Macross - Help me get started

[drauch]

Hey ya'll. I really want to watch Robotech, but I'm having a hard time finding a good DVD, if there is one. I know there is a billion releases out there by ADV, but they are all dubbed, and I cannot watch it. I have tried, but it is too horrendous for me to bear. I'm fine with different regions and all of that, I just really want to find a decent DVD with Japanese audio and English subs. Thanks for any help.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Just buy Japanese DVDs and make English subbed for yourself. That's what fansubs are for too. Surely you can find Macross English fansubs out there? From what I know, if it's called Robotech, it's butchered in more ways than one. Macross is what you need.

[drauch]

How do I go about making English subs for myself? This is above my knowledge.

[LtC]

How do I go about making English subs for myself? This is above my knowledge.

Pretty sure he meant download the already available fansuns over the internets and apply them for the raw unsubbed dvd. Or you could just download and watch the fansubbed .avi .mkv or whatever as it is but you know you wouldn't be paying anything for that and that's only if your conscience allows you to.

Anyway I suppose it's better to search for this stuff as 'SDF Macross' than robotech, specially if you want it without the english dub. (If it was the early 80'ies TV series you meant)

[TrevHead (TVR)]

I was just reading today that things are pritty fucked up with the export of Macross to the US due to whoever holds the rights to the original robotech legally declaring that they own all the rights to all the subsequential shows made, which equals no english Macross shows and other merchandice including games.

[drauch]

Yeah, sorry, it was kinda foolish on my part to label it as Robotech rather than Macross. Looks like I may just have to go the download and fansub route, which I was hoping I wouldn't necessarily have to do...Just really surprised like an R2 DVD collection or something with subs doesn't exist out there. I guess the same thing could be said for only really shitty quality of Sailor Moon and the like...

[Mortificator]

Uh, there are dual-audio Region 1 Macross DVDs. The official site advertises "English dub" in big letters, but if you click on any of the releases, you'll see they include the Japanese audio track and subtitles. Why are you guys giving drauch all this weird advice when he could just watch those?

Macross Plus is also very good. I would recommend the four-episode OAV version, not the compilation movie. I also like Southern Cross and Mospeada, but I have no problem watching them mashed together with Macross as Robotech.

[Zeether]

The ADV Macross DVDs have been out of print for a while. You might be able to find them on Ebay or Amazon. Although if they sell them from that link above I guess you can go for them there too.

Animeigo released subtitled-only DVDs too but I have no clue if they still sell them (probably not as Harmony Gold are complete dickwaffles regarding anything Macross) and from what I heard the video quality is slightly better than the ADV release.

Alternately you could watch it on Hulu but it's all dubbed (Robotech and Macross) and it's region locked so people outside the US/Canada cannot watch it.

I really don't know which is better to me, I've seen bits of Robotech and some bits of Macross as well (the ADV dub, which has the seiyuu for Minmay playing her in English as well, quite interesting even though she has a bit of a thick accent) and they both looked good. I know Robotech is basically just Macross for several episodes and then they begin throwing in SC/Mospeada later on.

[burgerkingdiamond]

Robotech is on Netflix instant streaming.

[nZero]

Yeah, sorry, it was kinda foolish on my part to label it as Robotech rather than Macross.

Then you might want to edit the title of your first post before you get too many more irrelevant replies

[greg]

Ugh, OK, I love fansubs and I will defend them to the end. However, when there are perfectly legitimate, UNMOLESTED versions avaialble on region 1 DVD for you, and the fact that they can be found for cheap, there is no reason to be stingy and download fansubs, especially since the better fansub torrent sites won't make them available since they are commercially available.

I have the Macross series from the AnimEigo box sets. AnimEigo is an awesome company, and they made the labor of love of cleaning up the animation frame by frame. They lost the licensing to ADV, which was a dumb company, who re-released it with a new English dub featuring Mari Iijima, the original voice actress of Minmay and reprising her role, who now lives in the US.

