Robotech: Part 1 - Multi-Dimensional Characters Macross
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- Опубліковано 20 січ 2019
- The most-requested, long-awaited feature series is here! RetroBlasting takes on Robotech in Part 1 of a FOUR PART SERIES!
#RetroBlasting #Robotech #Macross - Розваги
I watched Robotech as a 5th grader in 1985. One of the biggest influences as I grew up.
Jenn Dolari I know exactly what you mean. It had the same influence on me, too! ✌🏻👍
This! So much this. I was a fifth grader too and just happen to catch the first episode on either channel 20 or 50 in Detroit. Don’t remember which, but damn did it change everything
Same. Later, in High-school, I was introduced to the novelizations, by (a.k.a) Jack McKinney, and fell in love. The writing there did so much to heal the inconsistencies of the show. Then came the Palladium Books Robotech RPG (for years and years) and then the Playstation games.
I was the exact same age and my world revolved around Robotech. I used to go to anime/Robotech conventions in the California Bay Area.
Way before its time
The reason why the Zentrandi have so much trouble is explained that Commander Breetai's orders are to capture the ship intact AT ALL COSTS. So, with that objective, Breetai has to be delicate in his strategies and the Micronians prove so slippery and unpredictable as to make that nearly impossible. Not to mention he has to control his subordinate, Khyron, who is so fanatically determined to destroy it that his superiors have to 1. forcibly recall him with a special override signal, 2. threaten to fire on him unless he backed off or 3. Destroy his troops when they are on the attack and thus threatening delicate diplomatic operations.
@Shinobi Raccoon Close. Discipline is mighty important...But victory is the ultimate extenuating circumstance. As the High Command all know, disobedience is frequently overlooked in to wake of success. So ridiculous and psychotic moves are somewhat more acceptable--though his serial failure should not be.
@@jean-paulaudette9246 This is somewhat more true in Japanese martial culture than American. There was a tendency during their imperial period to seek personal glory by taking crazy risks, often against orders, in order to gain territory.
Who else lost it when Roy dropped dead in the middle of dinner with Claudia?
Ronald Frechette 🙋🏻♂️😭
the pineapple salad 😔
I actually feel so sad and unjust for the whole week til the next episode LOL
Same
Yep
I watched Robotech religiously here in California on Channel 13 in 1985. It was the only cartoon show that rewarded viewers for watching the entire series instead of stand alone episodes.
91 Reasons Podcast Ha! I lived in LA back then and yep, KCOP channel 13 was the station for ROBOTECH! Great memories. I loved that show!
Same here..i was 15 at the time Channel 13 here in Los Angeles
I remember fondly the summer of 1985 when watching Robotech from WXON from Detroit as a summer replacement series. They not only ran the series properly in order, but showed it twice a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, to get it done before September!
My brother and I enjoyed it, but when it starting breaking all the rules starting with killing off Roy Fokker, we were enthralled! We even got into our first soap opera storyline with Rick, Lisa and Minmei, sharing our frustrations about Rick's affections.
Oh man I remember watching on KCOP 13. Great memories.
I'm part of the SoCal club too, guys! (Grew up in Ventura.) I was a mere 5 years old in '85, but I still vividly recall the KCOP promos for Robotech. It was a ritual for me and my friend Alex to watch after school. Being young, I COMPLETELY forgot about it after a big move out of state, and since it had disappeared and gone cult anyway. Three years later in 1988, I randomly saw a Comico back-issue of "Gloval's Report", which caused tons of memories to come rushing back, and from then to about 15 years old (until Star Wars took over as my Big Thing), I tried to get my hands on whatever VHS, novel, or comic I could. The Sentinels years on Eternity/Academy Comics were particularly fun.
Thank you for doing this, Michael.
ROBOTECH was my favorite anime of the 1980s.
Mine too.
Lucas Garrett Robotech isn't an anime, it's abominable American editing
robotrash* and its not a anime. its abominable American editing
16:15 the novels explain this better. The SDF-1 had massive factory fabricators like 3D printers that could take all the rubble and use it to build anything. After the first transformation they redesigned the city so that it would survive a transformation. The food comes from protein farms, it was all explained as science that was derived from Robotechnology.
Correct - and iirc u DO see people being flung all over the place when the ship would transform.
FUN FACT: The Robotech script for all three series was written, recorded, and dubbed all in *SIX WEEKS.* Super-rush job. They did have the original scripts to go off of, but they had to change a lot of stuff to tie the shows together. The fact that they did such a good job with so little time to work on it is nothing short of amazing.
FUN FACT #2: As you said, the original Japanese show got a seven-episode extension because it was popular. As you also pointed out, those episodes just suck. As a result, it was *cancelled* and the seventh episode was never made. The script for that episode ended with Captain Lisa Hayes and Commander Rick Hunter leaving the earth on the "Megaroad," the first human colony ship. That would have been a much more solid conclusion than the photo album we got. :)
Suck though it does, the scene of everyone singing "Silent Night" after the terrorist attack on Seattle (Or is it portland?) gives me chills every time.
Portland
@@BlustormWA Thank you!
The original script had 27 episodes. They extended it by adding 9 more episodes.
@@hrgwea IIRC they expanded it by 10, but ratings dropped precipitously during the final 10, so they decided not to make the final one. It would have shown the Megaroad leaving earth.
Macross and Robotech made me fall in love with classic anime and started my OBSESSION with transforming mecha, Japanese die-cast robot toys, and tiny plastic model kits. I remember bawling my eyes out to force my parents to buy me either the Takatoku Veritech Fighter (unsuccessfully). I had to satisfy myself with small Taiwan plastic knockoffs of the VF-1S and the SDF-1, but both still transformed into their respective modes. Still some of my fondest toy memories.
Gloval's actions may have been irresponsible and cost many lives, but you've got to ask yourself; would you have done it differently?
