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REVIEW: Macross 7 Episodes 1–26 Anime Streaming Review


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be_low



Joined: 11 Dec 2024
Posts: 13
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 1:35 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Amazingly, Basara may be an even more insufferable male protagonist than Frontier's sulky Alto, likely one of the reasons that Macross 7 seems to be so divisive among fans.


Counterpoint: I badly miss male shonen protagonists with strong personalities that were far more commonplace back then. You had far more adult protagonists - even if industry rules ridiculously required the likes of Gene Starwind to be somehow 20, but at least Spike Spiegel was 27 - than the endless parade of middle and high schoolers now. You had almost no vanilla self-inserts. The guys didn't blush, mumble stammer, back down and apologize in response to every single situation. They could have cynical, anti-heroic or harsh aspects to their personality without being edgelord caricatures. And so on.

Everyone is rightfully sick of isekai and harems. Maybe doing isekai with the 90s space opera anime protagonists or 2000s delinquent anime is what that genre needs. (Bleach after all took delinquent manga archetypes in Ichigo and Chad, who were totally not Souichiro and Bob from Tenjho Tenge, imported into a supernatural horror story. Or at least that was the case for the initial and best arcs.) As for harems, how about one with an 80s or 90s protagonist who - while not a pervert or two timer - not only isn't inconceivably dense and naive to romantic matters but actually reactive or even proactive? More Kimagure Orange Road and less anything that was influenced by Tenchi Muyo without understanding why it was actually called "No Need For Tenchi" (the so-called male protagonist) in the first place.

Bring back the older and more colorful male protagonists from that era, so long as you ditch the more "toxic masculinity" aspects (Macross Plus is a great example within that same franchise, and even there the guys in Macross Zero were far better) and you have a way more fun shonen scene.
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Kiwi93



Joined: 08 Dec 2022
Posts: 411
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 2:31 pm Reply with quote
Has there been any news on when these macross shows are coming to the U.S?
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Marzan



Joined: 29 Mar 2009
Posts: 520
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 2:42 pm Reply with quote
It feels absolutely unbelievable to be reading a Macross 7 review on ANN. Alas it’s not yet available where I live, but I hope that changes soon.

I remember that 7 was a hard sell for me. It was only on the third try that I got past episode 10, but once I did I was sold. And now every time I hear someone talk about 7 or Fire Bomber I instinctively yell BOMBA!! It’s just the kind of series it is. And regarding Basara, he’s less a character than a force is musical nature.
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Pokenatic



Joined: 24 Jan 2012
Posts: 584
Location: Neo Venezia
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:05 pm Reply with quote
Kiwi93 wrote:
Has there been any news on when these macross shows are coming to the U.S?

Nope. Only speculation. Disney has streaming rights to basically the whole franchise everywhere except the US, which is a big question mark. Like, first of all, RightStuf/Nozomi Entertainment had the distribution rights to Frontier and Delta (presumably including streaming), but Sony bought them out and Sony doesn't really seem to be that interested in properties that aren't shonen action or isekai or isn't already mainstream. And if we need Sony and Disney to work things out for this, I wouldn't get my hopes up. Dunno about ones that RightStuf didn't get though because I think AnimEigo only has home video rights for Macross II and don't recall who else has Macross in the US besides Harmony Gold. (Actually, watch as it turns out it's Harmony Gold's fault anyways).
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tintor2



Joined: 11 Aug 2010
Posts: 2177
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:17 pm Reply with quote
be_low wrote:
Quote:
Amazingly, Basara may be an even more insufferable male protagonist than Frontier's sulky Alto, likely one of the reasons that Macross 7 seems to be so divisive among fans.


Counterpoint: I badly miss male shonen protagonists with strong personalities that were far more commonplace back then. You had far more adult protagonists - even if industry rules ridiculously required the likes of Gene Starwind to be somehow 20, but at least Spike Spiegel was 27 - than the endless parade of middle and high schoolers now. You had almost no vanilla self-inserts. The guys didn't blush, mumble stammer, back down and apologize in response to every single situation. They could have cynical, anti-heroic or harsh aspects to their personality without being edgelord caricatures. And so on.

Everyone is rightfully sick of isekai and harems. Maybe doing isekai with the 90s space opera anime protagonists or 2000s delinquent anime is what that genre needs. (Bleach after all took delinquent manga archetypes in Ichigo and Chad, who were totally not Souichiro and Bob from Tenjho Tenge, imported into a supernatural horror story. Or at least that was the case for the initial and best arcs.) As for harems, how about one with an 80s or 90s protagonist who - while not a pervert or two timer - not only isn't inconceivably dense and naive to romantic matters but actually reactive or even proactive? More Kimagure Orange Road and less anything that was influenced by Tenchi Muyo without understanding why it was actually called "No Need For Tenchi" (the so-called male protagonist) in the first place.