Since I assume you are intrested in "Robotech," you can also pick up the slim pak box sets for Southern Cross and Mospeada for cheap on sites like rightstuf.com. That's where I got mine. Also worth tracking down, if you can, would be the Orguss box set, however that is truly OOP and may fetch quite a bit. I bought it as it came out, released by some Asian TV channel (ImaginAsian or something like that) who also released other classic 80's anime like Remy and Cat's Eye. Unfortunately I never got ahold of those. But anyway, Orguss was sort of a direct successor to Macross, designed by the same people and featuring Mikimoto's character designs.

[drauch]

Awesome, thanks guys. I didn't realize AnimEigo released a Japanese language DVD.

http://www.amazon.com/Robotech-Macross- ... 551&sr=1-9
Is this the one you are talking about greg? ^^^

Yeah, I'd REALLY like to get a DVD of this, as I'm not big into downloading movies (that aren't porn)

[Obiwanshinobi]

Yeah, I'd REALLY like to get a DVD of this, as I'm not big into downloading movies (that aren't porn)

Porn industry is supposed to be on its last legs because of the piracy.

[drauch]

Yeah, I'd REALLY like to get a DVD of this, as I'm not big into downloading movies (that aren't porn)

Porn industry is supposed to be on its last legs because of the piracy.

I don't know if I believe that...

[maxlords]

I used to love Robotech myself...but having tried to go back to it, I just can't get into it anymore. You can never go home again

[Zeether]

Robotech is on Netflix instant streaming.

Macross Plus is on there too.

[StarCreator]

Right Stuf has volumes 1-6 (out of 7) in their bargain bin. Unfortunately, the final volume seems to be hard to acquire new at this point, being out of stock both at TRSI and Amazon.

Otherwise, it's worth looking into Netflix and Hulu, though I don't know if the Japanese subtitled version is available for online streaming.

[greg]

http://www.amazon.com/Robotech-Macross- ... 551&sr=1-9
Is this the one you are talking about greg? ^^^

No, no, no. You need to get the word "Robotech" out of your head, my dear. Right now! You want the Japanese DVDs and don't care for dubs, right? You will not see the word "Robotech" on any DVD that you want to buy. What you want is Macross. Robotech is an American invention by the late Carl Macek, who butchered and bastardized three unrelated TV series and combined them into one giant epic for English TV syndication. We can thank him for bringing anime to the international audience, but he really screwed around with the show. Violence and blood was censored for the most part but it's still amazing that so much content got past US censorship such as alcoholism and cross-dressing. If you want to watch the other two shows that comprised the Robotech show as I mentioned before, the box set for both Southern Cross and Mospeada should be able to be found for cheap on rightstuf.com (I got both there for like $20 each). These were released as sub-only by AD Vision.

Here is AnimEigo's DVD release of Macross. It was AnimEigo's labor of love that cleaned up the animation and made it super sharp and beautiful. It was sub-only since AnimEigo gave up on dubs a long time ago and do what they do best: releasing shows as sub-only. After all the wait, they released these and they were great. Then later, unfortunately, AnimEigo lost the rights to Macross to AD Vision, most likely because Harmony Gold owns the Macross licensing for North America (they're the reason why you should go ahead and download fansubs for Macross Zero or Macross Fronteir because we'll never get them released officially domestically),j and their stooge Carl Macek worked for AD Vision at the time. So, AD Vision reaped the benefits of the remastered series and re-released Macross --not Robotech, but Macross-- as a dual language sub/dub with Mari Iijima reprising her role as Minmay for the English dub. When my beloved AnimEigo lost the rights to Macross to AD Vision, I acted quickly to pick these box sets up on eBay for decent prices, especially since I had no idea if AD Vision was going to change the opening and ending credits to English language and ruin the original Japanese titles as they were prone to do. I have not watched ADV's Macross DVDs, but at least their Southern Cross and Mospeada DVDs were unmolested, IIRC.

[drauch]

Ahhhhhhhhh, sorry, I did it again!!! Thanks for the link, I shall probably get it some time soon!

[StarCreator]

I wouldn't say Macross Frontier won't ever come out - there's a lot of red tape that would have to be sorted out, but stranger things have happened.

Carl Macek, RIP.

[Zeether]

Same with 7. In fact, 7 (or maybe it was Zero) was SUPPOSED to come out here but issues came up with Big West.

