Robotech

Robotech, my personal favorite.

To talk about Robotech is to talk about how the Japanese Animé industry got into the American cartoon industry, and eventually how becoming successful in the USA turned Animé into a million dollar world wide phenomenon. Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985. It was adapted from three original Japanese television series. 

Some people tend to think Robotech demonized everything an Animé stood for, as most of the original story was adapted to make its way in the American animation market. Nevertheless, Robotech was not the first Animé to be altered & adapted. During the sassy 70's many Animé were "Americanized" by changing plot, character names, music and nearly everything producers saw fit to deliver a product that would fit the local market. 

The female pop star of all times: Lynn Minmei.

However, the USA wasn't the only country to do this. In Europe, namely Italy, France, Switzerland & Spain this practice of re-arranging the story and its characters was something done very often. In fact, some of the most popular 70's Animé were quite different from what Japanese audiences would experience in their local TV. Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Gaiking, Sci-Fi West Saga Starzinger, Steel Jeeg, Magne Robo Gakeen are only a few examples of adapted Animé. Later, this practice will also be adopted in Latin America.  

Legendary Robotech producer Carl Macek was a fan of Animé himself. After watching several Animé adaptations he didn't like (mostly Battle of the Planets) he felt compelled to make a decent adaptation that the adult audience wouldn't find campy. Did he succeed? well, are we not talking about Robotech after almost 30 years later? Yes, he clearly succeeded. 

So, what's Robotech about?

In the series, Robotechnology refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien star ship that crashed on the South Pacific desert island that would later become Macross City. With this technology, Earth developed a restoration program to reactivate the space fortress, renaming it to SDF-1 (Super Dimension Fortress 1) in order to prevent future alien invasions, the fortress would serve mankind as  its most advanced weapon. As the story develops, it is revealed that the SDF-1 is the last remaining reservoir of Protoculture in the universe. Protoculture is a source of energy that can be used to power state of the art technology. This source will serve as the main topic to bind the story together.

The American company, Harmony Gold USA licensed the Super Dimension Fortress Macross TV series for direct-to-video distribution in 1984, but their merchandising plans were compromised by Revell's prior distribution of the Macross kits. In the end, both parties signed into a co-licensing agreement and the Robotech name was adopted into the TV syndication of Macross combined with Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA.

Robotech is a story adapted with edited content and revised dialogue from the animation of three different mecha anime series:

1. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982)
2. Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (1984)
3. Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (1983)

Harmony Gold's cited reasoning for combining these unrelated series was its decision to market Macross for American weekday syndication television, which required a minimum of 65 episodes at the time (thirteen weeks at five episodes per week). Macross and the two other series each had fewer episodes than required, since they originally aired in Japan as weekly series. On some television stations, the syndicated run was preceded by the broadcast premiere of Codename: Robotech, a feature-length pilot. 

Love Triangle: Lisa Hayes, Rick Hunter & Lynn Minmei.

Each of the three original series were heavily edited in terms of cutting the most violent scenes, which at times displayed blood, and exploding bodies. Also, the scenes that displayed amounts of nudity were also cut. For instance Lynn Minmei had a shower scene were her nude ass could be seen, but the one series they had to cut lots of material from, was the Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, where Jeanne Francaix (Dana Sterling) had frequent scenes showering nude, or getting both dressed and undressed.

Fortunately for all the purists that want to get the real thing, the latest official Robotech release by Harmony Gold, Robotech Protoculture Collection comes with every cut scene back to its original place.

Curious about the original source material?

Let's take a look at the original opening from each of the Animé Robotech is made of:

The first video Super Dimension Fortress Macross opening. Despite, Robotech's popularity, the Macross Animé became very popular worldwide spawning various sequels (Macross Flashback 2012, Macross II, Macross Plus, Macross Zero, Macross 7 and Macross Frontier) to date it remains as the only Robotech related Animé that became a cult item with a growing fan base.



Here the Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross opening. Unfortunately, this Animé did not have sequels, although there was some new material produced for Robotech: The Movie, that was the last time we would see something new for the Southern Cross characters.



And the original Genesis Climber Mospeada opening. Unlike the Southern Cross, Mospeada did spawn an OVA sequel known as "Mospeada: Love Live Alive" Rumour has it that the Robotech producers are after a deal to turn this OVA into a Robotech film. Time will tell.

...After they fit the pieces together, the resulting combination became a storyline that spans three generations, as mankind must fight three destructive Robotech Wars in succession with various invading forces, each of which is motivated in one way or another by a desire for a powerful energy source called "protoculture." While each of the three animated series used for its footage informs its content, the Robotech storyline is distinct and separate from each of them, so the concept of time allows us to understand why characters change from generation to generation. 