Try putting yourself in Gloval's shoes. Forced to handle an alien invasion and faced with all these hard decisions.
@Shinobi One Damn straight, it's easy to harshly criticize his actions when you're not in his position and put into a do or die situation.
Not to mention being put at the end of the rope because your own military government wants you and everyone abroad Macross (civilians included, who are already reported dead to the mass media) to essentially go into exile from planet Earth.
While being chased by a massive armada of Zentraedi war ships.
This is a man who have to make the hard decisions and accept whatever consequences that follows them. As Captain of the Macross, his high position is a constant test his mental fortitude.
He got the SDF1 back to Earth after relentless Zentradi attacks so he must have being doing something right.
"We had to destroy the city/island/planet to save it." -Adm. Gloval
in war....people die. it sucks
I always respected Gloval. I also read the novels. So there was more in the story, that his decisions weighed on him. I agree, I don't agree with this vis take. But, as said, one man's hero is anothers villain.
I actually like those extra episodes they stuck on at the end, because in many ways they felt more real than the rest of the show. Things don't just end happily after the big climactic battle, life just continues to be messy. Also, there's "A Rainy Night", which is probably my favorite episode of the original series (but I'll admit that's also because I like Claudia a lot).
i agree, they added more realistic ending...shit sucks
Robotech was easily my favorite show as a teen after I had "grown out of" GI Joe and Real Ghostbusters, though I only really liked the Macross saga. It was great learning the true story when I got older, watching Macross in its uncut form and seeing that Macross had sequels I could watch.
Minmei has at least two songs. The big one over the climax of the series is "We Will Win," which immobilizes the Zentradi.
Also, I have to disagree about Gloval. He was not being reckless when he did the hyperspace fold over Macross City. He had no way of knowing it would take anything other than the SDF1 itself. He certainly didn't know that it would take 5 or 10 miles of the island, sea, and sky to Pluto. Also, remember they were aiming for the far side of the moon, so they could attack the Zentradi from the rear. They ended up on the far side of Pluto. They had *NO* idea how the fold system worked, they'd never actually done it before, and they explicitly say this.
In fact, really the first third of the series is deliberately a comedy of errors, with none of the technology working right, them *losing* the hyperspace engine after its only useage, them not knowing the ship was booby trapped. Hell, they didn't even know the ship could change shape.
The remarkable thing is that Gloval managed to get 35,000 people home alive, despite *daily* attacks from the Zentradi, and the loss of hundreds, possibly thousands of fighter pilots. As to the people who undeniably died in the first transformation: Do you let everyone die, or let a few die to save the majority? The destruction of Ontario? Yeah, that's on him, but nothing until that point is, and he *does* manage to forge an alliance with 3 separate Zentradi fleets to turn against the main fleet, thereby saving (Some) of earth. About 85% of earth dies, though.
Gosh, this is a grim show! :)
Minmay actually had 4 songs, To be in love, My time to be a star, We will win, and It’s You. Michael definitely short changed her but he’s right that My time to be a star plays most often.
@@80s_Kid_and_Collectibles Oh yeahhhhh! I'd forgotten about "To be in Love." I don't remember "It's you" at all. I'm not gonna look it up, though, as I hate Reba Wests' singing. :) She also name-checks another song that she's recording, though we never hear it in the show, "My Boyfriend is a Pilot," which actually *IS* a song in the original Japanese version.
Thanks!
@@mahatmarandy5977 was Just about to mention that
Mahatma Randy it’s you is also played by Bowie grant in Robotech masters on the piano. I can’t remember if lancer sings it in a new generation. I think minmay sings my boyfriend is a pilot in the large space battle episode (27) in the Japanese Macross series. Could be wrong, it’s been awhile.
I have admit, the host of this channel did make me realize about some of the error points of the characters such as Capt. Glovel. That being said though, I do agree with your arguements against his point of view about the Captain, since it is the Captain who has to make hard discions in combat situations, especially when it's combat against an powerful Alien race, and waging combat with a
Reconstructed alien ship who's technology the humans were only beginning to understand. In this scenario, yes people are going to get killed in the situations that were mentioned. If host was taking his opinions on these facts seriously, then perhaps mankind should've left the crashed alien ship alone, and the Zentradi could've arrived and just taken back the ship? Of course though Humanity is curious by nature so that scenario wouldn't fly, probably wouldn't make for an exciting show as Robotech was.
Whoah a Robotech review that knows Macross as it's source material...I'm Impressed.
Really? I thought that was pretty common knowledge. If you go on any UA-cam video showing or talking about Robotech, you usually have about a million Macross/Anime fanboys ripping on Harmony Gold for "bastardizing" the original 3 seperate anime and turning into one show. They are quite amusing to antagonize. Esp. if you tell them Robotech is the best cartoon ever, and ask them what is anime, or better yet tell them you prefer english voiceovers over the subbed version...that will send them into a blind rage.
@@jeffjackson9679 Most of them dismissed or sometime despised Macross. They know it but pretends that Macross didn't exist. You know lots of people still think that it's not cool to like anime. Many people still thinks that Robotech is not anime,it's 100% American made.
@@MaVeriX1986 I hear ya. But the "purist" have to realize for Harmony Gold to put a "cartoon" into syndication back in the day, they had to have so many episodes, Macross on it's own wasn't enough, so they had to "frankenstein" the 3 seperate anime into one to have enough episodes to show on TV back in the 1980s. I honestly thought they did a halfway decent job of doing it for what they had.
@@jeffjackson9679 Yeah,you're right, It really is a "Frankenstoon" lol. If you've watched Macross,you'll notice some animation/scene didn't make sense because they're missing some part of it or they add another scene from other animes lol. But hey that's the charm of Robotech. I like both of them,but I like Macross more,it's more unique,it's so much different from other mecha genre at the time.
