Anime! - a brief explanation
Reviews
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Neon Genesis Evangelion
Blue Gender
The story of Macross Plus centres on the love triangle between three old friends, reunited after seven years apart: Isamu Dyson; a wild and carefree daredevil, Guld Bowman; a cold, formal half Zentraedi, and Myung Lone; a former singer who now works as the manager for the wildly popular Sharon Apple, an artificially intelligent computer singer. Yeah, not the most average of plots I hear you say...
DVD Front Cover
Basically, this special edition DVD box set, consists of 4 episodes of Macross. The only 4 episodes of Macross actually! plus the movie. So we have 3 disc here:
Disc1 - Episodes 1 + 2
Disc 2 - Episodes 3 + 4
Disc 3 - The movie
The problem is, the movie is basically all the episodes put together but with a few scenes missing...hmmm...
Screenshots - 6
In episode one, we are given a beautiful opening into Macross, with the beautiful music striking you as the first plus point of the dog-fighting Anime. We find Isamu and Guld, both test pilots, are working on opposing teams oposing each other for the contract to design the new U.N. Spacey Veritech fighter. It's not long into the combat testing before old tension between the two pilots surfaces, and a violent confrontation between the two during testing is the first run-in. Things are complicated futher when they find that Sharon Apple - an AI pop singer (yeah, cleverly thought plot) is on the planet doing a concert, and Sharon's manager is Myung. Finally, the three meet, and though Isamu and Guld both still feel for her, Myung has changed.
In episode two, we discover as Sharon's Concert nears that Myung is more than just Sharon's manager--Sharon's program is not complete, so Sharon isn't really 100% AI and Myung's singing skill and thoughts are required to give the computer its emotions. During Sharon's concert, the head engineer on Isamu's team hacks Sharon's program and finds that Sharon seems to have an interest in Isamu. Lost yet?
After the concert, Myung spends time with some old friends, but is upset about talk of the past, and leaves before Guld or Isamu arrive. However, both Isamu and Guld get a strange mesage telling them that there will be a fire at the concert hall. Both rush there, but Guld, who was already looking for Myung, arrives first to find Myung is trapped in a burning room. Guld saves her, injuring himself in the process. Myung takes Guld to her apartment and treats his wounds, while Isamu and the authorities arrive at the concert hall, believing no one had been there. Isamu and Guld's anger toward each other finally reaches a head, with both abandoning a test run and attacking each other. Isamu is bested when Guld fires on him with a practice gunpod that was somehow loaded with live ammo.
In episode three, we find that no on one was harmed in the violent confrontation, the incident is ignored by the chiefs of the teams, and the project continues. Shortly after Myung leaves abruptly for Earth to oversee a concert by Sharon, the two test pilots find the real reason why the incident was swept under the rug so quickly--The project has been canceled in favour of introducing an unmanned "Ghost Fighter". Further, this Ghost Fighter is about to be introduced at the Sharon Apple concert on Earth. Meanwhile, on earth, Myung discovers that Sharon's program has been completed, and she is no longer necessary. Further, we find that Sharon's creator is working with the government on the AI for the Ghost Fighter, and using unstable and illegal bio chips in the process.
Before the concert, Myung confronts Sharon to find that she has become more than a simple singing computer--she not only has inherited Myung's love for Isamu, but is insane in the process! Sharon appear anywhere in a ghost like form. Sharon proceeds to imprison Myung within the Macross, and take control of the planetary defense system. In the mean time, Isamu has decided to crash the introduction of the Ghost Fighter, and takes off for Earth in his experimental Veritech to do it. Guld realizes this, and soon follows to stop him.
Not much can be said about episode four without giving away the end of the story, but Guld and Isamu have a final showdown in the upper atmosphere of Earth, and then the real fight starts; the fight against the insane Sharon Apple, with the Ghost Fighter, the entire planetary defense system, and the Macross at her command. The fight for Myung begins.
Macross Plus: The
Movie
The Macross Plus movie follows basically the same plot as the episodes. There
are a few differences; some scenes were cut to make the story flow better and
keep within a two hour length, and a few scenes were added to smooth things out.
The most notable changes are at the very end, but I can't really elaborate on
them without spoiling the plot.
Ah yes, the plot. Not your average-Joe story, but hey, it even excels more than average - to a point where cooky-ness steps in. Don't worry, it doesn't ruin the Manga film a bit. Watch it a couple of times and you'll certainly work-out how it all come together.
Macross is widely considered as the "top gun" of Anime. Not only does the term "top gun" represents itself as a pun, it also proves that it's one of the most beautifully hand drawn animation film ever - EVER - created. Hey, now that's one big title to live up-to.
Sound is fantastic and with the option of Dolby 5.1 or Stereo 2 in Japanese makes it all the more worthwhile. Lip-sync is a major hooray-point, as English dubbing in Japanese Anime's comes to par with the flavour of chicken and chocolate cookies., I would rate it as a 7 - honestly it's that good.
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DVD Stats
Aspect Ratios: Widescreen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), Dolby Pro Logic 2 and Stereo (Japanese)
Subtitles: English
Support: Interactive Menus, Scene Access
Extras:
-Trailers
-Scene Access
-Text/Photo Galleries:
-Stills/Photos
-Biographies
Rating: 12 - Mild nudity, Mild language, Some horrifc physical harm-scenes
Original Release: 1994
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Ratings
(Out of 5 Stars)
Ratings (Out of 5 Stars)
Video Quality: * * * * *
Sound Quality: * * * *
DVD Supplements: * *
Movie: * * * *
Value: * * *
Overall: * * * * ½ SUPERB