Macross II

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers, Again
The VHS cover for Macross II's original North American release.
超時空要塞マクロスII Lovers Again (Chō Jikū Yōsai Makurosu II: Rabāzu Agein)
Genre	Adventure, Drama, Mecha
Original video animation
Directed by	Kenichi Yatagai
Written by	Sukehiro Tomita
Music by	Yasunori Honda
Studio	AIC, Oniro
Released	May 21, 1992 – November 21, 1992
Episodes	6
Anime film
Macross II the Movie (American movie adaptation)
Directed by	Quint Lancaster
Written by	Raymond Garcia
Music by	Les Claypool III
Studio	U.S. Renditions
Released	June 4, 1993
Runtime	155 minutes
Manga
Written by	Sukehiro Tomita
Illustrated by	Tsuguo Okazaki
Published by	Shogakukan
English publisher	Viz Media
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Big Comic
Original run	1992 – 1993
Volumes	1
Manga
The Micron Conspiracy (Original English Language manga)
Written by	James D. Hudnall
Illustrated by	Schulhoff Tam
Published by	Viz Media
Published	1994
Anime and Manga Portal

Macross II (超時空要塞マクロスII Lovers Again, Chō Jikū Yōsai Makurosu II: Rabāzu Agein^?), also known as The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers, Again or Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II, is the first animated sequel to The Super Dimension Fortress Macross to feature a new cast of characters. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again was produced by Big West.

Plot

The story takes place in the year 2092,^[1] eighty years after the events depicted in the movie Macross: Do You Remember Love?^[2] The SDF-1 Macross still exists, as does the U.N. Spacy Minmay Attack stratagem, which has been successfully employed to thwart the Zentradi threat ever since. However, a new humanoid alien race called the Marduk (Mardook in the original Japanese version), arrives in the Solar System with enslaved Zentradi and Meltlandi warriors who are seemingly unaffected by the Minmay Attack. The Marduk employ their own female singers, called Emulators, who incite their giant warriors with songs.

The story focuses on reporter Hibiki Kanzaki, who is caught in the middle of the action when he captures an Emulator, Ishtar, while covering a battle between the U.N. Spacy and the Marduk. Hibiki proceeds to teach her about Earth's culture, which she then shares with the rest of the Marduk. However, the Marduk leader, Emperor Ingues, considers Earth's culture anathema. With the help of ace fighter pilot Silvie Gena, Hibiki and Ishtar attempt to end the war.

Characters

Hibiki Kanzaki (神崎 ヒビキ, Kanzaki Hibiki^?)

Voiced by: Tsutomu Takayama (Japanese), Jonathan Fahn (English)

The protagonist, Hibiki works as an entertainment reporter for the television network SNN (Scramble News Network). He wants to be more, however, and jumps at the chance to cover the first encounters with the Marduk invaders. While covering one of the battles, he discovers Ishtar, an Emulator used to excite the aggressive tendencies of the Marduk through her singing. Originally seeing the scoop of a lifetime, Hibiki harbors Ishtar on Earth and shows her Earth's culture but is eventually moved by Ishtar's belief in bringing peace to her people by spreading Earth's love songs. At the same time Hibiki also finds himself having to deal with the U.N. Spacy, who is overzealous in not allowing any possibility of public panics despite having the frontline pushed all the way back to Earth itself.

Ishtar (イシュタル, Ishutaru^?)

Voiced by: Hiroko Kasahara (Japanese), Debra Rogers (English)

An Emulator within the Marduk race. Her singing enhances the aggressive tendencies of the Zentradi warriors in the Marduk armies and allows the Marduk to control the Zentradi. When Hibiki brings her to Earth, she is shocked by the variety of cultures and traditions of the humans. Because of her experiences, she changes her Emulator song to be one which encourages the Marduk to be peaceful. She believes the SDF-1 Macross is the legendary ship of the Alus, an entity prophesied in the Marduk culture to bring peace to Marduk.

Silvie Gena (シルビー·ジーナ, Shirubī Jīna^?)

Voiced by: Yumi Tōma (Japanese), Susan Byrkett (English)

Sylvie is an ace Valkyrie II variable fighter pilot and commander of the Faerie Squadron who, despite being merely 17 years old, is ranked the second finest pilot only after Nexx Gilbert. She has a Meltrandi grandmother, from whom she inherited her prowess at fighting, and becomes very angry at the Marduk when she discovers their use of brainwashing in the Zentradi soldiers that are under their command. She and Hibiki got off with a bad start due to the latter's pursuit of a scoop on her secret meeting with Supreme Commander Exxegran (where she punched Hibiki in the nose). Her feelings begin to change, however, after crossing paths with him on several occasions during the war against Marduk.

