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Three of the most beloved Macrossseries of all time are now streaming for free internationally, with one small catch.

As seen on the official Macross YouTube channel, fans can stream the first episode of Macross 7 completely for free. Fans can also stream the first episodes of both follow-up series, Macross Frontier and Macross Delta. Unfortunately, later episodes are not available as of writing, with the eventual release of these remaining unconfirmed.

Macross 7, Frontier & Delta Release for Official Free Streaming Image via Ashi Productions

A sequel to the original The Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime, Macross 7 premiered in 1994 and immediately cemented its place in the franchise's wider narrative. In fact, Macross 7 is considered by many to be a more indelible part of the series than its predecessor, largely due to the fact that it was where the franchise's meta-narrative first fully came into focus. The series picks...

Optimus Prime and friends (and enemies) are back in a brand-new animated Transformers series, soon to be available for free on YouTube. A first look at the upcoming web series shows the leader of the Autobots squaring off against the King of the Dinobots.

A clip from the upcoming Transformers animated series was shared across social media platforms, including YouTube and X (formerly Twitter), according to TFW2005. The teaser shows the "King of the Dinobots" engaging in combat against Optimus Prime, who has just had his trademark inspirational speech fall on deaf ears. "Why does everything want to attack me?!" Optimus says after dodging Grimlock's blasters and trying to push back against the might of his prehistoric foe.

Transformers: Cyberworld Is the Latest Animated Push for the Classic Toyline Transformers Cyberworld First Clip!We finally have our first proper look at what the show might be like, premiering on YouTube July 12th!

Transformersand a major mecha anime franchise are crossing over with a brand-new Optimus Prime figure that rocks hard.

In a recent post from the TFW2005 forums, fans can get a new look at the upcoming Synergenex Series Macross 7 x Transformers Basara Convoy figure via an official image reveal. The figure combines Macross 7 protagonist Basara Nekki with Optimus Prime, culminating in the character now lovingly known as Basara Prime.

Optimus Prime Transformers & Rolls Out in New Official Image Reveal

The Synergex Series Macross 7 x Transformers Basara Convoy figure comes with three interchangeable faces, as well as an additional gun and guitar. The figure is capable of transforming into three modes, including a standard robot, gerwalk and valkyrie modes. The figure is reported to also have a fourth configuration that can attach to a trailer, which itself transforms into a concert stand, including speakers, to further embrace Basara Nekki's singer-songwriter status.

The connections between the Transformersand Macross franchises go back to the beginning of the former IP. Now, these two properties are really rolling out together with a collaborative new toy in an excting prototype reveal.

The Shizuoka Hobby Show 2025 convention revealed many upcoming Takara action figures, including entries in the Synergenex toy line. Combining Veritech gadgetry with the power of the Matrix of Leadership, the pending Basara Prime figure is definitely primed to make fans of both franchises shout "deculture!". Evoking the design of the classic Autobot leader, it also homages the infamous ties between these mecha anime brands.

New Transformers & Macross 7 Action Figure Prototype Can Rock and Roll Out Transformers Synergenex SERIESMACROSS7 COLLABORATIONâ”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”マクãƒã‚¹7ã¨ã®ã‚³ãƒ©ãƒœãƒ¬ãƒ¼ã‚·ãƒ§ãƒ³ãƒˆãƒ©ãƒ³ã‚¹ãƒ•ã‚©ãƒ...

Satelight is the anime studio behind highly popular IPs such as Macross F, Genesis of Aquarion and the hit action-fantasy seriesFairyTail (co-produced with Solo Leveling's A-1 Pictures). While Satelight CEO Michiaki Sato is grateful for his company's success, he is also working to "resist" a system that he believes does not fairly compensate its workers.

Sato became President and CEO of Satelight in 2003 -- six years prior to the release of Fairy Tail. Having originally worked as an accountant for B.U.G. -- Satelight's parent company -- Sato was dissatisfied with the infrastructure of the anime industry in relation to its workers. In a recent interview with Natalie, Sato discussed how his first major goal as president was to prioritize anime creators instead of anime sponsors. "I felt uncomfortable that even when a hit work was born in the anime industry, only those who provided the funds were benefited and the creators were not rewarded,...

The '90s are frequently worshipped by anime fans as a special time for the medium. The biggest franchises and most popular genres might've been different, but the quality was at an all-time high. And few years personified how great the '90s could be more than 1995.

