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Robotech Remastered - Volume 1 Extended Edition

Robotech Remastered - Volume 1 Extended Edition

List Price: $29.98
Your Price: $26.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Spanish track
Review: I've just received my brand new Robotech remastered box, and have to say the image quality is great and the sound rocks, but i'm a little disapointed about Spanish track, because this isn't the old original spanish translation of the 80s, this is a totally new translation and sounds "different" obviously for fans like me that watched the original Robotech back in the 80s. For those of you that don't remember the spanish translation won't notice the difference.
Anyway it's a good product.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Classic that Introduced the US to Anime
Review: If you bought the original DVD set, you're no doubt cringing and cursing Harmony Gold for first releasing the regular DVDs (and repackaging them in 10 different ways), THEN announcing a few years later that they're coming out with a Remastered edition. This first boxed set contains the first 12 episodes of the Robotech Saga, which suggests the same layout as previous DVDs with 6 episodes per disc.

If you bought the original DVDs, you probably also were disappointed with the video quality (though it was better than our VHS copies taped from TV!). Hopefully, this Remastered edition will be different. This version is also said to include scenes that were removed when Robotech was imported from Japan, where anime is targeted towards a much older audience, to the US. So there's probably more blood and sexual innuendos, so I'd watch it first before letting the kiddies at it.

Harmony Gold's official stance is that the original film stocks of Robotech weren't available and actually thought to have been destroyed when the original Robotech DVDs first came out. Whether or not that's true, or it's just an excuse to milk more money out of fans, who knows.

What is Robotech?
Robotech is the classic English translation of three Japanese cartoon series Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. To say that the Robotech Saga was great does it no justice. Robotech is extraordinary. One of the first animes to make the jump from Japan to the US, Robotech brought animation to a whole new level in the US.

This isn't a cartoon with 30-minute essentially non-related episodes. The Robotech Saga melds 3 different Japanese cartoons into one storyline. Although I am not the biggest fan of Southern Cross or the 3rd Generation, the First generation, which encompasses the first 36 Episodes of Robotech is simply stellar. The storyline is robust, characters are amazingly developed, and the action is amazing. The animation may be a bit plain, but considering that Macross was first drawn 20 years ago, I would argue that it has withstood time quite well.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Robotech Remastered (A.K.A. The AnimEigo Restoration Lite!)
Review: In order to appreciate this release, you have to know what went into making it possible.

For those NOT in the know, independent US Anime Distributor AnimEigo (with the cooperation of North American Macross distribution right holder Harmony Gold) conducted an EPIC and PAINSTAKING restoration of the original UNCUT Japanese Language/Soundtrack Macross TV series from the original 35mm Film Masters that Robotech's Macross Saga was based on and then released this MASTERPIECE on 9 DVDs.

The Macross release was then followed by a DVD release of the UNCUT Japanese Language/Sountrack version of the Southern Cross and Mospeada TV series which made up the second and third arcs of the Robotech storyline respectively.

On the 9 DVD AnimEigo release, there was the option to play the Restored Japanese Language version of Macross DVD's without the sound.

This curious feature led many of us to suspect that Harmony Gold agreed to the AnimEigo funded and conducted restoration because they had already secured the right to use the finished product of it and because they had always/secretly/eventually intended to do a Special Edition Robotech release which would take the form of Robotech Re-Mastered.

This hypothetical release would likely be created using the restored video masters synchronized with the US English Language/Robotech Soundtrack which was composed by Ulpio Minucci. It would also likely include the extra deleted original footage which had been deleted from the original Robotech TV series because of concerns over continuity, length, and content back in the 80's when Robotech first came out. As it turns out the original audio master tapes had been destroyed in a freak flood accident but a recently discovered back-up gave Harmony Gold the missing piece of material they needed to do a full audio merge with the restored Macross TV Series making Robotech Re-Mastered possible.

With the release of these sets, our suspicions have been confirmed and Robotech fans everywhere can rejoice and dance in the streets!

The reason that the image quality isn't quite as good in this release (Even though it came from the EXACT same AnimEigo Restored 35mm Film to Digital Video Master!) is because Harmony Gold has squeezed MORE episodes onto each disc (6 as opposed to 4!) INCREASING the amount of compression necessary to pull it off. The AnimEigo release has 36 episodes spread over 9 discs (The best space-use/image balance possible!) and the ADV release will have 36 episodes spread over 6 discs so you can do the math on image degradation due to the compression.

