The Birth of Macross

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

I had a friend who was SUPER into mecha and on a whim, I went with him to a con where we sat in on a panel about the history of mecha series and when they got to Macross, I was curious. When I got home, I looked it up and.... "Hmmm, I wonder what the OST sounds like. I'll check that out first." (a few hours later) "I HAVE LISTENED TO THE MUSIC FROM THE HEAVENS WHY HAVE I NOT KNOWN ABOUT THIS SERIES SOONER?! HOLY CRAP THIS SHOW IS GETTING GOOD! YES!"

[@Castlevanius]

I see that your DeCulture and Anima Spiritia lvls have risen exponentially! Welcome to Macross Music friend.

[@VicAusTaxiTruckie]

Wait till you hear the sermons of Space Jesus Basara Nikkei

[@NebLleb]

I haven't even seen the show yet (though I'm planning to, uncut, either OG JP or ADV audio) and I firmly believe that the opening theme for the uncut version of SDF Macross is the single greatest anime opening of all time. If you've never heard of Macross in general, or you've heard about how the franchise after (mainly post-Plus) is a ridiculous "rockstars/idols are awesome!11!!" batshit insane mythology, you will be in for a shock when you hear the opening bass of the SDF Macross theme and realise that the show you're about to watch is far more dramatic and intense than you could've ever imagined... My kind of mech series! "Will you love me tomorrow?"

[@NuttachaiTipprasert]

After almost 40 years, DYRL's final battle is still my favourite anime finale of all time. It never fails to give me chill every time I watch.

[@makavelimusolini1036]

It's nice, but the opening battle of plus and rest of the battles as well were by far my favorites.

[@dio3693]

I always wondered why the animation was done so well at times and so poorly at others. I never knew the creators were under so much pressure as to outsource in order to meet deadlines. Very interesting, great video.

[@CuppaKofe]

Yeah, I was getting a bit sour on the animation on my first watch of Macross towards the end, But holy shit were those last episodes jaw dropping. You can tell they really wanted to make up to the fans for the poor quality of some of the previous episodes.

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

That's kinda the curse of Japanese working ethics culture, people work all the time, manga artists are often overworked too. which makes me admire them even more

[@josephwisniewski3673]

Ever watch "Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers"? The fans joke: "yeah, that episode was animated by the B-Team, but this one is an A-Team episode!" Every now and then one came along that made you wonder if there was a C-Team.

[@ahxishwe5664]

all about $ issue. and in tendem with current trade war.

[@alice_agogo]

I just finished it few weeks ago. I never really noticed as I was engrossed in the fantastic story so much

[@chigasaka]

I'm Japanese and have been a Macross fan since I was a kid, and I'm amazed at how you managed to get so much detailed information. Great job.

[@ivanaradojevic7015]

I'm from Serbia and we know it as Robotech, my favourite anime of all time. I remember watching it in 1989 or 1990, reminiscent of good times

[@NOIDEDU]

Macross is such a beautiful show, despite all of its problems with animation and behind the scene shitshow, everything came up perfectly at the end with a memorable cast of characters with their respective arcs and the perfect transforming robot that's the vf1 and some of the best (and worst) animation I have seen in a tv anime

[@MercuryFalcon]

Honestly it has some beautiful animation. Going through the episodes to make this video I had forgotten how good it can be. It’s a shame those 10 or so episodes made me forget how good the rest of the show looked.

[@NOIDEDU]

@@MercuryFalcon the fight between max and myria inside the macross was insane. Itano and Anno are magicians

[@redkommie80]

Now knowing why some ep characters looked.. odd, I am not surprised. I love Robotech, but God. The hell to make that great animation that u fell in love with as a kid is not something I would want to put anyone through

[@jaimemiranda8265]

@@NOIDEDU thats why they need to remake the original Macross, the animation on Max and Miriya park fight needs justice (=

[@LayneBenofsky]

@@NOIDEDU Oh, you mean the first fight, not the knife fight in the forest! :D

[@WastedSunsets]

DYRL is still one of the best animated films. Shit is gorgeous.

[@SammEater]

That movie aged really well, on a big screen it is even more gorgeous.

[@buglepong]

my cousin played it for me on his laserdisc when i was 13 and introduced me to anime and the macross universe. it was incredible

[@SierraMech]

Back in the early 90s my Blockbuster Video had an actual dubbed VHS copy of DYRL. ❤️❤️❤️

[@RedSiegfried]

@@SierraMech It was released in America under the Just For Kids label as "Clash of The Bionoids" and was edited a little for violence (funny how much slipped through too) but overall it was mostly intact. That was the first time I saw DYRL and it took me years to find a real copy of it.

[@andyespinosa306]

That movie looks unreasonably great compared to the rest of the series.

[@OoziHobo]

I feel like I'm learning secret lore about Japan's animation industry in the 80's

[@josephwisniewski3673]

When I was a kid, we didn’t know our anime (Astro Boy, Speed Racer, Kimba, Battle of the Planets, etc) was "anime" at all. All 1970 Joseph knew was that some cartoons hit the reset button at the end of every episode (Bugs Bunny, Super Friends, Scooby Do) and nothing really "bad" ever happened, while those others I mentioned had evolving plots, character growth, and sometimes tragedy. That, of course, was the soul of anime, more than big eyes and green hair. Macross, in its "Robotech" wrapper, was the first anime that I knew was anime.

