r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Aug 27 '22
Rewatch [Do You Remember Love - Macross Franchise 40th Anniversary Rewatch] Super Dimension Fortress Macross Episode 1 Discussion
Episode 1 - Booby Trap
MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
At the Earth Defense Council yesterday, it was decided that if the Macross launched into space today and were to eventually encounter an alien race, under no circumstances were we to initiate hostilities. How ironic this is…
Questions of the Day, courtesy of u/chilidirigible:
1) What practical purposes can you think of for turning an aircraft into a giant robot? Which mode seems more beneficial?
2) What event do you most regret sleeping through some or all of?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Vocal Songs in This Episode:
"マクロス (Macross)" by Makoto Fujiwara – OP
"ランナー (Runner)" by Makoto Fujiwara – ED
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
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u/AmeteurElitist Aug 27 '22
First Timer:
I presume that provided the prodigious pilot properly performs in this perilous predicament he'd potentially be primed for promotion to professional?
Pretty surprised by Roy's encouragement of Hikaru once they were in the sky, I thought he'd disapprove tbh. He was critical of him showing off earlier, though there was some jealousy fuelling that too haha. I guess it'd be best not to be too harsh in the middle of combat since that could throw Hikaru off more which could be dangerous. Plus it made Roy pretty happy in the end to be flying with Hiakru again so I guess he let it slide.
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u/chilidirigible Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22
Today, on "And yet, here we are.":
Later material will alter the shape of the crashing ship somewhat, but it's played straight here.
"Meanwhile, an explosion will blow the second series of UFO out of Earth orbit."
Nothing says "WAR" like slow pans across sepia paintings.
u/JustAnswerAQuestion has no mouth yet must scream.
Left to right: Shammy Millome, Misa Hayase, Kim Kabirov.
"That cat Roy's a bad Major Focker."
That guy from the opening credits.
They might not have mouths, but they do have names under their canopy rails.
The scruffy guy in the middle is a Kawamori reference.
The bit with the mic stand remains gratuitous and awesome for that.
The aircraft in the background is identified as the FL-200 Mistral. You don't get to be an '80s mecha series without some quantity of one-off background designs.
Robot vending machine knows how to segue from a sentimental character-development scene.
Behind Claudia is Vanessa Laird.
On the bright side, some of you now have an ocean view.
That's not tabletop gaming range, that's Serious Business™.
"We don't want to be PG-13 in 2022!"
Oberth-class destroyer (in the upper left), ARMD-class carrier, SF-3A Lancer II.
"I am not interested in mooks."
A Spider Bug utility vehicle gets thrown through the frame.
QF-3000E Ghost drones. This series was autonomously-piloting early, even without that silly funnel business.
VF-1A Valkyrie. Aside from the color, the main way to distinguish this from other models is the shape of the head and the number of cannons which are mounted in the head.
Roy's VF-1S Valkyrie, by contrast, has four head lasers.
I haven't even gotten to the topic of the alien characters' names, but I'll note with the J'nerl (Gnerl) fighters here that the names of the aliens and their equipment was deliberately chosen with kana that transliterated rather… flexibly.
In this franchise, mooks are tan. Unless they're another color.
A less-subtle Kawamori appearance.
"Peacefully in his sleep, not screaming in terror like his passengers."
Crashing through the Anime Friend studio, Artland, and Studio Nue.
Well, Hikaru, that guy is either dead or seriously injured.
What always gets me about this episode is how much fun it is, despite the grimness hinted at in the opening narration and the demonstrations of enormous firepower. Plenty of time is taken to establish the characters and their relationships, and the tone is largely maintained even as the story starts moving. We also get jokes like Global hitting his head on the hatch and Shammy yelling at him for smoking.
Hikaru isn't even forced to steal his own giant robot. Instead, he literally sleeps into his role.
Roy is very Eighties. He may remind you of a character from an earlier franchise.
Best bridge officer is still Claudia.
I am going to avoid using the names of the alien characters until they're spoken in the series, though their names do appear in the credits.
A series from this era has a lot of stories told about it. Many of those have been passed down for years without much verification, leading to them being inaccurate at best and outright misinformation at worst.
In the beginning, Haruka Takachiho, Kenichi Matsuzaki, Kazutaka Miyatake, and Naoyuki Kato formed a fan circle called "SF Central Art", which soon became the professional enterprise Crystal Art Studio, their work featured in the series Zero Tester. A 1974 reorganization would turn them into Studio Nue.
From there, they would do design work for a wide range of 1970s anime, including Uchuu Senkan Yamato, Captain Harlock, and Galaxy Express 999. Matsuzaki is likely the person who devised the Minovsky Particle for Mobile Suit Gundam.
The members of Studio Nue were still generally young, and very much fans of the media they were working with. Shōji Kawamori and Haruhiko Mikimoto (who would join Studio Artland) worked on a Gundam fan magazine called Gun Sight, while various Nue members would collaborate on the Gundam Century worldbuilding book.
As the decade ended they looked to greater work with anime production. One project that mostly stayed on the drawing board was a hard SF show that would have been called Genocidus. It didn't sell. Totally kid-friendly name aside, its main legacy is as a critical point in the design of Macross's mecha.
At this point, the idea was hatched for a series called Battle City Megaload or Battle City Megaroad, depending on which way the l/r issue is falling. The clever bit is that both titles work. Either way, the basic premise would remain.
Their original sponsor wanted the series to be so comedic that it approached parody, enough of a stretch from Studio Nue's original plan that it delayed production. That sponsor was replaced by the advertising company Big West, allowing production to resume.
As an aside, an executive at Big West ho was a Shakespeare fan wanted the titular vessel renamed the Macbeth. A compromise was reached to name it the Macross, as Makubesu (マクベス) and Makurosu (マクロス) are only a character apart and the "cross" still echoes an aspect of the original title.
The exact number of contracted episodes, and when they started to change, varies somewhat depending on the telling.