Nexx Gilbert (ネックス·ギルバート, Nekkusu Girubāto^?)

Voiced by: Bin Shimada

One of Sylvie's colleagues and the champion Valkyrie pilot in the Solar System. He appears to be a bit narcissistic, probably as a result of variable fighter pilots in Earth society being bestowed treatment similar to that received by pop idols, and is the epitome of stereotypical "manliness". Although he doesn't seem to go very far with Sylvie beyond a few dates, he is genuinely in love with her. He pilots a combat-worthy prototype of the VA-1SS Metal Siren variable fighter during the U.N. Spacy's fleet engagement against Marduk near the Moon and is given command of one of the two Macross Cannons committed to resist the final Marduk assault on Earth.

Wendy Ryder (ウェンディー·ライダー, Uendī Raidā^?)

Voiced by: Yukiyo Satō (Japanese), Trish Ledoux (English)

An idol singer who is used in the U.N. Spacy propaganda releases. She is known for singing Invitation with the Valkyrie (バルキリーで誘って, Barukirī de Sasotte^?) and Friends Now (今は友達, Ima wa Tomodachi^?) during the annual U.N. Spacy Moon Festival.

Dennis Lone (デニス·ローン, Denisu Rōn^?)

Voiced by: Ryūzaburō Ōtomo

A cameraman and a war correspondent in the SNN, he believes in presenting both sides of a story even if he has to sneak into an enemy stronghold in the heat of a battle just to get it. He thinks Hibiki doesn't understand what journalism is really all about but nevertheless sees potential in him. He dies during Hibiki's first assignment with him after being caught in an explosion in a Marduk battleship where they found an unconscious Ishtar, and his death has a significant impact on how Hibiki looks at the world of journalism.

Mash (マッシュ, Masshu^?)

Voiced by: Takeshi Kusao

One of Hibiki's friends and transsexual owner of a beauty salon. His friendship with Hibiki is good enough such that he is the one Hibiki turns to when the latter decides to harbor Ishtar after rescuing her on an assignment.

Exxegran Giri (エックセグラン・ジリ, Ekkuseguran Giri^?)

Voiced by: Yoshisada Sakaguchi (Japanese), Hal Cleaveland (English)

One of the very high-ranking commanders of the U.N. Spacy. He has a noble spirit and is equally aware of how complacent the U.N. Spacy command has become. He appears quite personable as Sylvie and her Faerie teammates looks up to him as a father figure.

Feff (フェフ, Fefu^?)

Voiced by: Tōru Furuya (Japanese), Steven Blum (English)

Feff is a commander of the Marduk forces and reports to Lord Emperor Ingues. Despite his ferocity and cruelty in combat, he does not entirely believe in the Ingues's extreme enforcement of cultural purity and eventually turns on Ingues once he understands what Ishtar is trying to do. He later confesses that he harbors feelings for Ishtar.

Lord Emperor Ingues (イングス, Ingusu^?)

Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese), Bill Kestin (English)

Supreme ruler of the Marduk Empire. He is cruel, despotic, and insanely-preoccupied with eliminating any culture distinct from that of Marduk, having no problem ordering the destruction of even his own forces over the slightest presence of an alien culture.

Commander Balser (バルゼー, Baruzē^?)

Voiced by: Takeshi Watabe

Commander of the U.N. Spacy's 12th Fleet, he commands the fleet flagship Gloria and leads a valiant but ultimately futile defense against the Marduk invasion near the Moon. The Gloria is destroyed when the sheer number of Marduk warships overwhelms the defenders.

Saori (沙織^?)

Voiced by: Aya Hara (Japanese), Lisa Gratton (English)

A member of Sylvie Gena's Faerie Squadron. She is interested in Nexx Gilbert and is always looking for a way to get closer to him. During the final battle of the war against Marduk, she is assigned the position of a bridge officer aboard the Macross Cannon captained by Nexx.

Amy

Voiced by: Mariko Kōda (Japanese), Melissa Charles (English)

A member of Sylvie Gena's Faerie Squadron. During the final battle of the war against Marduk, she is assigned the position of a bridge officer aboard the Macross Cannon captained by Nexx.

