Difference between revisions of "Macross Plus"

Revision as of 07:36, 3 February 2007

Macross Plus
Director	Shoji Kawamori
Format	Anime (OVA)
Made By	Big West, Bandai
Episode Length	40 Minutes
# of Episodes	4

Genre

Drama, Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi

Short Outline

2040 AD, Planet Eden. A maverick test pilot is reassigned to a base in the dessert to take part in trials to determine the next variable fighter for use by the UN. However, the result is an unwanted reunion with former friends who now carry a heavy burden from an incident many years ago that broke all of them apart.

Main Description

Plot Synopsis

30 years after the events in the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross TV series, in which the UN Spacy was victorious over the alien Zentraedi forces, a rogue Valkyrie pilot finds himself reassigned because of his hot headed behavior. Isamu, however, relishes the opportunity: he's being inducted into the Super Nova test program to test the next generation of variable fighters. His enthusiasm falters however when he discovers that Guld, a former friend, is a test pilot for the rival company in the project. Even further complicating the matter is Myung, a mutual friend and ex-love interest of the two. An incident 7 years prior tore them apart, and now they have reunited on their home planet; Isamu and Guld as test pilots, and Myung as the Producer of the virtual idol Sharon Apple. Myung herself had loved singing more than anything, but like the friendship with Isamu and Guld, that too fell apart 7 years ago...

Tempers flare and old wounds are torn open as Isamu and Guld battle each other in the program, and Myung struggles with her own issues with the two. Behind the scenes, however, strange and dire machinations are occurring within not only the Super Nova project, but Sharon Apple herself. With their lives on the line, Isamu, Guld, and Myung must confront their past to survive a fight with the advent of dangerous Artificial Intelligence technology and a military who no longer sees a need for human pilots.

If You Liked This, You Might Like...

More of the Macross saga:

• Macross
• Macross: Do You Remember Love?

If you come to like the above, then you'll probably love this too:

• Eureka seveN
• Gundam: 08th MS Team

Personal Opinions

Nate RFB

If there was ever one anime to watch, something you had to show someone that was short and sweet and got right to the point, Macross Plus would be it. Released in 1994, it boasted unprecedented production values in its animation and musical score. Yoko Kanno, of Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, and Ghost in the Shell (among others) fame would take one of her first steps into making herself known with the brilliant and stirring music of Macross Plus. This one is a classic; an OVA that will forever stand the test of time and deliver to generation after generation.

You might be wondering that, since this is an entry into a universe with many other shows, you will not be able to watch it without viewing the rest to get the background. But fear not, because Macross Plus was specifically structured for both sides of the coin. Viewing the original TV series provides a back drop, but the characters, story, and even most of the locations are not related to the original series at all. The biggest contribution that the original series had towards this OVA was the Macross itself, which appears in the last two episodes. The viewer need not know anything about it other than "Hey, that's a pretty big human-shaped spaceship which is probably important since it has the same name as the show!" Macross Plus was the first Macross-related story that I had ever seen, and nothing was lost.

I feel that I can say, without hesitation, that Macross Plus is the best Anime OVA ever produced. The story and plot are meaningful and stirring; this may be an anime involving transforming Space Jets, but they take a far placed back seat to the drama of the characters. Their issues are real and almost heart breaking; the truth of how Isamu, Guld, and Myung had their falling out is almost too much to bare. Despite having only 4 episodes, nothing more and nothing less was needed.

This is not to say that the robot fan in someone won't be enthralled, either. Macross action has largely always been portrayed as being fast paced and never static (A stark contrast, in my opinion, to Gundam), and Plus simply took it to the next level. The action sequences are used intelligently and every episode has something for the mecha enthusiast. This isn't a series you should really be watching for any one particular reason; rather, everything that it does have it does perfectly with an execution that is indicative of much love went into its production. I feel frustrated at being unable to really describe it more in detail; it's just a freaking beautiful thing to watch. By the time you've reached Episode 4, and "Information High" (one of the best pieces of music I've ever heard) is played, you'll have realized you'd been watching something special. Something epic.

There aren't many things in anime or manga that I feel fans are "obligated" to watch. I consider that line of thinking to be pretty presumptuous. But there is no doubt to me that Macross Plus is something that belongs in this category. It didn't simply do what it set out to do well: a classic love triangle with bitter and tragic rivalries on the backdrop of sci-fi marvel. It defined them.

Oh yeah, there's a Movie Version of this as well, but it's only about half as awesome. 15 minutes of new material (most of which is entirely superfluous, except for an extended conclusion to one of the dog fights at the end) can't make up almost an hour of story content being lost.

Links