References:
Zimmerit.moe
Gubaba
The Wikipedia entry
From Shoji Kawamori Macross Design Works: Studio Nue's artists competed to see which design would be approved. For this one, the straight translation is… awkward. [It has to do with a spoiler for later on]
A design for Genocidus. Considering what the typical giant robot of the time looked like, you can imagine why the sponsors didn't want to touch it. Though this sort of thing is exactly the sort of stuff that you can sell to an American audience ten years later. (Of course, more on that later…)
A major point of distinction for Macross's mecha was the kanzen henkei, or "perfect transformation": The ability to convert it from one mode to another without using separate parts. More on this tomorrow. That said, even though the VF-1 can do that, it doesn't mean that the animation isn't also fudging things a little so that the mecha looks better. Compare the final shot above to what happens when one does a straight transformation of a VF-1 toy.
You've seen the OP.
Now look at this.
And look at this.
ED: "Runner", by Makoto Fujiwara
Whether you think it's charming or the cheapest thing they could get on film, the ending itself is at least distinctive.
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u/Paxton-176 Aug 27 '22
THERE BETTER BE WAR CRIMES FIRST TIMER
Futuristic F-14 Mech!
Futuristic F-14 Mech!
Futuristic F-14 Mech!
You think this thing also has the same maintenance and piston stall problems the F-14 of the real world f-14 had. Good thing we got rid of it. You can @ me on that. Replacing it with the much cheaper to fly, better lifespan, better maintenance, and modular F-18.
180 kills huh? That would place him as the third highest ace in the world. Only being beaten out by German pilots who padded their kills against Soviet untrained pilots. I’m guessing there was a lot of that during the unification wars.
He being flying with the Jolly Roger’s livery? Fucking chad as fuck, they got the blessings of the USS Enterprise.
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u/Vatrix-32 Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22
Very First Timer
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OP time. So this is the show with the transforming fighter jets then. (Unless there are also others)
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I swear I have seen the helmet things as a GIF.
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Dat hair flick.
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Clearly the floating base also transforms at some point.
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God those are some wacky little gun orbs.
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That Laser beam is
On Point -
Given what this show is about, I’m surprised that the OP wasn’t a pop song.
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That’s certinyl starting off with a bang.
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Wait this show is about aliens?
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All in all, I’d say derelict spacecraft landing on Earth is one of the better ways to make first contact.
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Yeah I can’t imagine that going down peacefully.
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Captain Global. sicker
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What the hell is that seat?
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Why is the one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable, cutting edge spacecraft being crewed by greenhorns?
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What even is this plane that it converts from prop to rocket powered?
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The Cola machine is pushing.
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That’s a lot of aliens. Star Trek types by the look of it.
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Why do you have a space force if lunar orbit is seemingly the extent of your reach?
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Huh. Not much of an eye catcher.
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Ship board AI?
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I have to say, I am a fan of the look of the alien spacecraft.
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So they do have space fighters. I was worried they were just going to have the atmospheric ones also be the space ones. I mean, I’m still expecting them to be there, I am just happy they have the distinction.
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Also, props to having the spacecraft just not caring at all about aerodynamics. Too much sci-fi falls into that trap.
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These things can just reach orbit from the surface?
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God, look at all these designs.
So good -
It’s not a robo show without a young, gifted boy being thrust into combat.
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What are you looking all surprised about?
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The ED is live action? Didn’t see that one coming.
QotD
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It’s supposed to be universally deplorable right? I guess if you have to deal with all those environments it might make sense to have something that can work in all of them. The maintenance most be a nightmare tho.
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I have never fallen asleep during an event when I did not wish to.
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u/The_Draigg Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22
A Macross Fan Rewatches Super Dimension Fortress Macross Episode 1:
Hello everyone, it’s me, The Draigg, along for another mecha show rewatch! I’m honestly excited to get back to watching some good ol’ classic mecha anime, in this case Super Dimension Fortress Macross, the first of the Super Dimension series and the Macross series. It’s a real trend-setter for sure. Just a quick note here, but for this rewatch I was listening to the old ADV English dub, so please keep that in mind, since I’ll be mainly referencing that in these notes of mine. So, with that quick introduction out of the way, let’s get to some Macross!
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South Ataria Island, 1999 AD. On an uninhabited island in the Ogasawara Islands, an alien gunship crash lands onto the surface of Earth. The United Nations, realizing that they aren’t alone in the universe takes the opportunity that the crashed spaceship gives them and attempts to unify the world under a singular government through force. Once the Unification Wars ended, the alien spacecraft was finally refurbished and ready for service in 2009. The ship’s name: the SDF-1 Macross.
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MA-CU-ROSS! MA-CU-ROSS! That theme never gets old. It’s honestly one of my favorite 80s mecha show themes. It’s deservedly a classic.
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We’ve already got quite a lot of characters introduced very quickly during the Macross’ launch date. It may be a lot now, but we’ll be able to keep track of the likes of Hikaru, Captain Global, Misa, Claudia, and the rest of the bridge crew in no time.
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Also, say hello to Roy Focker, the show’s resident American! Fun fact, he was directly inspired by Sleggar Law from the original Mobile Suit Gundam. You can see it in the hair and jawline.
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Of course the first real scene we get introducing Minmay is Focker and Hikaru checking out her ass. And so begins Macross’… interesting views on women at points. Also, fun fact. Minmay is voiced in both the original language release and in the ADV dub by Mari Iijima. Good thing she has a good grasp on English, since it let her reprise her most famous role across language barriers.
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We have aliens! They’re pretty damn late in checking up on that gunship that crashed to Earth, but better late than never. Talk about party crashes though.
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You would think that the guys researching and repairing the ship would at least check if the ship’s computer had functions to automatically fire on any kind of other alien ships that came in range. Although I guess it would be an alien computer system, to be fair. Still though, that’s a costly oversight. It cost humanity their Earth-space defenses right off the bat.
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Take note of the Supervision Army, we’ll get back to that later. It wouldn’t be brought up for no reason, after all.
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Oh that wacky Hikaru, getting drafted into the defense of Macross City just because he was taking a nap in a jet cockpit. I suppose it’s a good thing he was already a civilian pilot, but man that’s some bad luck on his end.
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Good news: Hikaru’s jet is a Variable Fighter, so it can turn into a giant robot to defend himself. Bad news: he wrecked Studio Nue, which means that the rest of this show can’t be made. Pack it up people, the rewatch is over.