The First Robotech War (The Macross Saga) concerns humanity's discovery of a crashed alien ship and subsequent battle against a race of giant warriors called the Zentraedi, who have been sent to retrieve the ship for reasons unknown. In the course of this chapter, Earth is nearly annihilated, the Zentraedi are defeated, and humans gain knowledge of the energy source called protoculture. Humanity also learns of the Robotech Masters whose galactic empire the Zentraedi protected and patrolled. In addition, we learn that humans are known as "Micronians" in the alien universe. Also, human culture & customs become a powerful source of defense against the Zentraedi since they lead very different lives. Matters like men & women living together, hope, entertainment, love & music drive the aliens crazy. An ancient Zentraedi prophecy says that the most powerful enemy in the universe is the one who possesses such characteristics.

The most beloved characters of the Robotech saga were all part of the Macross Saga. Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, Roy Fokker, Lynn Minmei, Max Sterling & Captain Gloval are even known characters to people who didn't even watch the Animé. Moreover, there is a love triangle among Rick Hunter, Lin Minmei & Lisa Hayes. Love usually wasn't considered as an interesting item when it came to series aimed at kids, but Robotech made the difference.

The body count in the Macross Saga is the highest of all the series: Thousands of human soldier in space battle & millions after planet earth is wiped out by the Zentraedi armada. Don't we all love a little violence? yes, we do.

Vintage Robotech art.

The Second Robotech War (The Robotech Masters) focuses on the arrival in Earth orbit of the Robotech Masters, who have come seeking what turns out to be the sole means in the universe of producing protoculture. Through a combination of mistrust and arrogance, their attempts at retrieving this meet with opposition from the humans and unleash a war that leaves the Masters defeated and Earth awash in the spores of a plant called the Flower of Life -- the source of protoculture and a beacon to the mysterious Invid who scour the galaxy for its presence.  

The lead characters here were Dana Sterling, Bowie Grant, Angelo Dante, Nova Satori, Marie Crystal & the aliens Zor Prime & the Robotech Masters.

As opposed to The Macross Saga, the Southern Cross focuses mostly in the military lives of the 15th Squadron lead by Dana Sterling (half human, half Zentraedi) There are no love triangles and there is little space left for love or fun. Characters are well developed and they all have a personality of their own. Is in this second Robotech generation that we learn the Robotech Masters rely on protoculture to conquer the universe. However, this is the first time they take matters on their own, since the Zentraedi were beaten by the micronians fifteen years earlier in the first Robotech war. The earth, still devastated has shut down Macross city & many cities that had direct contact in the first war due to radiation. Nevertheless, Monument city is quite close to the remains of the SDF-1. Zor Prime is revealed to be the clone of the original developer of the protoculture robotech factory (yes, the original Zor Prime built the SDF-1 to keep the protoculture secrets safe) For reasons unknown, the original Zor sends the SDF-1 to the farthest system in the universe (the solar system & eventually planet Earth) Later we find out, as Zor recovers his original memory, that he was against violence and conquering worlds, making the Robotech Masters his common enemy with the human race. However, his aid ends up releasing the Protoculture spores all over the earth, allowing the Invid to detect them and thus beginning the third Robotech war.

The Fifteenth Squadron.

The Third Robotech War (The New Generation) begins with the arrival on Earth of the Invid, who are lured by the Flower of Life and rapidly conquer the planet. References in the previous two chapters explain to viewers that many of the heroes of the First Robotech War had left Earth to seek out the Robotech Masters on a preemptive mission, and it is this Robotech Expeditionary Force that sends missions back from across the galaxy to attempt a liberation of their homeworld. The storyline follows one group of freedom fighters as they work their way towards the final battle with the Invid.

Protoculture once again, is the engine that drives the new generation story. This time, we learn that protoculture is a source of energy that is found in nature in a special plant known as the "Flower of Life" making the story a bit confusing since in the Macross Saga it was said protoculture was a source of energy hidden within the SDF-1 fortress. Later at the very end of the Southern Cross we're told this source was actually a flower that needed to be harvested with robotechnology to be turned into a powerful energy source (what? wasn't robotechnology created after exploiting protoculture?!) So we can clearly conclude that the SDF-1 carried crops of the flower of life, as well as the last protoculture seed supply in the known universe.

What's funny about this powerful source concept is that humans learned by chance how to use it to create state of the art machinery, while the alien invaders posses scientific knowledge about it meaning humans are the smartest in the universe? who knew!

The lead characters are Scott Bernard, Rand, Lancer, Rook Bartley, Annie Labelle, Lunk & the mysterious Marlene (later known as Ariel, the first human shaped Invid being) 

The amazing new generation.

Besides the 85 chapter that comprised the TV series there were further releases to expand the Robotech universe:  

Robotech: The Movie (1986) AKA Robotech: The Untold Story, this theatrical film was the first new Robotech adventure created after the premiere of the original series. It used footage from the amazing Megazone 23 Part 1 OVA combined with scenes from Southern Cross and additional original animation produced for the film. The American release of the film was canceled after a poor test run in Texas, but saw limited success in Argentina, Chile and Belgium. Harmony Gold relinquished their license to Megazone 23 after director Carl Macek washed his hands clean of the project. The storyline followed the creation of a new robotech mecha similar to the cyclons from the new generation.