[@TheFLAMEXD]

Lore? Dude, this is literally just history.

[@Bt3615]

An interest tidbit is that Kawamori was so fixated with the idea of a gigantic fortress robot and a fleet of accompanying mechas and vehicles, that his input for the Takara's Diaclone line (the first two lines, not the Car Robots subline, for which he just made a couple of sketches apparently) was basically this.

[@ZZtheDark]

Ahhh,so now G1 Jetfire's toy makes a LOT of sense other than the connections of Diaclone,Shoji Kawamori but also the input of that which is important. This would then blossom into Metroplex and Trypticon years after in Transformers Season 3.

[@Bt3615]

@@ZZtheDark Let's say that the whole Jetfire situation is basically a series of massive cosmic coincidences on all levels. To add more elements, Kawamori also left Takara way before the release of Jet Robo (which then became Starscream in Transformers) which poses a question of "what would have been" that was answered when he was asked to design the MP Starscream two decades later. Anyway, Metroplex was supposed to be the third robot base of Diaclone in the subline Jizai Gattai which also would have included combinable robots that later became the Scramble City style combiners in Transformers. Again, to avoid confusion, this is also after Kawamori's departure. Anyway, modern Transformers's Titans are all granchildren of Kawamori's original Diaclone Great Robot Base, which is also a stepping stone toward the SDF1 Macross.

[@lolnahnvm208]

Roy Fokker was modeled after the main character of Area 88, who was made by Leiji Matsumoto's top assistant and inspired by the Harlock character design used in his manga which was later adapted for The Cockpit.

[@MercuryFalcon]

Noburo Ishiguro said in an interview with Gundam Ace that he loved Slegger Law and wanted a character looked like he could be his son. Though it’s also possible that the appearance was decided when they were still making a parody and this was used as a cover to avoid allegations of plagiarism? I’d have to look more into it but there was no mention of Area 88 in any interviews or reference guides.

[@lolnahnvm208]

@@MercuryFalcon perhaps I'm making an assumption, but I think the similarities are too strong to ignore. I appreciate your research.

[@lorcannagle]

@@MercuryFalcon Roy was definitely based at least in part on Sleggar, Roy's somewhat ignominious death was meant to be an inversion of Sleggar's heroic sacrifice in Gundam.

[@Bt3615]

Characters with long hair that ends up covering one eye during dramatic shots were popularized both by Ishinomori and Matsumoto. Shintani in Area 88 took this trait to the extreme and it influenced Macross; practically every pilot has one shot with a Shin Kazama pose with one eye covered by hair, often when they have the flight helmet on. It was simply considered extremely cool. As MercuryFalcon said, Roy was based on Sleggar and it's literally the opposite of Shin Kazama which is almost an androgynous character, while Fokker is extremely masculine and one of the rare Macross main characters with a square jaw.

[@mechajay3358]

Happy 40th. The Macross series is truly something special. Shame Harmon Gold's hold over its distributions has made it so it hasn't gotten the attention overseas

[@antonydrossos5719]

Thank you for not only putting in the work for this documentary, but for ACTUALLY PRONOUNCING "MACROSS" PROPERLY!

[@ezraagnew]

I've never heard it pronounced any other way.

[@Gunsight-One]

By far the best Macross retrospective I have ever seen. Imagine my surprise when you mentioned Gunsight One. You were very thorough.

[@thegamingniceguy3181]

I see your comments on replicant fish and other redpill content but now I know where you got your name. From the symbol i knew your were a Macross fan already

[@Gunsight-One]

@@thegamingniceguy3181 Funny, I just finished watching a Replicant Phish video too. Gunsight One was also the call sign for the bridge of the Macross, inspired from the fanzine of the same name. Nobody has ever covered it in any Macross video I have ever seen. See you around, friend.

[@joshcrates]

This show almost singlehandedly got me into Japanese anime way back in the day.

[@dphalanx7465]

For a lot of us, man, a lot of us... I was a college freshman; knew _Capt. Harlock, Yamato_, and some of the _Mazinger_ style Super Robots. Dismissed the whole thing a cultural fad. Then a friend brought me a VHS tape he'd bought at some Sci-Fi con: MACROSS/"Booby Trap" from Harmony Gold. That Summer of '85...everything changed when the Anime Nation attacked...

[@SammEater]

SDF Macross was part of my childhood, I love this series.

