Macross II: Lovers Again - Not Really A Review, I Just Love It
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- Опубликовано: 4 сен 2024
- As the title says, this isn't so much a review as it is me proclaiming that I enjoy this OVA. There is no deep discussion of the Macross lore, and I oversimplify the story elements to an almost embarrassing degree. That isn't the point - the point is, this OVA deserves a little more love than it gets. Or so say I, the one drinking the nostalgia Kool-Aid.
Whew... your video smells of old and very outdated information. 😆
For starters, there is no Macross II movie.
What does exist in and is the only OFFICIAL material, is Macross II: Lovers Again, which is a miniseries of 6 OVAs.
So a lot of the "hate" that some fans may have for the work (including myself), comes from the fact that Carl Macek helped create this unofficial pirate edition, which is very poorly edited and cut.
But not of real hatred of the work itself.
Second, if we counted every fan who comes out to defend Macross II, we would realize that it is no longer underrated.
There are many fans who use the expression that Macross II is hated and booed, which at one time was true, but currently it is one of the series with the most fan support, ahead of Delta, Macross Zero, and Macross 7.
Third, the idea of canon has been evolving, and currently, I refer to it as a writer's nightmare, but Shoji Kawamori has expressed in some interview that the idea of Macross chronology is somewhat complex and flexible, which puts Macross II back in the "canon" (if you can call that canon).
Moreover, already in 2008, with the release of the Macross Chronicle encyclopedia, Macross II has its official section, far above other deliveries that honestly should have more weight (such as the Macross VFX videogames among others).
So as you can see, a lot of your information is outdated.
Which is strange since your video is only 8 months old and not 10 years.
Oh, by the way: Macross and Robotech, are totally different franchises now.
And actually, Robotech was never an American adaptation of Macross.
So that's another detail to point out when informing those who want to know Macross for the first time: watch SDF Macross TV and SDF Macross Do You Remember Love? before trying to watch Macross II.
And do not watch Robotech since it is a different franchise.
So, at this point, it's almost like recommending to watch Star Trek to understand Star Wars. It doesn't make any sense at all.
Anyway.... greetings, and sorry for the length of the text. I hope it was at least informative.
Well, you see I myself am also old and outdated 😅. So, it tracks that my information would be also.
I am in NO way a Macross expert. I was just trying to relay what my experience with Macross II was from when I had first been exposed to it. Which, in my case, was the old VHS "Movie" release. And talk about why I like always enjoyed it. I was aware that it was actually an OVA, but much of the other information you provided is certainly more helpful to fans or people who might be interested in getting into Macross.
I have pinned your comment in hopes that those who might be interested are able to see. Cheers!
@@VansAnime I don't want to act like I'm splitting hairs, but saying that Robotech isn't an adaption of Macross is a bit misleading. Out of the three series, Macross came over relatively intact, only the names and a handful of plot points were different, like South Ataria becoming Macross Island (which is ultimately just trivia). IOW, if you've seen the Macross segment of Robotech, you've effectively seen a remarkably accurate translation of Macross. The biggest arguable difference was the omission of some violent imagery in a handful of places, like the Zentran warrior getting shot full o' holes by Hikaru and the lack of blood when Roy is killed, along with some seconds of scattered fan service.
Yes, I know "protoculture" was transmogrified into an energy source, but have you tried reading the backstory behind the Zentraedi/Meltrandi, Supervision Army, and so forth? It reads like a rambling galactic treatise some stoners came up with.
And nobody seems to like Southern Cross, not even the Japanese.
WRT Macross II, I dunno, it's just missing something, like it isn't firing on all cylinders. And the dub is hilarious, maybe even worse than Clash of the Bionoids. Kawamori et. al. say it "exists" (if you can call it that) within its own continuity, but that's like saying T3 shares continuity with the larger Terminator-verse when it obviously doesn't (yes, I know Salvation takes some narrative elements from T3).
Anyway, seen Delta? Isn't it just fantabulous!?