[greg]

Macross 7 will probably never come out internationally because apparently only Japan fails to see how ridiculous the show is. I remember at a fansub party back in the mid-90s when the show was still brand new. We were all laughing so hard and I was on the floor. "They fly Valkyries using GUITAR STRINGS instead of yokes?" ROFL! I assume this idea has been abandoned in Macross Frontier? I have downloaded the first several episodes, but I haven't watched them yet.

[Zeether]

I never saw it but it's probably not as weird.

In fact I need to get off my ass and watch some Macross on Hulu. I don't know if I could stand the singing parts but seeing the origin of the Itano Circus would be cool.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Not to mention that it was Fabtek whom did handle the Stateside release of "Space Fortress Macross" PCB conversion kits complete with full-sized marquee.

Of course in the land of the rising sun, Japan, there were three Macross related arcade PCBs to play at the local game centers:

*Super Dimensional Fortress Macross PCB (there is a one-off "loke" version that is quite different from the version released for the game centers)

*the 2nd sequel of Macross II: Lovers Again PCB (based on the 3-part Macross II OVA series from U.S. Renditions back in the early 1990s)

and lastly,

*the 3rd sequel of Macross Plus PCB (based on the Macross Plus OVA series)

Genesis Climber Mospeada Factoid: The designer of the orignal Mospeada transformable futuristic jet to slave soldier unit was at his wit's end and had to ask Shoji Kawamori-san (creator of the original Valkarie Fighter {VF} mecha shown in SDF Macross) for help to get the toy finished in time for it to mass produced for the Japanese toy market in late 1983.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Kakizaki]

Awesome, thanks guys. I didn't realize AnimEigo released a Japanese language DVD.

http://www.amazon.com/Robotech-Macross- ... 551&sr=1-9
Is this the one you are talking about greg? ^^^

Yeah, I'd REALLY like to get a DVD of this, as I'm not big into downloading movies (that aren't porn)

Someone already beat me to the punch on this, but Rightstuf did/does have the Animeigo sets in stock. Years ago I did see a few claims that the Animeigo SDF Macross DVDs suffered from disc rot or that the veneers separated prematurely. Knock on wood, but I have had my Animeigo box sets since they were released back in late 2001 / early 2002 and I haven't experienced this - I actually just had some of the discs out about a month ago when I was showing my girlfriend the series for the first time.

Also, try to get a hold of Macross Do You Remember Love. It is easily my favorite mecha related movie - beautifully animated dogfights in space, cool multi-missile blooms (keep an eye open for the Budweiser can missile), awesome mecha design, rad music, etc. It is an alternate retelling of the original series. Unfortunately it was never released in North America (well, it was actually but it was horribly butchered).

[greg]

*Super Dimensional Fortress Macross PCB (there is a one-off "loke" version that is quite different from the version released for the game centers)

My friend on here, ncc1701p who only lurks on here, has this PCB. I'd first played it in Akihabara. I've played the other two via Mame (but maybe I haven't played Macross II since I don't remember it at all). The first Macross shmup is cool, but my only complaint is that the music is so repetitive and identical in each level.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Also, try to get a hold of Macross Do You Remember Love. It is easily my favorite mecha related movie - beautifully animated dogfights in space, cool multi-missile blooms (keep an eye open for the Budweiser can missile), awesome mecha design, rad music, etc. It is an alternate retelling of the original series. Unfortunately it was never released in North America (well, it was actually but it was horribly butchered).

Yep, the Macross: Do You Remember Love flick was re-released under the funky title of "Clash of the Bionoids" & under the original "Macross" title (with the cool Minmay "nude" shower scene + less than stellar English dub for the entire film) as well on VHS tape format. I bought my brand new VHS copy of Macross with English voiceover dubbing for a mere $2.00 USD at a Electronics Boutique back in the day. Unfortunately, it was recorded in EP mode by a no-name 3rd-party licensed company, so each subquent viewing will further degrade the tape. Would've been better if it was recorded in SP mode but to cut down on production costs, said no-name company decided that EP mode recording = less VHS tape means less shipping weight altogether. Go figure.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~