[@Thanatos9029]

I watched this show for the first time ever last year. It's very easy to see how this series was a core building block of the Mecha anime genre

[@TheHipsterGamer]

I just watched the original last week, It made me feel all sorts of emotions but the one I recall feeling the most was depression. I got the feeling pretty early on that Minmay may not have been a good match for hikaru, but regardless of that it still hurt to see them grow apart. Hikaru was risking his life to protect the Macross all the while watching the person who he at the time loved become distant and unattainable... for me at least I could feel the pain of having unrequited love while at the same time having to do battle and possibly not returning, hell he DID get captured as a prisoner of war and at that moment there was a possibility of him never returning. Though the romance wasn't exactly a silk road, I suppose it was more realistic than much of the romance you see in anime today simply because you don't often see a main character fall in love only to grow out of it and fall for someone else, I've seen very few anime do this such as Kokoro Connect and very briefly the Monogatari Series. The romance in space opera anime is always so complicated lol. Aside from the romance I also enjoyed the aliens being exposed to "culture" and defecting. Though at parts the animation was choppy, I still appreciate the this art style much more than current animation, it just looks so nice and it makes me feel nostalgic even though macross is older than me by almost 20 years. I think I'm going to see what the rest of the series has to offer.

[@takkunh4907]

Thank you for creating a really great video. There are so many production nightmare stories on Macross, it could easily be a two hour documentary. Some additional notes (out of hundreds I kept for my brother from various sources over the years): 1. Kawamori created the “Megaroad” dummy proposal the night before their sponsor presentation to make the Genociders proposal look more attractive. The team threw in their most ridiculous ideas such a ship transforming into a giant robot, never expecting the sponsors to like it more. 2. In addition to Takatoku, two plastic model companies Imai and Arii helped contribute to the success of Macross. Unfortunately some toy companies and products, like a series of poseable Minmay dolls, were not. 3. Kawamori had to fight with the sponsors on the Valkyrie designs. They didn’t believe children would buy a transforming airplane, so he even designed blueprints for the toy models. 4. On the music side, it took awhile to find a company willing to release the music commercially. And a proposal to release records under the artist “Lynn Minmay” was rejected by Victor, because they didn’t believe anyone would buy music from an anime character, killing the prospect of “My Boyfriends a Pilot” as a single. Of course the irony of CDs by anime characters nowadays, including their own Sheryl Nome, Ranka Lee and Walkure is not lost on the creators. 5. Per Itano, Episode 2 was originally animated by Star Pro but the quality was so poor, it was discarded and reanimated in Japan, adding to additional production time crunches. 6. The staff was notified of the increase in episodes around production of episode 11. Ishiguro thought that the Episode 13 summary episode was perfect to help viewers catch up to the story in case they missed the original airings, as there were no reruns at the time and VHS/Beta was still in its infancy. 7. The series was originally announced as “Super Dreadnought Fortress Macross,” but changed to “Dimension” shortly before the October airing. The word Dreadnought (Dokyuu) was thought too complicated for children. 8. Regarding Orguss, Ishiguro believed that much of the Macross production hardships was because of the inexperienced staff. He believed under an established studio like TMS, the quality would be better.

[@anharmyenone]

The world needs more Haruhiko Mikimoto character designs.

[@hitachicordoba]

Gundam 0080 is one of my all time favorites

[@Gunsight-One]

He is one of my favorite Character Designers too. The characters are very expressive without the need to exaggerate the faces like many anime productions do. I miss the 80s aesthetic, some of my most favorite anime is from that decade.

[@brianng8350]

@@Gunsight-One Yes, I missed the old fashion animation style. I don't like much of the stuff they are doing for the last 20 to 30 years. I think the Do You Remeber Love? is one of the best looking animation and design (granted Akira might have a bigger budget and maybe technically superior). But Macross -Do You Remember Love? has the best look for me.

[@Gunsight-One]

@@brianng8350 I watch Do You Remember Love at least yearly. It shows the true raw talent of Kawamori, Itano, and Anno. It is the pinnacle of the entire franchise. Nothing tops it. True 80s mech anime greatness.

[@muajin]

and less Hatsune Miku designs :P

[@Windrave]

Just to note regarding Macross 7. I attended AX 1999's Macross Panel and Animeigo's Robert Woodhead, the owner, was in the panel for the discussion of the Macross release. The subject of Macross 7 came up and he said that the problem was that the series' license was being sold in two parts, the animation and the music. The music, by Victor Entertainment was charging an arm and a leg for the rights to use the music created for Macross 7. Because of this it was not financially feasable to bring the series over as enough dvds/vhs's could not be sold to cover the cost of both animation and music. This was the big reason why it never came out in the era when both Macross II and Macross Plus saw release in the west.

[@CuppaKofe]

That makes a lot more sense as to why Manga or ADV never picked it up. I'm gonna make an assumption, but Harmony Gold also didn't do much production work after a lot of their staff jumped ship to Saban and Streamline, so they probably wouldn't have been willing to spend the money to rework the show into a Robotech series. Especially after the Robotech II disaster, they pretty much just coasted on licensing merch and comics.

[@Esdeath_0001]

Good news, the west is finally getting a release of Macross

[@donaustin1461]

I'm always amazed that when I find out the meaning of an anime's name I've loved for decades, that's heavily influenced my work, is completely bonkers and strait forward. "Gundam? Oh, it's a gun being used as a dam to hold back enemies." "Macross? Well it's a giant ship (Macro) and it go zoom (Across)" ...am I this stupid? 😂😂😂

[@Mainsail76]

I've known for years, but it's still amazing that in Japan, with both manga and animation, that they produce the productions on such a close time line. For example, a manga artist will finish the last page of a chapter on Saturday, and the deadline is on Sunday when it actually goes to print! The deadlines are so close with some of these animations that the episode is finished a day before it airs! There was an episode of "Paranoia Agent" that dealt with that, where a guy is racing to get the master tape that was just finished to the broadcast studio for the airing that night.

