Macross, Le Film

"Macross: Do You Remember Love?" is set in the Macross universe of anime fame. "Macross: Super Dimensional Fortress" is the series off of which the first segment of "Robotech" is based, so any Robotech fan will recognize the characters, the battlefortress, the aliens, etc. Almost all of the characters in Robotech/Macross appear, with their original (mostly Japanese) names. The story is substantially changed as well, so it is really a fresh take on the saga, not just a rehash of twenty-some episodes.

Do You Remember Love (DYRL) was made way back in 1984, before Robotech was even introduced to American audiences. The story might be confusing to a viewer who has never watched Robotech or its Japanese predecessor, Macross. The animation is very, very crisp and colorful, considering the 20 year age. It looks better than most big-budget Hollywood science-fiction movies of the same time period. The music is great! A huge surprise, and a pleasant one, since the story revolves around music and love.

The overall story remains the same as in the two landmark TV series: Giant aliens have attacked the Earth for an unknown reason, and the last hope of mankind is a huge battlefortress carrying a city of people inside. The fortress is defended by the standard giant transforming robots that seem to be pervasive in many anime films. Although this is a movie about an intergalactic war, the underlying theme is how music and love are more powerful than aggression. That said, there is also a lot of violence, definitely not suitable for children.

I recommend anyone who is a fan of either Robotech or Macross to find this movie and check it out. You won't be disappointed.