Bring back the older and more colorful male protagonists from that era, so long as you ditch the more "toxic masculinity" aspects (Macross Plus is a great example within that same franchise, and even there the guys in Macross Zero were far better) and you have a way more fun shonen scene.


Basara makes Kira Yamato look like cruel psychopath in comparison with how far his pacifism goes. Not that I have a problem with neither archetype. Still, there was a hilarious scene where Basara punches a guy in selfdefense and gets angry for being being forced to do that. I guess a more modern pacifist that's really well written is Thorfinn considering how he handles all of his fights even after the farm arc.
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Nova99
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Joined: 03 Jan 2024
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 5:55 pm Reply with quote
Pokenatic wrote:
Kiwi93 wrote:
Has there been any news on when these macross shows are coming to the U.S?

Nope. Only speculation. Disney has streaming rights to basically the whole franchise everywhere except the US, which is a big question mark. Like, first of all, RightStuf/Nozomi Entertainment had the distribution rights to Frontier and Delta (presumably including streaming), but Sony bought them out and Sony doesn't really seem to be that interested in properties that aren't shonen action or isekai or isn't already mainstream. And if we need Sony and Disney to work things out for this, I wouldn't get my hopes up. Dunno about ones that RightStuf didn't get though because I think AnimEigo only has home video rights for Macross II and don't recall who else has Macross in the US besides Harmony Gold. (Actually, watch as it turns out it's Harmony Gold's fault anyways).


I don't really know anymore regarding streaming than anyone else, but as far as physical releases are concerned:

- Macross Plus is already out, via Crunchyroll
- Macross Zero currently has a release date of 24th March 2025, again via Crunchyroll in the U.S.
- Macross II is still due from AnimEigo sometime in 2025, but the 4K remaster makes it worth the wait for me.
- Macross Delta blu-ray releases in Japan have always had English subtitles, so if you really want it and are willing to pay the prermium for Japanese releases you can import it (I did and thought the cost worth it) and it has a somewhat more affordable box set available now.

Other than a few Frontier/Delta OAVs I do not believe any of the other series are available even in Japan with English subtitles, but if anyone knows differently I'd definitely like to know!
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Kicksville



Joined: 20 Nov 2010
Posts: 1261
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 5:59 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
This lighter, sillier tone feels like the entire series was made as a prolonged shitpost poking fun at the perceived seriousness of the prior Macross franchise entries, and I am absolutely here for it.

As positive as this review is, I feel like this really undercuts it - the secret sauce to Macross 7 is that the writing is actually very smart. It's not simply thumbing its nose at the whole concept of Macross, it's embracing it in a totally different, weird, interesting way while also being entirely aware of the outwardly silly nature of what it's doing and addressing it. It's not mere parody.

Marzan wrote:
And regarding Basara, he’s less a character than a force is musical nature.

This is a big part of it. I expected I would dislike Basara based on everything I heard about him, but he's kind of an amazing character: he has a way of getting people swept up in the spirit of what he's trying to do, even if it takes a while, and, again, in a testament to the quality of the show's writing, you can actually believe it.

I suppose I was sold on it earlier than some, since I ended up enjoying the early episodes and not just later ones - but, it should be known, the series does just keep getting better as it goes, so know it has places to go if you are still skeptical.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15610
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 6:12 pm Reply with quote
Well, as I told someone else, until this gets resolved, whoever has access to the show as a viewer could upload it to Youtube.
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LinkTSwordmaster



Joined: 23 Dec 2005
Posts: 562
Location: PA / USA
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 7:51 pm Reply with quote
I am immensely fascinated by that reaction to Basara, as back when I binged through it years ago, he reads roughly the same way as Laios does from DinD, and there's a lot of viewers that advocate already that Laios is non-neurotypical representation. It's just that Basara focuses on musical pursuits, and doesn't live inside of D&D.

Fire Bomber's music exists within the rare & exclusive tier in my life, that no matter what sort of mood I'm in, I always come out with a smile so long as I can hear any of their songs. The Seventh Moon title opening is probably one of the top-most amazing openers to any show in the history of anime.

Holy Lonely Night is NUTS! I've never caught a good live performance of it, I suspect Yoshiki Fukuyama throws his voice when he sings it. The moment that song drops in the show though, maaaaan....
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2697
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 7:52 pm Reply with quote
Kicksville wrote:
Quote:
This lighter, sillier tone feels like the entire series was made as a prolonged shitpost poking fun at the perceived seriousness of the prior Macross franchise entries, and I am absolutely here for it.

As positive as this review is, I feel like this really undercuts it - the secret sauce to Macross 7 is that the writing is actually very smart. It's not simply thumbing its nose at the whole concept of Macross, it's embracing it in a totally different, weird, interesting way while also being entirely aware of the outwardly silly nature of what it's doing and addressing it. It's not mere parody.