The results with the increased compression actually aren't bad at all, especially, considering how wretched the original Robotech Series looked both on TV, VHS, Laserdisc, and the initial DVD release as much as we loved it.

For those who want to appreciate the level of restoration they were able to do and also understand the Macross TV series as a stand-alone release before it was spliced into Robotech, the AnimEigo set is still the best one to own and it is available for order from Amazon and AnimEigo and the Robotech website.

One must wonder why they just didn't just go 9 for 9 on the number of DVDs utilized in this release. My suspicion is that they were either feeling cheap or they wanted fans to be able to replace the two intitial release DVD's that came with each Legacy Box Set 2 for 2. A better strategy would have been to follow the Animeigo 9 for 9 approach and then release a special case for the Bonus Discs.

The credit text and organization are a vast imrovement and the "new" opening credits are just the original Macross TV Series opening credits with the new Robotech Credits. They have added A LOT of improved and way-cool weapon and ship's systems sound effects which adds a level of believability to the action. For instance, the SDF-1 take-off, transformation, and bridge scenes all have techno-sounds which make them feel more real then before.

The original US version of the credits was more integrative for the combined series -- Though the credit text looked cheap and awful! -- but this is a fun alternate version although seeing Lisa Hayes (Misa Hayase) tossing her hair like she is in a Pantene Commercial looks pretty dumb considering how serious the character was most of the time.

Another thing that doesn't make sense (And blame for this goes to Tatsunoko because they designed the credits!) is that the SDF-1 is shown firing its Main Gun while flying through the upper atmosphere in cruiser mode using it's gravitational control system which NEVER happened in the original series and which would have been IMPOSSIBLE given the limitations of their reflex furnace power, their gravitational control system's requirement for standby booster support while in cruiser mode and within Earth's gravitational field, and the disappearance of the fold system which rendered the Main Gun inoperative while in cruiser mode.

Anyway, ADV and Harmony Gold could have given us a slightly more Royal Treatment, but, considering all the hard work they have done, considering how badly we all wanted the Restored Version/Deleted Scenes to be paired with the US Music and Vocal Soundtrack and to have it all come together in this life, this version, and the Southern Cross and Mospeada versions that are going to follow, are going to be a welcome addition.

Well done, ADV, AnimEigo, and Harmony Gold, well done!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Robotech Remastered: a little bit better than before
Review: Oh, for the love of God-- don't tell me I've become the victim of yet ANOTHER deplorable DVD double-dip ploy (check out my gripe about this annoying phenomenon at [another review])?! It wasn't enough that Harmony Gold & ADV got me to buy the Legacy Collection DVD box sets, now they gotta throw out all-new platters with a souped-up sound mix and "new" footage in an avaricious effort to get me to buy the same thing twice (almost)?! Well, looks like their efforts succeeded, 'cuz I just hadda pick this up to see what the fuss was all about...

The main attraction of this "new-&-improved" edition is the inclusion of some "new" footage that was originally edited out of the original Macross show 'cuz it was considered less than appropriate for the American kidvid audience at the time. The extra bits in this particular collection consist primarily of Minmei's keister (both clothed and bare), a scene extension featuring Hikaru Ichi-- er, I mean Rick Hunter's marksmanship with a Zentraedi-sized laser pistol, and a soft-bordered Rick Hunter flashback that pops up during his first flight and combat in a Veritech fighter. Otherwise, not much else in the way of visuals has been thrown back into the mix. Well, except for the redone opening and closing credits, which contains new typeface and more Macross footage to replace the excised Southern Cross and New Generation bits. 'Course, if you've seen the original Macross show that the first act of Robotech is based on (which I highly recommend if you haven't seen it yet--the first set's available for purchase at [Amazon.com]), the added scenes won't be all that new to ya, anyway...

My biggest disappointment with this set was the remastered video, which displayed inconsistent picture quality throughout the presentation. While some parts were reasonably sharp and bright, much of the footage was a bit grainy and muddy. In fact, some of the lowest quality video looked worse than what was seen in the previous DVD release! Apparently Harmony Gold was unable to acquire the footage that AnimEigo painstakingly cleaned and restored for the aforementioned Macross DVD sets, and had to go with the best of what they had on hand... which apparently wasn't all that great.

This collection's one truly extensive improvement is the sound mix, which has been nicely remastered in 5.1 channel stereo. Most of the sound effects have been totally redone, especially the various explosion and space fold noises. The only downside to the new explosions is that they're not too varied. Most of 'em sound like crumbling rocks and masonry-- noises that a metal spaceship most likely doesn't make when it's gettin' blasted to bits. Other sounds have been "boosted" for better auditory perception. The most noticeable examples of this enhanced audio are the background noises that play during the "battle stations" scenes on the SDF-1's bridge. But the best audio improvement of all is the remastered voice track: they fixed it so that it stands out reasonably well from the background sounds, thus making the dialogue more comprehensible.

