Robotech II: The Sentinels

Wanting to continue milking the cash cow, Harmony Gold decided to make a sequel. This instalment in the "Robotech epic" was essentially a patchwork of specifically made footage (done by a Korean studio under Tatsunoko's supervision) and existing animation. The character designs were based on those of Macross, as the main characters were Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, Max Sterling, Breetai, Miriya etc. Did I say "based"? These new designs were americanised, looking like the worst moments of Hanna-Barbera. The uniforms were, to put it bluntly, disturbing. The storyline was even worse than that of the initial Robotech. The voice acting was as bad as you can imagine - don't forget it's a Harmony Gold production after all - and, of course, Reba West kept torturing our ears with her "singing". That the direction makes Ed Wood seem like Francis Ford Coppola goes without saying.

Only three episodes were finished. They fared poorly, ratings-wise, so the main financer, Matchbox (the toy and model manufacturer that now is a part of the Revell/Monogram consortium) bailed out. Tatsunoko did too. So, without funding and with appalling ratings, Robotech II: The Sentinels died the early death it deserved. Even Robotech fans find it an atrocity. If Robotech is a waste of time, Robotech II: The Sentinels is a waste of shelf space in video stores.

Look elsewhere and don't buy the hype of Harmony Gold, which desperately tries to revive interest in its pathetic products, in an attempt to cash in on the worldwide resurgence of interest in Macross.