Macross Plus: OAV?

[AmericanBeauty]

I have two questions about this:

1. Is this a good show? The reviews seem pretty glowing?
2. Is it a standalone? Or do I have to watch the other Macross shows to appreciate this one?

[Rogueman_8]

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Air Of Benevolence said:
I have two questions about this:

1. Is this a good show? The reviews seem pretty glowing?
2. Is it a standalone? Or do I have to watch the other Macross shows to appreciate this one?

[/ QUOTE ]

Macross Plus is one of my top 5 anime shows ever. It's very good. The production values are just great. Kanno's music is amazing. The actors are all great (dub is pretty good too, though i didn't like myung's eng voice). The show is stellar storywise. It mostly focuses on 3 friends w/ bigger things to come in the background. You can watch it stand alone. There's no real requirement of knowing anything from the Macross universe to watch and enjoy this (though some ppl may enjoy it a bit more due to the race relations and stuff). Check out the OVAs FIRST then the MOVIE second. The movie's got some cool extra footage and a slightly better ending but the OVAs got a ton of more footage, music and character development which you'll definitely enjoy. SOOO recommended.

[Innocent Bystander]

What he said. Knowing the OVA, I found the movie version disappointing. Just get the OVA.

[Bullfrog]

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Air Of Benevolence said:
I have two questions about this:

1. Is this a good show? The reviews seem pretty glowing?
2. Is it a standalone? Or do I have to watch the other Macross shows to appreciate this one?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is one of the best OAVs I've ever seen. The title that re-introduced me to anime, and was my first ever anime purchase. One of my most re-watched DVDs, of all shapes and forms. Thinking on it, this title has caused a 1700 disc addiction (and counting) . . . [img]/images/graemlins/sweat200.gif[/img]

This story is pretty much standalone, it certainly would help to have seen the original Macross series, however that is for finer nuances. The broader storyline is quite easy to follow.

As others have mentioned, the movie is out there as well, and tells a very similar story line. It's worth picking up, but I'd only give it a solid B+, whereas the OAVs are at least A+ (keep adding +s).

[Leon_Belmont]

It rocks, and it's standalone. Go for it. It's not just one of the many good shows, but one of the bests. Well, I supposed that part's debatable, but among OVAs, its one of the tops. Check it out.

[Falcon_73]

Macross Plus is an OVA worthy of the name... unlike another Macross series with a number 7 in it.

Prior knowledge will help, but it's not required. If you have seen and liked shows like Yukikaze & Area 88, then I think you will like Macross Plus.

I just wish they would re-master the movie version as I liked that a bit more, but the OVA shouldn't disappoint.

Macross Plus has sometimes been called the "Top Gun" of anime and it lives up to that billing...

The music, while being different than the original Macross series/movie, is also top notch. It's a very engaging soundtrack and fits the OVA quite well.

Mecha... Music... >> Macross...

Macross Plus is highly recommended in my book.

[macross011a]

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Air Of Benevolence said:
I have two questions about this:

1. Is this a good show? The reviews seem pretty glowing?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an excellent story about peace, love and war entwined about two test pilots fighting for the love of one lovely lady.

Aside from being a mecha anime, there's some in-nods to "2001: A Space Oddessy", in which the Macross creators are fans of the story.

The big hook on this anime is that it sets the benchmark on how mecha dogfighting should be, until it was unseated by 2002-2004's Macross Zero for its animation quality. Macross Plus may be dated from 1994, it has aged well.

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2. Is it a standalone? Or do I have to watch the other Macross shows to appreciate this one?

[/ QUOTE ]

Watching other Macross shows may help understand the in-nods to previous events, they are not important to the story.

If you must, check out Macross Zero (which is currently unlicensed and likely not soon) which is set in 2008 AD. The original Super Dimension Fortress Macross (available on R1 from ADV) is set at 2009-2012 AD. Macross Plus is set in 2040 AD.

Macross Plus is written by the Macross creators to be clear that the world of Macross and its universe is *very* different from its competitor "Robotech". As I said about the 2040 date, the Macross world is peaceful and hasn't faced a major war in 30 years, while the Robotech universe is set about Earth's war against the Invid in their 2040 date.

The in-nods mentioned below are spoilerish if you hadn't watched Macross at first, so I warn you.

<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>There is a junked VF-1 Valkyrie variable fighter parked at New Edwards base on planet Eden.

Various Destroids (dated from 2009-2012) are used for target practice.

The spaceship UNS Macross (registry SDF-01) is shown here, refitted from its final battle in 2012.

A song, "My Boyfriend's a Pilot", was featured in a kareoke bar. That song was done by Lynn Minmay, who was lead singer in the original Macross TV series.

Various models and photos of variable fighters in action are seen in Colonel Millaird Johnson's office.

The ceremony featured in Macross Plus is the 30th anniversary of the end of Space War I, the war that occured in the Macross TV series.

Global Space Port is named after Bruno Global, captain of the Macross and later hero of the war (as well as future president of the UN government.</span>

I recommend also watching the Movie Edition as well, as it shows redone CGI footage. It's basically a Director's Cut, which is based on the draft version on what Macross Plus is supposed to be.

Yet, all Macross works set after 2040 (Macross 7, the Macross PlayStation video games, the Macross 7 manga side-story and Macross 7 Dynamite; all unlicensed) follow the events based off from the Macross Plus OAVs.

[Magic_Knight]

Personally, I didn't like it. I didn't care for the characters (except the main character whoe was pretty cool) or the story. I thought the whole love aspect was lame, too. I have to admit though that the animation is awesome and the mecha fights are excellent. The rest of it just wasn't my cup of tea. I haven't seen the original Maccross yet.

[Leon_Belmont]

Whether the Movie version is the intended telling or not, I found the OVA to be superior, especially in characterization. And I probably wouldn't bother with the Macross series with numbers in them. They all give me a headache just thinking about them, and this is coming from someone who thinks Macross is by far the best anime out of the 70s and 80s time period. Plus lives up to the name though.

[Starwind Amada]

What was the thing that got a really bad English dub done in Hong Kong?