Robotech

I'm usually a purist with my anime, but I make no apologies for saying this- Robotech is my favorite TV show of all time, and my favorite anime.

I won't get into the whole discussion of whether the translation butchered the original Japanese creators' intentions or not; I stand in awe with what Carl Macek was able to do with 3 distinctly unrelated series, and feel that the whole Robotech mythos is more engaging and fun than the original series.

This is the only show that I have felt such an emotional attachment to, for so long. There is no rational explanation; my wife gave up trying to figure it out a long time ago...

Robotech spans 3 generations of people battling to save earth. It was one of the first American cartoon series to have a continuing storyline, to have character deaths (and births!). It showed racism, interracial relationships, the futility but necessity of war... all in 1/2 hour weekday installments right before school. Plus, it had the coolest mecha around.

I've heard rumors of a new Robotech 3000 series under development by the animators responsible for Beast Wars and the Voltron 3D show. I'm apprehensive but hopeful; I doubt any show can ever really hope to match (and mesh with) the standards set by the original series- identifying with characters may be a wee bit hard with CGI models. But, I hope that it renews interest about Robotech with the public. Perhaps then the snafus that have kept causing Robotech to disappear from store shelves will be overcome. (Anyone for a full DVD set?)

I remember running home to watch this show after school. I played little league baseball and missed it the first time around but was able to catch the repeats. I can't describe how much this show stuck with me. It was the first time I could remember seeing shows end on down notes the way this one did on all 3 parts. The Robotech Masters was my least favorite of the generations but I eventually came to enjoy that one too. The Invid Invasion was just great, especially with all of the love stories they added to keep it from being the typical sci-fi shoot 'em up that some other similar shows were. I recently started buying the episodes on DVD. I can't believe I'm still watching. The date on this site says 1985 but I know it was on TV before that because I saw it when I was in 6th grade, which was in 1983-84.

Well, what can be said? First step for a lot of kids when this originally aired into a more mature anime world.

This was the first, that took itself seriously and was not censored by the relentless attacking parent groups out there who try dumb down anything that may seen as violent or potentially harmful to children.

Well, they missed this one for long time and damn well happy they did. It was story about human race being finally forged into one people instead of divided nations. War without happy ending in may sense. A Drama that shows all faces of humanity facing inhuman forces from beyond. Which in may ways, did not know what they were doing as well.

It puts a very big spin on anti-war, despite the conflict, glamorization of giant robots which i am a fan of. However its a hardcore story that with original writers of Japan and the American adapters trying make it work on American Television...before the television Der-regulations started to take away the independent television stations. This show was the thing to watch.

Thou now it is a very affordable DVD, its may seem to a lot of purist that its is a rip off of another anime and its seems to be hacked up. This maybe bit crude...However, for those who had NOTHING but few scant shows (Starblazers, Force Five (For those who've heard of it!), Galaxy Rangers and even Transzor Z) I say to you, this was godsend and should be given a second look. This was NOT a goofy, far fetch show that has bubblegum style (unbelievable, trying hard not explain itself or take seriously) This was serious hardcore television show that was a true Story-book on TV, precursor to shows that came after it like EXO-Squad or more common Sci-fiction show....Babylon 5. This was Anime-Mech show that put generation on notice that there more to animation then goofy silly stuff. Starblazers started this in American (Maybe Gundam but i've never seen it when i was growing up), Robotech took America by the balls and kept its attention for least a decade!

I was probably being born at the time when this show was first being aired, so I can't really relate to how it was recieved in '85, but from watching the other cheesy war and action cartoons, this was, by far, the most realistic because of its uncensored views on the hardships of war (Come on, nobody even got hurt in GI Joe!). Losing friends, coming to know your enemy, and the like.

From today's standards, the animation may be bad, and the singing a little more than awful (MINMEI HAS TWO SONGS! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!), but the storyline was just as compelling to me and my friends as it was to my brother and his friends almost fifteen years ago.

I recommend this series to anyone who loves classic anime, or a good storyline, or hell, just the mecha (big robots that blow stuff up) are cool enough to draw anyone in. So, if you can, find this anime (it's NOT a cartoon, and I will fight to the death anyone who says it is!)and watch every last episode. Trust me, you won't regret it.

I would love to say I highly recommend this series....but due to the 80s animation, it would prolly turn off new viewers. The original robotech fans can still view this series and admire the great story lines and wonderful characters. Although the animation is really bad compared to what we have today, the characters still come through with amazing clarity despite the fact that we don't even see their lips move properly when they talk. As much as its a science fiction/fantasy story, the issues addressed are still real. Robotech is divided into 3 different series as one person already pointed out and it circles around wars with alien races. There is violence and death, there is even the seemingly glorification of war. But ultimately the moral of the story is "war produces nothing, it only leads to death and destruction" (quote by the character of Lynn Kyle...quote may be off a lil'). And the series proves that message mostly in the last of the 3 series when there is a compromise and a truce with the alien race of invids. By then much had been lost but the lesson has been learned by both sides.

The love stories are told wonderfully; the dilemnas of romance and how ppl sometimes fall out of love and outgrow each other. I can still watch this cartoon series (i hate calling it a cartoon!) with interest and i'm in my mid 20s. I was lucky enough to be outside of North America when this series aired so I got to view all 3 different series. And yes the sentinel movie was a bit of a disappointment. It was nice to see the characters grow but it seemed the artists behind the work just made everyone look older by making them taller and changing their hair completely. Yes I'm being picky here and the musical score was not as good as the original series did.

This is the most amazing set of stories told in any animated series I've seen in my childhood (and i saw plenty!). The characters are so real and well developed that you really identify with them. Even the villains are portrayed as well developed characters with human frailties and flaws, as opposed to being an evil alien race. All characters learn and grow and can change their perspectives on things.

I loved robotech when it first came out and it still makes me nostalgic when i see it or hear about it, not just because it reminds me of my childhood but because it represents a wonderful fantasy world with fantastic characters embarking on wonderful adventures...something that strikes everyone with an active imagination as extremely viewable.