1995 featured some of the biggest and best anime of the '90s, many of which would go on to become massive hits in the West in the early 2000s. Anime like Tenchi Universe and Gundam Wing made up the backbone of early Toonami, and that's only the beginning of what released that year. As series that aired in 1995 reach their 30th anniversary, there's no better time to look back on some of the best '90s anime.

Macross 7 Brought the Macross Franchise Back to Television Streaming on HuluImage via Big West

After over a decade away from television, the Macross franchise returned with Macross 7.

The official website for the Macross anime franchise revealed a newly-drawn key visual today for the upcoming concert "MacRoss 7 30th Anniv. Fire Bomber Live 2025 ~Burn! Burn! Burn!~." The first solo concert in 13 years featuring Fire Bomber , the in-show band in the Macross 7 anime series, is set to open at Tokyo's Toyosu Pit on February 21 and 22, 2025. The band's original two singers — Yoshiki Fukuyama as Basara Nekki and Chie Kajiura as Mylene Flare Jenius — will return on the stage. Key visual Related: Macross 7 Anime Band Fire Bomber Announces First Solo Concert in 13 Years Additionally, a full-version music video for the band's new single song in 12 years, "Burn! Burn! Burn!" is now streaming on FlyingDog's official YouTube channel . The duet song by Fukuyama as Basara and Kajiura as Mylene is also available on digital platforms for streaming and download. The three-song CD single including two solo songs by the two singers is also now available.

The Macross franchise is one of the biggest mecha brands in anime, being under only Mobile Suit Gundam and perhaps neck and neck with the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. Despite this, its releases are somewhat sporadic, with the 1990s some of the most traction for the brand. 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of one entry in particular, though it was also a rather contentious iteration.

Macross 7 was the fourth Macross anime series, and it was also the second entry to release in the 1990s. Though the series has its fans, it's also rather disliked, namely among those in the West. Nevertheless, it might actually be perhaps the most important show in terms of keeping the property alive, thanks to one of its most notable elements: its focus on music.

How Music Is Important In the Macross Brand

Ever since the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime, the franchise has been...

Fire Bomber, the band at the heart of sci-fi anime Macross 7 , has had a lot going on for the show's 30th anniversary. But they're not done: in three days, they'll star in a brand new audio drama, folding three decades of time and space! The three-part story, penned by series director Tetsuro Amino, is titled Macross 7 30th Anniversary Official Doujin Audio Drama ~Can Song Save the Galaxy?~ . The story follows Fire Bomber as they prepare to perform aboard the amusement ship Hollywood, which will travel alongside the Macross 7. But, once again, Basara is missing—and the song energy detector isn't picking up any readings. Related: Macross 7 Band Fire Bomber Shares New Music Video "Burn! Burn! Burn!" The first video (linked above) is set to premiere on October 16 at 8am Eastern/5am Pacific. The in-universe band Fire Bomber consists of: Basara Nekki: Nobutoshi Hayashi, Yoshiki Fukuyama (singing) Mylene...

As reported , Fire Bomber , the in-show band in the Macross 7 anime series, will release its first new single in 12 years titled "Burn! Burn! Burn!" on October 30, 2024. Ahead of the release, FlyingDog's official YouTube channel has started streaming a short version music video for the song. Fire Bomber "Burn! Burn! Burn!" Short Version Music Video The CD jacket newly designed by Haruhiko Mikimoto , the original character designer of Macross 7 , has also been revealed. While the title track is a duet song by Basara Nekki and Mylene Flare Jenius, the single also includes new solo songs by each of them — "I am a Rock" by Basara and "Regolith" by Mylene. Additionally, Fire Bomber's sfirst solo live concert in 13 years, "MacRoss 7 30th Anniv. Fire Bomber Live 2025 ~Burn! Burn! Burn!~" will take place at Tokyo's Toyosu Pit on February 21 and 22, 2025. Related : Macross 7 Anime Band Fire Bomber Announces First Solo...

This weekend, singer Yoshiki Fukuyama delighted Macross 7 fans at his solo concert, Basara Explosion 2024. The live show celebrated the 30th anniversary of the sci-fi anime series, but the music doesn't stop here. At the event, it was announced that Fire Bomber will be reuniting for a live concert in February 2025—their first show together in six years, and their first solo show since 2012. Fire Bomber was Macross 7 's Valkyrie-flying band consisting of Nekki Basara (sung by Fukuyama), Mylene Flare Jenius (sung by Chie Kajiura) and instrumentalists Ray Lovelock and Veffidas Feaze. Live Fire Bomber performances feature Fukuyama and Kajiura performing the group's songs. Related: Macross 7 30th Anniversary Concert Reveals Explosive New Visual Officially titled MacRoss 7 30th Anniv. Fire Bomber Live 2025 ~Burn! Burn! Burn!~ , the concert is scheduled to take place at Tokyo's Toyosu Pit on February 21 and 22, 2025. Speaking of Burn! Burn! Burn! , we also have more details on that 30th anniversary single.

