OVA, 1994
Director: Shōji Kawamori
The Story
It is 30 years after the conclusion of the first Space War between the Humans and Zentradi. On the colony world of Eden, two variable fighters (jetfighters that can turn into !GIANT ROBOTS!) are being tested against each other to see which one will be selected by the UN Space Navy for service. Unfortunately the two opposing test pilots – the reckless Isamu Dyson and the taciturn Guld Bowman – hate each other with a passion, having ended their friendship years ago over the love of a mutual friend. Also unfortunately, this very person, Myung Fang Lone, has come to Eden to test the new AI “Sharon Apple” – a virtual pop idol singer that she is the “producer” for. This only serves to intensify the rivalry between the two men, leading to dangerous and even deadly consequences. Meanwhile, all may not be as it seems with the artificial being Sharon, who has the power to entrance whole audiences with her songs….
Review
Macross Plus has been called “The Top Gun of Anime.” Personally I couldn’t say. I have never been able to sit through Top Gun all the way through – in fact I have never been able to take more than 10 minutes of that film at a time considering I can’t stand Tom Cruise (The only movie I have been able to watch that has him in it all the way through is Legend, which was directed by Ridley Scott who coincidentally is the brother of Tony Scott who directed Top Gun. So there’s your Useless Bit Of Trivia Of The Day). But I can see where people get that. The protagonist of Macross Plus is a lot like Cruise’s character of Maverick from that film and the antagonist looks a bit like Val Kilmer’s Iceman. So I guess you can call it that, if you also threw in 2001: A Space Odyssey and, of course, the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross.
Anyway, Macross Plus has also been called the greatest Macross series ever, and even the pinnacle of the franchise. I wouldn’t go that far. Personally, I enjoy the original Macross more – which you don't have to see to enjoy this, by the way, even though you should – even if it is rough (*ahem* very rough) in a few spots. Nevertheless, Macross Plus is an excellent piece of entertainment, even if is predictable and reuses the same tropes from the original show.
Yes, this anime is pretty predictable. The characters act pretty much as you expect them to, and the situations develop likewise. This being a Macross show, you’re also going to get lots of singing, a love triangle and missiles out the wazoo. The show basically has two plots, and in both it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s going to happen. I knew that Sharon Apple was going to go berserk and – what?! Don’t look at me like that! You know it’s going to happen the moment you see the computer! Come on, it looks like THIS–
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| “What are you doing, Dave?” |
– what the Hell did you THINK was going to happen? Anyways, the main love triangle was easy to figure out too. What, you mean the reckless but lovable (?) hero will get the girl instead of the barely-repressed rage filled, stony-faced rival? But that never happens! Okay, sarcasm aside, I will say that I did like the fact that Kawamori switched the genders for the love triangle in this show but I found the one for the original Macross better as it was better done and not as predictable.
I know that my review so far makes it sound like I don’t like this OVA, and I have slapped it with some major criticisms. But I really do like it – it has some great action, *awesome* animation (especially the opening fight scene. WOW!), great music by Yoko Kanno and a complex relationship between three characters that resolves itself beautifully if (again) a little predictably. I also like that fact that Kawamori, while reusing some of the tropes from the original Macross managed to twist them and make them interesting to watch again (and I have always liked the Macross Missile Swarms so I didn’t mind seeing them again here, in fact I relished it). Sharon Apple is interesting as she is a pop idol that is completely artificial in nature (something that Japanese pop producers have to salivate over. I mean, they’ve been striving towards this for years – a pop idol that is completely controllable – no drug scandals or the idol getting a *gasp* boyfriend or anything!). She also ultimately becomes a negative force through her music unlike Minmei from the original show. Speaking of Sharon, Kawamori takes time to discuss the nature of sentience and the dangers of giving computers emotions – emotions not their own but the emotions of others, others with serious mental issues they need to work out – which has been done before but was well done here so I can’t complain. Where else can you comment on both emerging sentient artificial intelligence and make digs at the highly artificial pop music industry at the same time? Brilliant!
Overall this is a very good OVA, and I recommend it highly. I would in fact put it near the top tier of animated science fiction. I don’t think however that it is the nigh-religious experience that others think it is – I think it's a little too flawed for that – and I don’t even think it’s the best Macross anime out there (which to me just might be the movie Do You Remember Love – which won't ever be released outside of Japan because of all the legal bullshit, ARGH) even though it might be the most mature. Now all I have to do is check out the Movie Edition….
Screenshots
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| The most obvious way to begin an action-filled anime full of !GIANT ROBOTS!... Windmills! |
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| It wouldn't be a Macross show without buttloads of missiles. |
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| ....Or the Macross itself. |
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| Okay, what is it with the Japanese fetish for giant chickens? |
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| Speaking of fetishes, for those of you with one for Japanese rope bondage, Macross Plus DELIVERS! |
Quick note on the DVD: Beware! Some of the discs of Volume 1 of this OVA have “Movie Edition” printed on the disc, when it in fact has the first two episodes of the OVA (as it should be). Manga Video strikes again! So if you pick this up and see "Movie Edition" printed on one of your discs don't take it back for a refund right away (unless you really can't stand having a misprint). Put it in your player and test it first.
Before I end this post, here's... another (gratuitous) shot of an ass-swarm of missiles!
Why? Because I can!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
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