[@MercuryFalcon]

There was a rumor that an episode of Macross that was almost lost entirely because they gave the master tape to a mail courier and he forgot it on the train but I could not find a source besides a single internet post.

[@Mainsail76]

@@MercuryFalcon I'd believe it. I've seen a number of Japanese produced programs about animation studios, and I just can't believe how close they cut the deadlines. They give the master tape to some young guy that works for a courier, and he jumps on a little scooter, and heads off to the studio with it. I could see something like that happening for sure.

[@barrybend7189]

You forgot Shoji Kowamori's love of Thunderbirds. And also his work on Diaclone which if it weren't for those two things Macross wouldn't have had sponsors in ths first place.

[@MercuryFalcon]

I omitted those bits to not go today far off topic. Shoji Kawamori specifically said his favorite mech was Thunderbird 2 but he never wanted to build model kits of it because he always had a drive for originality and preferred to make his own mech inspired by what he loved. This mentality can be seen in many of his works like how he created Escalflowne out of a drive to see another show like Dunbine. In retrospect I think I should have touched on his work on diacline but again wanted to stay on topic.Tosho Daimos and Gordion are what got him noticed by Miyatake.

[@barrybend7189]

@@MercuryFalcon i think at least Thunderbirds is important as it inspired his Function over form thought process for his mecha design. And also he designed Thunderbird Shadow in Thunderbirds 2016.

[@MercuryFalcon]

@@barrybend7189 I mean thunderbirds was huge for everyone in Japan in the 60s and 70s but I feel like it’s much more important if I were talking about sentai or Gatchaman.

[@MercuryFalcon]

@Ian Sybesma I couldn't even find a full episode. That VHS rip of the intro was all I could get a hold of besides a one or two clips on youtube (including searching the title in Katakana and setting my VPN to japan.)

[@BruceKenobi]

You made an awesome video on the Birth of Macross, but you can't leave us hanging!!! we gotta see how M7 came to be, and then Macross Plus, and Macross Frontier and Delta, with all the intermediate works, clips and series!!! please!!! Help us MercuryFalcon, you are our only hope!

[@isnariogodoy9383]

Mercuryfalcon, sir I second this man's motion with pure violence, er, joy, with joy 🤣 We need those videos!

[@connorwaltman4966]

Next time on @MercuryFalcon! Macross II: A Failed Sequel

[@joerig96]

@@connorwaltman4966 even it failed but the ost song is really catchy and in my list of my favorit anime songs

[@pilotamurorei]

@@connorwaltman4966 Didnt fail in Japan at first, and it revitalized Kawamori as he claimed for years he was done with macross. Macross 7 pays TONS of homages to M2, from using Koi no banana moon in the background of certain episodes, バルキリーに乗って as the song the Jammings Birds sing, and if memory serves me correctly, they even used 今は友達 in the background of some of the later episodes. Also, in the shorts added for the LD/VHS releases called macross 7 plus, the Episode Miria the President uses the background music from when Hibiki catches Sylvie with Exegran at a hotel, and even Dynamite 7 features the dreary Marduk song as the BGM for the stories on the Whale planet. So if anyone tells you macross 2 failed or isnt canon, tell them to stfu.

[@makavelimusolini1036]

Macross 7 sucked, same for Frontier, same for Delta, same for 2, 0 was OK but didn't like the spiritual bs, the original and especially plus are the only great ones.

[@Raggedyman72]

The outsourced Korean animation explains a lot. I never knew about that.

[@VforVendetta13]

Super well done. I would say this was more professional than most broadcast videos of the same type today. You should be proud of your work. You have a gift.

[@bryanperdomo1283]

Literally creator was Inspired by Neil Armstrong. Badass.

[@WabbitCrouton]

Holy sheet, I remember that derpy animation of Milia attacking Max with her butter knife: Girl, if your eyes are like that after micronization, better get them checked.

[@TheStandardBearer]

You actually made me chuckle with this comment. Well, done. 🤜💥🤛😄

[@ArchonXzero]

lol

[@brettu5052]

I have a VHS copy of ‘Do you remember love’. It was renamed Attack of the Bioroids. Lol, now I want to dig out my VCR and watch it.

[@connorwaltman4966]

Clash Of The Bionoids

[@contentstarved991]

I used to have it. There’s about 45 minutes of material cut out. I eventually found a full length version of that dub.

[@connorwaltman4966]

@@contentstarved991 I'd rather have it uncut

[@contentstarved991]

@@connorwaltman4966 There's a subbed full length version on youtube, though there's some censorship of violence in it, such as the guy who got his head chopped off.

[@connorwaltman4966]

@@contentstarved991 I know

[@rookless4121]

Dude, any video about Macross instantly gets a like from me. Good work bro!

[@The_Absurdistt]

Macross Zero has the most amazing fight scenes in my opinion. I am aware many believe it is not part of the "true Macross" universe... but one has to admit it is great eitherway. Cheers to all Macross fans and Anime.