@@jeffjackson9679 Sorry, I just gotta like this comment!
In defense of Gloval he was in way over his head with an untested ship from day 1, and the Zentraedi leveled the planet anyway so it all equals out.
Personally, I think Gloval makes Commander Adama look like a punk. :)
He's got an untested ship. They didn't even KNOW the Macross Cannon existed when the booby trap went off. The antigravity generators ripped out of the ship on the first liftoff attempt. The ships he was supposed to rendezvous with in orbit were destroyed by the time he got there, he had no reason to believe the hyperspace jump would take anything outside the ship with it - no one knew - the transformation was an emergency decision where he had to choose between everyone dying and a few dying, when he got back to earth - as Michael noted - the government had been lying to everyone for 18 months, so he made it impossible to keep the secret. No one knew the Shield Barrier would do that, and while it sucks for Ontario, the Barrier was what actually defeated the main Zentradi fleet.
Also, he negotiated with Bretai and Azonia's fleets to change sides, which is no small feat. The Minmei Defense was kinda brilliant, too. And he ended up ruler of the world simply because he was the last man standing, a job he neither wanted nor liked.
So ultimately Gloval was the difference between 84% of humanity dying, and all of humanity dying.
Claudia’s comment with “this ship is a piece of shit” and his “don’t I know it” in the second episode always makes me burst out laughing
@@tokyosmash Funny!
I always thought it was Interesting they reversed Lisa and Claudia's roles in the chain of command in the Robotech version
Yeah Gloval played the hand he was dealt. Every decision he made that cost lives saved more than they cost. Complaining about what he did is like the people at the end of Avengers complaining shit got destroyed in the fighting. It's like, "ok next time we can just let the aliens kill everyone."
I came to Robotech via the novels by "Jack McKinney" (James Luceno and Brian Daley). A year or so later, Sci-Fi Network started airing the 'toon weekday mornings. I nearly missed the bus for school every day sticking around to hear the theme over the end credits. Great 1st vid, looking forward to the rest of the series!
Robotech had the most Epic Intro & Theme Ever!
Finally my favorite youtubers discuss super dimensional fortress macross!!!!!
I've had "Stage Fright" stuck in my head now for the past two days!!! Thanks a lot, Michael! I'd forgotten just how evil that song was. I hated Minmei so much as a kid that I burned the tiny figure of her that came with the SD Veritech at the stake!
I remember picking up the #1 issue from the COMICO series a few weeks before the show debuted. I watched the first episode with the comic in hand. Needless to say, I was glued. ROBOTECH was my introduction to MACROSS which I would find out about later especially DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE? A local comic shop had the toys from BANDAI for DYRL but knowing nothing about it, I just assumed they were variants from the ROBOTECH tv show. I didn't even know that the MACROSS saga was actually a Japanese show. To this day, I'm still a huge fan collecting all the awesome toys from BANDAI and ARCADIA.
Unlike many MACROSS fans, I don't bash ROBOTECH since I have a fondness for it and I realize what Harmony Gold was trying to do at the time to get it into syndication. However, as is widely known, HG has been the culprit for preventing the various MACROSS sequels and merchandise from being aired or distributed outside of JAPAN so I'm definitely not a fan of them.
Great review guys. I was surprised you kinda bypassed any mention of Roy's death and the impact it had, not just on Rick who it made into a more mature fighter who became a better leader because of it, but even us as kids who (for me at least) was sad to see "Big Brother" die. We felt like we lost our own brother in a way. And Lisa also was such a deep character that went through her own transition over the course of the show and the losses she dealt with and her contribution to the infamous love triangle this story played on. But I guess there is so much that can be fit into a review, not everything can make it in. Either way, well done for the review.
I bypassed it because people on UA-cam always bitch and bitch about "spoilers" even though these cartoons are 35+ years old. - Michael
@@retroblasting That's a shame when it comes to stuff like this. I mean, whose fault is it if THEY are not caught up to a show and decide "Hey, I might just watch a in depth retrospective about something I have had 30+ years to see but never bothered too, so I now I can feel angry when others talk about key plot points." Roy was such a hero to me in a lot of ways. He represented the big brother that would always be there for me. When his character died, I was sad as I never thought that could possibly happen and I too could be alone. But it showed how life makes you stronger when it needs you to. Such was the message I felt of this cartoon. Just keep moving forward. I never really appreciated Lisa as much either till I got older and saw she too was a 3 dimensional character who had a big role in all this. She was no princess or someone with full confidence (outside of her duties as an officer that is). She was not out to prove anything or say "we women can be just as tough as men", the opposite, she was already more tougher than most of the men she commanded in her ability to be a soldier, she did not feel like she needed to prove anything, but she was a broken woman who lost the innocent side of her that wanted to be feminine and loved again. I often got angry when Rick would show interest in Lisa, then run back to Minmay. What a moron.
gutz1981 yep Rick was a moron around those 2.. That’s why I always liked Max better.. BTW, Mark Hamill voiced Admiral Rick Hunter in one of the Macross movie sequels, forgot which, sorry..
@@rickg8015 The Shadow Chronicles.
@@rickg8015 Ultimately Rick made the right choice but GODDAMNIT Rick! Ya gotta accept that Lynn really let her fame get to her in a very severe way sooner than you did!
Looking forward to the next chapter...!
In one of my more recent rematches of Robotech, I was watching the credits a bit closer than I usually do. Especially when I noticed for the first time that one of the staff writers was a freaking Vorlon!
I had never noticed before that Ardwright Chamberlain, aka the voice of Kosh on Babylon 5, was one of the staff writers!
Great review (mostly) that highlighted the important aspects that made Robotech so special.
Now here are the howevers:
Your Gloval criticisms seemed to be for the sake of doing a joke rant.
1) He's the captain. He doesn't need to declare "marshal law".