Nastasha (ナスターシャ, Nasutāsha^?)

Voiced by: Yumi Hikita

A member of Sylvie Gena's Faerie Squadron. During the final battle of the war against Marduk, she is assigned the position of a bridge officer aboard the Macross Cannon captained by Nexx.

Production

Macross II began production in 1991 and debuted simultaneously in the United States and Japan, during the second quarter of 1992, in order to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the original The Super Dimension Fortress Macross television series.^[3][4][5] Out of the original Macross staff, only three of them returned for Macross II: Haruhiko Mikimoto (character designer), Sukehiro Tomita (scripter) and Yasunori Honda (sound director).^[6] Shoji Kawamori, the creator of the original Macross series, did not participate in this project because, at the time, he had no interest in writing sequels.^[7] Since co-creator Studio Nue was also absent from this project, studios AIC and ONIRO handled the production.

Macross II was framed as six episodes because, at the time, it was felt that short OVA series were the current trend in anime.^[8] Initially conceived as taking place 300 years in the future,^[9] that number was pared down to 80 years during production. Macross II also takes place in the same universe as the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² games Macross 2036 and Macross: Eternal Love Song.^[10] The staff was not allowed to use any of the original Macross characters in this project.^[11] Furthermore, the staff decided to avoid the "idol" singer concept that was propounded in the original series. Their rationale was that Japan was experiencing an "idol boom" during the 1980s and Macross mirrored that. Haruhiko Mikimoto explained that he and director Kenichi Yatagai differed on what they envisioned Macross II to be; compromises had to be made on both sides.^[11] The mechanical designs for Macross II were created by Junichi Akutsu, Jun Okuda and Kouichi Ohata (who previously worked on Gunbuster).

Parallel World

Originally promoted as a canon sequel to the Macross: Do You Remember Love? theatrical movie, Macross II has since been relegated by Studio Nue as taking place in a "Parallel World" and is no longer considered part of the original series canon.^[12][13]

Media

Macross II is a six-episode Japanese OVA and was released in North America by the following companies.

Video releases

U.S. Renditions released Macross II in 1992 and 1993, dubbed into English, on three VHS cassettes each containing two episodes. L.A. Hero released the series in 1993 as a movie in a limited amount of theaters across the U.S.A. as a 120-minute film on 35 mm film.^[14]

Manga Entertainment consolidated the six episodes in 1995 into a single VHS cassette called Macross II: The Movie. This compilation removed the opening and ending credits for episodes 2 through 5, as well as the episode previews. It was released as two VHS cassette variations: the first contained the English dub and the second contained the original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles.

In 2000, Macross II: The Movie was released on DVD by Manga Entertainment. This DVD included both the English dub and the original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles. Bonus materials included a music video (actually a creditless closing theme), four character profiles and an image and mechanical designs gallery.

Macross II: The Movie was released as a downloadable video rental on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360 by Starz. This release only included the English dub and it was in standard definition. Manga Entertainment released Macross II in 2008 as a downloadable video purchase on the iTunes Store in its original six-episode format with each episode available individually. The episodes only include the English dub and they are in standard definition.

On May 2, 2011 the full movie in English dub was uploaded by Manga Entertainment to their Youtube channel.^[15]