[@phoboskittym8500]

Thats Macross II, Macross : Zero is takes place in 2009, durring the development of the VF-0, Macross II is set 80 years after Space war I, something between Bigwest and Studio Nue? So its technically not part of the main Macross timeline

[@ZephrusPrime]

As a kid in the 80's me and all my friends who where into Robotech where devastated after episode 18. It only goes to show how bad ass it was that they decided to kill off a main character loved by all.

[@seand4033]

An excellent overview without a bad personality injected into it, as many of these summaries exemplify. Thank you. Only note: Leiji Matsumoto was a major contributor on Yamato and then obviously Macross. Wish they would do that sequel to Love do you Remember.

[@ArifxDD]

My first Macross show was Zero because someone in Ace Combat subreddit recommend it to me saying "this is Ace Combat anime if you ignore all the lore & mech stuff" and then when i look up Macross series i didn't know it was that massive so i decide to watch it in chronology order so after zero i immediately jump back to 1982 SDF: Macross. I don't know if i watch the original version or DYRL version cause i legit didn't saw that much error in the show.. i mean it has a few but most it pretty much unnoticeable unless you really looking for it. And my favourite episode is episode 27. That whole battle sequence is just gorgeous like it doesn't even feel like a TV show.. more like a straight out movie. And after watching SDFM i watch the movie version and man that introduction is just top notch.. i was like "man Macross animation cannot get any better then this" and i was wrong. After DYRL and Ova Macross Plus fvcking blow my mind it so fvcking gorgeous it literally my favourite Macross show cause 1. It only has 6 episode which i fvcking love anime with few episodes and 2. The character writing man i just love the rivalry between Isamu & Guld. Not to mention the aircraft design it's just look so fvcking cool when i first saw it my mind was like "holy shit it just like Ace Combat Zero" "Ace Combat Zero Reference lmao". I can go more with my Macross experience but i just leave it at Macross Plus I'm currently watching Macross Frontier for the first time after watching Macross 7, 7 the movie, Encore 7 & Dynamite 7. (Ps. I love Macross 7, Macross 7 is what make me realise what truly is Macross. Macross is not only about cool jet fighters it also about banger soundtrack lol) Sorry for making a long essay and also my bad grammar and English. I just love Macross.. man

[@Tadoka_Inamo]

During the 1980s, both Macross and Robotech were shown on competing TV channels. Macross was eventually pulled off the air while Robotech continued airing, I think, until the end. Macross stood out more for me and has become my most favorite "real robot" mecha franchise.

[@ezraagnew]

proof

[@Tadoka_Inamo]

@@ezraagnew Macross aired on RPN9 and Robotech aired on GMA7.

[@ezraagnew]

I was referring to USA TV

[@fishyfinthing8854]

As a kid I played a Macross game on NES. Two decades later while watching youtube suprised to hear a familar tune from the show. Turn out there wasn't just a game but a whole franchise. Oh boy, I have no idea how cool they are!

[@SuikodenGR]

So looking forward to a new era of fans that never heard of Macross to appreciate this Gem Of an Anime series 😍🥰

[@henryfleischer404]

My dad showed me Robotech some time in the mid to late 2000's, and I've had an interest in anime and japanes culture since then. I didn't really watch much anime aside from Miyasaki movies until after quarantine started though, when me and my brother started watching anime together, one episode a day. I'm glad I was shown something so old first, as now I tend to jump around to watching anime from different decades, I finished watching Mobile Suit Gundam recently, and started Shadows House immediately afterwards.

[@ElZorroHonesto]

Would like to let you know that your videos are the greatest source of info on the history of Macross and Robotech (and Southern Cross, Mospeada and Megazone 23) I have ever seen, and I hope they become the *definitive* source of info for the rest of the fandoms involved. Awaiting The History of Robotech Part IV with great interest!

[@TheChosen0ne.2OOO]

AAAAWESOME VIDEO!!!.....Who can remember all the crappy animated episodes, when that ONE episode when the Zentradi UNLEASHES all hell on Earth........ 😅!!... THATS the stuff that sticks to your brain for decades!!..... Still, GREAT insight to an absolute Legendary series!!!

[@Ljordan093]

Times change, people change and I’m glad everyone came out for the better.

[@PtotheMtotheK]

Best anime of all time. Such a great story with excellent characters. Best mecha designs of all too!

[@MikelRChannel]

Probably the most in depth story of Macross!!!

[@bonelessthincrust]

bros... imagine watching DYRL in japanese theaters in 1984... imagine how absolutely fucking hyped you would be

[@zetecryt]

After all these years comes this fantastic retrospective. And to this day I didn't know Hideaki Anno was involved in episode 27! I always felt Anno's Gunbuster is the only other anime that matches the drama and atmosphere of Macross, and no wonder..

[@brianng8350]

Thanks for the history lesson on the original Japanese show. I loved the Gloval's Report episode as a kid -it was a more mature storytelling not seen in American animation. Some of the bad animation on the show was very obvious, but the movie made up for it - flawless. Haruhiko Mikimoto's art and character designs forever changed my art as a kid. Loved his painted stuff -gorgeous!