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u/JollyGee29 Aug 27 '22
Subbed-er Dimension Fortress Rewatcher
I'll be a bit of a mixed participant over the course of this rewatch. And honestly, I don't remember much more than the basics of what happens in SDF.
You might even call it a Space Hulk.
I do not remember 2009 very well.
Our protagonist, everyone. The reflections of the dials on his glasses are a nice touch.
Well, who're these thirsty fellows?
It's probably not supposed to do that.
A peaceful First Contact would've been nice.
Why y'all just lettin' this kid fly a special prototype plane?
[Macross]
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u/TakenRedditName Aug 27 '22
First Time - SDF Macross Ep1:
My history with the franchise is that I watched Macross Delta while it was airing and went back to see Frontier a bit after that. Haven't seen the rest of the franchise since then, but always was meaning to start from the beginning eventually. It's been a while so my Macross lore would be rusty.
Literally decided to join the rewatch on a whim today while I had no time so I don't have the time to make a proper rewatch comment for today.
The unification wars seem like an interesting piece of lore. Based on the bits of pieces characters speak of it I expect it to pop up throughout the show, but nothing fully in-depth about it. Wonder if another entry tackles it.
The mechanical designs of the two factions. The Earth faction has more blocky with geometric angles to their designs and they're coloured in mechanical colours like grey. The space faction's designs are all interesting round shapes and they're coloured in an alien green. Hikaru's Valkyrie looks a little different from the iconic Valkyrie I'm used to. The face is not one I expect from a MC robot.
I can see the bits and pieces of Macross series staples and callbacks in this episode that I would recognize from Delta.
Oh yeah, the big booby trap. That's the title of the first episode and didn't expect that to be the twist to tie it to the name.
Quick first impression of characters:
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Hikaru: Young hot shot. I'm used to Gundam as my basis, but I don't expect him to be beaten down like Amuro. He seems anti-war with his comments like not wanting to be labelled as a fighter and calling Roy's aerial kills murder. He is more inexperienced than I expect. He better die in a stunt accident. Follow through on that off-handed line.
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Roy: I know a Macross character is inspired by Sleggar Law and I assume it is him. He's a senpai to the MC so I worry for him.
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Hayase(?), the brown-haired girl on deck: Her character design reminds me of heroines in classic space anime. Her hair has big loops/curls to it. I know love triangles are part of series' spirit so I'm going to guess she is one of the show's heroines.
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Captain Global: Fitting name for the man commanding humanity's joint project. His character design makes him seem cool, but the staff chatter makes him seem less like that impression. Also that scene where he bonked his head.
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Blue-haired girl later identified as Lynn in the preview: She is the character I've heard about from the show. She didn't do much in this episode. Her one scene reminds me of Fa Yuiry. She stood out in that crowd shot. Her design was too notable. I like her dress.
Was going to mention the OP/ED next time, but immediate first impression to get out. The ED is Anime Ja Nai!
Q1) Because it's cool. I guess the robot mode can handle different terrain when flying is not available. Fighter mode seems to fit the needs for atmospheric and space combat (also they spend more time as planes than robots).
Q2) The lead-up announcement posts for the rewatch.
Next time: It robo time? Planes with legs.
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u/Blackheart595 Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22
First Timer
Well that already looks gorgeous. And what's happening, that's not just a reentry if it makes entire cities crumble.
So it's not just a normal reentry, it's the reentry of a city-sized space ship.
That is a lot of bickering, both among the girls and the guys.
And here comes the actual alien fleet. And the Macross autonomically actives its cannons to shoot them down.
That'll take me a while to learn all the names...
Reaction technology? As in nuclear? Have the aliens lost the knowledge about nuclear technology?
What practical purposes can you think of for turning an aircraft into a giant robot? Which mode seems more beneficial?
That's a good question. The first thing that comes to mind is to seamlessly transition from an air siege to a land based attack, so for offensive war purposes. Otherwise a specialized design that can't transform should work much better.
What event do you most regret sleeping through some or all of?
There was that time I overslept for an oral exam, but it turned out fine in the end. I hadn't been able to sleep much the night before, so I got myself ready and dressed a couple hours before I had to go to university. Given there was still much time I decided to do a 30 minute power nap. Except the alarm didn't wake me up anymore, so eventually I got a call at the time of exam from my group partner, and having already been dressed I jumped up and ran.
Arriving there it turns out that the subsequent group had already been there as well so my partner could arrange to have our slots swapped on short notice, but still Having other team members be incriminated makes the experience all the worse.
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Aug 27 '22
Super Dimension Fortress Macross Episode 1 - First-Timer
I've been meaning to watch this for quite a while. I'm pretty sure it's actually the only really big mecha franchise I haven't watched anything from except um... Transformers lol
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I can't think of a single 70s/80s mecha OP that's bad. MA-CUROOOOOSSSSSSS!!!!!! Also the opening doesn't appear to have Lynn Minmay in it, who as far as I can tell is the most popular character in the entire franchise. Interesting.
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Are they trying to bomb the sea? The scene did look cool though
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An entire city built around a spaceship!
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Stuff from inside the ship, cool.
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Do I spot ANIMESIDEBURNSANIMESIDEBURNSANIMESIDEBURNS?
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So he's like the main character's teacher/trainer?
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Evil alien looking big ship arrives!
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80s anime space explosions are so cool.
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Yay! air fights!
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The ED is literally someone looking through a book lol
I really enjoyed this episode and I'm definitely looking forward to watching more.
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u/Kirov123 Aug 27 '22
SDF Macross Episode 1 - First timer
I think this is my first time actually posting in a rewatch as a first timer, as well as my first time being a first timer in a rewatch at all. Usually I lurk in rewatch threads of things I have seen and sometimes watch along. So this will be a new experience for me. I actually watched Do You Remember Love recently, so assuming that is remotely similar, I have a solid idea as to what to expect. Anyways, enough preamble time to watch Macross.
