The CRAZY History of MACROSS: The Story Before ROBOTECH

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Back in 2018 we release episode 1 of The History of Robotech and in that video we alluded to all kinds of behind the scenes drama that led to the creation of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross animated series that led to the creation of the Robotech animated series.
This is that story of all the behind the scenes drama that led to the creation of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, the Macross franchise at large, Robotech and how and when you can watch Macross in the United States.
The (Mostly) Complete History of Robotech: • The (Mostly) Complete ...
SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.o...
macross.fandom...
web.archive.or...
blog.alltheani...
en.wikipedia.o...
archive.org/de...
www.forbes.com...
en.wikipedia.o...
en.wikipedia.o...
en.wikipedia.o...
www.forbes.com...
www.iwm.org.uk...
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[@JohnBainbridge0]

The only thing more powerful than The Power of Love: Copyright Laws.

[@muhammadwibisonojanuar7793]

Was it because of Robotech that Macross wasn't released worldwide?

[@GideonMadu]

Mainly Harmony Gold, but yeah ​@@muhammadwibisonojanuar7793

[@soniccdx]

@@muhammadwibisonojanuar7793 can more or less that was one of the reasons

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

Earthlings can be persuaded to do anything if you offer them enough gold.

[@MJRLHobbyStuff]

*cough*F Harmony Gold *cough*

[@michaellang8408]

OK Larsen, I've got a story for you: It's 1986?, I'm at a convention holding a Robotech Comic book, a man next to me in a suit asks me what I like about Robotech, I tell him,he likes my passion for the story and shakes my hand and says " Hi, I'm Carl, what's your name?" About shit a brick! It was Macek, the man himself! Also met the voice of Minmei 20 minutes later. She was in a Kimono! These are my favorite of the series. Robotech changed my life as a teen. So thanks for the trip down Macross lane!😂

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Carl Macek went on to found Streamline Pictures, the company that gave me my first taste of uncensored anime: Vampire Hunter D.

[@jeehoonlee5150]

My biggest regret from college was losing my autographed copy of Animecon ‘91 convention book. Had it signed by Hideaki Anno and “Hal” Harahuki Mikimoto. I asked Mikimoto to draw Noriko from Gunbuster and he obliged.

[@Elios0000]

i would punched him but thats me... would be worth getting kicked out

[@chanosocarras8720]

Went to a Creation Star Trek convention in San Francisco back in 1987. They played us the debut of Robotech Sentinels. I was 12 years old and BEYOND excited!!! Also had the voice of Rick Hunter there. I got his autograph. Pre internet conventions were really cool.

[@takaakiyamada5451]

@@chanosocarras8720 Rick Hunter? Who is that?

[@MikeKaess]

"Is it Guncannon?" 10/10, Brilliant. Perfect joke.

[@markplott4820]

Guncanon is not just for Show.

[@mikebandw186]

“Who would later be reborn as Pepsi Optimus Prime”. I laughed too hard.

[@dansmith16]

Pepsi Man or Machine?

[@JohnClark-tt2bl]

Pepsimus Prime. 🤔

[@acereporter73]

Oh, my favorite messy franchise. Meanwhile, BattleTech is loitering around outside like, "Heeeeeeeey, howyoudoin, Mack Ross?"

[@ElLoboUK]

@@EBFE Your King Crab lance are your wife and kids now

[@chrisbaker8533]

Damn i miss LAMs.

[@shinpeiro]

I am "to be in ❤" with this comment.

[@nicoleseraphita7613]

As per tradition, Screw Harmony Gold. The fact that we're getting every single Macross series on Disney + but SDF and Do You Remember Love is great, but man Do You Remember Love is so very good.

[@TheShardsFamily]

Fuck harmony gold as a macross and battletech fan Luckily seems their days ate number with a Japanese court deciding the company that hame them the rights never held the rights It's why they settled againist hairbrsined for the last battletech game cause they would have probably lost the court case

[@mikeaaron2112]

It's on Disney plus?!?!?!

[@mikeaaron2112]

It's on Disney+???!!??

[@lorcannagle]

@@mikeaaron2112 They announced it about a week ago, everything except the original TV show and DYRL will be on Disney Plus later in the year.

[@arashimiyazawa8165]

@@mikeaaron2112 Not yet. No firm release date yet other than "2024" so sometime later this year. It includes pretty much everything Macross EXCEPT the original the DYRL which is entirely Harmony Gold being assholes.

[@ottototo8]

Can't get enough of this. The saga of a saga.

[@JBOboe720]

The creation of the Gerwalk was actually even more interesting; when Kawamori was demonstrating a Valkyrie toy prototype, the legs accidentally swung down from under the jet mode, which reminded him of his chicken-leg robot design, and he decided to use that as the basis for a third mode. This was later incorporated into the show's fiction too; the Gerwalk was discovered by accident during Valkyrie test flights.

[@markplott4820]

YES , the "chicken walker " pre dated the Fully Transformable jet Robots.

