Macross Plus

First and foremost, let me say that Macross Plus is far and away the best piece of animation I have ever seen.

Macross Plus is based loosely on the Macross/Robotech series, and is set many years forward into the future. The story is about three friends, Isamu, Guld, and Myung that were childhood friends and due to some conflict, grew apart. Fate has brought them back together several years later. Myung is the producer of a hit pop-star, Sharon Apple, that also happens to be a computer. Guld and Isamu are test pilots on competing plane/spaceship projects. In addition to the tension created by the two ego-maniacs competing for the heart of Myung, further trouble arises when Sharon Apple starts exhibiting sentient behavior.

The story is split into four approximately 45 minute segments. Even with this short format, there is an excellent progression of plot from one episode to the next. The animation is a good balance of traditional hand-drawn cell animation and computer generated effects. The attention to detail is astonishing.

What sticks out in my mind even more than the beautiful eye-popping animation is the fantastic soundtrack, and sound effects. It is without a doubt the best soundtrack of any anime, and perhaps of any animated feature film yet. A large portion of the soundtrack was performed by the Israeli Philharmonic. The cello and piano solos of Myung's Theme are absolute masterpieces.

Macross Plus is available both in a four part miniseries and a movie format. I strongly urge you to see the miniseries before watching the movie, or skip the movie altogether. The edit job on the movie version is terrible, and the continuity of the plot is almost destroyed as a result. That aside, there are several minutes worth of animation in the movie that do not appear in the miniseries. I would love to see them edit the pieces from the movie into the miniseries. It would be perfect then.

Run, don't walk to your movie favorite movie rental store and check this out. Better yet, buy the whole set. I did!

...if you can, watch the actual miniseries. The compiled movie, albeit it adds some new animation, it also cuts a lot of material. Due to a completely new editing, it lacks much of the suspense of the original series which was specifically written as a serial. The miniseries had its problems, but these holes in the story are even more pronounced in this compilation movie. As people have mentioned, the original 4 episode miniseries was a rare combination. The first two episodes are simply masterpieces. Without a doubt some of the best episodic television you will ever see (animated or otherwise). Episode 3 was not bad but it adds little to the story. The biggest problem is without a doubt episode 4, when all of the mysteries come to their conclusion. Let's just say that disappointment is not a strong enough word. Still, this production stands on its own due to other achievements. Good animation, breathtaking art direction, amazing designs, and its use of music.

This four part OVA is centred on pilot Isamu Alva Dyson who has been transferred to the planet Eden to work as a test pilot on the YF-19 project. Here he comes up against childhood friend, now bitter rival Guld Goa Bowman; test pilot for the opposing YF-21 project. Tensions rise further when their old friend Myung Fang Lone turns up; she used to be a singer but is now the 'producer' for virtual idol Sharon Apple... at least that is her official role unofficially she provides Sharon's emotions as the system's artificial emotions don't work. As the test flights progress the two pilots' rivalries escalate to dangerous levels.

I've not seen other works in the Macross Universe but that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this; in fact if I didn't know it was linked to other works I wouldn't have guessed. The story is relatively simple but very effective. The flying scenes are brilliantly animated with plenty of motion which makes the viewer feel part of the action... the combination of CGI and traditional animation is seamless. The romantic elements serve to explain the characters rivalries without feeling as if it is there just to provoke a rivalry. Initially the Myung/Sharon story seems like a side story that won't go anywhere important but it turns out to be more interesting that I originally expected. The story develops well over the four episodes leading to a spectacular and emotional finale.

These comments are based on watching the OVA in Japanese with English subtitles.

when i first saw this, i was amazed. i expected so much from shinichiro watanabe and got everything i was expecting. this has the classic rival-love story along with kick ass mech fighting. even my dad, who has only seen akira and the cockpit, thought that the yf-21 brain control was a cool idea. the animation is incredible, something you would expect from watanabe. if you liked robotech or any other macross related element, then see this.

Macross Plus is a sequel to the original movie Macross. It is not a sequel to Macross II. I found the original Macross to be unwatchable, partly for its cloying storyline and partly for its grating sexism. Macross Plus is so far removed from these tacky origins as to be a completely new and stand-alone movie.

There are two versions available for this anime-- the series and the movie. The series ends up approximately an hour and a half longer than the movie, but the editors did a wonderful job cutting, so the movie doesn't feel incomplete. In fact, they moved scenes around to create the complete story and even added a few scenes to change the focus.

The story and characters are more solid than many another film, and the animation is breathtaking-- in fact, my friends now use the term "Macross Sky" to denote any particularly vivid and beautiful sky. Moreover, the music is beyond amazing and ranges from symphonic/classical to atonal chant.

Computer animation is used in this film, and is completely distinct from the hand-drawn animation, but it is used entirely with computer-related scenes (a computer-generated concert and an interface with a plane) and the effect is wholly unified.

Try your best to see a version in Japanese with subtitles as the English music has less power than the original. DVDs are particularly good as you can see the varied versions and compare for yourself.

This is the movie I point to to say to American animators, "It is possible to do a fully adult, beautifully animated movie. Animation is not just for kids. Learn." Someday, maybe, they will.