God this is typical Macross fan “ahhhkkktchuallly” bullshit.
I remember I went to Tokyo for the first time in my 20s. I went to a store (I think it was a mandarake but might have been something else) and asked about macross toys and the guy was like “uhg a macross fan. You’re way too young to be one of those assholes” and after chatting awhile I figured out why.
Macross ii is good to great. And people need to get off Harmony Gold’s dick. Everyone is hate fucking them too much. Everybody seems to forget that they had to pay $30 for badly reproduced episodes of anime at Suncoast Video and thank their lucky stars when “japanimation” came over to the states only to have your parents say “no porn” and ban it from the house.
What HG did to bring Macross over was amazing. Probably the only way we would have ever gotten it. Macross ended up being virtually untouched, southern cross was somehow made better (but still trash) and it’s literally the only way we would have ever gotten Mospeada here. Robotech is fine. Good even.
@@fredleggett923 You should also mention how different Minmay is. I’m not saying it was malicious, but Harmony Gold went out of their way to write her to be far less likable. There are a lot of dialogue/contextual changes scattered throughout, but in particular, episodes 16 or 34 are largely different. She’s the original’s show deuteragonist, but HG tried really hard to drop her to third. My theory is that they just didn’t want the young viewers to feel bad about the ending so they changed the dialogue, narration, etc. so everyone would be Team “Lisa.”
Since you brought up Clash of the Bionoids, I like to make the analogy of Macross is to RT as DYRL is to Clash of the Bionoids. Despite the similarities, you leave watching any of the corresponding pairs feeling differently.
@@mrmacross Oh, I'm not saying there aren't subtle and not-so-subtle character changes between the Macross portion of Robotech and Macross itself, just that the over-arching story elements were fairly well preserved. And I know HG did Minmay a little dirty by making her a whiny brat in a lot of places, but TBF she is a bit like that even in the original. It also doesn't help that she shacks-up with her cousin for awhlie.
This is why I love Flashback 2012, as it shows the triumvirate of Misa, Hikaru, and Minmei having resolved their differences to become the best of friends. It's a little sad that Minmei never seemingly found love, but she appeared okay with that and thought her best place was onboard the Megaroad, presumably to spread even more culture throughout the galaxy.
Regarding the end of Robotech's Macross, I found it shocking that Macek killed-off almost the entire bridge crew sans Lisa while Macross only sacrificed Gloval. That's pretty hardcore.
Clash of the Bionoids has to be one of the worst dubs ever committed against an anime show. I used to own the laserdisc, but got rid of it once I tracked down the DYRL laserdisc box (which I still have). It's even worse than the dub for Macross II and that is no small accusation.
I didn’t know people hated this movie until the internet. I still love it personally.
I still remember finding and renting this at hollywood video rental. I would watch this over Macross Delta any day.
over delta and 7 but frontier is the best ooohhhh yeah
@@frankinher7467 You spelled Plus wrong
so what im not a english teacher, i dont care whats right and wrong im an american it is what i say it is, no scientific proof needed for anything. and you have to deal with it and like it cause you have no choice. :P
Every time someone says "Fuck Harmony Gold" their Macross rights extend another 30 years.
I appreciate this! Everything about Macross II is great except for two major things. IMO Hibiki is a wholly unlikable protagonist, and the storyline completely falls apart in the last act. Nevertheless, the music is banger, Sylvie is a Valkyrie goddess, and the VF-2SS is a sexy bird.
He really is. Even when he stops being such a shallow asshole it is too late. You already dislike him too much lol. Agree on the VF-2SS. Such a great design.
I appreciate this review so much!! I loved this movie and it's still one of my favorites to this day.
Also the music is AMAZING i still listen to the songs today!
It's hard to express the Pull I felt to this universe and the film that depicted it!!!