[@scottskene8387]

As a child of the 90s, I am conditioned to reply "baby, don't hurt me" any time someone says "what is love". It's just ingrained in the fabric of my being. On topic, the Valkyrie is the single most aesthically perfect transforming mecha ever designed and I will fight anyone who claims otherwise

[@sanictheedgehog]

Zeta Gundam is better, it's transformation makes more sense and has more use in it's respective series. Also it looks cooler.

[@crowtrobot313]

:"n topic, the Valkyrie is the single most aesthically perfect transforming mecha ever designed and I will fight anyone who claims otherwise" or spitfire from og transformers, damn copyright battles! :D But hell yea love me anything thats a tomcat f14 ripoff i mean homage!!

[@Darthjim73]

You did forget to mention that somehow, Macross II and Macross Plus managed a US release -briefly- in the 90s, before HG shut it down.

[@coreykirkpatrick4392]

Actually those 2 are no longer blocked by HG after that last court decision and is part of the US Disney+ content.

[@Valkyrie77]

Yeah, Harmony Gold wasn't interested in Robotech for a while and both M2 and M+ got through before they discovered there were interest and started blocking everything again.

[@bumbayker]

@@Valkyrie77 Yup. Western fans were blown away with the release of Macross II and Plus. They even asked HG if they would get Macross 7. HG almost did through a French? distributor. But Big West quickly shot it down when they discovered that HG was involved with the deal. HG knew that Macross was a threat to their Robotech brand since they haven't produced new content since their failed release of the Sentinels.

[@Valkyrie77]

@@bumbayker well, they did make that half-effort Shadow Chronicles and the cheap-ass Love Live Alive recut (but I liked the ending) but I don't know if any of them was successful. But I think the spacebattles in Shadow was really terrible compared with M Frontier, released about at the same time.

[@bumbayker]

@@Valkyrie77 Shadow Chronicles came out first in 2006. Despite it was older than Macross Frontier by a year the production value by contrast was like day and night. That what happens when they hired a cheapass Korean animation studio with a subpar budget. Harmony Fraud was planning to make sequels for it but was bedazzled by greed to make live-action movie of Robotech when the first Bayformers movie was released in 2007. Up to now their live-action movie is still in production hell after more than 15 years.

[@arashimiyazawa8165]

My first exposure to anime as anime was Macross. Harmony Gold actually released the first three or so episodes as Macross direct-to-video in 1984 before deciding to mash it all together into their "Robotech" project so they could sell it to TV stations instead of the direct market. I ordered that VHS from an ad in Starlog magazine and was hooked. When Robotech came out a year or so later I was very confused as to what had happened until I grabbed some of the Robotech Art Books which explained how it was three shows smushed together.

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

my husband hates Robotech like most who grew up in Japan he hated the changes and altered storyline! I love Macross and i cosplayed as Misa Hayase,Miria, Lynn Minmay,Ranka Lee and Klan klang. I love to Kareoke many of the songs too!

[@Belgand]

To think, Harmony Gold bastardized Macross into Robotech and then it still managed to get worse.

[@rotwang2000]

​@@Belgand It made sense at the time, people would rather run headfirst into a wall rather than sit through a FOREIGN cartoon ...

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

What's his opinion on black and white comics like the bloody and gritty 80's series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Toei animation?

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

@@sboinkthelegday3892 interestingly my husband was a big fan of Lone wolf and cub,Golgo 13,Lupin the 3rd and armored troopers Votoms. He didn’t hear about TMNT until his father was stationed back in the USA. He told me “While children his age was watching TMNT and other American cartoons, himself and his friends were watching Guyver,Macross,Orguss,Southern Cross,Mospeada,Golgo 13 and Urusei Yatsura. My husband is the product of an African Zulu father and a Japanese mother. So my mother-in-law is a big Anime/Manga fan so she watched anime and so did her children,

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

@@kennyboggs3676 He really didn’t like that at all but honestly he always kept to the originals. His favorites were 1960s Utlra Q,Ultraman and Ultraseven. Super Sentai wasn’t his favorite but he didn’t like that they altered so much. He didn’t like the changes done to Yoroiden Troopers (Ronin Wars). He coming to age in the 1990s so when his family was stationed back in the USA he loved what Scifi Channel did with “Saturday day Anime”.

[@tipulsar85]

The saddest part is at one point, SDF Macross was given a fresh dub as itself and not Robotech by ADV under the supervision of Harmony gold nearly 20 years ago at the time of this video's release. The only other parts that had escaped to home media are the OVAs Macross Plus via Manga Entertainment around 2001 on DVD, and the non canon Macross II: Lovers Again in the 90s on VHS and DVD (also by Manga Entertaiment) and soon again on Bluray by Animeigo.

[@mraaronhd]

I remember watching ADV’s dub of Macross online, and I really enjoyed it. One of best friends actually got me into Macross when he bought Macross II, and Plus, back in the early 2000’s. Man, buying anime back then was so expensive and was often times a crapshoot on whether or not it was going to be good, but it definitely made us into otaku.