Episodes

EP#	Title	Original release date	English release date
01	"Contact" "Kontakuto" (コンタクト)	21 May 1992	September 1992
Hibiki Kanzaki, an entertainment report for SNN (Scramble News Network), exposes Sylvie Gena and Exxegran at a secret meeting at a hotel, earning his breaking story huge ratings. He is reprimanded by veteran reporter and cameraman Dennis Lone for only being interested in ratings, and then his bureau chief tells him he must apologize to both Exxegran and Sylvie or he'll lose his job. Sylvie catches Hibiki as he's leaving the SNN building and says she wants to talk with him. As they are talking at the Culture Park, the SDF-1 Macross gives off a huge energy burst, and then Sylvie is recalled due to a large number of unidentified ships defolding near Jupiter. He is assigned to be the Valkyrie pilot to take the drunk Dennis Lone to cover the story. They get to the battle and begin filming the use of the "Minmay Defense", a holographic projection of a singing idol star. The song causes the attacking alien ships to stop, but a mysterious song broadcast by the enemy causes them to begin attacking again. The U.N. Spacy tries to fight the unknown enemy, but starts losing the battle. Hibiki begins losing his nerve as he's in disbelief that U.N. Spacy could lose and that so many people are dying all around him. Lone tells him to pull himself together and get inside one of the enemy capital ships. When they get inside the Marduk ship, they see Ishtar and Lone goes to retrieve her so they can take her back to Earth, but he's killed in the process. He tells Hibiki to get the story out before he dies. Hibiki takes Ishtar and the footage back to Earth
02	"Ishtar" "Ishutaru" (イシュタル)	21 June 1992	September 1992
Marduk leader Lord Feff follows Hibiki and Ishtar back to Earth. Hibiki doesn't tell anyone other than his friend Mash about Ishtar. As he's filming the sleeping Ishtar for his story, she awakes and becomes afraid, wondering where she is. After being fitted with a translator, she is able to understand Hibiki who is able to calm her down enough to learn her name. She learns there are Zentran and Meltran (males and females) living together on the planet with the humans. While they are talking, the SDF-1 Macross emits another energy discharge, and Ishtar says that it's the light of the Alus. Hibiki then turns on the news and learns that the military is preventing SNN from broadcasting all of the footage and is glossing over the actual events of the battle. Ishtar leaves without Hibiki noticing, so he goes to search for her. Ishtar is overwhelmed by the variety of music and individuality on the Earth and runs into the city aimlessly while trying to find the ship of the Alus. Hibiki finds her in a park. Meanwhile, Lord Feff's soldiers have begin trying to locate Ishtar, and some of them have been shot down. The military leadership is discussing their options. Mash gives Ishtar a makeover, and Hibiki takes her to the Culture Park to teach her about Earth's cultures. Sylvie and Saori follow them to the park and rescue them from being hurt or killed by the attacking Marduk. They are saved from the attackers by U.N. Spacy Valkyries, but Ishtar runs away and finally sees the SDF-1 Macross, the ship of the Alus right before Lord Feff arrives to take her back. She refuses to go back and Lord Feff leaves, confused about why Ishtar would abandon her position as Emulator.
03	"Festival" "Fesutibaru" (フェスティバル)	21 August 1992	January 1993
The media continues to cover up the threat of the invading Marduk, assuring the populace that U.N. Spacy, and during the report, Ishtar sees an advertisement for the annual U.N. Spacy Moon Festival and asks to go. Hibiki asks her again who she is, and she says she needs to go to the ship before she can tell him. After finishing a date with Nexx Gilbert, Sylvie sees Hibiki and Ishtar riding down the street on his motorcycle and decides to follow them. They arrive at the SDF-1 Macross and go up to the bridge where Ishtar partially activates the ship simply by touching some of the control panels. She tells Hibiki that she's an Emulator of the Marduk, and they use the Zentradi to destroy any culture they find. The Marduk use the Emulator's songs to control the Zentradi. She tells him that she believes the Macross is the legendary "ship of the Alus" which will bring peace to the Marduk. Sylvie arrives and tells them she's taking Ishtar into custody as she's the enemy, but Hibiki convinces her otherwise. They then go to the Moon Festival where they see a demonstration of the new Metal Siren Valkyrie. After Ishtar is touched by the love song performed by Wendy Ryder, Ryder is flown off in the Metal Siren by Sylvie where they are promptly attacked by the Marduk who are under orders to capture her as the "enemy Emulator". Hibiki goes after them in an SNN Valkyrie with Ishtar, who insisted on going with them. In order to have them let Sylvie and Wendy go, Ishtar tells Lord Feff she will return if he lets them go. Sylvie goes after them and arrives at the ship just before they jump.
04	"Marduk Disorder" "Marudūku Disuōda" (マルドゥーク·ディスオーダ)	24 September 1992	January 1993
