Finished watching Diebuster

Finished watching Diebuster (2004, Gainax, 6 OVAs) on 04/10/2017.

Nono is a clumsy, bubbly girl from a rural Martian town who dreams of going to space. One day she finds herself in the middle of a brawl between a Buster machine and a giant alien creature. Nono's clothes get caught on the alien's body as the Buster and its pilot, Lal'C drag their foe to space. Surprised by Nono's ability to survive in the vacuum of space, Lal'C brings her home to the Fraternity, a group of elite Buster pilots called the Topless.

8/10 - I feel like this would've been a better show if there were a couple more episodes exploring some of the elements of the world and its characters. Regardless, this was still a great show and since this is an action-packed Gainax production, you're guaranteed that crazy, over-the-top animation that take you back to those legendary FLCL days with a hint of Gurren Lagann. But what really topped the cake for me was the very final moment of the last episode.

Finished watching Macross Zero

Finished watching Macross Zero (2002, Studio Nue, Satelight, 5 OVAs) on 03/30/2017.

Set one year before the events of the original Macross series, Macross Zero follows the story of Shynn Kudo amidst the final battles of the U.N. Wars between the U.N. Spacy and the Anti-U.N. Forces. After being shot down by a strange aircraft that can transform into a humanoid fighting robot, Shynn wakes up in an island inhabited by a tribe that seems to hold great secrets about a sunken alien spaceship. A spaceship that would soon become the main focus of the wars.

7.5/10 - Hmm. Maybe I'd have to watch this show again, but I feel like I didn't really understand what these OVAs added to the franchise. Maybe it was to sort of explain the origin of the VF fighter technology? I'm not sure. Maybe it was just its own thing altogether. Either way I enjoyed the show, it was nice to see Mr. Focker again. The quality of the show was pretty good. So overall I had a good time with it. Lots of CG Valkyrie fights. I guess those are cool. Not sure how I feel about the framerate differences between the CG and the characters though, but whatever.

EDIT: After having watched Macross Frontier I began to make some connections that clarified a couple of things for me, but for the most part it made me realize that Macross Zero introduced, or expanded more on the idea of an earlier alien contact with Earth. Still, I think I'll watch the OVAs again for a deeper understanding of the story and concepts.

Finished watching Macross Plus: Movie Edition

Finished watching Macross Plus: Movie Edition (1995, Studio Nue, Triangle Staff, 115 min.) on 03/20/2017.

Isamu, Guld and Myung, three childhood friends bitterly reunited after a tragic event that separated them for so long. But the wounds of the past have not yet healed and their career paths keep them further apart. While Myung is involved in the creation of a virtual pop idol to inspire the masses, Isamu and Guld compete as select military test pilots for the Super Nova Project.

10/10 - First of all. The movie opens up with music by Akino Arai. I'm already sold. Second of all. This movie is an animation masterpiece of epic proportions. Not only is it a pioneer for the marriage of cel and CG animation, it masterfully combines music and visuals in ways that will leave you hypnotized. The characters are amazing and their relationships are well crafted. The music and soundtrack is really one of its kind. And again, with Akino Arai providing some of the songs for the virtual pop idol what's not to like about this movie? I really want to watch this movie again one day.

Finished watching Macross Do You Remember Love

Finished watching Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love (1984, Studio Nue, Tatsunoko, 115 min.) on 03/17/2017.

A massive alien spaceship crash lands on Earth and is years later reverse engineered by Earth's UN Spacy who names it SDF-1 Macross. It is then launched into space as part of a ceremony celebrating the project's completion, but the launch attempt is interrupted by an attack from an alien species called the Zentradi and the ship teleports itself to the edge of the Solar System taking an island city along with it. In the midst of the messy launch, Valkyrie pilot Hikaru Ichijo rescues pop idol Lynn Minmay and in doing so they become trapped in an area of the ship for days. The Macross must now return to Earth all the while dealing with various Zentradi attacks.

8/10 - DYRL? is supposedly an alternate retelling of the original Macross series with certain events unfolding differently than the TV show. While the movie itself is pretty good, I still prefer the original story. Specially with how Roy Fokker is handled. But the animation quality is great, specially with Lynn Minmay's shows. And it's always nice to hear her songs as well. I'm not trying to say the story isn't interesting just because it's a different retelling, on the contrary, that's what's interesting about it. Oh, and Kaifun doesn't have much of a presence in this movie. So far as him being replaced as the actor for Shao Pai Long. Ichijo plays the part instead which I thought was great. I can't stand Kaifun...

Finished watching Super Dimension Fortress Macross

Finished watching Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982, Studio Nue, Tatsunoko, 36 epi.) on 03/14/2017.

A massive alien space ship crash lands on an island on Earth. It is then claimed by a military organization called U.N. Spacy who attempts to rebuild the ship and reverse engineer its technology. Over the years a city begins to grow around the ship. The ship is named SDF-1 Macross and in 2009 an attempt to launch it into space is made. Suddenly an alien race of humanoid giants called the Zentradi attack and the Macross automatically fires its main cannon in response, destroying the alien fleet. Still pressured to launch the ship, the Macross crew attempts the use of the Fold System to teleport themselves out of the Moon's orbit, but in doing so the radial area of the Fold's effect takes the island and its civilians along with them to the edge of the solar system, including a young pilot named Hikaru Ichijo and his new friend, Lynn Minmay who dreams of one day being a music idol. With the Fold system now damaged, the Macross crew salvage the civilians and everything they can from the island city as they try to make their way back to Earth.

8/10 - Yes, not RoboTech. Macross! And yes, wasn't that a long synopsis? Eesh! Oh, but this show is amazing! I mean the art quality is okay, with only a few episodes really going down the toilet. It's like a different studio worked on them or something. But they did have different studios working on this so... I don't know. But the story and the characters are great! Even the characters I hated I feel like I did because they were intended as such. Gaddang that Kaifun, Shao Pai Long faced, good fer nuthin', piece of!!! Sorry... Hahahah! But it's awesome! The show is really well written! It gave me quite a wide range of emotions. You'll enjoy watching the robotic animations too. Just keep in mind it's an early 80's show, though. And naturally the music is pretty good too! The plot is very dependent on Lynn Minmay's musical career so there's quite a couple of songs in the show by her, and I like most of them. The opening and ending are pretty good too. Can't wait for my next karaoke venture.