In the past decade, the Transformers franchise by Hasbro and Takara has had its fair share of crossovers. Now, a new line of toys and collectibles takes this idea further with licensed mashups that are truly more than meets the eye.

Via TFW2005, the new "Synergenex" series by Takara Tomy combines the official Transformers brand with other franchises, most of which also involve giant robots or similar creatures. These include a certain giant monster that's raided on the big screen and other formats. There will also be further collaborations that are only now being teased, with the robots in disguises set to take on several new branded forms.

Related Transformers' Newest Collaboration Sees Two Iconic Generation 1 Autobots Turn Into Trading Cards

Transformers and the Duel Masters trading card franchise are newly collaborating in time for both brands to celebrate major milestones.

The Newest Transformers Collaborations Involve Diaclone, Godzilla, Macross & More...

After getting penciled in for a 2024 launch earlier this year, a release date has officially been confirmed for MacRoss -Shooting Insight- . Red Art Games announced plans to release the shoot 'em up on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch in North America and Europe on December 6, 2024, with multiple physical releases available in addition to the digital version. Both the PS5 and Switch versions will be available physically in North America and Europe, but the PS4 physical version will be Europe-only. Those who opt for the Collector's Edition will get a copy of the game in an exclusive box with a Steelcase, original soundtrack CD, double-sided poster and five exclusive MacRoss collector medals. Pegi-rated versions are available through Red Art Games and Esrb-rated versions are available through Vgp .  Related: MacRoss -Shooting Insight- Game Gets 2024 North America, Europe Releases Here's how Red Art Games describes  MacRoss -Shooting Insight- : MacRoss Shooting...

Fire Bomber , the in-show band in the Macross 7 anime series, will release its first new single in 12 years titled "Burn! Burn! Burn!" on October 30, 2024. The Macross franchise's official website announced the news on August 15 — the protagonist of Macross 7 and the vocalist/guitarist of Fire Bomber Basara Nekki's birthday. The site describes "Burn! Burn! Burn!" as "an up-tempo rock tune that will have the audience shouting and getting excited with the passionate interplay between Basara Nekki and Mylene Flare Jenius." The single will also include new solo songs by Basara and Mylene. Haruhiko Mikimoto , the original character designer of Macross 7 , newly designed the jacket. Additionally, "Macross 7 Ultra Fire! Fire Bomber Best Album," Fire Bomber's new two-disc best-of album is also set to release on vinyl the same day, October 30. Disc 1 features "Vf-19 Custum Fire Valkyrie" (driven by Basara in the show) on its record disc, while Disc 2 features...

Video game publisher Red Art Games announced a North American and European releases for the MacRoss -Shooting Insight- shooting game set for later this year, as the Japanese version of the game is set to be released on March 14 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch by Bushiroad Games. Further details on the Western release such as release dates, packaging and specifications for the standard and limited editions will be revealed at a later date. Red Art Games describes MacRoss -Shooting Insight- MacRoss Shooting Insight is an all-new MacRoss game, the latest entry in the landmark science fiction franchise! When multiple dimensional folds suddenly occur across space-time, pilots and songstresses alike find themselves inexplicably transported to the Battle 7! From there, six stories unfold with the fate of the galaxy at stake. Pilots, songstresses, and characters from five MacRoss series take center stage in a completely original story. Sources: Red Art...

Mecha is one of the oldest franchises in anime history. It's been around since near the beginning, and was the premiere genre for most of anime's earlier decades. In that time, creators and franchises codified a ton of tropes that are unique to the genre.

No matter how old some tropes are though, they never truly become outdated. In fact, fans often can't get enough of the right tropes in their favorite series. Seeing how creators find ways to utilize them, whether it's subverting them to do something unexpected or playing them straight but executing them uniquely, is the fun part of being a mecha fan.

Read Our Review The 25 Most Powerful Gundam Mecha, Ranked The Gundam series features a multitude of powerful mech suits but which one can be considered the strongest of all? Masked Villains Provide The Ultimate Challenge Represented In: Mobile Suit Gundam, Gundam Seed, Gundam Wing,...