The Marduk torture Hibiki as they try to determine who the SNN is and what what he did to contaminate Ishtar. Ishtar is transported to another ship in order to be examined so they can determine what needs to be done to decontaminate her from her exposure to the alien culture. Sylvie rescues Hibiki just before he is to be brainwashed. As they are escaping, Hibiki keeps stopping to record parts of the ship and they discover the Marduk are using mind control to keep the Zentradi soldiers fighting for them. Ishtar is taken before Elensh in order to be treated for her contamination, but she resists the treatment, explaining about the ship of the Alus and why they shouldn't destroy the people on Earth. She resists every attempt to remove the new songs from her mind, telling Elensh that they are now part of her soul. Sylvie and Hibiki try to find Ishtar in order to rescue her, and Sylvie reveals that her grandmother was Meltrandi. Ishtar begins singing a new song, causing all the Zentradi to stop fighting, so Lord Emperor Ingues orders the ship destroyed due to the contamination from Ishtar's exposure to the culture of Earth. Just as they find her, the unit sent by Ingues to destroy the contaminated ship arrives and begins firing at them. Lord Feff arrives and takes Ishtar away just before the ship is destroyed, and Sylvie and Hibiki barely escape the ship in time as Feff chases them, trying to destroy them. Sylvie and Hibiki are picked up by a U.N. Spacy ship sent to retrieve them.
05	"Station Break" "Sutēshon Bureiku" (ステーション·ブレイク)	22 October 1992
Lord Emperor Ingues orders all of his ships to begin the attack on Earth. Sylvie explains to Commander Exxegran what happened and why they were out with the Marduk ships. Hibiki, meanwhile, hijacks the emergency military channel and broadcasts information the military has been suppressing, and is arrested. The Marduk press the attack and appear to be unstoppable. The Zentradi warriors overpower the U.N. Spacy defenses with ease. The supreme U.N. Spacy council questions Hibiki and has Sylvie arrested. Commander Balser leads a fleet against the invading Marduk and their Zentradi warriors. He is confident he can defeat them with the four macross Cannons he has under his command. However, as he fires the Macross Cannons, thousands more Marduk units appear above them and begin attacking. The Marduk begin using their Emulators to drive the Zentradi into a fighting frenzy, but Ishtar still refuses to sing the songs of war. Hibiki continues to be questioned about where he got the footage of the inside of one of the Marduk ships. Ingues orders the Emulators to begin singing the death song, which causes the Zentradi to go berserk and begin suicidal attacks on the U.N. Spacy forces. He also punishes the units in Ishtar's group for refusing to sing the death song. Lord Feff pleads with Ishtar to do as ordered by the Emperor, but she refuses, telling him she can't destroy the world of the Alus. He orders his Zentradi to be linked to the songs of the other Emulators, and the unrelenting attack on the U.N. Spacy forces continues. Balser leads his ship into the middle of the enemy Marduk fleet and is destroyed while taking out several of their vessels. Lord Feff sends Ishtar away, telling her that he is loyal to Lord Emperor Ingues and she must leave. Sylvie tells Exxegran of her plan to launch a sneak on Ingues' mothership using the SDF-1 Macross. Hibiki records a message explaining that he thinks humans aren't learning from previous mistakes.
06	"Sing Along" "Shingu Arongu" (シング·アロング)	21 November 1992
The Marduk have broken through every defense launched by U.N. Spacy, and civilians are evacuated to underground bunkers for safety. Sylvie begins executing her secret plan by jail-breaking Hibiki and taking him to the SDF-1 Macross. Ishtar makes it to the Macross and begins looking for the center of the ship. Sylvie discovers that it is still operational and she launches it. They launch an attack on the Marduk mothership, but it has little effect. Ingues counterattacks and the Macross itself is destroyed, except for the bridge section. The Marduk attack destroys everything in their path. Hibiki and Sylvie finally realize their feelings for each other and kiss as Ishtar comes into the room. She tells them that this is the true power of the Alus. Sylvie doesn't believe there is anything else that can be done, but Ishtar begins broadcasting to the Marduk and tells them they must not destroy the culture of the Earth. This causes the fighting to cease and makes some of the Emulators unsure about Ingues' plan, causing him to start destroying those who question him. Ishtar then begins singing a love song which causes the remaining Emulators to join with her, turning the remaining Marduk against Ingues. Feff is incensed that Ingues refuses to accept that this may be the legendary Alus, and leads an attack by the remaining Marduk against Ingues, destroying both him and his ship. The Marduk and the people of Earth sign an eternal peace treaty and Ishtar leaves with Feff to spread the new culture among the remaining Marduk.

