Forum - View topicMacross Plus purchasing questions.
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joel_s95387
Posts: 1804 Location: California... The Village Hidden In The Porn |
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I have never watched Macross plus but have heard great stuff about it.
Let me say I enjoyed the first Robotech story arc a lot and then purchased the Macross DVDs that ADV released. But as far as Macross is concerned that is my only experience with this series and even though it is very old, I loved it. I recently downloaded Macross Zero, please lets not make this a fansub debate, and after the first sequence I shut it off and checked DDD and TRSI for the R1 release but it was not listed  .
So what I'm wondering is if this show is shelf worthy. Also I found that there are 2 seperate DVDs with a total of 4 episodes and there is also a Movie version of those 4 episodes, is anything lost in the transition? And if so, is it anything important? Also what other Macross should I check out? Apparently the only other US release is Macross II so what are peoples thoughts on that. |
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Mr Adventure
 Posts: 1598 |
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Macross Zero isn't licensed in the US due to legal mumbo-jumbo with the Macross franchise. So we'll forgive you for DLing a Fansub. Because its your only option to watch it.
Now, Macross Plus is probably my favorite Anime of all time. Its a good solid adult natured love story with space jets that transform into giant robots. The two versions that exist are Macross Plus OVA (released as a box set with all 4 episodes) and Macross Plus Movie Edition. The Movie Edition cuts a lot of fat out of the OVA, while at the same time adding a number of new scenes. Its honestly a bit of a conundrum. I personally prefer the OVA version because there is significantly more mecha action, which the Movie condenses into a short montage. Also, if Dubs are important the OVA version has a Dub track. The Movie version is Sub-Only. You should probably eventually watch both versions, because they both have something to offer. But if you only want one, go with the OVA. You can't really go wrong with either, they are great. As for Macross II, I have not watched it yet (working on it) but the general consensus is it is not very good. Mostly because nobody who worked on it worked on the rest of Macross. Plus it's non-cannonal to the general Macross storyline. So its not required watching. I say, watch Macross Zero, watch Macross Plus, then get a hold of Macross Frontier via Fansub. If you watched Robotech/Macross you're gonna LOVE Macross Frontier. |
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joel_s95387
Posts: 1804 Location: California... The Village Hidden In The Porn |
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I DL'd the first couple eps of Frontier but haven't watched them cause I'm scared its gonna be so good that anything Macross before it will lose something because of it, oh and the fact I hate waiting week to week for episodes so I want to wait until its completely out.
Sucks for Zero. The intro dog-fight was just amazing and too bad it wont grace my shelves. I was expecting Zero to be Plus or II animation wise and I was even more surprised with the animation. Looks like I'm going to be hunting down the Plus OVA then. Damn, with my previous DDD order I could have taken advantage of their "Buy 1 Get 1" and could have gotten it really cheap but now that sale is over. Thanks for your input it was really informative. |
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zaphdash
 Posts: 620 Location: Brooklyn |
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If memory serves, Macross Plus was originally written as a movie, so that's the version that's closest to what it's "supposed" to be. I personally like the movie edition more because it actually has an ending, but like Mr Adventure says, they both have their charms and you can watch either one. One thing you should be aware of on Manga's Macross Plus DVDs, though, is that they suck. They just look like VHS transfers, they're really horrible. I bought them way back when and as I was still largely just making the transition to DVD, I didn't really notice, I was pretty used to watching VHS anyway (not to mention at the time I mostly watched stuff on a little 13" TV). I popped the movie in for the first time in years a couple months ago (now on my HDTV) and was just floored by how awful the transfer was. I don't get all high and mighty about the fansub BS and I don't mind admitting that I downloaded R2 rips after that (then again, considering I own all three R1 DVDs, I suppose downloading the fansubs as well is more of a gray area than an outright "wrong"). If you want to be nice and legit, I guess Manga's DVDs are your only real option (or you could shell out a ton of cash for the R2s), so maybe you're just screwed either way, but I thought you should be warned before you make a purchase. They really are bad.
Macross II: It's not great, but it's better than its reputation. I probably wouldn't buy it, but if you can find it to rent or you catch it on Encore (I don't think they've actually shown it in years, but they used to run both II and Plus fairly frequently, sometimes even subtitled), it's all right to watch. It's by far the least popular Macross, and that's probably deserved, but in spite of all the knocks against it, I found it entertaining enough. Again, not really worth a purchase unless it's really cheap, but it's not so bad that I'd urge you to avoid it at all costs. Macross Frontier: I like it a lot, but I wouldn't be afraid that prior shows will pale in comparison -- that is, unless you're a sucker for eye candy, and then only Zero has any shot at matching up to it. The show itself is pretty good, but I don't think it touches the original Macross. I could see not wanting to watch Macross 7 after watching Frontier, but then again, I could also just see not wanting to watch Macross 7 at all. I'll forgive that show for much more than lots of people will, but it's certainly got its issues, particularly in the first half. As for what other Macross you should check out: I'd say all of it, but I love Macross so maybe I'm not really impartial here. Macross, Gundam, and Bleach are pretty much the only anime I watch anymore, I've kind of gotten tired of everything else but I have a friend that wouldn't quit pushing Bleach on me for months until I finally relented and then I just can't bring myself to quit Macross and Gundam (and Macross has rewarded me with quality in Macross Frontier...Gundam, not so much). Even Macross 7, which I know I didn't sound too hot on a moment ago, I still genuinely enjoyed. I'd get ahold of any Macross you can and check it all out. The best Macross, I think, is the original show and DYRL, Macross Plus, and Macross Frontier (probably in that order), but Zero is good, Macross 7 is entertaining enough, Flashback 2012 is fun (albeit forgettable), and even II is worth watching if it doesn't take much effort/money to get ahold of it. It's all good. As you yourself seem to have already discovered, though, only Macross, Macross Plus, and Macross II are available in region 1 and that's probably all that ever will be, so you'll probably have to rely on fansubs for the rest. |
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ptrix4u2c
Posts: 20 |
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I would pay Bandai Visual prices for a decent release of Macross Plus as long as it had both the OAV and movie editions.
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Mr Adventure
Posts: 1598 |
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If only they would English Dub the R2 releases, I'd pay through the nose and ass to Import. |
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