[@Plaprad]

@@mraaronhd Still got my old DVD case from twenty years ago. A while back I decided to watch something and started looking through it. A whole lot of "Why in the hell did I buy that crap?" followed.

[@Shin_Lona]

Macross Plus is a masterpiece.

[@journ9er]

I still have those SDF Macross DVDs. Wasn't it a selling point that Mari Iijima was reprising her role of Lynn Minmay for the dub?

[@dalemark45]

@@mraaronhdI still have my copy of the original VHS movie version of Macross Plus. Manga Entertainment had its own issues, but they're responsible for igniting my love and appreciation for both Macross and Patlabor

[@thecunninlynguist]

After learning about how Robotech combined 3 different series into one "cohesive" story...I wS kinda amazed, especially for an 80s show.

[@richdurbin6146]

I thought Carl did a creditable job of doing just that.

[@AntonioRodriguezSilver]

It's not cohesive. Robotech could never define "Protoculture." In Macross it's the old civilization that created the various humanoid races. In Robotech, it's everything. It's an energy source! It's a culture that confuses the aliens! It's the Invid Flower of Life! It's the answer to every weird gap in the story because it's not cohesive!

[@bumbayker]

That was the norm back in the day of US localization on anime. They did it with Voltron (Dairugger XV + Golion) and Captain Herlock (Herlock + Queen Millenia). Robotech was anything but cohesive. At least for the anime as there were several inconsistencies and plot holes.

[@SeaLion8488]

@@thecunninlynguist and in only a couple months time. It’s an amazing story. Whatever you think of HG Carl made something happen that was extremely under pressure. Frankly, I loved the voice acting, the music and have fond memories of the whole series. Yes, it’s great to appreciate the original content, but there are many, many robotech fans out there.

[@arnoldmayii3563]

A couple of years ago Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeda were available on Tubi. And then one day they were gone. Screw Harmony Gold!

[@thedungeondelver]

Harmony Gold is the devil.

[@armsman5322]

the entire Robotech (English dubbed) series currently streams on Crunchyroll. (Was the stuff on Tubi the original Japanese versions English subbed?)

[@Windrave]

If Tubi had them licensed it is possible you caught them when the license expired. It's like when shows leave Netflix.

[@arnoldmayii3563]

@@armsman5322 Original sub titled

[@KILRtv]

I grew up on Robotech, but the original Japanese versions are much better.

[@shaider1982]

Hope Mospeda gets covered. It's intro is quite catchy and the mecha/motorbike combos look slick.

[@morganb6717]

as soon as you spoke the words "... it's the power of love", my brain was already queuing Huey Lewis.

[@rimjobledouche5201]

To anyone who has yet to see Macross, you need to. It's cheesy, saccharine, and melodramatic. It is also earnest, heartfelt, and inexplicably nostalgic. It is beautifully written and will make you smile. Both it and it's feature film Do you Remember Love are both painfully, achingly bittersweet. The combination of 80's Japanese pop, transforming robots, and Mikimoto's doe-eyed character designs combine to form a truly special spectacle.

[@g.p.ryecroft]

Well, said. Not a huge fan of DYRL but love the original series (at least through about ep 27). I also love the closing credits with the photo album and that song that always strikes me as sad (like the closing theme to the Incredible Hulk decades ago). Also, the next episode promo with the narrator saying the title in English with an echo effect. Little touches like that make it extra special. Oh, and the commercial bumper. The music is more subdued than Robotech, which can work for or against the show, but usually for.

[@michaelthethird702]

I'm a huge fan of Macross. It was one of the first series that hooked me. I own the remastered DVD box set of the original Macross, Macross II, Macross Plus (OVAs & movie), and Macross Zero. I've also watched Macross 7, but don't own it. Great series. Great music. And all the romance and drama that will melt a Zentradi warrior's heart.

[@ottototo8]

I highly recommend Macross Plus. Even if you haven't seen Macross. Music by Yoko Kanno. I think her best.

[@MykeLewisMusic]

One of my faves.

[@jerryharris6342]

Definitely.

[@richdurbin6146]

They also released a series of Robotech novels that I quite enjoyed. It told the original story and continued the expedition into zentradi space.

[@g.p.ryecroft]

I haven't read those Jack McKinney books, but heard they fill in a lot of gaps, especially in the Southern Cross and Mospeada stories. They're rerealeasing them as omnibus trade paperbacks, which testifies to there being a silent majority of Robotech fans out there--me among them!--despite the hate heaped on the series by the self-appointed anime cognoscenti. I may have to check out those books!

[@jayconant3816]

Yeah I had those when I was younger they were good

[@alanblanks]

We'll launch an actual SDF-1 before the story gets re-told again.

[@ashaide]

The minute Harmony Gold came on-screen, my middle finger came up. Amazing. What an autonomic reaction! Yakh deculture!

[@Sephiroth144]

Indeed; everytime I'm driving down that part of Sunset Blvd where HG is, whoop, there the bird goes up

[@zidarose]

Just love that Macross is finally, legally, coming across.