I listen to A Hush Like 200 Million Years on a fairly regular basis😎
Thank you. I also picked up the movie in 95 VHS. It was amazing and Robotech was my first intro into anime. That and Akira, and Captain Harlock. I always loved it, and it took me another 8 years before I found out the truth, via internet. So many people hate on Macross 2, but I always loved it. Thanks again.
Thanks for this! It was my first Macross ever, whatch it as a child and I find it was really good, both Hibiki and Sylvie were much more memorable to me than the original SDF characters, being Minmay the exception. Love the music too, I still listen to it from time to time!
Much Macross II love
please do some more of Macross
I do plan to return to Macross in the future :D
Fellow Macross II lover. like You I love the intro and the soundtrack as a whole. I was ecstatic when VF-2SS was released as a toy a few years back but dismayed because there has been no VF-2JA since the unicorn resin kit from the 90's. I'm an oddball though. I DESPISE Macross 7, and Delta (Delta's valkyries may as well be Gundams due to their disappointing designs). Thanks for giving Macross II some love!
You're most welcome! lol
@@VansAnime I see you have one up for one of my all time favorites: Gunbuster. Gonna check it out. Consider me subscribed!
@@rodneylove8027 I do, indeed! Hope you enjoy it!👉👈
After Robotech, this was my return (so to speak) to the franchise in the 90s.
One of our local video rentals had the whole show - VHS - and being in Germany, that was rare. I rented it several times, loved it from the get got and, I don't care what you say, music and fighters are superior to the original.
I watched Macross II recently, after experiencing the OG Macross for the first time, and I have to agree that MII isn't nearly as bad as the controversies around its production and release may suggest.
Yes, it's not as memorable/iconic as Macross/DYRL, but it sounds and looks great.
My only gripe is that the last 3rd isn't as strong as the beginning, which is a bit of a shame (and it's funny how Macross Plus also revolves its climax around the titular Dimensional Fortress).
Can't really argue with anything you said here. The 3rd act is certainly the weakest and most hectic part of Macross II.
DYRL is well deserving of its iconic status. I initially was thinking of making a video about it first but there have been plenty of others who have already done so. I didn't think I had anything new or interesting to say about it that hasn't already been said by someone else lol. So, I decided to show Macross II some love :D
I absolutely hate that this is the black sheep of the series. At the time this series was amazing to me ,add to the fact the music is hands down some of the best in the entire series. It's still on my playlist to this very day.
What a blast from the past.
I love that movie, even more than the Macross series.
I attribute my love of Japanese rock/pop to that wonderful soundtrack.
Mika Kaneko and that chick from Bubblegum Crisis(1987) had the sexiest singing voices during that era as well.
If you have not seen the 1987 Bubblegum Crisis series and its A.D. Police spinoff, you are missing out.
Kinuko Ohmori was the voice for Priss.
Yo!! What mook said the music in Macross 2 was forgettable?!!😡
THE MUSIC IS ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS I REMEMBER!!!
Yup! Same here. I remember reading this take in the comments on a reddit post. Granted, the post was along the lines of asking people why Macross II considered "bad." So, that whole thread was a bit of an echo chamber for the people who don't like it to begin with.
And once it gets in your head, your gonna need a bullet to get it out.
I love Macross II! Got the DVD and the soundtracks (and a VF-2SS model that I need to assemble and paint). It's true that it is quite a production downgrade from Do You Remember Love, but as you said, it's fun, and I dig the characters.
Macross plus and macross 2 are the best
Macross II may not have featured Kawamori's mecha designs (although I think the Valk II was designed by the same guy who designed the Zeta Gundam IIRC), it did feature Mikimoto's character designs. I have this OVA series on Japanese laserdisc with its glorious artwork. It's way better than Macross 7. I was literally ROFLing at the sight of people piloting Valkyries via guitar strings.
I also am pretty sure i still have this on vhs it was my first introduction to both macross and robotech i liked the sdf but dont remember much else
Think of it as a finale of sorts to the Robotech timeline decades after the Invid departed and Zentraedi immigrants settled on Earth from Toril.