[@saberbladefang250]

The popular one that everyone knows is definitely is Gundam. That's one everyone knows. I like Gundam too

[@Halfscreen]

Awesome breakdown on Macross since I was a big fan of the series. I hated that the drawing was inconsistent throughout the animation.

[@scotthintze5901]

Wonderful video. It has a lot of concept art, mecha designs and character comparisons between Macross and Yamato.

[@888vermillion]

Thank you so much for explaining the origins of Macross. I was obsessed with the series in my youth and always wondered why there was a lapse in the quality of animation in the series. The filler episodes where also I a puzzle that I did not understand. Thanks for your efforts; it's greatly appreciated.

[@BJWanlund]

This is fabulous stuff. Thank you!

[@twilighttrades264]

Fantastic video thank you! I’ve watched Macross so many times I know which artists did which episodes. Those outsourced episodes were a tragedy and made me cringe alot being a videophile.

[@DrunkenJinger]

Im almost 50 years old and for my whole life Ive watched almost everything related to the original Macross series from old to new BUT I always will stand by this, the US release of Robotech is way better than all of the rest.

[@LordFinai]

too bad Harmony Gold is a fucking terrible company that has basically killed any prospect of Macross' survival here in the west (unless they decide they suddenly want to do something with the brand instead of continually suing CGL despite the fact BattleTech hasn't used Macross designs in something like 2 decades at this point)

[@DrunkenJinger]

@@LordFinai agreed but without Harmony's greed and ignorance with ROBOTECH and the old nonHarmony anime Dougram we would of never of gotten the superior BATTLETECH universe.

[@Zwisermon1]

Such a classic, one of my earlier anime’s in the 90’s.

[@seangallagher1947]

Holy shit… Hayao Miyazaki worked on Lupin before starting Ghibli??!

[@MercuryFalcon]

Of course he directed most of green jacked some of red jacket and Castle of Cagliostro.

[@seangallagher1947]

@@MercuryFalcon I had no idea! Interesting connection.

[@luisd7636]

one of the greatest childhood memories in terms of anime. loved this so much. sucks that the whole legal thing slowed the long term popularity of this series. this should be a live action movie.

[@irvingmuhammad1791]

Whew. So many happening in production time. Now I know the meaning of the Macross after decade

[@jetboyblue4478]

Probably one of the main inspirations for my graphic novel thanks for the information

[@Kampfer740]

Can’t wait for them to start releasing toys and new or remastered video games!!!

[@MadMadNomad]

God, I've seen clips of some of those Macross games that didn't release in the west. Younger me woulda played the shit outta something like that.

[@mayorjimmy]

Love the episode Force of Arms. Rick absolutely balls out. Probably the best Robotech fight scene is Max vs Myria in Do You Remember Love. None of it compares to Macross Plus.

[@beanhavok2287]

I remember the first time I seen Robotech on TV. I remember telling my Mother, "It's Transformers, but they have pilots!!!" Then remember being confused why she wasn't as excited as I thought she should be...

[@richardlee9949]

it's been way too long since we have a good Macross anime...

[@0gg1e]

Thanks for a great history lessons for a legendary classic anime series!

[@gareckthetailor9918]

the dude who made macross would go on to make a 2012 series about a future, fictional version of the pop group akb0048 that are freedom fighters against a totalitarian government that wants to heavily limit/ban pop music to prevent any possible conflict. He also went on to make the devil arms in dmc5, so real creative dude :)

[@525Lines]

15:48 This is from Flashback 2012 and was released some years later. And 16:48's from some tie in title that also came after Robotech was released.

[@howardgreen9718]

Great video thank you 🙏

[@thegamingniceguy3181]

I love macross! This was a fantastic video!

[@Per0lus]

Awesome work man! So many interesting details here!

[@kharnthebetrayer1575]

Man the 80’s had the best shows !!! Glad I was there for it ALL !!

[@JamesRichardsPlays]

It was inevitable that this video would hit my feed at some point. I have recently getting into history videos of Robotech and Macross, refreshing my memory for something I am working on based on the Robotech timeline. Your research is great! some pronunciations that make the corner of my eye twitch a little at times, still good. If anyone is curious, I am a fan of both Macross and Robotech universes.

[@OasisTypeZaku]

This was the the very first anime I ever watched when I was 5 in 1985. This was the most awesome thing ever, even compared to Transformers later. The crazy, zig-zagging missile patterns you see in his anime "Shoji Kawamori Missile Patterns." It's really cool to see what kind of travel paths they'd come up with.

[@TrevRockOne]

The badly animated parts of Macross only add to the charm for me. They only reinforce this idea for me that Macross represents the medium of anime better than any other show. Macross has it all: it has the best animation; it has the worst animation; it has action, comedy, romance, giant robots, aliens, and J-pop; and it has a story that could only exist in anime. What represents anime better than Macross? Nothing! That's what I say.

[@zetecryt]

I tend to agree.. I still wince at the badly animated episodes, but I have yet to find any anime that match the drama Macross provides.. I'm sure many would agree the achingly beautiful and soulful character designs by Mikimoto was what really pulled the audience into the story.

[@TheFLAMEXD]

That's a pretty narrow way of thinking.

