Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: ah it was wonderful to hear the first violins trill out the beginning of Robotech today! having grown up watching Robotech i was very pleased to hear that they finally got it out on DVD. i am also pleased to say that i just read that the second volume is coming out in august! i read some of the reviews and some weren't pleased with the Americanized version, but having grown up on the american version, i must say that i am very pleased with this set. it presents the episodes exactly as they were shown years and years ago. if you grew up on the american version of robotech, this selection is for you. i'm also pleased with the extra disc, providing Codename: Robotech, a "gift" to studios that played Robotech. and the commentary is good, elaborating on how they set it all up. for all robotech fans, this is a must!
Rating: 
Summary: Great cartoon, but mediocre DVD production.
Review: One thing I can't stand, is people who review a product based upon previous viewings, not upon the quality of the product itself. I picked up a copy of this boxed set yesterday, and have taken a look at most of it. If your a fan of the show, or a fan of Japanese anime generally, you know what you're going to get with Robotech. This is a series that attempts to combine dramatic storytelling with the best elements of science fiction. Based upon the success and popularity of the show, it largely succeeds. The characters have a broad range of emotions and react to the trials and tribulations that they all experience. Love,loss, and sacrifice are all motivations for the characters in this series. Macross, the first series, focuses upon young people who face adversity of first contact with an alien race that is both hostile and militarily superior. Against this backdrop is a love story. The hero, Rick Hunter, struggles to find his place, both as a warrior/military leader while also navigating the hazards of true love. I don't think I need to say too much more in the way of the actual series. The art is gorgeous, having set the standards for anime in the 1980s. The voice actors are excellent. You don't even notice that the language is dubbed. This epic series set the standard for anime in the USA and it continues to survive the test of time. The DVD production is another story. The master print does not appear to have been cleaned up in any way. Compared with other DVDs, the print appears quite grainy. It's a tv cartoon from the 1980s and this is exactly what it looks like. Just don't go in expecting this to be a polished special edition. The extras are not particularly impressive. The art collection is largely duplicative of material that has appeared in printed works. The sound track is rather tinny, and lacks the fullness of most modern productions. This is probably because the original production was designed for mono television via the airwaves, but compared to most modern DVDs it lacks the fullness that you would come to expect. THe two hour movie included on the extra disk is nothing more than a shorter version of the first several episodes. The audio commentary by Carl Macek (the producer) was interesting. It provides a nice historical perspective of the series and insights into the production. However, unlike movie commentaries, it really doesn't track the sequence of scenes on the screen. You can listen to the commentary without watching any of what is taking place on the screen. I must say that my copy of the extras disk has a glitch. One of the tracks continually jams my DVD player. I have not had this problem with any other DVDs. I'll probably look to exchange my set for another copy. I don't know whether this is merely a problem with my set or whether it may be representative of larger manufacturing difficulty. I simply point this out because anyone who buys this product should probably check theirs out as soon as possible. Despite these complaints, this is still the best production of the Robotech series to date. While the quality is comparable to the earlier video tape releases, this is still the nicest production of the Robotech series for home release, and it sure beats my grainy video tapes.
Rating: 
Summary: The series, once again.
Review: I know everyone's already said something about this, but i'm going to add to the "Robotech vs Macross Saga" debate here: The entirely American Robotech series is based loosely on the popular Macross series of Japan. Anyone who has read the manga the anime is based on understands this difference. Players of the Palladium RPG know in even more intimate detail the differences between the mecha of the two series, as well as the characters. The two series are not even remotely related. As far as Robotech goes (which is what this product happens to be), the series had a solid start, and a great idea. Given how long ago it was released (relative to other, newer popular anime series'), Robotech has maintained reasonable popularity, and for good reason. It has all the basic elements of a quality production: action, adventure, intrigue, romance, and gadgetry. Despite the often low quality animation (some combat scenes are simply cut and paste repeats of earlier ones, etc), Robotech remains timeless, having spawned not only several major motion pictures (none of which ever hit the states), but also a series of novels (the non-graphic variety, published by del-rey), several pen&paper roleplaying games, several video games (the n64 project, "Crystal Dreams", kind of fell through), a series of toys (the veritechs are non transformable, much to everyone's distaste), a series of models, and other assorted memorabilia.
Rating: 
Summary: Rated this 5 starts earlier...downgraded to 2. Why?
Review: Well, here's why. The only reason it's not 1 is because I've enjoyed the story and it reminds me of when I watched this when I was a kid. Guess what folks? Why is the box set so cheap? ADV decided they'd just slap the series onto the dvd's and not do ANYTHING with them! 6 episodes per disc, and it's pretty much the same quality as the tapes...with the picture quality and sound wear and tear to show for it!!! Well folks, if you're nostalgic for this series and you watched it as a kid, then I recommend this ONLY because of that. If you've been watching anime recently, you WILL notice a significant loss of quality in the animation. As long as you're willing to suffer watching the show in it's low quality, then by all means. I've looked at the AnimeIgo screen shots of digital enhancement and BOY OH BOY, it looks awesome! Too bad it's all in Japanese and will be subtitled, and the fact that I've never watched this version before. In a nutshell, buy this if you're nostalgic and can withstand the poor picture and sound quality. Buy the AnimeIgo version, (which is a totally different story by the way) if you don't mind subtitles, hearing Japanese, and watching a different story. North American Macross - great story, poor quality dvd animation and sound Japanese Macross - AnimeIgo -- GREAT PICTURE AND POTENTIALLY GREAT SOUND QUALITY! All in Japanese with subtitles and no english dub, and different story.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome back!