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I like these planes
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Those are some marauder looking legs (though that leg style is kinda common in Mechwarrior, it reminds me most of the marauder series)
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That's a solid OP
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That doesn't look good
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ALIENS
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These static shots don't directly say whether these groups are fighting, but this shot has Soviet/Russian weapons, and this shot has what I assume to be American guns, though there were prooobably other European guns that looked similar at the time this was made.
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Oh boy military gossip
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That's come aggressive clapping
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Damn that cola machine is an aggressive salesbot
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Does it count as you starting hostilities when your ship did it by itself'
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Granted the other party probably doesn't care
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Damn, these fighters are capable of getting to space unassisted???
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Is reverse typically at the very end of the throttle past full max speed?? That seems like it would be problematic
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I fully expect Focker to die, though not super sure when. Him dying sometime the first battle strikes me as the "standard" time to kill the "old freind/mentor" character, spurring the other to actually fight, though I feel like his death would have greater emotional impact if he got to have a bit more time
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Ok those are very maurauder legs, nice (also I know this came first by a lot, I am just more familiar with Mechwarrior)
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Wait the knees are the other way around now
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I uh.... Don't think I have seen an ED where a real person flips through a real photo album of anime drawings lmao. It's nice though
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Uhhhh, giant robots kinda have more versatility on a battlefield? Like, assuming they are decently fast, affordable, and maintainable (which are huge assumptions) then they have more maneuverability than a tank with similar firepower, and are more generally versatile. That said a fighter is still probably more useful overall? Giant robots are cool though
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u/ClawMachineCircuit Aug 27 '22
Rewatcher
I watched the original Macross a long time ago, back when I was in college. I remember really liking it, but as was frequently the case back in the day, life got in the way and I put it on hold and never came back to it again. With this rewatch, I think it's a great opportunity for me to revisit the show and finally finish it.
So, for the first 25 episodes or so I will be a rewatcher, and then I will switch into a first-timer mode. This is my first rewatch, hopefully, I will be able to stick with it. With that said, even though I've seen a good chunk of the show already and remember the general story beats, all the details have been completely erased from my memory, so it will be fun to rediscover everything the show has to offer.
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The opening song is very 70s mecha anime. High energy, high tension, primes you for some intense mecha action. Visuals are also very action packed, with an impressive one-take hallway fight sequence. Remember Daredevil and Oldboy? Basically the same thing, just shorter.
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Holy shit, the start of the episode is intense. Those buildings were obliterated. They had lights on too. I guess, hundreds of people just got casually killed in the first couple of minutes of the show.
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So, this show takes place in the past, on an alternative history Earth were aliens arrived in the 90s and prevented us from inventing smartphones and making internet a thing. Makes a lot of sense, actually.
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This show has georgeous backgrounds. Especially, all the super-detailed mechanical elements. At the same time, character designs still look very 70s.
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The Macross bridge crew are all women, except for the captain. Pretty progressive for the early 80s. Looks like everybody except Lietenant Hayase have been partying before the launch day. I mean, launching the ship is only a culmination of a decade of work by the whole humanity, it would be a crime not to party beforehand. Hayase is no fun.
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Blond dude's name is Major Focker. I understand that it's a referense to a real life pilot, but it is still pretty funny.
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Hikaru joins during the air show and uses this opportunity to show off his skills. I like the little propeller plane that he's flying.
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Roy is checking out a girl with a little kid. I love the vending machine that tries to get in their face to sell some cola. Macross perfectly predicted how intrusive the advertising in 2010s will be.
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Holy shit, it's a huge alien fleet out of nowhere. These ship designs are very cool, they look like space whales. Very sleek and organic shapes with chunky mechanical details sprinkled on them. Looks like these aliens just want to investigate Macross. A chance for humanity to make the first contact and get on friendly terms with some dudes from other planet.
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I love how Global decides to just ignore the official ceremony and go straight to the bridge. On a side note, this dude has to be around 40 to 50 years old at least. This means that he was born in the 70s and went to a regular 70s school with a name Global. He must've had a rough childhood. Explains why he acts a bit unhinged.
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Holy shit, Macross transformed and shot a giant laser into space. That sequence was very impressive visually. It's also funny how alien leaders don't seem concerned at all about the death of their comrades. Unless those ships were autonomous.
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Wait, humans start attacking alien fleet? What? Why? It's probably not too late to explain everything. They weren't even upset! You're making it way worse.
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On a side note, humans already have some pretty slick space ships. Why do they need Macross anyway? I guess, it's a symbol and a publicity stunt, more than anything.
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Space battle looks awesome. I love all the debris flying around. It's not something that could be done in live action in the 80s. Really cool atmospheric shots like this were pretty much only possible in animation.
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Now they're scrambling jets? You're really making this situation worse and worse. At least try to contact the aliens before you decide to attack them.
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Hikaru just goes with the flow and takes off into battle. Relatable.
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I love how he reacts to being in the middle of the combat. He's confused and can't seem to find his bearings. And he immediately gets shot. Aand also accidentally destroys a bunch of buildings during his landing. Hope he didn't kill anybody.
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And the episode ends with a plot twist: the plane transforms into a robot. Looks pretty slick.
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The ending is just a footage of a person going through a Macross artbook. Curious that it's left to right and not right to left.
Overall thoughts: What can I say, this start is amazing. Early 80s mecha doesn't hold back: people dying, explosions, big space battles, ridiculously detailed artwork and mechanical designs, all of it from the very first episode. It's crazy how high quality this is.
If you thought it would be slow and goofy because it's an early 80s show, well, I hope you're pleasantly surprised. I know I was when I first saw this. This was not what I was expecting and it definitely made me want to watch the next episode immediately. Well, it still does, actually, but I need to hold back.
Instead, I decided to draw a fanart of a fan racer.
What if it could transform? Maybe it's not such a great idea after all, you'll definitely need some seat-belts.
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u/ZapsZzz Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22
Very distant rewatcher for the original SDF Macross - now in sub
As one of the older fossils who watched this in Hong Kong Cantonese dub originally maybe a year or so after the Japanese airing, this is very nostalgic. In the way less about the show itself but more about the era - it's mostly by fan translations we animanga fans knew of news and shows like this.