[@damionneranginui6546]

The cheesy love triangle and the cross species love story was more frustrating than anything. He should have just taken Lisa out on a date at least and the other dude certainly had a mountain to climb. The aliens were literally giants. I can't even wrap my head around that.

[@NebLleb]

This show... The troubled production shows at points, some of the humour can be jarring (though actually hilarious as the deep space tuna shows) and yet, as someone going through it for the first time (uncut, ADV english audio), I can speak for those who grew up in Japan on this or who saw it on syndicated TV and Toonami as the first saga of Robotech when I say this show is fantastic. Particularly in its character writing: Moments like the Macross's first transformation or Hikaru's first sortie at Saturn are already great, but when you focus a lot on getting the character development and relations THIS right, and we actually see what goes through these characters' heads before and as they make their life-or-death decisions, these moments feel far more awe-inspiring and gratifying. Combine this with the facts that the melodrama is earned and spot-on, the animation is unbelievable and the writing is genuinely great, and SDF Macross succeeds at being both a romantic/character drama and a mech series. From what I've read online, I personally think the only sequel worth casually watching (both SD Trilogy and Macross) is definitely the 1994 OVA Macross Plus, which is probably more famous in the west than the original uncut show due to a widespread release in the 1990s and a cult following, but the original show is a must-watch, right up there with the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Animation as some of my favourite anime. Plus, the 2021 Agreement means that it will soon be rereleased on home video, so those worried about piracy can relax and either stream or physically own this show at home, hopefully sooner than later.

[@chrisspray666]

thanks for the vid, things make a lot of sense now. so many, younger me, questions answered.

[@johnchrysler5122]

Cool video!

[@rizkaarifiandi5670]

another great video Mercury !

[@HobbyView]

4:15 Mech on right looks very reminiscent of Orguss design that would later follow Macross.

[@viperleader001]

I like Emerson, Lake and Palmer, the music that they make is almost like music for a video game.

[@SovereignKnight74]

Robotech/Macross is coming back baby!

[@zamoragera13]

Is it bad that I started to laughing soon hard when she tossed that baby in the air

[@dphalanx7465]

Hey, dont blame her, warlike clone aliens cant parent, LOL. After all, she's the girl who set the stove on fire trying to brew a pot of coffee!!

[@zadalmelik011]

12:57 I remember that episode and I was like: What the heck the creators were smoking when producing this? I laughed and cringed a lot. 😅 Anyway, now I understand why the anime was not perfect in the animation aspect. Poor fellas, either way it became a success and then they corrected everything in the movie. Although a remastered-updated remake of the anime wouldn't be bad to do. Still enjoyable IMO. 👌🏼

[@retroanimemike]

When I was a kid in the 90s, we had older anime on television like Triton of the Sea, the educational series Miimu, and Robotech. Back then I wouldn't have noticed the Star Trek or ELP references, but now its just brilliant! But I do remember even then finding some bits of animation lacking and others fascinating - with such a chaotic production it could not have happened differently.

[@b5fan504]

outstanding work. thanks.

[@davidsonnow]

Absolutely spectacular job! I wish I was in Tokyo in 1984 for the premiere of do you remember love

[@plaztik767]

This was beautifully explained and narrated. I grew up loving this series, and it did indeed make me a lifelong fan of anime. I had no idea how troubled the production was, and how different it could have been. Excellent upload rich and full of information! 👍🏻🙏🏻

[@fiveways]

I feel like "Clash of the Bionoids" deserves a passing mention as for years that was all that people living outside major urban centre could watch if they wanted to see DYRL. The uncut version that showed up in the late 90s in diamond distributing catalog also deserves a mention as for years that is all we had for dyrl content widely available in the west.

[@GavadonA]

SDF Macross is my favorite anime and I still learned a good bit from this video. I really appreciate it . ( Also side note, I was looking at that eBay auction this morning before the video and thought" Jesus , what a stupid price ")

[@MercuryFalcon]

I got mine for $200 bucks in 2016 so now I can tell my friends "whose the sucker now"

[@exohauler]

Totally Awesome Dude! Thanks for sharing.

[@arielwollinger]

Awesome research work there, mate!

[@mattmaddogwheaton4724]

Macross Do You Remember Love is my 2nd favorite anime film with End of Evangelion being my numeral uno.

[@AvengerII]

There's a possible misconception introduced in the video -- I don't think the lead character in Macross was named after "Hikaru" Sulu in Star Trek. 1) Hikaru is a common boy's or girl's name in Japan. It's equivalent to calling a kid Robin in the West. I'm not saying "Hikaru = Robin" but just that it's an acceptable for either a boy or girl. There are plenty of anime series produced besides Macross that have leads named "Hikaru." It just happens that 2 of the better-known anime series that made it to the West have female leads named Hikaru -- Hikaru Hiyama (Kimagure Orange Road) and Hikaru Shidou (Magic Knight Rayearth). 2) At the time Macross was planned (1980-1982), Mr. Sulu (Lt/Cmdr/Captain depending on which time you saw Star Trek) didn't even have a formal first name. The idea that he was named "Hikaru" was a fan convention (and stated in a few licensed Trek novels) prior to Star Trek VI (1991) when they canonized it (on film) as his official given name. That's one of the few times fanon was made canon without any grief from a studio. I don't know how popular Star Trek was in Japan but internationally Star Wars was far more popular. I've seen a lot more anime with obvious Star Wars influences than Star Trek.