2) He had no idea the intent of the Zentraedi force and was assuming that if he didn't execute a space fold, the ship would be destroyed. He also, didn't intend for the whole island and city to be taken along with the SDF-1. It was untested technology.
3) He explains that flying the SDF-1 so low over a city in Ontario was to bring attention to the plight of the 56,000 civilians on board and get them the asylum required to off load them since the Earth government denied the request to let them off the ship because of their knowledge of the alien threat which was kept secret to the rest of the world for fears of mass hysteria.
And it would've worked, had Kyron not attacked and the SDF-1 had not ACCIDENTALLY leveled a city while defending herself.
As far as the "ineptitude" of the Zendraedi fleet, they were trying to capture the SDF-1 without damaging it unduly. Of course, they could've destroyed it if that was their intent.
And finally, the hole blasted through the hull of Breatai's flagship was immediately sealed by an automatic bulkhead. Rick, Max, and Ben's attempt to cut through the airlock door made total sense, since that was the only guaranteed way out.
Oh and Minmay had 4 songs. And how could you not be sad when Ben died?? He was a lovable oaf!
This was THE THING that I got home from school for as a teenager. While in the Navy a read all the books. I think there is eighteen of them. Loved all of it.
Be fair to Gloval; if he didn't order the transformation, they couldn't get the main gun to fire, and the SDF-1 would have been captured and ALL the residents destroyed. The space fold at the beginning was basically the same situation. Of course, the pin point barrier shield destroying an Earth city was a pretty bad call.
Rico Suave it’s global not gloval
@@megasystem8473 Um...no, it is definitely not "Global". His name is Captain Henry Gloval. Look it up. In addition to watching the show, I've read pretty much every printed Robotech product for the past 33 years. Unless you are suggesting about 5,000 typos across novels, role playing games and comics, you are mishearing it.
@@ricosuave6898 In SDF Macross his name is Bruno J. Global and Italian. In Robotech they opted to change it to Henry Gloval and make him sound Eastern European. And if you play the original video game Starcraft, the Battlecruiser Avatar pays homage to the Robotech Captain. "Battlecruiser operational..."
@@JLin576 All well and good, but this video is about Robotech. I played Starcraft back in the day, but I don't remember the tribute.
Captain Gloval was torn between Scylla and Charybdis.
To this day i still am surprised that Gatchaman and Roboteck where shown in Ireland back in the day. Some of the best anime a young kid could see. It still took Akira to completely blow me away and start a long relationship with Japanese animation. I have only seen the first episodes of Star Blazers, but they are very enjoyable. I love the naval theme in space. It is hard to justify spending the cash on the rest of the series, it was not on Irish TV and it has been ten years since i watched the first episodes on DVD, ahh someday i will get back to it. As for retro blasting ,i am a fan and dont you ever stop or you will face my wrath.
Try to find the French Robotech theme here on UA-cam. It's a something that will be hard to forget! 😁😁
Wow yea the french version brings a new dimension. Glad i cant understand it haha
I didn't see Robotech until 1996/97 on Sci-fi Channel, but did indeed see Battle of the Planets A.K.A. Gatchaman back in the day 1979/80 as a young kid.
*It still took Akira to completely blow me away and start a long relationship with Japanese animation*
That and Fist Of The Northstar (1986 movie and TV series) for me!
Yes for sure the fist of the north star was also a big part of the attraction .It was years later when i get my hands on the series and it was awesome to.
Yup!
good job. as a 1985 kid (49 years old) you explained Robtech well. I have a carel macek autograph from the 80s
I remember watching re-runs in the early 1990s(1992-1994) as a kid when I use to live outside Atlanta Georgia. It was on a local station. It aired weekdays at like 3:30 or 4:00pm. Loved the Robotech and Macross series ever since.
It was on UHF 69 in Atlanta during that time. I watched it when I got home from school when I was in 7th Grade. Good times.
There is one major difference between Robotech: Macross, and the original Macorss, no reviewer every talks about it. In Robotech, the landing of the SDF1, originally called the Visitor, happened during a Global war (World War III), which happened to stay conventional. And this is showed in the opening back story at the start of the first episode, along with the suggestion that the war ended, and the Global Government was formed because Humanity learned that we are not alone in the universe.
The Story in Macross is a little different. The same visuals are shown, but noticed the fighting of human vs. human was after the landing of the Visitor. That is because the UN reformed itself into a world government, but not every nation when along with this. The fights is the non-agreeing nations being conquered by the UN.
Macross Zero illustrated this quite well, a couple of decades later. Shame it was only five episodes
I would like to say I was not posting this to be critical of the review. Its a minor aspect of the difference between Robotech and Macross. One that few fans of either or both shows commonly knows.
I would say another major difference is the use of reaction weaponry. In Macross, this is actually one of the main reasons the aliens take a strong interest in the humans. In Robotech, they avoid mentioning nuclear weapons altogether and call them reflex weapons. It also changes some of the dialogue to not make any sense.
Here in my part of Texas, I was able to watch the entire Macross Saga as a kid. The day after that ended, it was replaced with PLASTIC MAN, a show I'd previously liked... but after that, I was never able to watch it again without hatred, lol.
In Houston, 1985, I watch the Macross Saga, the Masters and New Generation on our local station.
@@rddav1 Yeah, I lived out near Tomball and I think all three series ran, then Macross started again and ran that final time before Plastic Man took over. I only caught intermittent episodes of Macross during its first run, and was cool to the two follow-up series. So I was psyched when Macross ran again. I think I was so mad at PM when it started because although it was the end of Macross, my eight- or nine-year-old brain didn't get that. We also didn't have a VCR yet I guess, or I'd have recorded it. ;)
@Adelaine Delabin Yeah, I must have only really gotten invested in Macross during its final repeat... so when Plastic Man started, it was like an end of something.