[@ceno10101]

"the blockade is totally legal" - phantom menace

[@danealley9779]

Watched Robotech when it was broadcast in the US at 6-6:30am in the '80's. I have two VF-1 Valkerie/ Robotech Changers model kits from Revell/Ceji. This was my introduction to what I later learned was actually Macross. If it wasn't for the model kits/toys we US kids wouldn't love the Macross series today. 4:49

[@jayconant3816]

Watched it then also came on at the same time ,couldn't believe how early they aired had to watch it before I left for jr high ,was pissed I had to get up that early lol

[@seculartapes]

There was at least one release of DYRL in the US. I bought a VHS at the grocery store in the ‘90s of a dubbed version titled “Clash of the Bionoids”. The dubbing wasn’t great (it seemed to be dubbed in Hong Kong English)

[@JLAvey]

I keep looking for SDF Macross and keep finding Robotech. I want Macross, with subtitles.

[@FavineMoore]

it's out there. I had to ride the High seas to find it.

[@smrii2487]

​@@FavineMoore this is the way

[@SupaBuma]

Yes, it's out there. I have the old DVD three box set with English subs.

[@Destroyer4700]

Are you looking for a physical copy or a digital copy?

[@braljoh]

You have to go to a pirate website, Have a good ad blocker.

[@knghtbrd]

The US needs Macross, including the original series! (We're keeping Robotech though, even if Harmony Gold are bastards… We DO know the difference and the brand is NOT diluted by having both, HG!)

[@Belgand]

Culture is diluted by having Robotech. It should be thrown away as an embarrassing relic in favor of the real Macross. In part, I think Harmony Gold has come to recognize this. Hence their intense desire to keep the curtain intact and prevent Americans from finding out the crimes that were committed against them in the past.

[@greenfeller]

Love your coverage and enthusiasm for the various iterations of Robotech/Macross. Managed to miss most of Robotech on Saturday mornings when it was on in my elementary years. Managed to really fall for it through the Jack Mckinney novels published by Del Rey in my middle school years. Feels like I am an outsider in all the fandoms. Keep the hits coming.

[@RaddSpencer]

I was a little kid when Robotech aired but it instantly became my favourite cartoon, and remained that way until the early 90's when I discovered Macross. This video glosses over the fact that the original movie, Macross II, and Macross Plus all got western releases. The original movie had a very limited release and in most markets was butchered into "Clash of the Bionoids", but Macross II was originally released in the west by U.S. Renditions, then later by Manga Video. Macross Plus followed, released by Manga Video. It wasn't until the Macross Plus toys were on their way to the west in the late 90's that Harmony Gold stepped in with their lawyers to ruin everything. Still, by that time I was hooked and had the power of the internet and the fansubbing community to get my grubby hands on every Macross release that followed beginning with Macross 7.

[@TheScreamMan]

Macross rules. Id love to see you do an episode or so on the Macross Sequel series!

[@jsc315]

Macross 7 is absolutely bananas. Just saying

[@g.p.ryecroft]

A KZbinr/Vimeo streamer called You Can't Unwatch It did outstanding retrospectives on all the Macross series, movies, and OVAs. His are commentaries, so very different from Secret Galaxy's investigative journalism on the secret origins and hidden histories. Great complements for one another.

[@jmhaces]

Back when Robotech was released in the mid '80's it was nothing short of mind-blowing to me as a child, and not just because of the cool giant robots fighting aliens. Thanks to stuff like Mazinger Z and Voltron I was already aware of the fact that Japanese cartoons were able to tell much more serious stories with more complex plots that sometimes even affected the series as a whole in comparison to typical western action cartoons like GI Joe or M.A.S.K. that were episodic, had no real story progression, had really toned down violence and usually included either a "funny" annoying sidekick or a "moral of the story" section at the end, or even both. But even stuff like Voltron felt mostly episodic and not that much happened to move the story along. And here you had Robotech dealing with the social and economic impact of discovering alien technology, their effect on the civilian population, war, cloning, ethics, coming to terms with the aftermath of a military conflict and having to live with your former enemies, and the importance of art. Characters grew and changed, some died, and the good guys not always won. It was a gamechanger.

[@thiagoflores01]

Super Fortress Macross is awesome, Macross Frontier and Macross Zero too ❤

[@thedungeondelver]

Macross Plus is still my favorite.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

What about 7?

[@muhammadwibisonojanuar7793]

​@@michaelandreipalon3597 is much slow process of a story, but is still good and peaceful story

[@muhammadwibisonojanuar7793]

​@@thedungeondelverIn perspective of the action and epic music itself. It is the first time I see some process of manipulating sound frequency in order to touch humans' emotions

[@ferallion3546]

Frontier was really good. Love Zero and Plus.

[@adrian_veidt]

Max is the giga chad of all aces in Macross. An ace pilot who beats down an enemy babe and gets to marry her lol. Max and Amuro Ray were my fave pilots in mecha

[@joester4life]

All within a few days too.

[@dansmith16]

Kirk would be so happy.