[@MercuryFalcon]

Someone pointed that out that Sulu didn’t get a first name until the 90s. I assumed just because there’s other Star Trek reference and Claudia’s design being cited as being inspired by Star Trek. My assumption was off.

[@AvengerII]

@@MercuryFalcon It's not something I would give people grief over, personally! One thing people should be wary is saying things like Star Wars or Star Trek invented things like "phasers/lasers," "shields," "warp/hyperdrive," and "lightsabers." These ideas and concepts existed generally decades before Trek or Star Wars "introduced" them into their respective series. Generally, if you go back to the 1940s and 1950s they had science fiction stories with vehicles that had these devices and types of weapons in them already! Heck, the first Superman cartoon (1941) had Superman battling a mad scientist (named Tesla in fanon) who had an "Electrothanasia Ray." E-ray is just a fancy word for a laser cannon/beam! Lasers didn't exist until 1960 but they were talked about at least 2 decades prior to the first practical laser beam hardware. They also had laser swords in science fiction before lightsabers debuted in Star Wars in 1977. When Gundam debuted in 1979, 2 full years AFTER Star Wars, it was very wise to call those weapons "beam weapons" and especially the iconic Gundam laser sword a "beam saber." For awhile, Lucasfilm were litigious bastards and they had an infamous battle with Universal over Battlestar Galactica which had about zero in common with Star Wars aside from sharing a conceptual artist (Ralph McQuarrie worked on both the original Galactica AND Star Wars) and a disaffected special effects supervisor (John Dykstra) who didn't care for Lucas after his experiences on Star Wars and took his technology (which was NOT owned by Lucasfilm) to work for another production company! It was a good thing Lucas wasn't paying attention to anime in the 1970s and 1980s because I've seen tons of Star Wars "homages" and Star Wars characters drawn into the backgrounds of many anime features and TV shows! LOL That stuff never really bothered me that much. As I grew up and read more of the back history of science fiction, I realized there was very little Star Wars or Star Trek did that was unique and new to those franchises. Heck, Star Wars has lifted large bits of plot from old Japanese films. At least Lucas admitted this for the original Star Wars so he's not a complete fraud! To this day, LFL/Disney won't admit The Mandalorian lifted its basic plotline from Lone Wolf and Cub! It's been very interesting to see what the Japanese have done with influences from Western science fiction in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I'd argue some of the best anime would NEVER have happened without those influences.

[@mistermornevanderberg]

I was about 12/13 years when I stared watching "Robotech" and much to my dismay the South African broadcasting company stopped airing it before it ended It is so great to have purchased the full series on dvd and to have enjoyed it, although I did not like he last series so much

[@godstomper]

I remember the only place in the 80s you could find vhs beta tapes of Macross and Yamato unsubtitled films was San Antonio Hobby shop in Mountain view California. And those were expensive to buy. Plus you needed a beta player

[@norikotakaya14292]

Hikaru Ichijyo wasn't named after Hikaru Sulu. Vonda McIntyre's 1981 novel _The Entropy Effect,_ introduces Sulu's first name, but Pocket Books' stand-alone Star Trek novels weren't available in Japan in those days, and the name did not officially become cannon until Chekov mentioned it in _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country_ in 1991.

[@LatitudeSky]

Despite popular opinion that the Macross sequels were never released in the west, we DID get official licensed releases for Macross 2 (the direct sequel; somebody tell me this doesn't count. Yes I know it was awful.) and Macross Plus. Both of these got a LOT of hype at the time of their release. Plus got a really good dub and aired on TV as a movie. Macross 2, being total trash, sank into the ocean and drowned. But it did get a release. All the sequels after those two never made it to the west. We also got the Macross movie as Clash of the Bionoids. So that counts as well, in my opinion.

[@TheRibbonRed]

Well, we're going to get all the Macross sequels now. BigWest & Harmony Gold to cooperate in worldwide publishing of them back in March 2021.

[@RaddSpencer]

Yes, we got Clash of the Bionoids, Macross II and Macross Plus. They were released in the 90's before Harmony Gold suddenly declared that they owned Macross and started throwing trademarks around to prevent more releases. HG's trademark trolling prevented further releases, and rereleases of Plus, II and DYRL. HarmonyGold started their legal shenanigans around 1998-2000, when there were plans to release Macross Plus toys, and the Playstation game VF-X, in the west.

[@wewyllenium]

Robotech can be considered as an alternate universe now :D Everyone WIns :D

[@pinoi78]

Good knowledge my good sir.

[@kingthranduil8807]

goodness. so that explains why I always get bored watching this but was always mesmerized the way the macross were designed.

[@ChrisCrazyHouse]

Love this channel

[@Ljordan093]

Both Yamato and Macross triggered my love for anime in the 80s under the titles of Star Blazers and Robotech

[@floydjohnson7888]

Seems getting this "animated soap opera" to air was a soap opera in and of itself.