Macross, Le Film

Japanese animation has brought forward many films which are regarded as classics of the genre (for now ignoring the fact that anime isn't really a genre in and of itself, but rather a style of animation which encompasses several different genres, eg. horror, comedy, sci-fi, etc), but for some reason Macross: Do You Remember Love is seldom mentioned alongside gems like Akira, Ghost In The Shell, or Mononoke Hime (and pretty much every other Studio Ghibli effort) - something I find quite difficult to understand. I was lucky enough to catch this movie on late night TV several years ago and was completely spellbound by it. It has a simple storyline (boy loves girl, while humanity's future is threatened by warmongering cyborgs - hey, it's anime) but an innocence at heart which very few movies, even animated ones, are able to match. I was even luckier when I discovered a subtitled VHS copy of it, and it has since become one of my favourite animated movies of all-time.

For its time, the standard of animation is quite impressive. This movie must have taken at least a few people's breaths away when it was initially screened in 1984, because, even when you compare it to Japanese animation of the time (including Hayao Miyazaki's much-lauded feature debut Nausicaa), the level of detail and movement on display is mind-boggling. People don't just move their eyes and lips (as was the case in virtually 99% of animation then); their hair moves, their clothes show wrinkles, whilst the background details are nearly inch-perfect. Macross itself doesn't just look like a huge intergalactic space station, it also *feels* like one. I can think of few films which display a similar attention to detail as DYRL, and for that reason alone it deserves its rightful place in the animation hall of fame, next to anything Disney or Ghibli have ever brought forward.

The storyline, as mentioned before, is fairly straightforward (and admittedly clichéd at times), but thankfully this doesn't sidetrack from its unique charm, especially as the narrative progresses from a bogstandard battle of Good vs Evil into something else entirely, which I won't describe in great detail lest I completely ruin the surprise for you - however, I will say this: the ending itself is one of the most awe-inspiring things I have ever seen. Quite aside from the strangely moving premise of J-pop saving the universe, the entire choreography of that scene is an utter stroke of genius. It's a bizarre ending, but strangely enough it works.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no expert on the Robotech series - in fact, I know pretty much next to nothing about the other instalments in the Macross/Robotech series. But I like to think that I know good film-making when I see it, and Do You Remember Love certainly is that. It's an unsung classic of Japanese animation which does not deserve to fester in obscurity, but instead requires widespread recognition as the ground-breaking work of art it truly is. Simply put, it's wonderful.

(NB, I want to point out that this review concentrates solely on the subtitled version of Macross: Do You Remember Love, not the dubbed and narrowed-down version of the movie entitled Clash Of The Bionoids, which, as many here have pointed out, is a monstrosity to be avoided.)

It's nice to see so many Robotech fans, comment about the film.

Just wanted to share more facts about Macross:

There is an upcoming Gameboy Advance version coming out, which will add another great game based on Robotech.

This movie is still one of the best anime's ever made.

A previous member mentioned that Miria dies. This is not the case. She is seen later in the movie, in fine health, with Max suiting up with her in preparation of the battle...

Also... the comment about the movie being what really happened. This too is not the case. In Macross Cannon, what really happened was documented in the TV series. The movie was exactly that. A movie. A movie/documentary telling of the history of the war... with a few modifications as movie makers often make.

Back on the case that the fact that Miria didn't die. If she died, she wouldn't have become the Mayor of Macross 7, and Max the Captain of Battle 7. (See Macross 7 TV series)... not to mention having seven daughters. (See a theme here?)

As the history goes. Macross TV series: What really happened. Macross Movie: Historical documentary movie. Macross 2 OVA series: Alternate reality Macross Plus: Macross 7: Farther adventures of Max & Miria, really focused on their daughter Milene.

"Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?" is a cinematic rendition of the popular Japanese TV series "Macross", best remembered in the West as part of the "Robotech" series. A previous viewer maintains that this movie predates "Robotech". This may be true to the extent that "Robotech" began airing in the U.S. after the Japanese release of this movie, however the movie is based upon and postdates the Japanese series "Macross" which was the first saga of the "Robotech" trilogy.