@@HorrorMood I was very lucky to catch it from the beginning episode of Macross Saga to the end episode of New Generation before going into the Marine Corps...which influence my passion to seek all things anime throughout my military service, especially after visiting Hong Kong and Japan!😁
Ha ha. Swapping from Robotech to Plastic Man is like going from War and Peace to Garfield.
We had Robotech in DC when I was little. I remember liking it but did not remember the story or characters. I remembered jets transforming and transforming motorcycles. That's it. Then I bought the DVD's as an adult. LOVED it!
Robotech was and remains my favorite anime series. It was the first time I experienced mature themes on television, definitely the first on screen deaths I saw and simply had superior storytelling to any other cartoon show my young eyes were seeing. I will rewatch it from time to time even after all these years.
Was waiting for this one for six years. So glad it finally happened. Well done guys.
Although I disagree with some of your analysis of the Macross Saga, I appreciate the opinions on the subject matter. From a man who’s spent thousands of dollars collecting Robotech merchandise, and just as many hours watching and reading the series, I have to say thank you for starting up a fresh conversation. I am enjoying reading through the comments. Looking forward to your review of the Masters and New Generation.
As a young child the narration really helped me understand the story better so I appreciated it.
The joy over Ben Dixon's death was hilarious
I grew up in the SF bay area and this came on at 4pm every week day on TV 44, and I did everything I could to never miss an episode. And at 3:30, Starblazers came on so they were my first exposure to serialized, character arc animation. Of course back then I mostly just liked the space battles but later on I realized how good those shows really were.
Hell yeah! Sf daly city ssf in the 80s.
Starblazers came on early Saturday morning in El Paso like 5am had to get up watch it then go back to sleep for bout an hour before watching Saturday morning cartoons
I grew up in San Jose! I remember TV 44, Starblazers, and Robotech!
About Roy's anime hair being in his face while flying? You can also give the exact same advice to Shin Kazama in Area 88.
I saw it in Connecticut as a kid. Remember thinking those were the coolest jet robots things ever. Why I loved Jetfire so much.
I loved Robotech as a kid but really grew to appreciate it when I was older, due to it's (for the time) unconventional and mature potrayals of characters, factions, and how they change over the course of the series.
To make it more complex, read the books and understand what is really happening. And the reason they survive is that the Zentradi want to capture not destroy the SDF-1
That's true I have them all and reread them occasionally even though I can pretty much skip through oat because I have read the so often. I bought most of them from the order sheet at the back of the first or second novel
Gloval: Leader extraordinaire, he is practically a storm trooper that was given a leadership position.
I can recall literately Running home from school to watch Robotech ever week day, the them always puts a smile on my face. Thank you fo putting this video out.
This was fantastic to watch. Robotech (Macross) had far more influence on me as I grew up than Star Wars or Star Trek. Thanks for this. Well done.
Great video, and fun to watch! I found the novelizations by Jack McKinney really fleshed out the story nicely also. Well worth tracking down and reading them if any haven't done so.
justmeted1969 not to mention, he wrote the Robotech II: The Sentinels series that was started but never, sadly, finished in cartoon form.
Like others here, my first experience with anime was with Battle of the Planets/Space Ninja Science Team Gatchaman. After that came the US titled Force Five with Gaiking, Dangard Ace, Starvengers (a personal favorite), Grandizer, and Spaceketeers (another favorite). Robotech and Voltron were two of my favorite shows during the 80's. These were all responsible for my love of anime. I eventually went down the rabbit hole with Akira, Bubblegum Crisis, and many, many others. Thanks for covering the show!
Battle of the planets/G Force, another favorite from my youth, think I was not even 6 when those were on in 79/ 1980 or so.
I was a freshman in high school when Robotech came out in 1985. Over thirty five years later, I still make action figure fan films about it to this day. :)
I got lucky. I discovered it right away on a ideoendent channel when i was a kid. I loved it right away. I remember that day in 1985 fondly. Still love it today. Its a great show. I never net carl macek but we all knew of him im the 80s and he really put a lot of heart and soul to make three different series gel.
This is so great!!!
Look, I am genuinely appreciative that you're doing this Robotech (And by extension Macross) is one of my favorite shows of all time, and made a huge influence on me, so please don't take this as a personal attack, because it's not. I get what you're going for here, and I am grateful. That said, maybe one more rewatch might have helped. It wasn't "one million" Zentradi ships it was 4,800,000 Zentradi ships, which they expressly say several times. The reason the Zentradi decide to *destroy* earth rather than just capture the SDF1 is because the effect humans are having on the Zentradi is akin to a plague that is a risk to the survival of their entire species. They have to wipe out both those exposed (Bretai, Azonia, and Khyron's forces) *AND* earth to be sure. Again, they make this very clear. The alliance between Bretai et al and the SDF 1 revolves around the fact that Bretai, Azonia, and Khyron *KNOW* that they're all going to be killed because of their exposure to human culture, and the drug-like effect it has on them.
The SDF1 isn't rebuilt over "many decades," it's explicitly said to take 10 years.
Gloval's first name is "Henry," not Jack.
I mean, those last two are trivial (I don't think they even say Gloval's first name in the show), but the first one is a MAJOR plot point that they actually spend several episodes setting up. I'm not criticizing you, personally, but I respectfully put it out there that you might have wanted to rewatch the show before making this review, or, if you did, you might have wanted to take some detailed notes, rather than relying on memory. I mean, hell, I've watched the show a million times and *I* couldn't review it all from my memory, so that's not intended as an insult. IT's a complex show.
I do have to ask though: You seem actually *angry* about Gloval. Whether he sucks or not, or is simply in way over his head, I don't get the anger. The show isn't *about* him. He's not the star. It's ultimately about the Rick/Lisa/Minmei triangle. There's a half-dozen characters who get more screen time than him. If Macross were Stargate, he'd be Hammond.