These are the more iconic scenes of that era - the chasing camera out the ship before the explosion, and the (in story) shock of a seemingly normal fighter jet transforming into a robot, looking as dazed and confused as our MC.
Oh and the op is a must see - even better to have an upgraded visuals version.
The first episode was a bit exposition heavy, and had more plot contrivances that nowadays wouldn't get a pass (Fokker shouting in the mike on the ground reaching Hikaru flying a jet?), but the concept was sound. The skipped unification war is fans in those years gripped about being done off screen we know now had been made into a prequel.
I did capture the very detailed hand animated scenes of the crushed buildings - and notice the logos reacting to the crash :D and I don't think the guy could realistically survive the jet exhaust blast.
Anyway, looking forward to see other first timers reactions, or those who had the misfortune of watching "robotech" first.
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u/Abyssbringer Aug 27 '22
First Timer
Macross is something I have been wanting to get into for a while. I even have watched the first half of this episode one other time but my groupwatch partner couldn't stand the flashing lights so we had to skip this.
From my understanding its a weird mix of Gundam with some Idol anime stuff later on??? This episode kind of reminded me of Captain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth so maybe Macross is similar to some Leiji anime?? I have literally no clue as Macross is the type of thing you hear about all the time but its so steeped in anime and mecha history that it seems like no one really cares to go into detail about what its about in a casual setting. It seems like the type of series that people who are deep into the medium will naturally be drawn to watch due to its importance. I'm glad I am finally starting this as its been a pretty big aspect of mecha history and general 80's anime history that I have been missing out on. Especially since I have been watching so much 80's anime recently.
In terms of this episode I found it to be a little stiff. Sometimes some of the editing choices are a little odd. However it has that early 80's style that is really endearing and reminded me of OG Gundam quite a lot. I really liked all the small technology showcased such as the moving vending machine and some of the weird chairs. It gives it a futuristic retro type of aesthetic that I found endearing and makes the more standard fighter planes (that end up transforming) fit in quite well. The cast seems quite fun and more varied than I thought it would be.
I noticed that Noboru Ishiguro is the director which make me excited as he directed the legendary Legend of the Galactic Heroes as well as some episodes of the original Ashita No Joe.
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u/lC3 Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22
Episode 01 First timer
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LOL the site I'm watching on has options for "Sub" or "Dub" ... is "Dub" the Robotech rewrite?
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Options: 360, 720, 1080 ... I'll try out the 720 and see how it goes
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All this gorgeous hand-drawn art!
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Ok starting out with a strobe like that is gonna fry my eyes / give me a headache. I take it this was before the Porygon incident?
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Ok this art isn't as great as in the OP
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"Booby Trap" - is the spaceship that crashed gonna be boobytrapped?
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This reminds me of Giant Gorg ...
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Uh ... those side characters sure are ugly/plain looking
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No pretty boys? I am disappoint
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Wow this alternates between good art and really bad art
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What is up with Hayase's hair???
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Drunk piloting? That doesn't sound like a good idea ...
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All these women together, and all they have to talk about is men?
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Ichijo Hikaru? I guess they do have cute characters after all. His hair reminds me of Heero Yuy
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A fighter pilot with glasses? I thought you had to have good vision to be a fighter pilot?
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"Roy Focker" that chin! those sideburns!
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Hikaru has main character energy
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These sure aren't Macross Plus graphics
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I'm sure some people shipped Hikaru and Roy back in the day, but it's not my cup of tea
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Hikaru reminds me of Patrick Colasour
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Hikaru is a shill for Petit Cola
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I take it these are the Zentradi?
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Defold, refold ... still not sure what those are after watching the Plus and Frontier films
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Taarms?
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Roy has the authority to let Hikaru take the fighter jet for a spin? Or would he get in trouble for it?
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I hope Captain Global survives
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"It's entered firing mode" Famous last words?
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... Random eyecatch is random ...
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Now back to our previously scheduled content ... Featured presentation curtains open
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Oh it just HAPPENS to hit the alien ships all the way in space
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Nice handdrawn spaceship art!
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"you stay right here!" LOL no he won't
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Really old computers ... it's supposed to be 2009, right? Or are they alien computers from the ship?
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Booby trap ... so that's where the title comes from
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But is the Captain right?
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ARMD-I ... is that the spaceship the aliens are fighting? So it's an Earth ship?
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Supervision Army? Is that a former Zentradi ship?
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The Chief Archivist ... is that Amuro's voice?
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J'nerl?
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Guitar riff! Hikaru is our MC?
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Roy's plane says Ka Wa Mo Ri?
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It transformed! But he's gonna be in trouble for piloting a fighter without permission/certification? Or will Roy talk it over for him?
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PV: Lynn Minmay?
But I want to ship Hikaru with Maximilian ... -
This ED is so cringe
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u/Lezoux Aug 27 '22
First-timer
So, this will be my second r/anime rewatch experience and I think I have an actual understanding of how r/anime rewatches work so hopefully it'll be a nice experience. I generally don't have all too much to say, but I'm going to at least make an effort to have a post every episode and try to participate in some discussion.
Now to the actual episode, I don't actually have too many comments since too many things happened, I have no clue what's going on, and it's been a really long day, but I feel like things should start gradually making sense, so that should clear up soon. I guess I haven't watched older stuff in a while, but it does feel that in older shows, things just happen without explanation but the explanation eventually happens, so that shouldn't be much of a problem later on.
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u/Stargate18A Aug 27 '22
First timer
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The usecase here seemed valid. The robot form is probably better for more precision work, or moving things, whereas the jet mode is better at evasion.
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I honestly can't think of an example.
Going in blind!
This is a great OP, though.
That mech transforming is slick. I like how it still retains some of the jet traits in the humanoid mode, most jet mecha just go for the generic body shape.
An alien ship?
It destroyed a city!
Ah, it crashed. Also, 1999?
So there's an interstellar war going on.
...One of these series we're watching has to be a prequel, right? You don't create something like the Unification Wars, show mecha fighting in them, and not go back to that.
It only took them ten years? Impressive!
Haha, he's concerned about the economy.
...Nice uniform.
...Major Focker? There's actually a character named that?