This video was fantastic! Great love letter to something you're nostalgic for!
This was one of my first Anime movies. All I had really seen up to this point was some dragonball and speed racer. I hadn't really seen an Anime tell a more serious story until this. This movie blew my early teenage mind and opened me up to the entire world of Anime. I'm extremely nostalgic for it, and on myanimelist it sits at the top with Akira, GITS, Bebop and the elites. Not because I think it's written and directed as well as those, but the nostalgia factor adds in enough bonus points to rank it up. That and the fat that It's my fav OST maybe of all time. I love Macross II so much have an entire shelf in my game room dedicated to it, everything from manga and artbooks to official OST CDs, VHS, VCD, DVD, and even a Blu-Ray (sadly the knockoff one.. maybe someday the official blu-ray will be available for under $250...)
Thank you! Sounds like you and I had very similar experiences with Macross II. Though it wasn't my first anime to tell a serious story. I share your love of the OST as well!
-edited comment - originally I said Venus Wars for some reason lol. That was my first "serious" anime viewing experience so my brain just latched onto it.
@@VansAnime I loved the OST so much I eventually imported both volumes. I think the US did get a release of the first, but not the second. Don't know the story there but pretty weird. Also, Venus Wars is fantastic and I also have on the shelf :)
@@ugzz Unfortunately, I never owned a legitimate copy on CD back in the day. Although, I am happy that it is available on apple music :)
This show deserves more love and respect. As for me it's still official Canon.
The soundtrack is awesome
has anyone else noted how this show looks strangely similar to gunbusters art style?
I look at macross 2 like the Orville of macross. It really wants to be macross...but its not quite there...not bad tho. And i probably got macross 2 for the same reasons you did.
What killed macross 2 was macross plus. You CANNOT say 2 is better than plus
No, I wouldn't say it's better than Plus. I just have a soft spot for 2. Mostly for nostalgia-based reasons :)
I wanna get into macross but I started with this because it was on the encore action channel
It's an enjoyable OVA (at least I enjoy it) but if you are looking to get into Macross as a whole, I would recommend starting with the original Macross series or Macross: Do You Remember Love.
I love ❤Macross 2. Don’t care the political crap. Well said.
Dammit. who cares. Like you said, it is all for good fun. All that canon crap is irrelevant. I started my journey with ROBOTECH! Then Souther Cross was kind of a mess and I still love that one too. Finally. The New Generation closed the whole saga (as far as the American Series concern) All of the sudden I've learned about MACROSS! which was more interesting, then Do You Remember Love and all of the rest after that. So what if any of these shows failed when it came to its story, production or even music. We can't change any of that. Just keep going on and enjoy them in our personal way. Whatever makes us happy
Man, this one brings back some memories. I'm older than you, and I still remember watching the original broadcast of Robotech in the 80s on TV. It was really the first cartoon where I saw real death and the consequences of war, with Ben Dixon and Roy Fokker, not to mention kissing, which is weird when you think about it. They didn't do that much on Transformers or He-Man. I still have my original Rick Hunter action figure with the weird rubber helmet around here somewhere.
I didn't see Macross 2: The Movie until I had been in the military a while. A friend of mine on the ship had a ton of VHS tapes of anime. I don't care what people say, it's canon. Excluding content, regardless of the quality, is kind of petty. Star Trek has been really good in the last 20 years about embracing all of their canon, especially the horrible cash grab that was The Animated Series, and I think they're better for it.
The only ding I'll give this film is that it's held up next to the VASTLY superior Macross Plus. Macross Plus was exactly what I wanted when it came out: a grown up story in the Macross world about grown up issues I was facing at the time. I know it's not fair to compare them, especially with the Bryan Cranston voice acting, but hey, it's not fair to compare Book of Boba Fett to The Empire Strikes Back either.
Awesome work, as always. Your videos are sincere, passionate, funny, and unique. You have excellent taste in anime. Keep doing what you love. It's really impressive.
And 'Van Phelan'? Really? I liked your work with Sammy Hagar way more than anything you did with David Lee Roth.
Excellent points pretty much all throughout. I have a similar feeling with Robotech. I appreciated that it explored serious and tragic issues and watched it at a time where I was starting to leave the last bits of childhood. Plus, the action of course!
One thing I always admired about the story of Macross II, even though I didn't touch on it in the video, is that UN Spacey was not this infallible establishment. Even though the exploration of censorship of the media was a little ham fisted, I still appreciate that made to touch on the subject. Watching it now, I can say I certainly understand some of the criticisms it receives regarding the plot, but it doesn't bother me at all. It is still just a good time when I watch it.
I would agree that Macross Plus is probably my favorite of the different series and for a lot of the same reasons you enjoyed it for. I don't think many people could compare the two and not come to the same conclusion lol.
Thank you for the kind words!
And yes, it is a play on words, self-imposed, nick name. You would be surprised how many people don't get the refence lol. I unironically enjoy the Hagar albums. Particularly 5150. Ironically, I actually and a bigger fan of Def Leppard but that doesn't rhyme with my name. If only my name had been Jeff...🤔
@@VansAnime Jeff Leppard? Thank you. I now have a character name for every video game from now on.
:D
My personal definition of insanity is watching Macross II over and over again and thinking I’m going to like it as much as the original series or DYRL. Something keeps pulling me to watch it, but I always end up thinking how if you tweaked it just a little it would’ve been a lot better.
I enjoyed the series. I would love for someone to do the Metal Siren!
story wise i consider macross frontier to much of a true sequel to macross 🤔, story even made sense why the girls have to sing in the middle of battle 🤔😂😂😅😅 which all other macross sequels could fail to match up the logic why they have to sing , while everyone in busy killing each other 🤔
Always loved Macross II, It will always be canon in my Macross. I may be one of the few who actually like both Macross and Robotech. Screw Kawamori. Delta occurs 10 years prior to M2 and the series is not particularly the best Macross. If Delta is Kawamori's best Macross, I prefer M2. He better step up his game because M2 is an extremely good sequel and very respectful of what came before, so yes, its canon in my Macross, regardless of what he or others say. M2 was even included, and given a definitive canon date in the Macross Ultimate Frontier PSP game.
Yeah, my first experience with Macross in any form was Robotech. So, I have a definite love for Robotech and Macross individually.
Macross II music bad? Probably said by people with no taste in music, lol. Its not DYRL but its miles ahead of Delta and Frontier when it comes to songs.
I hate humanity but I more or less like cats and dogs and Macross 2 is sick
As a Macross fan for me this is utter crap. Im sorry this is the 1st time I dissagree with you.
No need to be sorry. I can certainly understand that point of view from Macross fans. I wasn't even aware that Macross and Robotech were two different things when I first watched this in my younger days. Saying I was a casual fan is probably putting it lightly. It's 80% nostalgia for me.
@@VansAnime Yeah I can understand that nostalgia effect, I knew about Macross thanks to Robotech and despite the hate, it still have a place in my heart.
Whats your beef with Harmony Gold, even if they made the other two seasons just to make money on toys, The New Generation was Crazy Good. Hate on comico comics that didnt have any new ideas and just reprented the tv ep on comic books and never went up on price after 30 years +
Its not really MY beef with Harmony Gold - there is a section of the fanbase that feels this way that I was acknowledging. I can't say that I hate Harmony Gold. Without Robotech on TV here in the states, I never would have known about the franchise at all. But I will admit I was never a big fan of the Southern Cross stuff.
@@VansAnime lol i showed my sister robotech and we watched all the epesodes and skipped over southern cross only becouse they all died so what was the point.. haha i never really like it either but a few years ago i did sit down to watch it and see if i thought it was any better after first seeing it like 20 something years later and to not have wasted money having the dvd collect dust since i bought them when theyu first started making them.