[@phantomharlock999]

In the USA in the 90s during the dial-up days of the internet Macross lived in theater rooms in anime conventions and on copied VHS fan subs traded in person and by post.

[@AaronPrado-gs4hf]

congrats on your article in Forbes, been watching you a long while now and just glad to see you get some recognition long over due.

[@sircarew]

Thanks to AnimEgo, I was able to watch Macross and own it on DVD. I'm still annoyed that the original series (and movie) won't be on Disney+

[@ceno10101]

Jetfire was one of the best looking transformers I had as a kid.

[@iflow593]

I love how you keep us updated about this topic. I LOVED this show, didn't realize it was a combo project but answered questions in adulthood...I want a live action done properly, maybe asking too much😒

[@BigEpinstriping]

The story continues to be told. Finally, onto the good stuff! Macross is the best out of all the many retellings and permutations. Furthermore, I'm disappointed I missed out on Macross Chocolate bars!

[@libratigerpictures]

I hung out with the guy who owned Harmony Gold, circa 2002. We did the Landmark Forum together. His name was Ahmed, he lived in a mansion in L.A.

[@ToyKennections]

Love it! Secret Galaxy videos are an inspiration for pop culture/cartoon historians.

[@liska_dae]

I watched the first third of Robotech thanks to a friend who had taped it from TV. Thanks to another friend, I got to watch Macross 7 subtitled.

[@RM_VFX]

Thanks to Macross II, I was able to meet and talk with character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto, at the US premiere during the very first Anime Expo in California. The attendance was so small back then, we were able to sit at a table of only about 10 to have dinner and chat with each guest of honor. Definitely a big step that kickstarted my career in animation. Thanks, Hal-san.

[@damionalbarr7961]

I loved all versions of Macross and Robotech. Tried to get my hands on every version of the Veritech fighters and figures.

[@brianng8350]

Dan, congrats for keeping the joke going as a kid who never watched Robotech, but spent days and weeks with these videos…😂😂😂. That is professionalism… Love that you dug up the pencil sketches of the mech designs. That is my childhood passion.

[@RoyalCrustle]

Watched the show earlier this year and it's actually so good. Shame about some of the poor animation on specific episodes, but still a great time overall.

[@Hyperion-Cantos]

Best episode ever ❤❤❤ Please cover the other MACROSS shows. Including MACROSS II Lovers Again ❤

[@muhammadwibisonojanuar7793]

I haven't watch full episodes of Macross, but it is funny and peaceful. I started Macross Series since Macross Delta, broadening my view of mecha anime after Gundam Series and Web Diver

[@bumbayker]

I think you should have started with Macross Frontier if you're new to the Macross franchise. Not that you can't start with Macross Delta. But that Delta's premise is set in the aftermath of Frontier. Personally the original series Super Dimension Fortress Macross is the best starting point to the franchise since it's the foundation to every succeeding series even though all of them are a standalone story.

[@muhammadwibisonojanuar7793]

Yeah. Thanks. But I don't know much about Macross at the time of Delta's release

[@ArmouredPhalanx]

Watched Robotech as a kid in the 80s. Rediscovered it as a teen in the 90s through the comics and novelization of the series where I was much better equipped to process and appreciate the themes and relationships, and that led me to learning all about its tangled history and the original Macross. Slightly later in the 90s, I stumbled across copies of Macross II and Macross Plus on VHS which were released by Manga Video when Harmony Gold was looking the other way (really don't know the story about how it happened, but glad it did). That really cemented my love for the franchise, and the pre-Robotech version (Macross Plus in particular) and made me realize just how much we were missing out on thanks to HG.

[@g.p.ryecroft]

Macross II and Macross Plus are so far removed from the original series that I can imagine Harmony God winking at it. None of the original characters, an obligatory nod to the SDF-1, and UN Spacy were about the only tenuous ties to the '82 series. I enjoyed them both but was disappointed they weren't the Macross sequels fans hoped for, just good independent stories set in the same universe.

[@brian_s_musicfan]

I saw robotech as a kid and fell in love with the Macross saga part of it. Around the year 2015 I came across robotech on a streaming platform. I realize I could probably look up the original show and find listen to the original songs. I fell in love with with the sweet songs sung by the amazing Mari Iijima. I looked her up and discovered she's in Los Angeles still making music. I became a regular to her KZbin channel. I was so blessed to see her perform in Los Angeles. I hope someday I can buy the Macross series.

[@801walt]

Around 1984 sounds about right to me. Robotech ran weekdays on a small cable channel where I lived in Albany, NY, after I knocked off work. I diligently followed it through all 3 series, twice, over the course of a year, which I regarded as Macross, (sing along with MinMay!) The Southern Cross (Dana's butt), and The Invid. One thing I loved about it as a scifi fan (I knew Heinlein's work very well rather than comic books) was that it didn't shortcut the violence. When you fight a war, some heroes die, their loved ones mourn. In the end, Minmay lost Rick to Lisa, and the villians weren't cut and dried evil. It was a struggle over a power source that made the robot machines possible. I certainly would have acquired a Valkyrie model if such a thing was available at the time. It made Sense as a story, even if it was not the original Japanese saga.