Those fans of "Robotech" who've not seen this movie should remember that "Robotech" was actually a combination of three unrelated series cobbled together with a drastically altered plot so as to seem part of a trilogy. One must watch the movie without thinking of "Robotech. "Protoculture" is not some vague energy source. Minmei is not a complete airhead.

All that aside, this is an outstanding movie and is well worth seeking out.

People we fall in love with are always ones we would least suspect or even picture in our minds, once the reality hits you know it's right.

This film is one of my favorite anime films but also favorite films in general loosely based on one of my favorite TV shows "Macross", so that's two for two. I love this film because I feel it was just made for me, because it has everything I could possibly want, and that's something I don't say much, but most importantly it's a romance story done the right way.

It's a little hard for me to do a review about this movie since I've seen the original TV show so I know who is going to get who and what is going to happen in the end. But what makes this film unique is that's it's a different style and the rich story is retold differently.

The animation style is more up to date than the original show, making everything seem more realistic, and personally I still feel it looks great. From the violence which doesn't pull no punches and is even more intense due to some blood involved, my favorite fight is the one between Milia and Max which was awesome. The design of Macross city looks reminiscent of modern day Tokyo or New York City. Most importantly the human characters physically look right for their age.

The music score and soundtrack is great, to me it's one of the best damn one's for movies in general. A few new songs are in it that were never in the show, like the "Do you remember love" and the end theme, both of them are the kind of songs I can listen to forever.

However the real power of this film as usual like the show is the fact it's not concerned so much with it's plot but with the characters, Hikaru, Misa, and Minmei, whose love triangle is the real plot.

You just love all three of these characters all of them are fleshed out well. One of the things I appreciate about this movie is how they handled Minmei. Minmei in this movie is actually a lot different than she was in the TV show, because not just does she look this time like a woman in her twenties where in the TV show she looked like she was still in her teens and a bit young for Hikaru. She acts more mature and actually likable, but also sympathetic because we see in one scene when she goes back home with her jerk of a step cousin and manager, we see her place which looks like any other celebrities place clean and full of nice things, but despite the fame and fortune she wears a look of sadness, because the only thing that's missing in her life right now is someone to love, it's like how Austin stated from "Pride and Prejudice" how one with great fortune is always in need of a significant other. Hikaru and Misa are pretty much the same like in the original show, which makes us love them all the same.

I really like the chemistry with all three of them it's believable due to the dialog and how they interact, it's doesn't turn melodramatic or stupid. It does romantic tension right because it really looks like the characters try. You hope that one of the female characters gets Hikaru, (though it's pretty obvious who it is if you saw the TV show)and when one of them gets Hikaru it feels right you feel both do deserve each other. But most of all that Hikaru makes the right choice and loves the other for the right reasons.

There are two unforgettable scenes which occur in the film where were also in the TV show but in the movie they last a long while, have depth and are important parallels to one another. We see one where Hikaru is trapped in a section with Minmei and both romantic and sexual tension endures, in a way this part of the film emulates any person's dream of being trapped in the same place with someone you can only dream of ever having. But the most memorable scene is with Hikaru and Misa which plays out beautifully, Misa is a person that Hikaru obviously thinks is a non likely person he can deeply love from the constant arguments and disagreements they have mainly due to misunderstandings, though he does harbor some desire/attraction for her from a camera shot where both are in some heated argument and we see a shot of Misa's legs and he looks down on them as she chews him out; it's a common feeling for some guys whom desire girls that look/seem unattainable. Both come to a post apocalyptic Earth, seeing that I'll admit I found unnerving, kinda similar to the film "The Quiet Earth". When they explore more of the planet they soon discover a lost city (possibly Atlantis or Eden), warm up to one another along the way and both fall in love. This scene I can't help but feel serves as a biblical allegory where both Hikaru and Misa are Adam and Eve and the ruined Earth is the new Eden.

And of course there is one other couple that somewhat parallels Max and Milia, even though I wish there were more scenes with the two together, but I did get the feeling both connected, from the fact both are unable to kill one another in the fight due to being equally matched, even one scene when both see one another in the flesh for the first time and say one word that seals their fate. It just demonstrates that even people two people from different ends of the spectrum can love.

Love is unforgotten as long as one always has the ability to love.

Rating: 4 stars