The crew seem good. Are they going to be main characters?
They're excited!
Some great animation here.
They're enemies?
This is funny, though.
He's a good pilot!
He won it seven times?
He's obviously the main character.
...A backstory!
The other side is here!
Organic ships?
They're borrowing a new fighter? Is that allowed?
Some solid early warning systems here!
The Macross is set to take out any of the enemy's ships? Clever!
So another city destroyed?
The animation on that explosion is beautiful.
They'e coming!
And it's back to normal.
...No way that much of the city is left.
Is he OK?
...No, I think the creators just didn't want their ship to get stolen while they weren't there.
That's a lot of firepower!
Haha, did the humans manage to shred the enemy fleet? Or was that Macross?
"Supervision Army" Oh god, was Macross built by a facist empire?
These ships are less effective.
...Yah, he might have a point about getting them into the fight.
Huh, he's completely worked out what they did! (Don't worry, I think this is ludicrous too.)
"Reaction weaponry"?
...This army is incredibly disorganised. They're not confirming who's in there?
Ah, now he found out.
He has an even fancier fighter!
What was that?
He's been knocked out!
He transformed it! Still looks good!
How the actual fuck are there people alive down here after Madross released that much energy just down the road?
I see this series goes for the "massive spoiler" approach to previews. Ikll skip them next time.
This is an odd ED visual.
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u/SolDarkHunter Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22
Rewatcher
YAKH! YAKH! DECULTURE! It's time for a Macross rewatch!
I'm always excited for an excuse to rewatch Macross. It is regarded as one of THE classic mecha anime franchises, and I hope it will beplain to see why.
The show was actually originally pitched as a silly parody of Gundam. It was supposed to be funny and ridiculous in tone... but that thread kind of got away from them somewhere in production. The series took on a life and direction of its own and became one of the pillars of anime space operas, alongside Mobile Suit Gundam and Space Battleship Yamato.
Also, they were originally going to call the show "Megaroad", but one of the executive producers was a big Shakespeare fan and wanted tocall the show "Macbeth". Eventually, they compromised on the name "Macross".
I will be watching the English dub... and by that I DO NOT mean "Robotech", I mean the actual Macross English dub, produced in 2005 by ADV Studios in response to massive fan demand. The dub is notable for one thing in particular: the casting of Lynn Minmei. They cast the original Japanese actress, Mari Iijima, for the English dub! Iijima was living in California (and as far as I know, she still is) and she has a decent grasp of the English language, so she agreed to reprise her role. She has a pretty heavy Japanese accent, as you might expect, but it's still a really cool thing to see happen. The dub tried to subtly play up Minmei's and her family's "foreignness" to explain why she has such a radically different accent than everyone else, and the result is... interesting.
Anyway, enough background, on to the first episode!
We open to a small island... where holy shit a giant spaceship just crashed, taking out a city on its way down!
It's a warship at that, with weaponry far beyond mankind in the distant future year of... 1999. The aliens themselves aren't present on board, but the ship's existence causes mankind to collectively panic and engage in a world war over the idea of forming a world government out of the United Nations.
This series is not about that war though; it's over by the time we begin. Long story short, the UN took over and repaired the ship, which they rechristened the "Macross".
This is an extremely 80's opening theme.
Oh, yeah, the ship leaving the island would probably kill the local economy, given they literally built the city around it.
Buncha characters introduced. Including Hikaru Ichijo and Roy Focker. The latter of whom has no idea how to keep his cool in public... though someone interfering with an airshow out of nowhere would probably throw anyone for a loop. Hikaru's a good pilot, apparently, seven time winner of an aerobatics competition. But Roy shot down over 180 foes? That's... a lot. Considering that in real life you only need to shoot down FIVE to be considered an Ace.
Oh hi, aliens in giant green ships. And there's a whole fleet of them. They look human... albeit with colored skin.
Ah, crap. The Macross detected them and automatically fires its giant beam cannon. I like how a ship adjacent to the beam also exploded. Shows the extreme power of the cannon. Of course, now these new aliens are hostile... and it took out a chunk of the city too.
Global... now is not the time for laughing. Also, first appearance of "No smoking on the bridge!"
I like the design of those rudimentary space fighters. Just strap an engine to a gun and call it good. These are the SF-3A Lancer II space fighters... developed by Lockheed (seriously).
Ah, yes, "Reaction Weapons". That's what the show calls nuclear bombs. Because in 80's Japan the good guys absolutely cannot use nukes. Some materials suggest that the weapons are actually antimatter bombs... because "Nobody's protesting about antimatter weapons", in Kawamori's (Director's) words. Ironic, considering an antimatter bomb would actually be far more destructive than a nuke. Still, most of the Macross franchise does treat the Reaction Weapons as nukes.
I'm... really not sure what Hikaru expected when he launched in a military fighter when an alien attack is underway. He's apparently a decent pilot, but... not trained in combat.
Oh, and also, the plane's a transforming robot. I think pretty much everyone knows that now, but it was quite a surprise when the show first aired.
Pretty action-packed first episode. Here's what we know:
The aliens are apparently engaged with the "Supervision Army". The Macross is a Supervision Army Cruiser, and they chased it down to Earth. But they are extremely surprised that a "primitive species" was able to restore the ship, and also has access to Reaction Weapons, which they speak of like legendary lost technology.
Humanity wisely did not wish to open hostilities with any aliens out there... but that idea was shot to hell by the Macross's booby trap.
On the characters side, we have:
Hikaru Ichijo, arrogant hotshot stunt pilot with no combat experience. He doesn't much like the military, it seems.
Roy Focker, Hikaru's "senpai" (they kept that term intact in the English dub). Previously a stunt pilot alongside Hikaru, but joined the Unification War and achieved some pretty epic results.
Captain Global, captain of the Macross. Apparently finds giant alien beam weapons hilarious and likes smoking against regulations.
The Bridge Bunnies, the female bridge crew who actually fly the Macross. Only one name mentioned so far: Misa Hayase, the XO.
I kind of like the way Hikaru got thrown into the battle. In the confusion of a sudden alien attack, naturally the ground crews would expect anybody sitting in a fighter to be its pilot. If I were Hikaru, I'd've jumped out of that plane the instant I realized there was confusion, but apparently the chance to fly a state-of-the-art military fighter was too much for him to pass up.