Anyway, again, I do really appreciate you bringing more exposure to this great series.
Breetai's original fleet size was 1 million ships. And here's the proof per the Robotech wiki - "Breetai was reassigned to the mission, bringing with him a fleet of one million ships. However, upon arrival crews began to mutiny, and he officially decided the time for peace had come. He sent Exedore to broker an agreement, but he also knew they had to be prepared for one final obstacle: the Imperial Grand Fleet, five million warships under the command of Dolza, who would soon attack Earth. This would be the final battle of the First Robotech War."
"Mad Jack" is in reference to a historical figure from WWII - A British officer called Mad Jack Churchill. Please read more history. You're being too literal. This is editorial commentary, not an encyclopedia. Your citing of my mistake regarding the decades vs. a single decade is simply because I was under the false impression that the Unification Wars happened prior to the rebuilding of the ship. I wrongly assumed the wars took place before world peace and lasted many years. Learning here that the wars were simultaneous with the restoration of the ship and all of that only took a decade IS EVEN SILLIER AND MORE UNREALISTIC. I've watched Macross AND Robotech both through THREE TIMES so please don't coach me on this - you're clearly a Robotech devotee and superfan and that colors your attitudes towards more casual reviews.
@@retroblasting Not really a superfan, just a little OCD.
As I said, I intended no disrespect, and I appreciate what you're going for here. I didn't know about "Mad Jack," so that reference was lost on me.
I had no idea that you'd watched the series through three times. I apologize for assuming otherwise.
As to whether or not the show makes sense, I think it broadly does. It's important to remember it's an 80s cartoon AND the original Japanese version was partially intended as a satire of Gundam, so some of the goofier stuff can be attributed to that. I do feel - again, respectfully - that the details involving Gloval's alliance with the local Zentradi forces, and the reason for Dolza's decision to destroy earth are really important plot points and they do build logically. If you don't, that's fine. You've got different standards than me.
One thing I noticed is that the amount of time you spend on Gloval would probably give someone who hadn't seen the series a false opinion of how central the character is. As though it were "The Gloval Show."
Just something to consider. I'm not suggesting you change it, just mentioning the impression I got. And again: Not looking to start a fight. I respect what you were going for, I like your channel. I've just seen you do better, is all.
But, hey, thank you for your time, and your attention to the show.
@@retroblasting Right. There you go: 5 million ships.
Thank you for this series! Robotech was my absolute favorite cartoon when I was 10 and for several years following. It still has a special place in my heart ❤️
Loved this show, great to see you review it, got all you references. It’s great to see your passion and with an objective view.
I remember watching this before I caught the bus for school 86-87
I am sad that you could not experience the excitement and then depression of not having this cartoon air in your area. I used to love to come home from school, catch Robotech, joe and Voltron before going outside. Robotech was sort of a downer though, adult themes galore, as a ten year old I felt pretty bad for the crew and pilots of the SDF-1. I never enjoyed when it hit the southern cross portion of the story line, and I would eat back into it when the Mospaeda episodes returned. I really liked the bike mechs and Scott’s character as well. I know they tried to stitch the series together, but even as a young kid, I wasn’t really buying the plot transitions. If they could have created an arc episode or two, that might have helped me accept the southern cross portion more. The SDF-1 macross saga always reminded me of battlestar galactica. I was also very glad when rick hunter ended up with Lisa instead of Lin Min Mae (show helped me steer clear of toxic relationships a little later, yay for cartoons!)
...Oh my God! I would have sold my soul for a real life Bike mecha, those things blew my mind!
Great review Michael. I got to see Robotech on my local independent channel in the late 80s and it messed me up. I could not go back to "regular" action cartoons anymore. I was a fan ever since. I asked for my first CD player because the Perfect Collection Soundtrack was available on CD. I played the role playing game. Read the comics, including the Sentinss series. A major part of my younger years.
Two things: When you get to the toys part of your review, cover the RPG books and disasterous kickstarter campaign for the miniatures game. I know that's a little off your usual base, but they are part of the Robotech story.
And be fair. Minmei had three songs to my memory. Time to Be A Star, To Be In Love, and We Will Win. But your core point is valid, they got a lot of use out of Time To Be A Star.
Thanks for summing up the plot of Macross/Robotech plot within 20 minutes. I remember bits of this cartoon during the late 1980's when it was shown on Super Channel (a cable TV network) in the United Kingdom.
I was 16, fell in love with the Lisa Hayes character - the reddish brown hair sealed that deal! The annoying Mimaii singing star, strange captain and the horrific deaths of the residents when the SDF1 made the first transformation stuck in my mind for a few weeks.
The amazing animations within the battle sequences and transformation blew me away - I did record a few episodes on VHS, but they are no longer with me.
Ah, Lisa......
Robotech only aired for me in Central Florida at at 5:30 am weekdays. channel 44 probably but I cant say for sure at this point. I had to get up extra early to watch it and I always did.
Actually, Minmei had 5 songs: “My Time to Be a Star”, “The Man in My Life”, “We Will Win”, “It’s You”, and “To Be in Love”. All performed by Reba West…But after watching you for about 7yrs, I’m guessing you stopped caring after hearing that first song 10 times per episode for the first 10 episodes.
Also, doesn't anyone have TV guide from 1985 so you can see if it aired in Nashville?
Edit: almost 7
"The Right Move" (episode 28) and "The Way to Love" (The Sentinels)
Thanks for another awesome video, y'all! I remember following Robotech in high school when it aired as part of Cartoon Network's Toonami block on weekday afternoons and really enjoying it. In particular, I remember being surprised by Dixon's death, although I can't remember if I was relieved about it or not. I'll have to check the show out again. This is a wonderfully thoughtful video, and I appreciate all the hard work that went into it. Best.
Effin cool man! A Voltron search had me thinking about this series. Now I gotta watch all three.