[@ScrapKing73]

I’ll give Harmony Good credit for four things: 1) If not for Robotech, most of the world would have forgotten about Mospeada, and especially Southern Cross. 2) The rock-heavy action music in Robotech is considered by many fans to be better than the pop-heavy action music of Macross. 3) Some of the Robotech expanded media (novels, comics, tabletop roleplaying games, video games, etc.) are very good, and I was glad to have enjoyed them. 4) Love or hate the changes they made to the story for Robotech, it deepened the collective lore and inflamed my imagination for a generational story of survival.

[@mikew8126]

I remember watching Robotech as a kid before school at like 5AM. I think it was in a block with Tranzor Z and Voltron. I think it really grabbed my attention because it was the first cartoon I watched that was episodic with an ongoing story. Love all of your videos, I remember all many of the shows to cover and a good number of the toys.

[@PorcoWest]

Dan just wanted to say this series of videos has been amazing as is all your stuff

[@RocketLauncherwithInfiniteAmmo]

Believe it or not, this is actually something I have been wondering a lot about recently, the whole macros saga, and robotech etc, and how it all links, if at all etc, but I just didn’t consciously know I needed it put into a video like this - ideal!

[@knghtbrd]

You can't reconcile Macross and Robotech into each other, but SDF Macross and Robotech Gen 1 are basically identical stories with the latter having some slightly cleaned up language. It's really best to just think of them as parallel worlds that diverge near the end of the series.

[@commanderblaze9gaming397]

I’m so happy everyone has recently started to recognize Macross and coincidentally I started getting my friends involved as everyone else was

[@Neverfate]

Next up the History of Secret Galaxy's History of MACROSS' History of Harmony Gold's History of Robotech's History. It's all coming together. Either that or this mushroom tea is starting to hit.

[@AntoineJenkins80sChild]

Outstanding video Dan! Full of stuff I thought I knew about but actually didn't... it's always awesome to learn something new especially when it is about classic cartoons/anime, toys/action figures and TV shows/movies. That is why your spot is the place to come to for me on KZbin... Always informative and filled with fun dialogue, truly never a dull video.

[@RayShadow278]

The lesson now is pirate the shit out of SDF Macross as well as DYRL, then support the official release of Macross starting from Flashback 2012 all the way to Macross Delta Zettai LIVE!!!!!! through Disney+ Even if I'm not the biggest Disney fan, anything that drums up more excitement for actual Macross and not DYRL is a big plus for me

[@bluesfier7758]

Yes but when will we see it on d+? I want to watch it now

[@BrianofKrypton]

That was awesome. I've been a lifelong Macross fan and I even learned a few new things.

[@sombrashibe]

My first experience with the Macross anime was with the OVA Macross Plus. Voices is still one of my favorite songs

[@sombrashibe]

Or if I'm gonna be technical, seeing Jetfire/Skyfire on Transformers would be technically my first exposure to Macross 😅

[@spikesagitta]

Yeah robotech and macross confused me as a kid. I'm from southeast asia, but my first exposure was to the english dub robotech...and then I watched macross as a teen, and was confused, the machines are the same, but the story was different. Took me many years, and this channel to finally made sense of it XD

[@axelprino]

I've always found it funny that the way I first became aware about the messiness of Robotech's origin was while playing on a famiclone as a kid back in the 90's, a friend of mine had a multicart that had a game called Macross and seconds into playing it I realized that it was basically a Robotech game, my friend that was a lot more into anime than me explained to me than that was because Macross was the original series in Japan and that Robotech was just the translated version.

[@chiissu]

I was born in the late 80s so I missed Robotech, but in the 00s my neighbor who's dad liked Macross, bought Robotech Battlecry and I played a bit on GameCube. Years later I was in college and saw Robotech was giving on The Space Channel. I was curious and checked it out and liked it. Years later I started editing the Robotech Wiki and found a site with the comics and gave em a read and some were pretty good. I reviewed The Shadow Chronicles and saw most of the eps and felt it was good 80s sci fi with real romance that went somewhere instead of having a crush and thats it. The good guys didn't always win and when they did there was often a cost. And unlike star wars and Power Rangers, it wasn't ruined by disney and its retcons.

[@jasonc212]

I was one of a few that saw the uncut versions of this in the U.S. in 1984 due to a Japanese friend's father bringing shows over for my friend to keep up his Japanese. He interpreted it while we watched it. It'd be about 4 months later that I'd see Robotech, but always was Macross first.

[@FavineMoore]

man, The Macross opening theme always gives me goosebumps. Its so good. I also love all the music from the show also.

[@brettdavis1454]

Now to hope for a re-imaging of Macross, as has been done with Yamato

[@Gunsight-One]

This! I would absolutely lose it if they remade the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross but did it in the visual style of Do You Remember Love. That would be amazing!

[@Firedrake-SP]

I honestly believe that Hasbro made a HUGE mistake for using the VF-1 Valkyrie design for Jetfire. They should have made Jetfire as a redeco of Starscream.

