Robotech - War & Peace (Vol. 5)

Rating:
Summary: The Action Reaches a Climax...
Review: Robotech The Macross Saga 5: War and Peace, contains episodes 25 through 30 of the legendary anime series from the mid 1980s.

Robotech was the most popular of the Americanized Japanese anime series to hit American TV waves during the 1970s and 1980s (along with Star Blazers, Voltron, Transor Z, etc.) Known for its cutting edge animation, high tech battle scenes, futuristic weapons (planes, tanks, motorcyles that transform into robots), cool alien invaders, and realistic and compelling storylines, Robotech swept an entire generation and helped put Japanese Anime forever on the map of American pop culture.

Set in the 21st century, Robotech's sweeping saga spanned three generations, weaving together three separate actual Japanese anime series. The basic story premise is that the earth became forever changed when a mysterious alien battleship crashed on earth. The people of the world, now knowing that they are not alone in the universe, end all wars and unite to understand and assimilate the advanced technology and prepare for the inevitable alien invasion that is sure to come. As the story unfolds mankind would go on to become embattled in an intergalactic struggle, battling three separate alien races over the next 60 years. The sweeping intergalactic saga itself though, merely becomes the backdrop of a deeper 'human' saga.

This volume chronicles adventures from the first season ' The Macross Saga. In this volume the action reaches its huge climax as we see the ultimate showdown between the alien invaders and earth's defenders, and its subsequent fallout. Here are the episodes featured on this DVD:

Episode 25 - Wedding Bells: The unusual courtship of Max and Miriya which leads to the historic union between mankind and Zentraedi. Also, Dolza on the move.

Episode 26 - The Messenger: Exedore visits the SD-F1 on a historic mission. Also, Dolza's sentence: Death to All. Send the Main Fleet!!!

Episode 27 - Force of Arms: The historic final confrontation between Earth's defenders and Dolza's armada of 6 million. An unlikely alliance and an unconventional counter attack. Plus, Rick saves Lisa from what remains of the Earth'

Episode 28 - Reconstruction Blues: Set two years after Dolza's attack, the Earth's survivors attempt to rebuild their lives, Zentraedi survivors and renegades roam the earth and Lisa Hayes' feelings for Rick Hunter continue to grow. Plus, Max and Miriya's baby and Lynn Kyle becomes unstable.

Episode 29 - Robotech Masters: Amidst problems with Kyle, Minmei returns to visit her family and starts to realize her true feelings for Rick. Restless Zentraedi renegades cause havoc. Also, who are the Robotech Masters?

Episode 30 - Rick, Lisa, Max, Miriya (w/ baby Dana) and Claudia join Breetai on a secret mission to a Robotech Fortress' Also, the Robotech Masters make Zor???

Incidentally, these volumes DO NOT have special DVD features (aside from trailer ads for other anime series coming out on DVD from ADV). Not to fear though. If you purchase the boxed set collections, each boxed set collection will come with an 'Extra: Elements of Robotechnology' DVD special which will contain all the DVD special features you could want on DVD: interviews, trailers, commercial spots, specs, etc... So by all means, get the boxed set if you are planning on buying.

Robotech is BY FAR one of THE BEST animation products EVER. If you've never seen Robotech, simply put YOU MUST. The action and the drama are compelling, clearly showing why Robotech became a pop culture icon. It is the series that forever put Japanese anime on the map in the US. If you did grow up with Robotech, give these a watch again. They're great for a trip down memory lane. Honestly, watching these episodes now I can honestly say that they are better than I remember. You can't lose!!!

Highest Recommendation

Rating:
Summary: Top-notch Anime - Volume 5
Review: The fifth DVD volume of the Robotech series contains six excellent episodes concerning various efforts to bring peace among the Humans and the Zentradi, including the eyecatches to and from commercial breaks. In the late 1980s, F.H.E. had released a videotape of these same episodes edited together to form one "movie;" while that was okay, this presentation by ADV Films is far superior, allowing easy access to any particular episode on may wish to view.

This is one of my favorite anime series. However, I can only rate this DVD as a "3" for two reasons. First, concerning the DVD construction, the main menu begins with a brief clip from the series without any actual menu selections immediately available, which can cause confusion for some users. Secondly, and by far the most significant downfall, this DVD is NOT compatible with the PlayStation2, whereas the first DVD in the series worked flawlessly with the PS2.