Thanks for this! It's been a great walk along Memory lane. 👍
Yeah but Global didn't know that the enemy wasn't trying to destroy his ship when it transformed.
MInmei has a bit more of a tragic arc in the Japanese verison, and the story of pop-stardom is weirdly reflected in the actual singer in some ways.
Robotech was one of my all-time favourite shows growing up in South Africa in the 80s. The depth of story really stuck with me even as a kid. I wanted those Matchbox toys so badly, but never did get any, my parent's favourite word being "No!".
I remember watching Robotech on my new 13 inch tv back in the 80's. I had no idea what anime was, or that Robotech was a compilation of different anime series until many years later. All I knew was it drew me in, and loved it. Thank you for talking about the deaths in your review, the first time it hit me that characters were dying, I was like what the hell? Maybe it was just me but the fact that your favorite character might not make it to the next episode, made this show a weekly must see! I tried a few years ago to watch it again since it is streaming on Prime Video, there are a lot of things I over looked as a child. But still look back fondly at this show.
Small quibble. Hikaru "Ichijyo" not "Ichiro" (different characters, different meaning)
You hit the nail right on the head about tail end episodes and the survivors dealing within the reconstruction of their society. It should have just ended with that big battle. On another note, the score still holds up more than 30 years later. Great music.
True. Force of Arms was the logical end of the show, especially when you consider that it's the 27th episode. Typically, a full anime show runs for 26 like Neon Genesis Evangelion. The fact that the show runs on for 10 more episodes does water it down. Even though the Wasteland made for a fun backdrop for Robotech: Battlecry. Now that's a game that should be remastered!
Alex indeed - loved that game!
I never got to watch Robotech when I was a kid either. I watched it in my early 20's and loved it. I even own the entire collection of novels and stuff. I would have loved this show as a kid.
Finally! Thank you guys!
Can’t wait for the next parts, especially the toys!
This anime was one of my fondest childhood memories. I was 3-4 years old at the time but I remember my older brothers building the earliest Gladiator and Spartan model kits. The only Matchbox figure I ever purchased back then was in ‘87, at Kaybee Toy Store in Montebello CA, on clearance was that same Bioroid Terminator. Now I have the whole collection. It is absolutely not a perfect show, but man , was it entertaining. As much as I want them to make a live action movie, part of me wants them to just leave it be. 😎👍🏻
Macross is still going strong in Japan with a movie recently released and some up coming concerts in February that are already sold out don't you even think about getting tickets because the prices are crazy. Don't forget they just released the vf-1j which I got my hands on pre-order and is now worth $500 sucks we just can't have it here cuz of a greedy ass company
Alex A Gold Harmony are indeed vile bastreds.
500$?! Is that second hand?! Because Bandai ones cost under 200$ and Aracadia (I hope I spell it correctly) cost around 300$.
I love Robotech
I love this review!
Thank you very much for such a deep coverage of this awesome show!
GREAT JOB RETROBLASTING TEAM:) Looking forward to seeing the upcoming video parts and the examination of the toyline, such as the Robotech Master Bioroid Hovercraft:)
Robotech came on New York channel 11 very early week day morning. I always had to leave for school so I never got to watch it.
Jose Montano, we lucked out here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It came on early enough that you could watch it before you had to leave for school.
Yeah, we used to watch it on Ch 11... luckly i could watch before the school bus arrived:)
If I remember correctly it was channel 20 in DC but not sure what time. Most likely the morning.
I got lucky here in California, I don't remember the channel but I do remember watching it after school.
I remember it was 7:30am weekdays on Ch 11 and there was even a Sunday Morning on either CBS or NBC be cause I would catch it before going to church.
Same here, never heard of Robotech until I went to a comic book show and thought it was a special toy line. I never bought any ,I never heard of them. Transformers and GIJoe were the norms. Didn't care for Silverhawks or Thundercats..But Iron Man,Thor,etc were Mego brands, I read those comics. I knew about them. What I really wanted was Conan the Barbarian..I read the comics religiously. We settled for HeMan and MOTU..never heard of anything else.
Awesome video! Love this series so much! Also this channel rocks!
Just what I've been waiting for, another great retro cartoon video, thank you Michael!
I’m curious to hear what you think about Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato, and Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets/G-Force/Eagle Riders.
(If you haven’t done those series review already)
YES! Those were the other two that I loved.
And maybe Captain Harlock.....
Agreed! Starblazers/Yamato is so much better than Robotech.
Man, talk about nostalgia I love all of them 👍
@@markhuber8105 Space Dock covered the Yamato recently. Though it's the reboot version of the ship.
Tranzor-Z .G-Force. Speed Racer. Starblazers. Robotech . Both Voltrons.
Captain Harlock was After the TF Movie here.
I thought I was the only one who figured out the same thing about the mass deaths
This is so awesome. Thanks for taking the time to break this down.
I loved all of those cartoons. Fortunately I grew up in Utah where Robotech was aired on broadcast television. I didn't even know about the Harmony Gold scams until I was an adult, but from the standpoint of stitching everything together... absolutely amazing! It's still all Robotech to me when I think about it. I even played the RPG as a teenager, alongside AD&D. I like the content so far...
Man you are *rough* on Gloval :D great rant.
This actually made me rethink how the novels treated Gloval...i want to believe it was PTSD from the 'Global War' previously and the frustration of how the United Earth Government just didnt want to believe the reports--granted, Lisa's recorder was damaged when she, Rick, Ben & Max were aboard Dolza's flagship... but four officers surviving on board an alien ship with three of them talking to said aliens after the aliens demonstrate a 'main fleet' doing an orbital bombardment COULD be something to take seriously...
@@CM-wv8ns it's possibly the trope of "Complex Captain" who makes controversial decisions for longterm good? Or the "Cap'n Ahab" trope of a singular toxic obsession?