[@matthaeusprime6343]

Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper is to me the greatest journey in music. Help was a great foundation for those next three albums.

[@josephlamonica4167]

The wave goodbye to the cat had me laughing. Lol:P

[@takudj]

In Tokyo, it was always on airing on sunday2pm back then. I don’t remember about the reruns. Having a cartoon show on Sunday at 2pm was soooooo random back then since no other cartoon shows were on during that time. It was common for families to be out on leisure Sunday 2pm. Being a big real robot fan, I was very fortunate to accidentally find out by switching on TV. The unfortunate part was I started watching it from the 10th episode. Video rental for anime wasn’t big back then so a go to was a comic book which captured anime show and put it into a comic. I was pleasantly surprised that Macross had become Robotech, mixed with my other favorite shows.

[@72TheScarface]

Macross: Teaches about love Harmony Gold: Teaches about how must everybody hate them

[@zumazmusic]

Thank you for enhancing our protoculture by preserving this history for us. 😎😝

[@JapanSnackAttack]

6:34 "IS IT GUNCANNON?" "YES. OBVIOUSLY" Hahahahahaha I legit laughed out loud at this. Great video as always.

[@seancallaway5204]

I love Robotech. Sorry, not sorry. I grew up watching it. I'd rush home after school to watch every episode before starting my homework. I ALSO love Macross.

[@dmarioisajerk]

Same. I actually like the changes. But i respect and like the original.

[@g.p.ryecroft]

Me three--love 'em both! I'm surprised how closely the two shows parallel with no outrageous or gratuitous changes (compared to Battle of the Planets, which really butchered Gatchaman to make it kid-friendly. Nothing to see here, 7-Zark-7 would interject, nobody got hurt in those robot-controlled planes!. Roy just spilled a little ketchup and was back playing his guitar after Claudia cleaned him up with her tears of joy).

[@seancallaway5204]

@@g.p.ryecroft I agree except for the BotP bit. I guess I'm in an enviable position of growing up in the US in the 70s and 80s. My first exposure to anime was via the US releases of shows like Robotech, BotP, Transformers and Voltron. They fueled my love of Big Stompy Robots (esp. the transformable kind), so once I got older and was exposed to the source material, I could appreciate and grow to love them for what they were. It's kind of the opposite of loving a book and seeing it butchered as a movie adaptation (I'm lookin' at you, "Starship Troopers").

[@g.p.ryecroft]

@@seancallaway5204 Fellow Heinlein fan so I grok what you're talking about. I do love BotP and have happy memories of 7-Zark-7 and 1-Rover-1, and the voices of Casey Kasem, Ronnie Schell, et al. I was just stunned as an older person learning how the show was stripped of its impact to be kid-friendly. That said, I would love to watch some BotP again, loving it for what it is, as you well put it.

[@HeresWhyItsCool]

17:52 hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.... yeah, there's still an little kid in my a bit traumatized by that. But man, I love Macross.... I love Robotech. Epic storytelling. Great video, Secret Galaxy!!!

[@ThinWhiteDork]

Just wanted to join the people asking for a video about the Macross sequels. I'd love that!

[@justinoswald8825]

Am forever disappointed when I talk about the "Power of Love" and no one else hears the musical sting.

[@Belgand]

It's a curious thing.

[@gaburieru22]

I could swear I left a comment about an article I saw in Forbes "Secret Galaxy Does A Handy And Concise Breakdown Of The ‘Macross’ Saga". Maybe it got deleted because of the link to it. Oh, well, doesn't matter if it got deleted. So cool they mentioned you. Awesome video 🔥🔥

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

And here we are again talking about the trainwreck we all love to watch namely ROBOTECH

[@LanEXHikari]

No matter how many videos you make about this influential cult classic, it always adds something interesting. Thank you so much ✌🏼

[@jayglenn837]

Ohhhh that's why Macross, Robotech, & G1 Transformers share so much design language in the toys & cartoon?

[@elvencieprior6968]

Don't forget Battletech

[@MyHandle4455]

Thanks for these videos. You’ve helped the child in me sleep better at night finally knowing the answers to so many questions I’ve had growing up as a fan of these IPs. On a side note, Macross needs to be free from the stain on their legacy that is Robotech. Those who still believe that Robotech has better brand recognition is out of touch with reality. Also, does Shoji Kawamori get the proper respect he deserves for designing some of the most iconic Robot and mech designs in anime history? I had no idea he was responsible for so many.

[@diablorojo3887]

Macross have a huge impact on my as a kid, is the first real robo series to be televised on Brasil in 1994 (we don't get Gundam ultimate the 2000s), Soo is not only success but a iconic staple of television

[@Icy_Igloo]

Great summation...and I love the associated footage!

[@AlexSDU]

I got to know Macross & Mospeada first before Rowboat Tech came. It was in 1986, our national TV channel aired them on Monday & Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, it was Toushou Daimos.

[@thedungeondelver]

Macross > Robotech.