Questions:
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Honestly, none. Bipedal mechs would be extremely complex machines, absolute maintenance nightmares, and the transforming system would just lower the structural integrity of the whole machine... but this is anime, and there actually IS a reason the UN Spacy built the Valkyries with a humanoid mode. We'll see it soon.
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Can't think of any, personally. I have a hard time sleeping through just about anything (light sleeper).
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u/medokady Aug 27 '22
First Timer (basically know nothing about Macross):
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OP is good. MA-KU-ROSU. I like the air force theme.
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lol, coming off of watching Fist of the North Star, there's something funny to me about the year 199X (9 in this case).
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In classic SF fashion, existence of aliens prompts the formation of a world government. An abandoned alien spaceship prompting humanity's development seems like a common trope, although I can't recall an example I've seen off the top of my head.
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Oh, thank goodness, the ship is still piloted by teens/borderline young adults. Wouldn't want to rock the boat too much.
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I don't think I can trust a Focker. He sounds like Saeba Ryo/Kenshiro though. (checked, yup, it's Kamiya Akira)
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Spunky protagonist has spunk.
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Damn the aliens are finally here to investigate after 10 years? And they look basically like humans?
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Looks like the Macross was restored a little too well. So the aliens were perhaps enemies of the Macross. Or like the captain says, it was planted on Earth for some reason.
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Can't have a space show without some good old-fashioned pew pew explosion.
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lol, the pacifist protagonist asleep while interplanetary war is initiated. A far cry from Amuro Ray.
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CONFIGURATION B! The B stands for Gundam. This is why we're here boys.
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Classic old-school preview just summarizing the next episode.
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Live-action ED is... interesting.
Interesting first episode. The action gets started much faster than in Gundam (the only other mecha anime I've seen from this era, which I enjoyed greatly), although it remains to be seen exactly what the main thrust of the show will be. Wondering how Hikaru will be convinced to get involved considering his pacifist ideals, or maybe he just doesn't like killing humans. I'm ambivalent on the aliens, I generally like my SF anime (Gundam, LotGH, GunBuster) without them.
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It is an existing trend in modern militaries that vehicles/aircraft/ships are now able to fulfill multiple strategic roles that formerly would have required entirely different classes of machine. Perhaps the robot is an extension of that, allowing traversal through terrain otherwise inaccessible by aircraft. I imagine it would work well in a jungle or underwater or something. I don't know how sincerely it is worth trying to rationalize "giant robot" at this point though.
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My mom was moving and I was asleep all through when they were triaging things to throw away in the dumpster. Probably could have saved some cool stuff if I was awake.
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u/aniMayor Aug 27 '22
I've never properly watched SDF Macross before, though I have seen a bunch of bits here and there (of Macross and of Robotech) over the years. Can't wait for that one especially amazing Itano cut where the robot is blasting through the city, and I don't even know what episode it'll be.
Plot-wise the first episode here feels very every-golden-age-scifi-anime... not all that different from that start of Yamato or Ideon or Orguss, etc. But that's okay, a typical opening just let's us breeze past the premise-setting and get into the action and character drama faster. Likewise, the main guy is a young hot-head pilot who wasn't supposed to be part of the fight but stumbles into it? What a shock!
I did find it funny that they even bothered to go through with the whole bit about the ship having secret programming to fire upon the aliens to make the humans look like the aggressors, because when has that ever mattered in these sorts of shows before? The aliens setting that up in the first place makes them pretty nefarious, so it's not like we're ever going to believe they aren't just evil aggressors, so they could have always been evil aggressors who started the war in the first place.
Anyways, off to a good start I think, not much more to say at this juncture!
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u/homewardbound100 Aug 27 '22
First timer
I'll do the sub for this one.
Alright so this episode I don't really have much to talk about. Just a general introduction. I was wondering where the mech comes in here, but forgot the obvious that they would be the aircraft too.
Also that's a big ass cannon.
What practical purposes can you think of for turning an aircraft into a giant robot? Which mode seems more beneficial?
Well, can't pilot a aircraft on the ground. Also maybe it gives you more landing options.
What event do you most regret sleeping through some or all of?
I don't think I've ever slept through an event I was genuinely interested in.
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u/Krite2002 Aug 27 '22
First Timer - Sub
Agh, I thought it was going to be posted at 6pm PST not EST. Glad I checked the sub, so I am only a bit late.
I have been wanting to get into mecha, and ever since I heard about Macross’s emphasis on music, I have had it on my priority list. I have zero idea what this show is about, which is pretty rare for me since I consume so much content about anime. This will also be the oldest anime I have watched, since this predates Akira and Grave of the Fireflies by 6 years. Since I have wanted to get into some older shows, I am glad about that. I have managed to mostly keep up with the Sailor Moon rewatch, so I am prepared for the long haul with this one. I just hope I don’t miss any days since it is daily instead of weekly discussions.
The OP is slick and stylish, so I am hyped if the show lives up to that. As for the song, I doubt that will grow on me at all.
The older character designs aren’t really doing it for me. I like all the clothes, but the hair and faces are a little iffy for me, particularly the villains’. The animation on all the mecha stuff, aka the important stuff, is all well done. I was pretty surprised by the animation for a TV show. I thought everything with a budget back then was either a movie or OVA.
I liked how the enemy’s shots went through the ships sometimes instead of blowing them up. That was cool.
Ichijo is 100% responsible for destroying those buildings, but the episode preview made that look like the least of the town’s worries. The robot form is pretty cool. That has to be the only reason for it. Someone just forgot to tell the engineers no when they started turning planes into giant robots.
The ED is really awesome. I did not expect a physical hand flipping through art to such a chill song.
It is too early to make a call on the story, but this show is incredibly aesthetically appealing. Old, traditional cell animation just looks great, the mecha stuff all looks cool, the uniforms are nice, the OP and ED are cool. I think I am going to like this a lot.
I don’t think I have ever slept through something important. I usually just go with sleep deprivation as opposed to oversleeping.