@@Znobishtucon the expanded materials [ie comics & novels in the 80s & 90s] did show Gloval to be a good captain given the circumstances--he even made admiral rank by series end and was contemplating the future by giving Lisa her own command of the SDF2 to seek out the Robotech Masters & form diplomatic relations to avoid a war. Still, Retroblasting's good critique of the character does make sense as well, and i feel the writers of the expanded material back in the day did want to make Gloval less of crazed leader and bring some justification to his decisions [or what might look like bad decisions as this was a Japanese series brought to America]
@@Znobishtucon Complex sounds about right. Gloval doesn't come anywhere close to Ahab. I know he rams the ship a lot like the Dadeleus manuever, but it's not like Ahab's "From Hell's heart, I stab at thee!"
Robotech did kind of depress me a bit, at the end of the series when we find out that Rick chooses Lisa. I liked her personality okay, but I liked Minmei a little better...but yes, I guess she realized that it was too late at the end of the show.
When she was kind of being selfish, I didn't like that either.
Also, is Ben really that bad? He's kind of supposed to be obnoxious, I mean, Rick was that way at the beginning too, to a certain degree, and Max is more of a prodigy, he's an ideal but is like the 1% of the Macross Air force
Great episode. I remember watching robotech as a kid, but have never had the chance to revisit it. Maybe I'm remembering it more fondly than I should, but I did like how it ran more as a serial than single episode format. Episodes would build on the previous ones and continue stories started much earlier in the series. Thanks again. Can't wait to see part 2.
keep the good work. you are the reason i digg up my old toys from my moms attic . best youtube channel ever. big thumbs up
yay! the VF-1S is the best transformer ever
Yeah. Jetfire. He was almost the leader of the autobots. Not optimus.
Indigo Yarkindell Shame there isn't a lot of good toys of it...
Michael... you were a Tranzor Z fan? I thought nobody remembered him .. Tommy, Jessica, Devaline.. Dr demon.....
Devileen was just creepy AF to this (then) 10 year old self.
You mean Mazinger Z
sxhbk we had that show here in Kentucky on an independent station. I thought it was really cool although it didn’t seem to last very long.
I remember Transzor Z too. I never hear about it online...I thought I was mad... It was real! It was all real! Now I know that all those voices in my head were actually memories. I can't wait to tell my shrink.
"Devileen, I have sent you out 36 times to destroy Tranzor Z, but still you fail."
" But Dr. Demon . . . "
"Nevermind. I will forgive you this time. Your mission today . . . is to destroy Tranzor Z. Do not fail this time."
I've been waiting for this for a long time. Thank you all at RetroBlasting you made my day :).
Great video, Robotech was my first introduction to Japanese anime back in the 80's as well, bought the whole series on video, can't wait till the next one.
Gloval the secret Sith lord.
Lol
Original Macross was better. And thankfully Orguss was saved from Harmony Gold. Yes Macross, Southern Cross and Orguss are actually in the same Meta series. Throughout Macross you can see Orguss references( episode 26 of SDF Macross, the VF-5000 star mirage(( especially in Zolan colors and one custom units head)), and in Macross Delta Windmere was witness to a Dimensional bomb a few years before the start of both Orguss and Macross Delta in the year 2067).
Oh and in Orguss the main character shags most of the non hitched female SDF-1 bridge crew ( including Minmay).
Nice work, you've gone and gotten me watching Robotech for the first time.
I saw Robotech when I was 12, every Thursday after school. It was light years beyond any of the cartoons that were playing on TV then. The closest things were Ulysees 31 and Captain Harlock, but those we only got on a French tv station, so for the longest time I thought they were made in Europe.
Nice video as always, but to be honest you still didn't say 'Fokker' correct.
Greets from the Netherlands 😎
19:37
Best thing *Ever*
Thank you for the ♥️
Now this was a blast from the past, I used to watch Robotech on the children’s channel in the UK around the late 80’s. another great review.
Great review and critique of Part 1 of the series. I was floored by the unwatered maturity of the dialogue and plotting too when I first saw it in the late 80s.
*Michael worries about the angry fans in the comments of the new ThunderCats Video. Unbeknownst to him, the scheming LioConvoy will be doing his best to make all of the angry commenters rage-quit in a massive flame-war*
Hahahahahahahaha!
The character Gloval is laughably horrible! Hilarious..who writes this stuff
I actually applaud the novels trying to justify Gloval's action as they explained he was part of the original expedition team with the few surviors with Roy Focker & Dr Lang that went inside the SDF1 only to encounter the automated defences that decimated the expedition... I'd like to believe he was traumatized by the threat of the alien menance in the past and dealing with the crisis with Macross City while the United Earth Government keeps telling the SDF1 'NOT' to come home since the Zentraedi fleet is more interested in the battle fortress than earth at that time--the SDF1 was basically thrown to the wolves.
Who needs Trump when you have this !!
@@CM-wv8ns Yeah, I read that graphic novel too.
And yet still Captain Gloval was inspiration wasn't he? The; 'Captain Nemo' character in "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" for example, is based on; Captain Gloval's (Global in Macross) look and demeanor from Robotech.
I knew of Robotech but never really watched it much. Just couldn’t find it where I grew up. Looking forward to the rest of this series! Thanks for the edutainment!
I was 14ish when I saw the first episode of Robotech on TV. I was immediately hooked! I got out of school at 3:15 and the show started at 3:30, a crazy fast 10 minute bike ride home, 5 minutes to make some eats and I plopped on the living room floor like a 5 year old on Christmas morning! I've since seen everything even remotely related to Robotech and years back I even had many of the collectibles...my prize pieces being an unopened Scott Bernard Cyclone and an unpunched Rick Hunter on card.
Your videos on the subject are great. Love how you are REAL about the series. And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that hated, loathed and wanted to murder Lynn Minmei!