parent show, was until later on down the track a fairly stand alone series whilst the spin off from it merged three different shows into the franchise that would later become the immensely popular Robotech.
It’s the year 2040 AD and somewhere in deep space, a confrontation between fighters of the UN Space Forces and unnamed hostile forces is taking place. Right in the thick of the action is Lt Dyson, an ace pilot who seems to be a little bit bored with things, the action just isn’t what he’s looking for and if anything it seems like combat to him is just another chore that he has to do in order to get through the day. Effortlessly he seems to waltz through the enemy and their attempts to destroy him, the same cannot be said for his fellow pilots who sound and look like they are having a hellish time of it all. Next we see Dyson in the office of his commander being told that he is being transferred from active duty, his maverick tendencies have made numerous enemies so the UN Space Forces have decided to send him somewhere where he won’t be at risk of getting killed or maimed by his own people; the place they send him is New Edwards on Eden.
Dyson is ecstatic about the transfer as he is to become a test pilot, he’s going to keep flying regardless and this is what he wants most in life than the big promotions, the accolades of rank and various commendations, he just wants to fly. Being involved in the test flying of new fighters is something right up his alley, what he doesn’t realise is the exact nature of the job he’s getting himself into. All he can think about is flying and his boundless enthusiasm for all things involved with piloting, the fact that the situation on Eden and the New Edwards base is extremely complicated and not without its dangers. Flying into the Eden system and then towards New Edwards he encounters the new fighter in action, screaming past him like a banshee.
Of course Dyson isn’t the only big sensation (at least in his mind) arriving in the Eden system, Sharon Apple virtual AI pop star sensation and number one performer in the known galaxy is also in system getting ready for a major concert. Her producer and tour manager is Myung, the former friend of Isamu Dyson and Guld Goa Bowman though neither of these two is aware that she has returned home after a long absence. In fact as previously mentioned Dyson is so wrapped up in his own circumstances that the other two don’t really enter into his thoughts until he is suddenly confronted by them through his new job or his new love interest.
Macross Plus combines the elements of tragedy along with comical moments and adrenalin pumping action and intrigue all into an ongoing drama. The triangle between Isamu, Myung and Guld is one that is filled with some kind of secret tragedy that in a ‘distant past’ somehow broke the friendship between the three. Precisely what the tragedy is is not revealed in any specific way but every so often there are slight hints at what may have happened but not any real details. When Isamu is confronted by Guld in the New Edwards base as he’s about to assume his test pilot duties there is an intense feeling of antagonism between the two, whatever friendship may have existed has long since died. The two have through the ebb and flow of circumstances become rivals, in their work and in their personal life though this seems to be a one sided affair. Guld thinks that he and Isamu are in competition over Myung but this doesn’t seem to be an issue for Isamu his focus is on the project, the competition between rival fighter manufacturers to win the funding and contract for a new UN Space Force fighter.
It would be easy to simply dismiss Macross Plus as an anime soap opera or just a mindless clone of Top Gun, fortunately this is not the case. These first two episodes are setting up the situation that gradually unfolds throughout the series and it is something with a lot more depth than your average soap opera and Top Gun combined. This is like the opening stanzas of an epic poem, you’re not going to get the whole thing in one hit, that’s not the point but the drama they illuminate is well worth watching. The animation is pretty good considering its fourteen years old and it stands up well, there are elements of computer animation in particular the Sharon Apple icon which forms the logo for the show. In Sharon it seems is a fairly ubiquitous character, in fact it seems that Isamu and Guld are probably only two people in the universe who don’t seem to know much about ‘her’ and seem fairly oblivious to her impact upon the world around them. There are shades of Lynn Minmei here and her influence on the Zentraedi in the first series of Robotech; although Sharon Apple despite the wholesome name has a slightly darker edge to her character and is not some kind of squeaky and whiny pop sensation.
Macross Plus, an anime series that is to be savoured and not all consumed in a rush, well worth the experience.
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