Soundtracks

The music score was composed by Shiro Sagisu, who subsequently became famous for his works on Neon Genesis Evangelion. J-pop singer Mika Kaneko composed and performed the series opening and ending theme songs while Hiroko Kasahara performed Ishtar's songs and Yukiyo Satō did Wendy Ryder's songs. Some of these songs were reused as background music in the 1995 series Macross 7.

The U.S. release of the soundtrack is as follows:

• JVC (1993) Macross II Original Soundtrack Volume 1 is released in North America on CD. This compact disc contained the background music and vocal songs from, approximately, the first half of the series.
• AnimeTrax (2001) Volume 1 is re-released as the Macross II Original Soundtrack on CD. This version retains the cover art from its Japanese counterpart and does not include the linear notes found in the JVC release.

Volume 2 was only released in Japan (along with Volume 1) by JVC's parent company, Victor Company of Japan, as The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 in 1992. This compact disc contained the background music and vocal songs from, approximately, the second half of the series.

Merchandising

Manga

Viz Comics published a ten-issue monthly comic book limited series called Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II that was circulated, monthly, from September 1992 through June 1993. This limited series was originally published as a manga in Shōnen Sunday Comics Special by Shogakukan, Inc. in Japan. While a traditional manga will typically deviate from its anime counterpart, the Macross II manga was a direct adaption of the Macross II anime.^[9] The manga series was scripted by Sukehiro Tomita and illustrated by Tsuguo Okazaki. The English version was translated by James D. Hudnall and Matt Thorn.

In 1994, Viz Comics reissued the ten individual issues in a single trade paperback volume. Unlike the previous Viz series, which was released in the same size as Silver Age comic books, this compilation was published in the same size as conventional manga and was spiral-bound. Viz also released an original manga sequel titled Macross II: The Micron Conspiracy, written by Hudnall with artwork by Schulhoff Tam.

Posters

Four official Macross II posters were released by U.S. Renditions, L.A. Hero and Viz Comics. The first two posters featured the cover art from "Marduk Disorder" and "Sing Along." These two posters each measured 25 x 39 inches (990 mm). The third poster released was the 27 x 41 ⅛ inches official theatrical poster for the Macross II 35 mm film release, featuring the cover art from "Station Break." The fourth poster, released by Viz Comics, featured Ishtar and measured 28 ⅝ x 40 ½ inches.

Role-playing game

Macross II: The Role-Playing Game

Front cover of the Macross II RPG core rulebook, illustrated by Kevin Long
Designer(s)	Kevin Siembieda, Jean Carrières, Martin Ouellette, Claude J. Pelletier, Marc-Alexandre Vézina
Illustrator(s)	Ghislain Barbe, Wayne Breaux, Jr., Dominique Durocher, Newton Ewell, Kevin Long, Thomas Miller, Bryant Velez, John Zeleznik
Publisher(s)	Palladium Books, Dream Pod 9
Years active	July 1993 – August 1996
Genre(s)	Science fiction
Language(s)	English
System(s)	Megaversal
Website	palladiumbooks.com

In 1993, Palladium Books released a role-playing game called Macross II: The Role-Playing Game. This release was followed up that same year by Macross II: Sourcebook One: The U.N. Spacy, which was an extension of the first game.^[16] In 1994, Palladium joined forces with Canadian role-playing game company Dream Pod 9 to produce a three-part Deck Plans supplement series, which features technical schematics of U.N. Spacy and Marduk warships and new rules for ship-to-ship combat. While some of the mechanical information presented is translated directly from the Japanese source material, Dream Pod 9 acknowledged that some of it is also "pure conjecture."^[17] Many details are customized to fit the mechanics of Palladium's Mega-Damage system.^{[citation needed]}

American Manga series

In November 1994, Viz Comics published Macross II: The Micron Conspiracy as a five-issue comic book limited series. Marketed as a "100% made-in-America sequel" to Macross II, the story is set one year after the Marduk war and follows Hibiki Kanzaki and Sylvie Gena as they attempt to uncover the explanation behind a series of mysterious attacks against the Zentradi on Earth.^[18] This series was written by James D. Hudnall with illustrations provided by Schulhoff Tam.

Model kits

Bandai released a 1/100 scale model kit of the VF-2SS Valkyrie II. The model was capable of transforming into Fighter, Gerwalk and Battroid modes, but required the swapping of hip joints for each mode. The kit also included additional sprues for assembling the Super Armed Pack.^[19] Several companies have made garage kits of the VF-2JA Icarus, as well as additional parts to convert the Bandai Valkyrie II into an atmospheric mode fighter without the Super Armed Pack.