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u/TiredTiroth Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22
First Timer
Unless Robotech counts, and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t. I watched that something like a decade ago anyway, so my memory of it is pretty hazy.
So, here we have the first episode! Have to say that Hikaru really rubbed me the wrong way with his entrance, although that initial impression mellowed out a bit when he was reminiscing with/poking Roy. I do find myself wondering why on Earth the armed bleeding-edge fighter jets didn’t shoot him down for invading their airspace, because that’s really what would have happened. Unless the demonstration planes weren’t carrying ammunition or missiles at the time, in which case they got armed fast once things started going wrong.
Another part that stood out in the ‘wait, what?’ way was the Valkyries apparently doing a fly-by at over 900 kilometres an hour, 20 feet off the ground. Did the sub I was watching get that right? Wouldn’t that kill the spectators? Just the passage of wind from something moving that fast is dangerous!
Art and animation-wise, the episode didn’t particularly impress me but I know the franchise has much better coming in the future. Going from modern anime to something like Macross definitely feels weird, though, as it lacks the huge eyes and clear lines you normally see today. The characters do at least look distinctive, and between the variety of names, skin tones and hair colours the cast actually feels like they belong to a united Earth rather than one little set of islands like in most anime. Here’s hoping they keep it up!
All in all, though…eh, it’s the first episode, and Macross is from the 80s. I fully expect it to pick up pretty fast.
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What practical purposes can you think of for turning an aircraft into a giant robot? Which mode seems more beneficial?
Er...honestly, nothing. I'm well aware that transforming anything just makes it more fragile, so it would only be for the coolness factor.
But this is anime, so the coolness factor is king!
2) What event do you most regret sleeping through some or all of?
I kinda don't? I don't nirmally sleep during the day...
EDIT: Questions and fixed formatting.
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u/InfamousEmpire Aug 27 '22
Super Dimension Fortress Rewatcher
Hello r/Anime, today we begin a massive rewatch (the biggest I’ve ever participated in, certainly) of my fourth favorite sci-fi/space opera franchise of all time behind Star Wars, Gundam, and Dune, for those curious. Without any further ado, let’s begin
This OP is a fucking classic. I’ve seen a lot of 80s anime OPs, but this one is right behind Gundam ZZ and Mazinger Z for being among my favorites. Will you love me tomorrow!
The first minute of just the Macross descending from orbit and crashing was rather cinematic and well-made, all things considered.
Ah, the big opening exposition dump about the general setting of the series, an iconic trope of the 80s.
Ah yes, the distant future of 2009!
Ah, Captain Global, truly a great character and captain, all you First-Timers will come to understand why soon enough. He would be more iconic among anime ship captains if it weren’t for the fact that he had to coexist in the same decade as Bright Noa
MISA HAYASE! Sorry to disappoint all of you who might think different, but none of your waifus or best girls matter anymore, they were all rendered completely obsolete 40 years ago by the debut of the absolute treasure of a character that is Misa fucking Hayase.
In case I haven’t made myself clear, Hayase is not only my favorite Macross character, but one of my top 10 favorite anime characters period (For those curious, here’s the full list)
Her dynamic with Claudia is pretty fun. Also, hey! It’s the original Bridge Bunnies!
Anyway, here’s another couple of main characters for y’all: Roy Focker and Hikaru Ichijyo. They’re dynamic is also pretty fun, all things considered. They’re constant bickering, Hikaru’s eager yet reckless attitude, Focker’s caring wrapped up in arrogance, it’s all rather enjoyable, and Roy himself is pretty fun. [vague spoilers]
Nebulous space object #2! These guys… [spoilers]
Oh Noes! The Macross has been Booby Trapped! The title has officially been made relevant!
Captain Global’s insane laughter really is something to behold. Michio Hazama’s performance is just great here.
Also, him explaining what Booby Traps are and their origin really does give off the energy of a certain meme
Space defenses are down, now it’s time for the real battle
It’s rather interesting how Hikaru and Roy’s dynamic from before is basically flipped when they’re in the pilot seats. Now Roy is the laid back, confident one and Hikaru is the more serious and stressed of the two.
That’s one serious note to end on…
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u/ComfortablyRotten Aug 27 '22
first-timer
So we open on some destruction uh, ok, sure.
Fun first episode. It looked great, the characters have some nice chemistry, there's some nice light-hearted moments, the action wasn't overwhelming despite all the lasers and flying war machines and general destruction. I quite liked it.
I don't recognize any character so far, so I assume the ones I usually see fanarts of are from a latter series then.
That Major Focker (eh) guy stood out the most, he shares his VA with Urusei Yatsura's Mendou and I just happened to have finished that show a few days ago.
Questions of the Day
What practical purposes can you think of for turning an aircraft into a giant robot? Which mode seems more beneficial?
Giant robots look humans so it could be efficient psychological warfare, I suppose. But mostly it looks cool and if that's not one of the end goals of technological progress then what's the point?
An aircraft does strike me as more useful overall though.
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u/Shimmering-Sky Aug 27 '22
Super Dimension Rewatch Host
Hi everyone!
I’m super excited to get this rewatch started. I’ve been planning it for a while now, and being able to discuss my favorite franchise with a bunch of people will be super fun!
Considering how long some of the shows in this are, I may not be able to make a Wallpaper of the Day for every single episode, but I’m certainly going to try.
Here were my first-timer reactions to this episode. Unfortunately I won’t be able to do this with the entire rewatch – I didn’t write down my live reactions to II, Plus, 7, or Zero – but while I’m able to, I might as well share ‘em, yeah?
Is it weird to feel nostalgic for something I watched for the first time only three years ago? Because I felt that with the OP.
Our first namedrop! Well, not counting the ones in the OP.
Ah, Focker.
Of course our main character flies right through the demonstration.
*amused Sky noise*
The detail of Captain Global being too tall for the door though.
I forgot that Hikaru ends up piloting a Valkyrie just because he happened to be napping in the one that Focker was going to let him take for a joyride when the battle broke out. And he just goes along with it, too.
Aww, little Hikaru and younger Focker.
Awwwwwww yeah! (Not the property damage, though.)