As for bonus material and special features-- well, aside from trailers for other ADV anime videos and a foil pack of glossy trading cards, there ain't any on either platter. Looks like you'll hafta hang on to those 'Elements of Robotechnology' bonus discs that came with the Legacy Collection box sets if you've a hankerin' for supplemental material...

'Late

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Robotech Stands without been re-mastered
Review: Ok i have to be honest i dotn own this new re-mastered version i do however own all the legacy box sets of the original robotech series that we all know and love. Now firstly i was thrilled when i found out that Robotech was on dvd at all since i had watched it on sci-fi religously ( i cannot state that enough ) every day after school. I bought the Legacy boxsets and was thrilled to own all the series with extras. Now then i know the series is looking abit dated it's colours are dull and we all know this. But am i the only one who finds that part of it's charm the condition is not that bad that it destroys the glory of the series i dont know i feel with new sounds effects and new colours it just wouldnt be robotech anymore. I refuse to buy this new edition i see this as nothing more then yet another attempt as to con people out of more money the series should have been re-vamped from the beginning or simply left alone. I think if you want to see robotech in it's purest and best form see the original series!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Robotech: The Remastered Edition
Review: Robotech is actually the combonation of three seperate anime (Japanese animation) series, which were cut and combined by Harmony Gold USA in order to create the popular anime phenomenon, Robotech. While you might think that's a pretty bad English dub, I actually found the way that Harmony Gold USA combined the three seperate stories to be interesting and unique and consider it to be an alternate universe to it's Japanese counterparts rather than an awful English dub. I haven't actually bought this DVD yet, as I already own the original DVD release of the Macross Saga, but this DVD re-inserts any visual footage that Harmony Gold USA cut out from the English dubbed version of Robotech and I believe that's the only difference betweeen this Remastered edition and the original DVD release other than some differences in picture and sound quality, as other people have mentioned. Personally, I wouldn't recommend buying this DVD unless you're a diehard fan of Robotech and Macross. If you want to see deleted footage, just buy the Japanese version of Macross and you'll get more out of it than this release and if you've already seen Robotech, just stick with the original DVDs.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Robotech: The Remastered Edition
Review: Robotech is actually the combonation of three seperate anime (Japanese animation) series, which were cut and combined by Harmony Gold USA in order to create the popular anime phenomenon, Robotech. While you might think that's a pretty bad English dub, I actually found the way that Harmony Gold USA combined the three seperate stories to be interesting and unique and consider it to be an alternate universe to it's Japanese counterparts rather than an awful English dub. I haven't actually bought this DVD yet, as I already own the original DVD release of the Macross Saga, but this DVD re-inserts any visual footage that Harmony Gold USA cut out from the English dubbed version of Robotech and I believe that's the only difference betweeen this Remastered edition and the original DVD release other than some differences in picture and sound quality, as other people have mentioned. Personally, I wouldn't recommend buying this DVD unless you're a diehard fan of Robotech and Macross. If you want to see deleted footage, just buy the Japanese version of Macross and you'll get more out of it than this release and if you've already seen Robotech, just stick with the original DVDs.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tan buena como la recordaba.
Review: Si no compraste ninguna de las ediciones anteriores de la saga de macross esta es muy buena opcion. Despues de años de esperar un dvd de Robotech en español llega este, con una buena traduccion auque no la original,buena imagen y el exelente sonido.
Exelente opcion para todos los fans de la serie!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Es una farsa la version en español
Review: Si realmente son fanaticos de la serie de robotech en español y tuvieron la oportunidad de verla en los 80's se van a desilusionar del material las voces no son las originales y sobre todo estan planas en la expresion eso si el audio 5.1 es increible pero aun asi no me convence el color de los graficos y sobre todo las voces. Es una version totalmente comercial para los nuevos pero es una farsa.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Es una farsa la version en español
Review: Si realmente son fanaticos de la serie de robotech en español y tuvieron la oportunidad de verla en los 80's se van a desilusionar del material las voces no son las originales y sobre todo estan planas en la expresion eso si el audio 5.1 es increible pero aun asi no me convence el color de los graficos y sobre todo las voces. Es una version totalmente comercial para los nuevos pero es una farsa.


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