Video Games

Banpresto released an arcade game adaptation of Macross II in 1992. The game was a side-scrolling shooter, where the player controlled a VF-2SS Valkyrie II and battled Marduk units on the screen. Transformation was attained only by acquiring lettered icons (B for Battroid, G for Gerwalk, F for Fighter). Players were armed with lasers and a limited amount of smart bombs.^[20]

Characters, mecha and story elements from this OVA are featured in the Sony PlayStation Portable videogame Macross Ultimate Frontier, the sequel to Macross Ace Frontier (2008). Ultimate Frontier was released in Japan on October 2009.^[21]

Reception

In 1992, Macross II was described as "the most eagerly anticipated anime sequel ever."^[22] Volumes 1 and 2 of Macross II went on to become the #1 selling anime videos in the United States in September 1992 and January 1993 respectively.^[23][24] Despite its bestseller status, Macross II failed to develop an affinity with many fans of the original Macross series.^[25] Criticisms from Mecha Anime HQ concerned Macross II's decision to feature a journalist as the series protagonist instead of a military pilot, and that the storyline adhered too closely to its predecessor.^[26][27] Anime News Network described the plot as "unoriginal" and noted that it seemed as if too much material was squeezed into Macross II.^[28]

References

1. ^ The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 CD booklet, 1992, p. 3, Victor, VICL-365
2. ^ The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II Valkyrie II model kit instructions, 1992, Bandai, 0036371-2000
3. ^ "From the Annals of U.N. Spacy", Animerica, 1992, Vol.1, No.0, p. 11
4. ^ Napton, R.: "Superdimensional Fortress Macross II", Animerica, 1992, Vol.1, No.0, p.8
5. ^ Loo, E.: "Macross and Beyond", Animerica, 2003, Vol.11, No.1, p.46
6. ^ Macross II Original Soundtrack Volume 1 CD booklet, 1993, p. 2, JVC, JVC-1003-2
7. ^ "Immortal Mecha Designer Shoji Kawamori", Animerica, 1995, Vol.3, No.1, p. 6
8. ^ "Animessages", Animerica, 1993, vol.1, No.1, p.63
9. ^ ^{a b} "Macross II, 'Lovers Again' Close-Up", Animerica, 1992, Vol.1, No. 0, p. 12
10. ^ "Variable Fighter History", B-Club, 1992, Vol.79, p.15
11. ^ ^{a b} "Mikimoto Mania!", Animerica, 1992, Vol.1, No.0, p.10
12. ^ Loo, E.: "Making Sense of 15 Years of Macross", EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga
13. ^ "Macross: A Future Chronicle", Macross Plus vol.1, 1994, Bandai Visual, BELL-704
14. ^ "Macross II, Giant Robo Slated for Silver Screen", Animerica, 1993, Vol.1, No. 1, p. 16
15. ^ "Youtube - Macross II: The Movie"
16. ^ Siembieda, K., Macross II: Sourcebook One: The U.N. Spacy, 1993, p.5, Palladium Books Inc.
17. ^ Ouellette, M., Vezina, M., Carrieres, J., Macross II: Deck Plans Volume One, 1994, p.5, Palladium Books Inc.
18. ^ Ledoux, T., Yoshida, T.: "Macross II: The Micron Conspiracy, #1", VIZ-IN, 1994, Vol.6, No.8, p.1
19. ^ HobbyLink Japan - Bandai 1/100 VF-2SS Valkyrie II
20. ^ Macross World - Macross II Arcade
21. ^ "Bandai Namco To Announce Macross Ultimate Frontier". PSP Hyper. http://www.psphyper.com/psp/bandai-namco-to-announce-macross-ultimate-frontier/. Retrieved 2009-06-25. 
22. ^ Napton, R.: "Superdimensional Fortress Macross II", Animerica, 1992, Vol.1, No.0, p.8
23. ^ "Video Clips", Animerica, 1992, Vol.1, No.0, p. 7
24. ^ "Video Clips", Animerica, 1992, Vol.1, No.1, p. 18
25. ^ Loo, E.: "Macross and Beyond", Animerica, 2003, Vol.11, No.1, p. 46
26. ^ "Episode 1: Contact",Mecha Anime HQ
27. ^ "Episode 6: Sing Along", Mecha Anime HQ
28. ^ Jong, M.: "Super Dimension Fortress Macross II The Movie", Anime News Network

External links

Official Sites:

• Macross Official Web Site (Japanese)
• Macross Compendium

Other Sites:

• Macross II: Lovers Again at the Internet Movie Database
• Macross II (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Mecha Anime HQ - Episode synopses and reviews
• Macross Mecha Manual A website profiling the fictional vehicles of Macross II and the Macross series in general