Review: Robotech finally comes to dvd and it couldnt look better! The masters have been lovingly restored with color and sound quality second to none! Watch the episode Codename:Robotech and then watch any of the episodes on the other dvd and you'll be able to tell what kind of job they did in the restoration. The extras dvd I could live without but it is nice to have to complete the collection. If you are a Robotech fan or that of anime, this deserves to be in your collection. No it isnt the Macross series others have spoken about, but this the series that I remember from the 80's and am very happy to own on this format. If you dont really want the extras dvd it would be less expensive to just pick up the two discs, but for a completist it is a must. I cant wait for the second set coming out in August.
Rating:
Summary: Robotech is Macross
Review: In an earlier review,, someone says that robotech is not macross and these episodes are not the ones that were on TV as a kid,,, (they give wrong info) Robotech contains different saga's, : Macross, Southern Cross, New Generation, Sentinals, This dvd collection is the first of the Macross Saga 12 episodes. there are probably aroud 30 or so in this Saga,, and 85 in the whole Robotech Series. These DVD's are the ones we watched as a kid,, I recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Macross or Robotech, Robotech or Macross?
Review: If one asks me which do I like better... I'd have to answer like this. I grew up watching Robotech every afternoon after rushing home from school (4th grade - 6th grade) and I will always will enjoy it immensely.... I later saw Original Macross in High School (Senior year to be exact) during a gaming convention and I must say I was really impressed and it was a great experience, and I loved it too. Both are excellent productions... some may consider Robotech a butchered version of Macross and 2 other SD (Genesis Climber Mesopheda and Orguss/ or something else, but I can't quite remember) Animes and Macross the only true Anime and they would be right. Robotech is a compliation heavily edited and Americanized with an overall different story, but I still like it... will buy it... will enjoy it as much as I did when I was kid... with its spectacular battles and corny music, because Robotech is what I remember from those days. I will also buy Macross when it comes out on DVD from Animego, because I like it too. So you can say I like both... Robotech, Star Blazers, Speed Racer, and others got me hooked... Macross, Akira, Evangelion, Tenchi Muyo, and many others... guarantee my continued addiction to Anime and some Amercanized Anime, like a junkie looking for his next fix. So play nice and enjoy, because someone (not necessarily the licensed distributor) some where will always release the version you like best.... :-)
Rating:
Summary: Fans will enjoy the extra disc
Review: This boxed set contains three discs; Robotech: First Contact, Robotech: Transformation and Robotech Extra Disc 1. Since the first two discs can be bought seperetly, my review will be on the extras disc. As you already know, the extra disc includes Codename: Robotech. C:R is basically episodes 13 and 14 (both not included in this boxed set) which are streched into a 75 minute pilot. But how is that possible? Episode 14 is a recap episode so the flashbacks were continued to a longer extent then in episode 14. One thing I hated about it though was the poor video quality of it. That's right. This was copied off a low grade VHS tape I'll bet. There is tons of line noise and even some scenes where the framerate seems to lag. However, this pilot also includes commentary by Carl Macek, so that made it worth it. Mr. Macek talked about a lot of things including about Robotech toy lines, broadcasting rights, where the voice actors are now and even points out some little mistakes in the animation. That was the best extra on the disc. Furthermore, there is a character production sheet gallery featuring 33 different sheets of all the characters in the Macross Saga. The International Clip is of when Minmei and Rick commence a pretend wedding. The French audio sounded like it was recorded in a tin can, but the acting was good. The Spanish track has better audio quality then the French and has some nice voice acting. The Italian and Portugese tracks were by far the best. Rick actually sounds like more of a man in Portugese. So overall, this boxed set is must for fans and non-fans alike. And you still get 12 episodes with the set. Now that's a deal. If you haven't done so yet, buy it now. It is well worth it's weight in gold and then some.
Rating:
Summary: For Robotech Fans
Review: I have been looking forward to this set for a while. It brought back some great memories of the past. There were a number of shourt comings with the set. Why have commercial breaks? The extra DVD could have had some other features (widescreen, web site, etc.)I would recommend it to other Robotech fans.
Rating:
Summary: Robotech is not the same as Macross
Review: There are a few people who have reviewed this collection badly because there is going to be a release of Macross soon. Robotech is not Macross. Given, this portion of Robotech uses the Macross animation, but the story is significantly different. If you loved Robotech as a kid, this is what you want. You might also enjoy Macross, but if you wait and get Macross expecting it to be what was on after school, then you'll be sorely disappointed.
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