Finished watching Macross 7

Finished watching Macross 7 + Macross 7 Plus + Macross 7 Encore (1994~95, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Studio Nue, 49 Epi + 3 OVAs + 11 Shorts) on 12/17/2017.

Nekki Basara is the lead singer of Fire Bomber, a somewhat popular rock-band aboard the space colony ship, Macross 7. During one of their outdoor concerts, Macross 7 is attacked by a large number of mysterious enemies piloting heavily-modified Valkyries. Named Protodeviln, these enemies attack opposing pilots by stealing an energy called Spiritia, leaving them seemingly brainwashed. Owning a modified state-of-the-art red Valkyrie of his own, Basara takes off mid-concert to engage the enemy... with his own fighting style; playing music.

So, usually when I get into an anime franchise I tend to be a completionist (to some extent) by watching all the episodes of all the different series and spin-offs by either release date or story chronology. Macross 7 however was a bit of an exception for me. When I first researched the franchise, I often heard that Macross 7 was skippable or it was a silly series, not to bother with it, etc. Others however loved it, and apparently it was very popular in Japan. Or at least the music was, I heard. After watching Delta, I had gotten used to watching Macross and sort of needed one more hit, that's when I decided to give 7 a try. And boy, what a ride I was in for. It really was as I had been advised. Silly, over-the-top, corny, ridiculous, confusing. But it was good! It was also fun! I think having gone into 7 with the expectations put forth by other fans was what sort of eased me into enjoying 7. I knew it was going to be different from what I had seen so far, and so with that open-mind... I found myself singing with Basara outloud as he battled cringy alien monster designs and even when he wasn't battling and his band needed a helping-hand! And Basara, oh, Nekki friggin Basara, that man is quite the work-of-art. Not only do I think he's pretty awesome, but also a complete ass butt to his friends. He can be such a selfish little toad! Aside from that... I really enjoyed the music in this one, and they really make the show about it. There's always two or three songs that get played by episode, but they're so catchy and awesome that I don't really get tired of them. In fact I look forward to it. The variety of songs keep it from getting repetive... well, to an extent. Aside from that the show could really be more coherent. Some episodes feel a bit filler-y and the enemy designs, like I mentioned are just not that great. They seem a bit generic for my taste.

7.5/10 - Really love the music!

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 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...