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NEWS: Super Dimension Convention to Host Voice Actress Run Sasaki

A Macross-specific convention?
At that time of year?
At that time of day?
In that part of Los Angeles county?
Localised entirely within an art centre?

It's been around for over 20 years.

I think it used to be held in Long Beach but don't quote me.
They've always been held in the general LA area.
It used to be called Macross World but they rebranded the name.
It's had forums up on the Internet far longer than most people here have been anime fans.
The Macross fandom in the US is still a cult one but it's a very strong one with many people being fans of the show for over 20 years, quite a few 30-year and longer fans. VHS tapes of the original Macross were shown at science fiction and comic cons in the 1980s before the first official anime cons took off in the States in the early 1990s(?).

I think sooner or later, the obstinancy towards licensing this series to the West has to stop. It's grown as much as as it can in Japan. I'm not so sure all of the franchise would do well in the West. I've seen bits and pieces of most of it and am convinced Mac 7 and Mac Delta would be flops.
(* Allegedly the issue that stopped Macross 7 from being licensed in the West in the 1990s was music rights clearances and that show is known for its rock music. Macross Plus and Macross II were originally licensed by LA Hero who passed on that license to Manga Video. There are have been copies of those series on mediocre-quality DVDs for years...)
The rest of it, besides the original show which most people know through Robotech, could be big. A lot of people liked Macross Plus back in the day when it was available and Macross Zero and Macross Frontier have the potential to do well. At the very least, the Macross franchise could compete well alongside Gundam. That's really the only other series that's bigger in the science fiction anime arena. I just wish they would evolve beyond doing idol series! Mac Delta, again, was really bad!

It won't be Harmony Gold, btw, that has to be overcome. They're almost out of the picture. Their rights to the anime footage Tatsunoko owns and controls expire in 2021 (unless they magically come up with money to pay Tatsunoko the renewal licensing fees that company wants for the animation footage; HG is far too focused on a live-action film; mark my words, Robotech will end up at a different company before 2030) BUT there would still be a problem licensing Macross in the West.

The logger-jam all along, contrary to what many naive fans here believe, has been Tatsunoko, the co-producer of the original series and the original source of the conflict where the international distribution issue is concerned. They're the company that ultimately had to be dealt with where the original Macross series is concerned (for the US releases by AnimEigo and ADV Films who worked through HG still since HG was Tatsunoko's co-producer and licensing partner since the 1980s) but obviously dealers are able to bring in merchandise and unless HG's lawyers are cranky that month, it gets into the country. I've seen PLENTY of Macross models and artbooks at cons when I've bothered to look. They haven't stopped these cons. Like I said the cons have been going on close to a quarter-century now.