[@davidmreyes77]

I’ll never forgive Hasbro for holding the license exclusive to use the veritech fighter design for Jetfire. Keeping us from getting US Robotech VF-1 transformable toys in America was criminal.

[@coreykirkpatrick4392]

Hasbro??? Um no it was Harmony Gold that did that, They sued Hasbro and won over Jetfire, hence Jetfire is completely different in the Transformers G1 Series than the toy. And Harmony Gold did release transformable toys, but for the most part, they wanted a 3.5" toy line, and The VF-1S they did release was supposed to transform, but Matchbox fell short in production design, and expense, so it didn't transform, but there are elements in the toy design that shows where it would have had the capability.

[@davidmreyes77]

@@coreykirkpatrick4392I think my point was that Hasbro licensed the rights for the 1/55 scale Valkyrie for Jetfire in the toyline (I know Skyfire name and animation wise was totally different in the animated series) which is why we never saw Robotech branded versions it in America at the time. What we got was either non transforming jets and those weird transforming mini VF-1’s that looked like chubby robots.

[@cicadaplum]

No joke, I just finished my first viewing of Macross + DYRL? last night. This video came at the perfect time.

[@ericthompson3982]

You really should take this series of videos about giant fighting robots to its ultimate, insane conclusion: Gary Graham's Robot Jox.

[@UberNoodle]

Studio Nue needs to do a remake of the original series like Yamato got remade. That would get around the Harmony Gold blockade.

[@darkhierophant4914]

This show kind of changed my life. I was used to shows like Scooby Doo, Flintstones, etc. introducing main characters and killing them off was such a departure from the cartoons that were on Saturday morning or after school. I instantly fell in love with this show. I still love it. It's in my top tv shows of all time. Period. I tell people to watch SDF Macross and the original series that made up Robotech. Screw the bastardized western edits of Robotech.

[@8Biit]

I remember running homme from school to watch this show, 4th or 5th grade. Developed my first crush at school, and simultaneously became so invested in the Rick & Minmay plot line my buddy, who rightfully loved the robots, couldn't understand what was wrong with me. LOL... this show still has a piece of my heart today.

[@darkhierophant4914]

@@8Biit i would rush home too. I remember being disappointed after the channel quit airing it because when repeats still aired, I'd watch them religiously anyway. Years later, i still have a sealed on card Rick Hunter.

[@2lobo777]

Hey guys is this corner for the "running home from school to watch Robotech"? Because I belong here too.

[@darkhierophant4914]

@@2lobo777 yep, pull up a chair and share your stories.

[@0PsychosisMedia0]

I remember Speed Racer and G-Force aka Battle Of The Planets (Known in Japan as Ninja Science Team Gatchaman) before Robotech. I knew thoes shows were not American as I read the credits. Didn't know where but definitely not English. Also I could tell from the art style was waaay different.

[@SirFace4]

I've got one of the Planes / Mechs from Robotech, watching this brought back some memories.

[@JamieCottle1]

I still remember when I discovered there was more Macross. Those"internet backalleys" were a pathway to some of the greatest entertainment. Long live Macross! Death to Harmony Gold!

[@bluesfier7758]

That's how I found out about Macross 7 in the late 90's

[@alexsbr7111]

In Italy Robotech was broadcast from 1986 by the private Fininvest television stations (owned by Berlusconi), which traditionally imported many Japanese and American cartoons and sometime also collaborated with Saban Entertainment. However some of the Takatoku toys, like the Valkiries and the Destroid models (the ones to be assembled) had been present in toys store, probably imported directly from Japan, before the broadcast, generating a bit of confusion among us kids. To add further confusion, the catalogs present in these toys included mecha from other series with similar design, such as those related to Galactic Whirlwind Sasuraiger or Orguss, so when the broadcast begin we expected to see them appear sooner or later in Robotech, unaware that they were from other anime unknown here in Italy. A few years later, a publisher specializing in Japanese products, Yamato Edizioni, distributed on home video both Robotech and Macross, as well as some of the latter's sequels and prequels, so the Italian audiance was able to compare both the original Japanese version and the American recut.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

One of my favorite entries in the Macross saga is one that was retroactively made non-canon: Macross II: Lovers Again.

[@g.p.ryecroft]

OrangeCat, Me too! Way better than Macross Plus, which didn't even feel like Macross to me. As for it being made non-canon/parallel world, who or what self-appointed anime magisterium determines that? For me, Macross II is as canonical as any of the shows. The argument for it being apocrypha because the original creator wasn't involved is ridiculous. Is every Avengers or Spiderman story non-canon because Stan Lee didn't write it? Glad to meet a fellow fan of the much-maligned Macross II.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

@@g.p.ryecroft To me, it belongs in the same canon as DYRL, because Silvie says she's part Meltrandi on her mother's's side of the family. Meltrandi were mentioned in DYRL, but not the series.

[@darkalman]

Macross, Robotech, Battletech, and Anime fans in general all agree on one thing: F*** Harmony Gold

[@Junkosei100]

"My time to be a star" is not the song you are looking for.