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Rating: 
Summary: Finally, I can see it all
Review: Like most American folks (and some non-American folks to be sure) who grew up watching 80s-era 'toonage, my first look at the Macross series was in the form of the first chapter of Robotech. And even though I still hold a certain degree of sentimental nostalgia for the latter show, I gotta admit I like the original uncut Japanese version a fair bit more. Well, except for the background score-- the music used for Robotech seemed a better fit in my opinion, and wasn't quite as melodramatic as the original score. Sorry if this offends you anime purists out there, but-- no wait, actually I'm not the least bit sorry. I could give less than two doots what'cha all think...
Naturally, the biggest attraction of the original Macross is the chance to see all the stuff that Harmony Gold (the show's North American producers) changed and edited out of the series to conform to the various kidvid standards of the day. You know, excess violence, naughty bits, a smattering of mature situations and language situated somewhere in PG & PG-13 territory, and stuff that might not have translated well to audiences on the opposite side of the Pacific and elsewhere. I saw a smattering of such scenes and situations, but they made up a rather miniscule part of the "restored" bits. The vast majority of no-longer-missing moments were rather innocuous-- mostly incidental & "slice-of-life" scenes, and extended moments of dialogue-- which led me to wonder why they'd been shortened or removed from Robotech in the first place. I've also noticed that the pacing of the original Macross show is a tad bit slower than its Americanized counterpart.
I was also curious to see the results of AnimEigo's extensive restoration efforts that I'd been reading about so much on Robotech.com and other anime news sites for months before its debut on Region 1 DVD. Although I still saw a few ever-so-slight flaws here 'n' there, I thought they did a really good job making the show as clean and pristine as it likely was when it was initially broadcast. Just compare any of the restored eppies to their Robotech counterparts, and you'll see a fairly significant difference between the two in terms of picture clarity!
Although the platters in this set lack any real special bonus features aside from show production and restoration credits, the liner notes come close to making up for it:
- Disc seven's notes include two of Lynn Minmay's (Mari Ijima) tunes, as well as "Milia's Lullaby" as composed and performed by Eri Takeda. Both the English translation and the anglicized Japanese pronunciation of each song's lyrics are given.
- Disc eight's files include production notes on episodes 29 through 36. Brief synopses of each eppie's evolution from concept to production are given, as well as the disclosure of various in-gags and sci-fi references one can find in each show, if one looks hard enough. Also included is a mini-glossary of various equipment, places, and other terms heard throughout the show. Topping things off is the announcement that disc nine contains no liner note files of any kind, so "don't call (AimEigo) up or e-mail (them) asking about them", the final words on the last set of notes warns.
The only real disappointment I have with this collection is that they weren't able to put Macross and Robotech together into an all-in-one presentation, like Harmony Gold did a few years back when they put out the Robotech: Perfect Collection VHS series, featuring two Robotech eppies and their corresponding Japanese (Macross, Southern Cross, Mospeada) counterparts. It would've been nice to have something that appealed to both the RoboPhile and the anime purist in me, without havin' to take up quite as much shelf space in my video cabinet. No such luck, I'm afear'd; the licensing & rights situations just didn't pan out between the companies involved in the respective shows' production & distribution. Them's the breaks in life...
'Late
Rating: 
Summary: The end!
Review: This is the final boxed set of Macross.see my earlier reviews for boxs 1 and 2. This series comes to an end brilliantly with this set. much the same as Robotech but the highlights are still present here.
more crisp and vibrant animation.
Adult humor/language.
a more adult tone induced into the storyline.
and a few other small snips that were removed from Robotech.
a definite must own!
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