The original VHS cover from the now hard to find, Robotech movie.

In 2011, A&E Home video released, as a part of their Robotech: The Complete Series collection, a 29-minute version of Robotech The Movie containing only footage used from The Southern Cross. As a piece of advice I definitely recommend you to look for the Megazone 23 OVA trilogy, as it was ahead of its time and a true masterpiece that inspired many film makers.

Robotech Wars (1986) A promotional VHS video created by Matchbox included with the "Robotech Wars" playset. This video includes two episodes entirely from various re-used clips of The Macross Saga. Titled "To the End of the Universe" and "Battle Royale," these episodes contain no new footage, and are not meant to follow any continuity established in the TV series.  

Robotech II: The Sentinels (1987) This aborted American-produced series would have followed the continuing adventures of Rick and Lisa Hunter and the Robotech Expedition during the events of The Masters and The New Generation. The feature-length pilot is composed of the first three (and only) episodes that were produced. Being a sequel/spinoff to the combined series, The Sentinels featured characters from all three Robotech sagas and introduced the SDF-3 along with an overview of their new mission. The series was planned to have total of 65 episodes...

The first official release of The Sentinels movie, by ADV in 2001.

Carl Macek blamed the cancellation of the series on the crash of the Yen/Dollar exchange rate, which caused toy partner Matchbox to withdraw from the project due to the increased cost. Since Harmony Gold lacked the funds to produce the series on its own, production ceased after only three episodes.

Efforts to petition the completion of this series failed, but much of the completed footage—re-edited and rewritten as a feature-length production—was released on VHS by Palladium Books and on DVD by ADV Films. The completed episodes have never been released in their original form. In 2011, a "remastered" version was released on the A&E DVD set, ROBOTECH: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES DVD. This version has opening titles resembling those found on the "Robotech Remastered" DVD's, as well as a new ending with text explaining the fate of the SDF-3. Also, all of the flashback footage used from "The Macross Saga" has been removed, along with re-used footage from the episode "Wedding Bells."

The Cyclons rocked!

Rick Hunter, the greatest.

My favorite Veritech fighter: The VF-1D.

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2006)

In 2002, director Tommy Yune announced development of a new sequel movie, which was untitled until 2004 as Robotech: Shadow Force. The storyline overlaps with and continues from the unresolved ending of the original series. The title of the story-arc was soon changed to Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. The first trailers with finished animation were shown at Anime Expo and Comic-Con International in 2005. It was not until February 2006, when Kevin McKeever, operations coordinator at Harmony Gold, was able to confirm that the pilot movie had been completed. After a series of delays, FUNimation Entertainment was finally announced as the home video, broadcast, and theatrical distributor at the 2006 Comic-Con International in San Diego. Harmony Gold premiered the movie at various film festivals in 2006, and it was first seen by a public audience at MechaCon on August 9, 2006, where it was showcased as a charity screening to help raise funds for the ongoing Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita recovery effort. A limited theatrical run followed in January 2007, and the film was released on DVD on February 6, 2007. A 2-disc collector's edition was released in November 2007.

The Shadow Chronicles.

Amazing!

Robotech is often an extremely polarizing subject amongst anime fans. Some critics look down upon the show for its extensive edits to the source material (Westernizing character names, editing for content and chiefly, forging a connection between previously unrelated series), while supporters of the adaptation have pointed out that the weaving of three unrelated series into a contiguous whole necessarily required reworking, and that it helped to maintain a slow but continuous rise in the consumption of anime in the US.

Series writer/actor Greg Snegoff said in an interview on the now-defunct Shadow Chronicles News fansite that, "afterward, we received compliments from the Japanese who thought our dialogue and stories were better than the original". However, Animag magazine (issue 11) and Animerica magazine (issue 9, volume 4) reports that the staff of Macross at Studio Nue and Artland, such as the original story creator and mecha designer Shoji Kawamori and chief director Noboru Ishiguro, expressed their concern over the Robotech adaptation, and surprise at its differences.

In an effort to combine the storylines of three different Japanese series, certain characters underwent drastic role changes, with little explicit character development or plot exposition.

The majestic SDF-1.

In addition, detractors of the show argue that the need for 65 episodes did not necessarily require a combined storyline, citing adaptations like Voltron which coupled two unrelated Japanese series without directly combining the storylines. However a year after this show ended, 20 additional Voltron episodes and a crossover special were created for American audiences by Toei Animation, after the first daily run of 104 episodes.

Shortly after completing Robotech, Macek would make the less-well-known Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years in a similar fashion by combining two Leiji Matsumoto series, Captain Harlock and Queen Millennia, together and altering the storyline significantly. In this case, however, the two anime series were spliced together in a manner where the stories of the characters occurred simultaneously, not one after the other.

In 2009, IGN ranked Robotech as the 34th greatest animated show of all time in their Top 100 list.

Here you can enjoy the original opening sequence, comprised of scenes from the three generations: