How respected is Yoko Kanno? I brought a Macross Plus art book to Otakon 2023 for Shoji Kawamori to sign. I showed him that Yoko Kanno also signed the book back in 1999, and aftwr seeing it he stopped, smiled, and showed the assistants her signature.
@@arthurdotson9579 Yer i always found it weird how the OVA series and the movie where completely different and a few things were swapped around, because in the movie the battle with the ghost was just a quick crash, but in the OVA it's a 1-3 minute fight of seeing what happens when the limiters fully come off and it was intense.
Hayter played Dyson in the 4th episode, at least in the American released dub. Cranston (and the rest of the original cast) remain in the international release. Something about music rights issues or something.
This stands alone, to me, as a perfect OVA. Animation, voice work, story and THAT SOUNDTRACK are just absolutely timeless. 10/10 would fly with Dyson again.
In the first crash, Bowman doesn't turn off the thought control system. He briefly fantasized about what would happen if he employed downward momentum and has a surprised look when it happens. I believe this was a flaw in the system that Bowman, being self delusional already, chocked off to being an accident or glitch. Bowman is interesting because his mixed heritage has some serious side effects. His aggression is spiked and he struggles to restrain. Ultimately resorting to medication. Likely something akin to psychotropics. This is likely why he thought it was perfectly ok to load a live round. "Ya, sure we are just training. It's not like I'll actually use it... Maybe if he does something first".
The Earth atmosphere descent scene with Information high playing is still one of if not my favorite anime scene ever, and it gives me goosebumps everytime.
Great video! You misinterpreted the Bowman "accident" scene though - he *feels* like hurting Isamu, and he immediately realizes that the plane will act on his thoughts, that's why he switches to manual to *prevent* it. Although, not entirely successfully. That's a commentary on the perils of hooking tech to your mind, opening the gate to several levels of consciousness.
This and Do you Remember Love is peak Macross. Thank you for bringing more attention to Macross and Mcross Plus great video and coverage of the OVA recommend watching the movie too. Side note, when Gould crashed Isamu's plane after being rescued, it actually was an accident. When he was saying the thought control system needs adjusting he was telling the truth, thinking about how he could crash the plane was misinterpreted as an action by the computer, which is why he looked surprised when it happened. Also if you want to look into something interesting, look up who performed the singing for Sharon Apple and see what the results are 😊
M+ is one of the best mecha medias in existence. It's fun cause Kawamori model it the flight competition after the Lockheed YF-22 vs the Northrop VF-23 program that eventually lead to Lockheed winning and producing the F-22 Raptor. EG it was more of a head to head contract trial for all the marbles.
Thanks! This is one of the few OVAs where you'll enjoy the 4 episodes or the movie just the same, there's very minor differences, but worth watching both. I have fond memories of watching the movie on VHS at a friend's house and playing VF-X 2 on his ps1. I personally love the design of the YF-21 over the YF-19. Well I hope you go back into Macross and maybe do Zero or 7 next.
Im glad to hear the movie version holds up just as well as the OVA, really a spectacular series. I'm mulling over doing Macross Zero in the next month or so, the story looks really interesting. Thanks again, cheers!
Ok, now that I've finished watching it; you REALLY need to watch the movie version of Macross Plus. There are enough differences to justify the watch. I actually like it a bit better than the OVA as it flushes out more background & the relationships. There's seggs. Beyond that I won't ruin the other changes made. One thing I'll point out is the drugs Guld takes are to suppress his natural Zentradi violent tendencies. A la call back to the 2nd half of OG Macross. Also very important is that Shinichiro Watanabe was a director, though Kawamori was the chief director.
Yoko Kanno is a musical genius. Every series she's composed music for has its own unique sound. The character designs for Macross Plus is al ogorgeous. I believe the same character designer from Gundam 0083 & Cowboy Bebop.
@@stephenschaffenberger6765 I've found that Kanno's work goes beyond Williams. She drew inspiration from _Holst,_ resulting in something that is quite similar to Williams's work, but divergent in just the right places.
The Movie Edition of Macross Plus is also incredible. They shorten it considerably, while also re-editing some scenes and adding some new ones. They also add a lot more detail to certain sequences. I personally think it's better. The pacing of the story is a lot better, and while some of the missing scenes did add a little bit of flavor, the additions and the more focused plot are a definite improvement.
M+ is permanently fixed in my memory after I heard "Voices" for the first time at 2 AM. This was a few years after the dub came out. The fact I have a vivid impression of the room still says something.
OMG YES!!! You are MY people! I know one other person that aI can talk about that series with and that's only because we're both OLD AF and have watched the original series from '73...🥴
@@Retcon404 also, I think the movie version is just different enough to be worth watching and a young Brian Cranston is the English voice actor for Isamu...
So glad that you finally got to watch this and that you've enjoyed it so much! The dedication and roll-in of Yoko Kanno's soundtrack at the beginning of the first episode never fails to give me goosebumps. Don't sleep on the movie version of Plus either, it is very worthwhile to watch on its own. Fair warning, Macross 7 is a very very different kettle of fish... My best advice is just to luxuriate in the nineties'esness of it all and power through it.
Step one get Macross 7 boxset. Watch episode 1. Step 2 cry When you Realize they combined a Magical Girl show with MACROSS. Step 3 Cry in horror that it wasn't a fever dream. Step 4. through tantrum when you realize the series never quiet recovers from diaster and Music is now "MAGIC" literal not figurative but Literal magic in Macross.
@@michaelkenny7314 Step one borrow Macross 7 boxset from someone. Watch episode 1. Then don't fall for the "But it can't all really *that* bad, can it?" trap, give the boxed set back, read the wiki page on it instead and go watch something more entertaining and intellectually stimulating, like, say, a TV test pattern. Your spared brain cells will thank you for it. #FTFY 😁😅
@@andrewkos5560 Step 6 fly into Rage when Gamlin is not the MC the hippie passifist peacock is Basara & HE gets the VF-19 equiped with a guitar hero flight control system. Then Flys into a miltary operations pulling operation Minmay On the FRONT LINES of his own colony fleet. Getting in the way of HIS own sides defense forces and the enemy probably getting CDF pilots killed. AND HE GETS AWAY WITH IT!!!! You spend the entire series waiting for reality to catch up and hope for some god dammed charcter growth or a return to sanity that was Macross Plus. Just skip Macross 7 except for the episode Fleet of strongest Women. Where you see the Justin Bieber effect weaponized against Giant Amazon Zentradi.
If you're going to be reviewing Macross 7 right after this, then I just wanna warn you of the extreme tonal shift, haha. Macross 7 is a bit like "Hair Metal Mecha" which really toes the line between campy and serious.
If you can't accept the idea of saving the universe through the power of ROCK, then you're gonna have a hard time with Macross 7. I think it's great, tho. Different in tone, but still great.
Loved the Macross 7 intro, the storyline, the overpowered enemies and ofcourse, the mechs especially Millia and Max's late appearance mechs that was the VF-23 Sturmvogel which were based on the YF-21 from M+
I first saw this in its movie format back in 2000. It was awesome, and still holds up to this day! And the qualit of the music AND visuals, and how they blend together to amaze the viewer....HOT DAMN!!!!
Macross Plus is actually the anime that got me into anime in the first place, specifically Kanno's soundtrack. Ironically, it was about 3 months before I left Japan.
Man I love your videos I share your sentiments so often and I I'm thrilled to see such a channel like yours dedicated to Mecha anime dude love the humor love the tidbits love the info keep up the stupendous work man
It's kinda hard for me to describe how much of an influence Macross Plus has on me. I was around 8 years old and browsing some games at a games store and the Macross Plus game for PS1 was running, I saw the amazing opening animation and was completely fascinated by it. I bought the game just for that, and since the it was a Japanese game, no localization whatsoever, I didn't understand a single word, but the music, the animation and the gameplay made me fall in love with it. I was completely fascinated by the music, the animation and the little bits of story I tried to guess. Fast forward about 7 to 8 years, kept looking for the anime all that time and I finally found the OVA at an anime store and bought it right then and there, watched the whole thing in one sitting as soon as I got home. This time, I could understand the story since there were subtitles and was actually surprised at how much of the story I managed to guess just from the anime cutscenes from the game. And what a story that was, at the time I was around 16, early 2000s, internet was barely a thing but I've been watching anime since forever on TV, but this was the first "mature" story I've seen in an anime. All that time being fascinated by a piece of media I didn't even fully understand, and I finally managed to enjoy it fully after 8 years of search. My taste in music, animation, storytelling, and heck, even my passion for aviation and mecha all came from all of this journey of mine with Macross Plus. That PS1 game introduced me to Yoko Kanno, I still listen to Macross Plus' soundtrack to this day, still my favorite of Yoko's. Even after watching other anime, playing other games, listening to other amazing soundtracks from games and anime and movies and all that, Macross Plus still lives rent free in my head, and it will probably be that way till the end of my days.
It upsets me that I only now really cottoned on to the allusion of Sharon Apple being introduced to New Eden. Also, in retrospect - especially after seeing the rest of the Macross franchise - it's kind of bizarre to see music presented as a weapon used against the protagonists, one that enraptures the senses like a Siren. Music's usually a powerful force for harmony and mutual understanding, with pop music + transforming jet fighter mecha being what makes Macross Macross. I suppose the idea in Plus is that the synthetic nature of Sharon's music is a corruption of Myung's spirit, or something to that effect.
OG super dimensional fortress macross is one of my all-time favorite series. I had no idea that this second iteration even existed. Thanks, gonna enjoy this.
there's a reason many fans consider it as the "Top Gun" of anime. You could sneak in Kenny Loggin's "Danger Zone" into all the flight scenes and it would fit right in, plus Isamu Dyson's character is like a mirror image of Tom Cruise's Maverick
One thing not mentioned is that this was codirected by Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame. And the redux version movie is credited as being directed by him with less Kawamori. Then, he did Bebop. And Yoko Kanno kind of became his go to music maker. Also. If you loved the trippy concert sequence, then you need to look up Koji Morimoto that made that bit. He has a long history of doing trippy animation that bends viewing brains. And he was one of the cofounders of Studio 4° where he made the Genius Party anthology movie entry Dimension Bomb that is my favorite work by him. You might have also seen Animatrix where he did The Beyond, the one where a girl looks for her cat and finds kids playing at a "haunted"/glitching house.
Heh. Any stages in a Super Robot Wars game that have the last episode of Macross Plus as its focus (first part of Stage 9 of Alpha Gaiden and somewhere in the mid 20s of Alpha 3) are some of the most infuriating stages due to the absolute dodgyness of the Ghosts...
Macross Plus as well as the Macross Plus Movie cut deep into that emotion deeply imprinted into my soul by Macross/Robotech. Thank you for mentioning Gundam: War in The Pocket as a great one-off equivalent of the Original Anime Series they both respectively followed up on. Kind regards from an old Macross/Robotech and to a certain extent, Gundam fan.
So I watched the movie not the OVA, I believe the movie cut some parts out. What I gathered from the movie: Bowman: Stoic; but is having trouble fighting his personal demons. Dyson: Charismatic; but a jerk Myung: Some hot chick that other guys fight over . They all had something going for them, I personally liked Bowman more than Isamu because he came across as more mature. I think calling Isamu narcist was abit strong; yes he was selfish and cocky at times but was willing to prioritize Myung's life over his when he tried to save her. While Bowman didn't apologize to Myung; he did sacrifice his life for both Myung and Isamu. So you can take it how you like, but I think a friend sacrificing their life to protect me is the ultimate apology. Enjoyed the video! I think I'm willing to give this series a shot again because man Mac + was an emotional rollercoaster!
I originally got a copy of Macross Plus back in the "Fansub" VHS days (those who don't know, please look it up.) Still to this day, the English dub is still my favorite version, it's like DBZ the og Japanese script/VA just isn't as impacting.
This was my mecha awakening almost thirty years ago. My sister got sent a bootleg VHS from some guy she met online and it became mine. So thanks to my sister, that dude and I guess Prodigy internet, too. I think the movie version also deserves a watch. It has some changes from the OVA and the YF-21 vs. X-9 Ghost duel is done better, in my opinion.
Macross Plus is great! The Movie Edition, where they edited the 4 episodes into a feature length film with some changes and new animation is a must see. I hope now that the Harmany Gold nonsense is FINALLY behind us, I hope we start seeing Macross streaming.
Epitome of Futuristic techno mecha anime. None shall ever surpass this. The theme of AI is ever more pertinent today and proves this anime was way beyond its time
great review.. saw this years ago and cracks me up that their take on AI and manipulation is err... our lives now! Good job pointing out how ahead of their time anime can be!
M+ is the Top Gun Maverick of anime. It took everything we loved about Macross and cranked the volume up above 9,000. Saw it as a kid and it's still great to this day.
In the movie version, they fill a plot hole (heh) that Isamu was busy sleeping with Lucy and didn't get that weird phone call and that is why he didn't help. Plus Movie Edition is kind of the superior version of the story in my opinion.
They cut some of the best action parts of the 4 part ova. Like the beginning fights, the yf19 vs yf22 fights etc. You do NOT, cut some of the greatest mecha fights in anime history from a compilation movie version of an ova. Unforgivable.
Guld's sacrifice is cool in the OVA. But it's incredible in the movie. The somber Cello music while they are screaming through the air so fast that it peels the paint off of their jets.... It's amazing
I haven’t seen all of macross or all of gundam but I have always said macross plus always felt like the 08th ms team of macross… idk it kind of had the same feel to me or I guess with releases maybe vise versa… but yeah I remember this series very fondly! Great video!
This anime and Ghost in the Shell that both came out in the mid-90s was what hooked me in to anime. And Voices is quite the haunting music for something that's not even in English.
22:20 I believe it was part of the plot that Bowman was taking the drugs to supress a part of his Zentraedi physiology that made him lose his shit, and Myung and Izamu were covering for him after he lost his shit back in highschool. There is even a scene where Miller covers up a toxicology report about Bowman, unless that was specific to the movie version of the OVAs.
I hope you cover Macross: Do You Remember Love. Its an amazing movie summery of the last bits of the original Macross. It has mind blowing visuals especially for somthing made in 1984.
As a child, I would run home just to watch Robotech, then I saw Macross the movie on Vhs rental and was blown away. I remember going to see Macross + at the Key theater in Georgetown Washington DC. I was lucky to see independent movies played there. I saw Akira there also around the late 80s to 90s was some of the best anime (my personal opinion) Gen X baby
Great that you enjoyed Macross Plus. This is one of the (if not the) best entries in Macross franchise. After that you might want to check out Macross Zero OVA which is a prequel to 1982. TV series and after that - Macross Frontier both TV and 2 movie editions which are different. Macross 7 is a mixed bag, you have been told it here already. Delta .. uff ... Macross Delta is so far the weakest entry in the series mostly trying to be another Frontier. Also has a movie compilation and sequel movie. And finally - there is small standalone OVA called Macross Flashback 2012 parts of which you can actually see during end titles of Do You Remember Love? movie. It concludes story of Hikary, Misa and Minmay showing them leaving Earth on year 2012 aboard the new SDF-2 Megaroad-01. Mostly it is a music video to the Minmay songs with some new animation at the end showing takeoff of Megardoad-01 and Hikary flying in his new VF-4 Lightning III Small note: Unfortunately you seem to have total aversion towards compilation movies and you have ignored quite a lot - First Gundam trilogy, both SEED show compilation movies - 3 parts and 4 parts for SEED and SEED Destiny respectively, Macross Do You Remember Love? and this one - Macross Plus movie edition. Not all compilation movies are alike, for example Macross Do You Remember Love? is considered to be an in-universe movie about the events of the first Macross TV show. It's made in 1984 - two years after TV series and retells story of episodes 6-29 in a bit different style and slightly changed story, plus since it is a movie version and not episode compilation, animation is simply gorgeous and still stands out today. Macross Plus also received movie treatment, because Kawamore was not satisfied with the OVA story. Some events are cut, some rearranged and ending is extended significantly. You should definitely check it out and compare to the OVA version. They are two different things with fandom being divided which is the definitive version although Kawamori himself says that movie version is a definite one. Movie version has no dub.
The reason I don't do compilation movies is because I just don't want to watch the same content twice if I'm being perfectly honest. Once I'm done with a show I just need to move on to different content or ill burn out during the writing phase. But, I have nothing against them as a concept, and I do plan on watching Do You Remember Love and the Ideon ones at some point. Cheers!
@@Retcon404 i agree that compilation movies are mixed bag and quite often they are just like that - TV series spliced together with maybe few minutes of new animation to cover cut out material. But not all compilation movies are like that. Quite often they do retell TV show story in different style with updated animation, sometimes even without using a single frame from TV series like Macross Do You Remember Love? and both Macross Frontier movies i mentioned.
First saw this with friends in the early 90’s. Fell in love with Sharon Apple. Have both cds and have “Pulse” and “Information high” on my phone’s playlist.
Macross Plus is definitely peak. I wish the newer shows kept up this style and respect for phsyics. Some parts in Frontier movies and Delta action is cut and sped up so fast I can't make out what is even happening. I do wish Plus had a "complete" version which has the intro of the 4 part OVA but the movie's final parts. I love that we're now getting new model kits for the YF-21 and YF-19.
In 2004 HBO showed Macross 2 and Plus back-to-back. I was really confused, I just assumed Plus was a prequel to 2. The SDF-1/Macross gets destroyed near the end of 2 with just the bridge surviving. Iirc, 2 is canon, but it's an in-universe movie.
Plus is one of the greats. Some of the behind the scenes stuff is wild. A bunch of the animation team actually went to the real Edwards Airforce base to get some location research and experience in the air in 2 seater training planes. One of the animators wanted to know what it felt like to be in a high g turn and accidentally blacked himself out after the air force pilot gave him the controls. He woke up on the ground with a very pissed off pilot screaming at him and in between bouts of throwing up was forced to write down notes of what the experience was like by his senior animators. Also as other people have said, check out the movie edition if only to watch the extended final dogfight they added for the finale.
It was Kawamori and Itano themselves that went to Edwards A.B. Itano fainted because of the high G maneuvers an experiencing how the aircraft acted in ral dog fight situations.
Plus and Orguss 02 were the last Super Dimension shows I purchased on VHS back in the mid 90's. Wish I had more income to complete them both back then. I enjoyed watching them but didn't engage in mailorder for anime. If it was available at the local comics store and I had money, I told them to shut up and take it!
So i want to say this, Macross Plus was my introduction to Macross, i never watch Robotech or at least i don't remember having watch Robotech before, tho i knew that Robotech was a thing that existed...somehow? BUT, i remember having watch Macross Plus in the earlier 2000s, one of my older cousins have this box full of complete official and absolutly not fake anime DVDs and he hand me some of them and one of those was Macross Plus (alongside Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, the first Street Fighter Alpha anime movie & Amon, The Apocalypse of Devilman), and i love it, but i love it because of 2 things, the super crazy animation and the music, with the song know as "Information High" being one of my absolute favorite anime songs to be ever made, with that being said, i never care much about the story and it was until the mid 2000s that, thanks to the power of the internet, i get know that Macross was a franchise and that M+ was just one entry of it...and i never care about it, im a Gundam fan, mainly thanks to Gundam Wing in Toonami during the 90s, so I never care much about the other popular and important japanese mecha anime with the transformable jets, that being said, i still appreciate M+ for being part of my (weird) childhood none the less.
Kawamori originally didnt want to make sequels to Macross. At the time he felt that SDF Macross was a one and done thing. By the early 90's, he was already cooking up ideas for an anime, until Big West convinced him to make Macross Plus (and then Macross 7). Some of the unused designs from his 'Air Cavalry' concepts were later repurposed and reused in Macross 7 and Vision of Escaflowne.
Ah one point, guld does not crash isamu into the desert on purpose. He is thinking about it and the BDI system follows his instructions, not realizing its an errant thought. He takes the blame with isamu to make it look like he'll do anything, but then he brings it up to millard later that he thinks there might be a fault in the BDI, before covering it up. I adore Macross Plus :) It's got everything ;)
Oh Gundam age, the video game that got turned into a full series, I think it probably would have been better as an OVA, with like three episodes per age. still I got to admit the enemy suit designs are pretty unique
I'd love to see a retrospective on Macross Frontier as well! It's a love letter to the Macross franchise and honestly is the last "good" Macross show in my opinion. Delta failed to live up to the quality set by previous entries. I'm a bit biased as I watched way too many Lion AMVs in highschool.
How respected is Yoko Kanno? I brought a Macross Plus art book to Otakon 2023 for Shoji Kawamori to sign. I showed him that Yoko Kanno also signed the book back in 1999, and aftwr seeing it he stopped, smiled, and showed the assistants her signature.
The scene of them entering Earth's atmosphere while Information High plays is the peak of the media, this OVA is just incredible.
Watch the movie version! That dog fight gets even more intense!
You can't help but cheer Isamu and Yang on as they enter the atmosphere whilst Sharon lures the people of Earth into a trance. Such a great setpiece!
The Dogfight music in the movie during the fight on earth was......chef's kiss.
I ride my OneWheel XR while booming yoko kanno, along with GitS.
@@arthurdotson9579 Yer i always found it weird how the OVA series and the movie where completely different and a few things were swapped around, because in the movie the battle with the ghost was just a quick crash, but in the OVA it's a 1-3 minute fight of seeing what happens when the limiters fully come off and it was intense.
Worth mentioning too that the dub for Macross Plus has Bryan Cranston as Dyson. The dub is a really good one as well.
I said the same and David Hayder was Bernie in war in the pocket....those two rock in whatever they do
Only for the first 3 episodes. They changed almost all the voice talent for the last episode.
@@bryfunkenstein I couldn't tell, to be honest. Still, it is cool that Bryan Cranston (as "Lee Stone") worked on a few anime dubs back in the 1990s.
Hayter played Dyson in the 4th episode, at least in the American released dub. Cranston (and the rest of the original cast) remain in the international release. Something about music rights issues or something.
This stands alone, to me, as a perfect OVA. Animation, voice work, story and THAT SOUNDTRACK are just absolutely timeless. 10/10 would fly with Dyson again.
And you gotta love the designs for the YF-19 and the YF-21 (which resembles the real-life YF-23).
Agreed.
@user-hq7js2wf7h In order I believe Macross Zero is the first. It shows the debut of the transforming Veritech fighter.
In the first crash, Bowman doesn't turn off the thought control system. He briefly fantasized about what would happen if he employed downward momentum and has a surprised look when it happens.
I believe this was a flaw in the system that Bowman, being self delusional already, chocked off to being an accident or glitch.
Bowman is interesting because his mixed heritage has some serious side effects. His aggression is spiked and he struggles to restrain. Ultimately resorting to medication. Likely something akin to psychotropics.
This is likely why he thought it was perfectly ok to load a live round. "Ya, sure we are just training. It's not like I'll actually use it... Maybe if he does something first".
The Earth atmosphere descent scene with Information high playing is still one of if not my favorite anime scene ever, and it gives me goosebumps everytime.
Great video! You misinterpreted the Bowman "accident" scene though - he *feels* like hurting Isamu, and he immediately realizes that the plane will act on his thoughts, that's why he switches to manual to *prevent* it. Although, not entirely successfully. That's a commentary on the perils of hooking tech to your mind, opening the gate to several levels of consciousness.
This and Do you Remember Love is peak Macross. Thank you for bringing more attention to Macross and Mcross Plus great video and coverage of the OVA recommend watching the movie too.
Side note, when Gould crashed Isamu's plane after being rescued, it actually was an accident.
When he was saying the thought control system needs adjusting he was telling the truth, thinking about how he could crash the plane was misinterpreted as an action by the computer, which is why he looked surprised when it happened.
Also if you want to look into something interesting, look up who performed the singing for Sharon Apple and see what the results are 😊
It was not an accident, lol.
M+ is one of the best mecha medias in existence. It's fun cause Kawamori model it the flight competition after the Lockheed YF-22 vs the Northrop VF-23 program that eventually lead to Lockheed winning and producing the F-22 Raptor. EG it was more of a head to head contract trial for all the marbles.
When I was a kid this is the OVA that made me want to be a fighter pilot. I so wanted to be Isamu Alva Dyson. One of the all time great anime.
Thanks! This is one of the few OVAs where you'll enjoy the 4 episodes or the movie just the same, there's very minor differences, but worth watching both. I have fond memories of watching the movie on VHS at a friend's house and playing VF-X 2 on his ps1. I personally love the design of the YF-21 over the YF-19. Well I hope you go back into Macross and maybe do Zero or 7 next.
Im glad to hear the movie version holds up just as well as the OVA, really a spectacular series. I'm mulling over doing Macross Zero in the next month or so, the story looks really interesting. Thanks again, cheers!
Ok, now that I've finished watching it; you REALLY need to watch the movie version of Macross Plus. There are enough differences to justify the watch. I actually like it a bit better than the OVA as it flushes out more background & the relationships. There's seggs. Beyond that I won't ruin the other changes made.
One thing I'll point out is the drugs Guld takes are to suppress his natural Zentradi violent tendencies. A la call back to the 2nd half of OG Macross.
Also very important is that Shinichiro Watanabe was a director, though Kawamori was the chief director.
I was going to address that as well!
Definitely agree with everything said here. There's even a new concert scene on Earth! Ideal way to watch M+ IMO is first three OVAs then the movie
“Idol Talk” by Sharon Apple does hit the dopamine part of my brain pretty hard. I think it’s one of the best songs ever produced.
I was in love with "Information High" back in the 90's. Even bought both OST CD's, which were ridiculously expensive as they were imports
@@broodo1 I have it on my wantlist, itd be so fun to ride around bumpin’ it
@@Slychosis. music.ua-cam.com/play/OLAK5uy_n4wAILSoDMeTpM3Rk3yPEOfYUFsYsg0Qs.html&si=1u1hjV7bP-3Rhw03
Yoko Kanno is a musical genius. Every series she's composed music for has its own unique sound. The character designs for Macross Plus is al ogorgeous. I believe the same character designer from Gundam 0083 & Cowboy Bebop.
I think Vision of Escaflowne is her best work. It's on par with a John Williams OST.
0083 is the macross of gundam....
@@stephenschaffenberger6765 I've found that Kanno's work goes beyond Williams. She drew inspiration from _Holst,_ resulting in something that is quite similar to Williams's work, but divergent in just the right places.
The Movie Edition of Macross Plus is also incredible. They shorten it considerably, while also re-editing some scenes and adding some new ones. They also add a lot more detail to certain sequences. I personally think it's better. The pacing of the story is a lot better, and while some of the missing scenes did add a little bit of flavor, the additions and the more focused plot are a definite improvement.
M+ is permanently fixed in my memory after I heard "Voices" for the first time at 2 AM. This was a few years after the dub came out.
The fact I have a vivid impression of the room still says something.
yee.! Yes! YES!!!
Macross Plus!
I was not ready for this. One of ... if not the greatest entry in the franchise.
Thank you
Casshern Sins is a masterpiece that I never hear anyone talk about, highly recommend
OMG YES!!! You are MY people! I know one other person that aI can talk about that series with and that's only because we're both OLD AF and have watched the original series from '73...🥴
I was so looking forward to this video from you (as I watch this 5 months late). Great work and Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@Retcon404 also, I think the movie version is just different enough to be worth watching and a young Brian Cranston is the English voice actor for Isamu...
So glad that you finally got to watch this and that you've enjoyed it so much! The dedication and roll-in of Yoko Kanno's soundtrack at the beginning of the first episode never fails to give me goosebumps. Don't sleep on the movie version of Plus either, it is very worthwhile to watch on its own.
Fair warning, Macross 7 is a very very different kettle of fish... My best advice is just to luxuriate in the nineties'esness of it all and power through it.
Step one get Macross 7 boxset. Watch episode 1. Step 2 cry When you Realize they combined a Magical Girl show with MACROSS. Step 3 Cry in horror that it wasn't a fever dream. Step 4. through tantrum when you realize the series never quiet recovers from diaster and Music is now "MAGIC" literal not figurative but Literal magic in Macross.
@@michaelkenny7314
Step one borrow Macross 7 boxset from someone. Watch episode 1. Then don't fall for the "But it can't all really *that* bad, can it?" trap, give the boxed set back, read the wiki page on it instead and go watch something more entertaining and intellectually stimulating, like, say, a TV test pattern. Your spared brain cells will thank you for it.
#FTFY 😁😅
@@michaelkenny7314 Step 5: Bask in Fire Bomber and best boy Gamlin
@@andrewkos5560 Step 6 fly into Rage when Gamlin is not the MC the hippie passifist peacock is Basara & HE gets the VF-19 equiped with a guitar hero flight control system. Then Flys into a miltary operations pulling operation Minmay On the FRONT LINES of his own colony fleet. Getting in the way of HIS own sides defense forces and the enemy probably getting CDF pilots killed. AND HE GETS AWAY WITH IT!!!! You spend the entire series waiting for reality to catch up and hope for some god dammed charcter growth or a return to sanity that was Macross Plus. Just skip Macross 7 except for the episode Fleet of strongest Women. Where you see the Justin Bieber effect weaponized against Giant Amazon Zentradi.
Step 7: Cry at the end of Macross 7 Dynamite
If you're going to be reviewing Macross 7 right after this, then I just wanna warn you of the extreme tonal shift, haha. Macross 7 is a bit like "Hair Metal Mecha" which really toes the line between campy and serious.
If you can't accept the idea of saving the universe through the power of ROCK, then you're gonna have a hard time with Macross 7.
I think it's great, tho. Different in tone, but still great.
I literally just finished watching Macross 7 last month and it is so weird, was glad to get follow ups with Maximilian and Millia though.
Loved the Macross 7 intro, the storyline, the overpowered enemies and ofcourse, the mechs especially Millia and Max's late appearance mechs that was the VF-23 Sturmvogel which were based on the YF-21 from M+
Great review. Macross Plus is one of my favorites. It had so many talented people working on it.
I first saw this in its movie format back in 2000. It was awesome, and still holds up to this day! And the qualit of the music AND visuals, and how they blend together to amaze the viewer....HOT DAMN!!!!
The MOVIE is one of the arguably greatest animes of all time. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing, and I still listen to it to this day. CREAM PUFF!
Macross Plus is actually the anime that got me into anime in the first place, specifically Kanno's soundtrack. Ironically, it was about 3 months before I left Japan.
I have to admit, the “I wanna stop and thank today’s sponsor… ME MF!” got me good. Take that like, you King 😂
Inspiration for Macross Delta Absolute Live, from the side of the AI tech
Yo man, I'm still looking for a Big-O retrospective! Hope to see it soon!!
Seconded
Yes, I too am food of the Megadeus.
My all time favorite Anime. Thanks for giving it more exposure! Amazing as always!
Man I love your videos I share your sentiments so often and I I'm thrilled to see such a channel like yours dedicated to Mecha anime dude love the humor love the tidbits love the info keep up the stupendous work man
It's kinda hard for me to describe how much of an influence Macross Plus has on me. I was around 8 years old and browsing some games at a games store and the Macross Plus game for PS1 was running, I saw the amazing opening animation and was completely fascinated by it. I bought the game just for that, and since the it was a Japanese game, no localization whatsoever, I didn't understand a single word, but the music, the animation and the gameplay made me fall in love with it.
I was completely fascinated by the music, the animation and the little bits of story I tried to guess. Fast forward about 7 to 8 years, kept looking for the anime all that time and I finally found the OVA at an anime store and bought it right then and there, watched the whole thing in one sitting as soon as I got home. This time, I could understand the story since there were subtitles and was actually surprised at how much of the story I managed to guess just from the anime cutscenes from the game. And what a story that was, at the time I was around 16, early 2000s, internet was barely a thing but I've been watching anime since forever on TV, but this was the first "mature" story I've seen in an anime.
All that time being fascinated by a piece of media I didn't even fully understand, and I finally managed to enjoy it fully after 8 years of search. My taste in music, animation, storytelling, and heck, even my passion for aviation and mecha all came from all of this journey of mine with Macross Plus. That PS1 game introduced me to Yoko Kanno, I still listen to Macross Plus' soundtrack to this day, still my favorite of Yoko's. Even after watching other anime, playing other games, listening to other amazing soundtracks from games and anime and movies and all that, Macross Plus still lives rent free in my head, and it will probably be that way till the end of my days.
I saw this on tv visiting my aunt in Cali in 2000. Loved this shit! Thanks for refreshing my recollection
Im still gonna ask for Big O but dude macross plus was such a good choice for a video thank you.
man the movie cut of the yf-21 vs ghost fight is so much more extreme.
It upsets me that I only now really cottoned on to the allusion of Sharon Apple being introduced to New Eden. Also, in retrospect - especially after seeing the rest of the Macross franchise - it's kind of bizarre to see music presented as a weapon used against the protagonists, one that enraptures the senses like a Siren. Music's usually a powerful force for harmony and mutual understanding, with pop music + transforming jet fighter mecha being what makes Macross Macross. I suppose the idea in Plus is that the synthetic nature of Sharon's music is a corruption of Myung's spirit, or something to that effect.
OG super dimensional fortress macross is one of my all-time favorite series. I had no idea that this second iteration even existed. Thanks, gonna enjoy this.
there's a reason many fans consider it as the "Top Gun" of anime. You could sneak in Kenny Loggin's "Danger Zone" into all the flight scenes and it would fit right in, plus Isamu Dyson's character is like a mirror image of Tom Cruise's Maverick
Fun fact Dyson appears later on and you'd be surprised in what he flies.
One thing not mentioned is that this was codirected by Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame. And the redux version movie is credited as being directed by him with less Kawamori. Then, he did Bebop. And Yoko Kanno kind of became his go to music maker.
Also. If you loved the trippy concert sequence, then you need to look up Koji Morimoto that made that bit. He has a long history of doing trippy animation that bends viewing brains. And he was one of the cofounders of Studio 4° where he made the Genius Party anthology movie entry Dimension Bomb that is my favorite work by him. You might have also seen Animatrix where he did The Beyond, the one where a girl looks for her cat and finds kids playing at a "haunted"/glitching house.
Heh. Any stages in a Super Robot Wars game that have the last episode of Macross Plus as its focus (first part of Stage 9 of Alpha Gaiden and somewhere in the mid 20s of Alpha 3) are some of the most infuriating stages due to the absolute dodgyness of the Ghosts...
Macross Plus as well as the Macross Plus Movie cut deep into that emotion deeply imprinted into my soul by Macross/Robotech. Thank you for mentioning Gundam: War in The Pocket as a great one-off equivalent of the Original Anime Series they both respectively followed up on. Kind regards from an old Macross/Robotech and to a certain extent, Gundam fan.
More Macross, please. Especially frontier and delta.
Xabungle and Dougram are good series to cover too
Xabungle has the best name ever tbh
@@Retcon404 the theme song is pretty fire too
I saw your 0083 review first and noticed you did Macross as well. Good stuff man!
Great recap! I forgot all about this anime but it’s still a good one. Thanks for the vids. 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
So I watched the movie not the OVA, I believe the movie cut some parts out. What I gathered from the movie:
Bowman: Stoic; but is having trouble fighting his personal demons.
Dyson: Charismatic; but a jerk
Myung: Some hot chick that other guys fight over .
They all had something going for them, I personally liked Bowman more than Isamu because he came across as more mature. I think calling Isamu narcist was abit strong; yes he was selfish and cocky at times but was willing to prioritize Myung's life over his when he tried to save her. While Bowman didn't apologize to Myung; he did sacrifice his life for both Myung and Isamu. So you can take it how you like, but I think a friend sacrificing their life to protect me is the ultimate apology. Enjoyed the video! I think I'm willing to give this series a shot again because man Mac + was an emotional rollercoaster!
I originally got a copy of Macross Plus back in the "Fansub" VHS days (those who don't know, please look it up.) Still to this day, the English dub is still my favorite version, it's like DBZ the og Japanese script/VA just isn't as impacting.
I still have my MACROSS PLUS VHS tapes from Manga Video...gads, I need to get a DVD/Blu-ray release!😅 And yes, the dub is amazing.
This was my mecha awakening almost thirty years ago. My sister got sent a bootleg VHS from some guy she met online and it became mine. So thanks to my sister, that dude and I guess Prodigy internet, too.
I think the movie version also deserves a watch. It has some changes from the OVA and the YF-21 vs. X-9 Ghost duel is done better, in my opinion.
The dogfight over Earth with the "Dogfight" music playing is what makes the movie better IMHO.
@@grss1982 No.
I saw maccross + when I got video store/coffee place. And I rented it and watch it.
Another banger video, another mecha to add to the list for when I need an older mecha to fill the void.
Macross Plus is great! The Movie Edition, where they edited the 4 episodes into a feature length film with some changes and new animation is a must see. I hope now that the Harmany Gold nonsense is FINALLY behind us, I hope we start seeing Macross streaming.
2:34. This is why I adore this channel ❤😂❤
Doing great Ret, love ya
Your music choices are always on point. When Golden Axe popped up, I knew we could be friends.
Epitome of Futuristic techno mecha anime. None shall ever surpass this. The theme of AI is ever more pertinent today and proves this anime was way beyond its time
great review.. saw this years ago and cracks me up that their take on AI and manipulation is err... our lives now! Good job pointing out how ahead of their time anime can be!
Macross Plus, GITS, and Akira were my introduction to anime in the 90s.
You definitely need to do DYRL soon!
Great summary of the movie! I was expecting some mention of MP: The Movie, but that's ok.
Liked and subscribed!!
M+ is the Top Gun Maverick of anime. It took everything we loved about Macross and cranked the volume up above 9,000. Saw it as a kid and it's still great to this day.
In the movie version, they fill a plot hole (heh) that Isamu was busy sleeping with Lucy and didn't get that weird phone call and that is why he didn't help. Plus Movie Edition is kind of the superior version of the story in my opinion.
They cut some of the best action parts of the 4 part ova. Like the beginning fights, the yf19 vs yf22 fights etc. You do NOT, cut some of the greatest mecha fights in anime history from a compilation movie version of an ova. Unforgivable.
Dang Retcon is about to have a meltdown from that one song. Someone help him!
Guld's sacrifice is cool in the OVA. But it's incredible in the movie. The somber Cello music while they are screaming through the air so fast that it peels the paint off of their jets.... It's amazing
Must support boi 😂 u caught me and other schmucks off guard lol. Sponsor 👀 when 😤
I haven’t seen all of macross or all of gundam but I have always said macross plus always felt like the 08th ms team of macross… idk it kind of had the same feel to me or I guess with releases maybe vise versa… but yeah I remember this series very fondly! Great video!
Macross Plus ignited the spark for me to continue writing my Macross RPG game, which I still play to this day.
This anime and Ghost in the Shell that both came out in the mid-90s was what hooked me in to anime.
And Voices is quite the haunting music for something that's not even in English.
This was an awe inspiring ova...I wore out my vhs of it
Been so looking forward to this one.
22:20 I believe it was part of the plot that Bowman was taking the drugs to supress a part of his Zentraedi physiology that made him lose his shit, and Myung and Izamu were covering for him after he lost his shit back in highschool. There is even a scene where Miller covers up a toxicology report about Bowman, unless that was specific to the movie version of the OVAs.
I hope you cover Macross: Do You Remember Love. Its an amazing movie summery of the last bits of the original Macross. It has mind blowing visuals especially for somthing made in 1984.
Fun fact it's literally a movie in canon.
As a child, I would run home just to watch Robotech, then I saw Macross the movie on Vhs rental and was blown away. I remember going to see Macross + at the Key theater in Georgetown Washington DC. I was lucky to see independent movies played there. I saw Akira there also around the late 80s to 90s was some of the best anime (my personal opinion) Gen X baby
Great that you enjoyed Macross Plus. This is one of the (if not the) best entries in Macross franchise. After that you might want to check out Macross Zero OVA which is a prequel to 1982. TV series and after that - Macross Frontier both TV and 2 movie editions which are different. Macross 7 is a mixed bag, you have been told it here already. Delta .. uff ... Macross Delta is so far the weakest entry in the series mostly trying to be another Frontier. Also has a movie compilation and sequel movie. And finally - there is small standalone OVA called Macross Flashback 2012 parts of which you can actually see during end titles of Do You Remember Love? movie. It concludes story of Hikary, Misa and Minmay showing them leaving Earth on year 2012 aboard the new SDF-2 Megaroad-01. Mostly it is a music video to the Minmay songs with some new animation at the end showing takeoff of Megardoad-01 and Hikary flying in his new VF-4 Lightning III
Small note:
Unfortunately you seem to have total aversion towards compilation movies and you have ignored quite a lot - First Gundam trilogy, both SEED show compilation movies - 3 parts and 4 parts for SEED and SEED Destiny respectively, Macross Do You Remember Love? and this one - Macross Plus movie edition. Not all compilation movies are alike, for example Macross Do You Remember Love? is considered to be an in-universe movie about the events of the first Macross TV show. It's made in 1984 - two years after TV series and retells story of episodes 6-29 in a bit different style and slightly changed story, plus since it is a movie version and not episode compilation, animation is simply gorgeous and still stands out today. Macross Plus also received movie treatment, because Kawamore was not satisfied with the OVA story. Some events are cut, some rearranged and ending is extended significantly. You should definitely check it out and compare to the OVA version. They are two different things with fandom being divided which is the definitive version although Kawamori himself says that movie version is a definite one.
Movie version has no dub.
The reason I don't do compilation movies is because I just don't want to watch the same content twice if I'm being perfectly honest. Once I'm done with a show I just need to move on to different content or ill burn out during the writing phase. But, I have nothing against them as a concept, and I do plan on watching Do You Remember Love and the Ideon ones at some point. Cheers!
@@Retcon404 i agree that compilation movies are mixed bag and quite often they are just like that - TV series spliced together with maybe few minutes of new animation to cover cut out material. But not all compilation movies are like that. Quite often they do retell TV show story in different style with updated animation, sometimes even without using a single frame from TV series like Macross Do You Remember Love? and both Macross Frontier movies i mentioned.
First saw this with friends in the early 90’s. Fell in love with Sharon Apple. Have both cds and have “Pulse” and “Information high” on my phone’s playlist.
Dude, you're playing that Toonami/Adult Swim old theme music between anime series episodes.....right to my old weeb heart!
YF-19 🔥 YF-21 🔥
Still to this day one of my favorite films of all time.
Hey, all right. An unexpected one here, but an OVA that I always liked.
The soundtrack for this still hits to this day
Macross Plus is definitely peak. I wish the newer shows kept up this style and respect for phsyics. Some parts in Frontier movies and Delta action is cut and sped up so fast I can't make out what is even happening. I do wish Plus had a "complete" version which has the intro of the 4 part OVA but the movie's final parts. I love that we're now getting new model kits for the YF-21 and YF-19.
MACROSS PLUS a freaking Masterpiece...90's era Anime is PEAK.
Liking, subscribing and commenting in the hopes this guy gets big enough so that I never have to hear him talk about raid shadow legends
they really out done themselves on this project, art is out of the ballpark and is what happening in real life now!
In 2004 HBO showed Macross 2 and Plus back-to-back. I was really confused, I just assumed Plus was a prequel to 2. The SDF-1/Macross gets destroyed near the end of 2 with just the bridge surviving.
Iirc, 2 is canon, but it's an in-universe movie.
Macross Plus is the GREATEST Ova ever made.
Plus is one of the greats. Some of the behind the scenes stuff is wild. A bunch of the animation team actually went to the real Edwards Airforce base to get some location research and experience in the air in 2 seater training planes. One of the animators wanted to know what it felt like to be in a high g turn and accidentally blacked himself out after the air force pilot gave him the controls. He woke up on the ground with a very pissed off pilot screaming at him and in between bouts of throwing up was forced to write down notes of what the experience was like by his senior animators.
Also as other people have said, check out the movie edition if only to watch the extended final dogfight they added for the finale.
It was Kawamori and Itano themselves that went to Edwards A.B. Itano fainted because of the high G maneuvers an experiencing how the aircraft acted in ral dog fight situations.
@@Castlevanius I couldn't remember who exactly went. My recollection is from a machine translated interview that's gotta be like 10+ years old now.
My God.. I 1st saw this back when it came out in the 90s. Macross Plus and Akira were my introductions to was we called at the time "Japanimation".
“It was an accident” Gold smirks as After in the dark plays his n the background 😅
Who's sponsoring this video? Too good!
Plus and Orguss 02 were the last Super Dimension shows I purchased on VHS back in the mid 90's. Wish I had more income to complete them both back then. I enjoyed watching them but didn't engage in mailorder for anime. If it was available at the local comics store and I had money, I told them to shut up and take it!
So i want to say this, Macross Plus was my introduction to Macross, i never watch Robotech or at least i don't remember having watch Robotech before, tho i knew that Robotech was a thing that existed...somehow? BUT, i remember having watch Macross Plus in the earlier 2000s, one of my older cousins have this box full of complete official and absolutly not fake anime DVDs and he hand me some of them and one of those was Macross Plus (alongside Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, the first Street Fighter Alpha anime movie & Amon, The Apocalypse of Devilman), and i love it, but i love it because of 2 things, the super crazy animation and the music, with the song know as "Information High" being one of my absolute favorite anime songs to be ever made, with that being said, i never care much about the story and it was until the mid 2000s that, thanks to the power of the internet, i get know that Macross was a franchise and that M+ was just one entry of it...and i never care about it, im a Gundam fan, mainly thanks to Gundam Wing in Toonami during the 90s, so I never care much about the other popular and important japanese mecha anime with the transformable jets, that being said, i still appreciate M+ for being part of my (weird) childhood none the less.
One of the best animes ever!!
Hope you get a sponsor sometime soon! :)
Leaving a comment for the aglo!
Kawamori originally didnt want to make sequels to Macross. At the time he felt that SDF Macross was a one and done thing. By the early 90's, he was already cooking up ideas for an anime, until Big West convinced him to make Macross Plus (and then Macross 7). Some of the unused designs from his 'Air Cavalry' concepts were later repurposed and reused in Macross 7 and Vision of Escaflowne.
Ah one point, guld does not crash isamu into the desert on purpose. He is thinking about it and the BDI system follows his instructions, not realizing its an errant thought. He takes the blame with isamu to make it look like he'll do anything, but then he brings it up to millard later that he thinks there might be a fault in the BDI, before covering it up.
I adore Macross Plus :) It's got everything ;)
Oh Gundam age, the video game that got turned into a full series, I think it probably would have been better as an OVA, with like three episodes per age. still I got to admit the enemy suit designs are pretty unique
I'd love to see a retrospective on Macross Frontier as well! It's a love letter to the Macross franchise and honestly is the last "good" Macross show in my opinion. Delta failed to live up to the quality set by previous entries. I'm a bit biased as I watched way too many Lion AMVs in highschool.
Colonel Isamu Dyson makes a cameo appearance in the finale of Frontier piloting either a VF-19 or a VF-25 modified to look like the YF-19
Im tellin' you man, take the x train is definitely the next one you should cover. Another one off on par with roujin z. Anyway, great vid as always.
Macross Plus was an awesome OVA. To me it was like mashup of Top Gun and the first part of the Right Stuff movies.
I love everything about Macross Plus. Macross 7 is pretty great. Think I need to go watch them again