That line is the kind of sentiment that, unfortunately, I've seen from many anime/manga fans for a loooooong time. The idea of taking that looks absurd in a totally earnest & honest fashion, which anime & manga have done tons of times, feels like something some have a strong hesitation in accepting, that because it's silly or absurd then it has to totally be a parody/shitpost/joke/etc. I'm American & even I have to wonder if this is just some cultural difference that I just don't understand.

As much as Macross Plus is the entry from this era that every cherishes & adores... Macross 7 is the entry that Shoji Kawamori wanted to make more. However, he knew that since M7 was such a different concept than the original SDF Macross he also proposed making Plus around the same time, so that something more familiar to fans would also be available. However, deep down, M7 was always Kawamori's real passion for Macross in the 90s, because he didn't want to just make another traditional story that was like SDF. The closest thing to M7 being a "shitpost" is Kawamori stating that he wanted to "betray" the fans of Macross with the show from a thematic standpoint, rather than simply continue with what SDF had established. Even then, though, that sounds more like he simply wanted to make sure that M7 broke any & all expectations, rather than poke fun at SDF itself.

To Kawamori, Basara being a "singing hero" in M7 was 100% as serious a concept as anything he conceived of for SDF or Plus, as it was Kawamori wishing that he had not killed off the final villain of Do You Remember Love? with gunfire, and he even felt that M7 dealt with "heavier" themes than Plus did, since Basara was absolutely a pacifist who didn't want anyone to get hurt. I've always felt that Shoji Kawamori is 100% the anime industry's "Make Love, Not War" hippie, and he's way too earnest of a guy to make something as a "shitpost" of anything.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3852
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 9:53 pm Reply with quote
Pokenatic wrote:

Nope. Only speculation. Disney has streaming rights to basically the whole franchise everywhere except the US, which is a big question mark. Like, first of all, RightStuf/Nozomi Entertainment had the distribution rights to Frontier and Delta (presumably including streaming), but Sony bought them out and Sony doesn't really seem to be that interested in properties that aren't shonen action or isekai or isn't already mainstream. And if we need Sony and Disney to work things out for this, I wouldn't get my hopes up. Dunno about ones that RightStuf didn't get though because I think AnimEigo only has home video rights for Macross II and don't recall who else has Macross in the US besides Harmony Gold. (Actually, watch as it turns out it's Harmony Gold's fault anyways).


Nozomi also had Macross 7 =/

Maybe Sentai can somehow pick up 7, Delta and Frontier if Sony doesn't care about it.
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kawaiiguy



Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 6
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:32 pm Reply with quote
Nova99 wrote:

Other than a few Frontier/Delta OAVs I do not believe any of the other series are available even in Japan with English subtitles, but if anyone knows differently I'd definitely like to know!


There was one very specific Japanese release of the Macross Frontier movies that contained English subtitles. It was a box set called the "Macross F 30th d Shudisuta b BOX". It also came with a disc playable in a PS4 for some extra content.

There is also a 4k release of Do You Remember Love coming out in January that has English subtitles. When my wife asked me if it had any special features, I said "yes, English subtitles!"
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residentgrigo



Joined: 23 Dec 2007
Posts: 2623
Location: Germany
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 11:15 pm Reply with quote
Macross II, 7 and Delta are a bunch of rubbish that go nowhere. II looks nice and 7 has good music. Delta... I got nothing. 7 ultimately features 49 eps + 5 bonus eps making it a rock bottom entry for me. It also messed around with the main series. Haruhiko Mikimoto got it right with his sleeping pill manga: Macross 7: Trash
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NJ_



Joined: 31 Oct 2009
Posts: 3122
Location: Wallington, NJ
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 11:44 pm Reply with quote
Pokenatic wrote:
Disney has streaming rights to basically the whole franchise everywhere except the US, which is a big question mark. Like, first of all, RightStuf/Nozomi Entertainment had the distribution rights to Frontier and Delta (presumably including streaming), but Sony bought them out and Sony doesn't really seem to be that interested in properties that aren't shonen action or isekai or isn't already mainstream. And if we need Sony and Disney to work things out for this, I wouldn't get my hopes up. Dunno about ones that RightStuf didn't get though because I think AnimEigo only has home video rights for Macross II and don't recall who else has Macross in the US besides Harmony Gold. (Actually, watch as it turns out it's Harmony Gold's fault anyways).


Covnam wrote:
Nozomi also had Macross 7 =/


There's also Anime Limited who released Macross Plus and will release Macross Zero in a few months.
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tintor2



Joined: 11 Aug 2010
Posts: 2177
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 11:52 pm Reply with quote
The idea of pacifism is no unique to Macross. There are several popular figures like Kenshin or Vash who will avoid killing their enemies even if they are risking their lives in the process. Guess the execution of this tropes can affect others. There is also the obvious Train Heartnet, Kira Yamato, the entire cast of Gundam Wing during Endless Waltz, Setsuna, Throfinn, etc. Even Goku has refused to killed Frieza twice and he was nearly backstabbed twice or directly ruined in the process. In the case of the ruined event it was Resurrection F which had one of the weakest twists to solve the day.
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