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?)

Robotech is one of my favorite anime of all time. I love the old 80's style of animation. Early Japanese animation is great, some old anime is even better than the new stuff. Robotech is a very detailed series in Japan it's called Macross. One day I would like to see the japanese version. I have all of them on DVD except volume 8 which is part of the Robotech Masters series(season 2). The charaters are so unique and different and the love story is so much better than those other cliches used in today's anime, video games and movies. If you love watching the series you should also try Robotech Battlecry, even though you are using a character that doesn't even exist in the series it's a good game for any Robotech fan. If you are new to anime, Robotech is the perfect anime to start with. Robotech was one of my first.

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.

I have sat and watched the first robotech (macross) edition many times. I used to rush home after school just to watch it when it first aired in South Africa. I was amazed at the animation and the (in my opinion) depth of the characters, i also enjoyed the way the characters grew and evolved as the series progressed. I have recently managed to watch all the 2nd series episodes (robotech masters) and have started watching the third series. I was just as enthralled to sit and watch the characters evolve and their lives play out in the series.

I have bought the DVDS of robotech and intend to introduce my kids (if i have any) to the magic that is robotech. If you love animated films/manga then i would recommend that you watch the robotech series.

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.