Macross

nihongo|"Macross"|マクロス|Makurosu is a long-running series of science fiction anime, created by Shoji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional Earth History after the year 1999. The franchise title features three TV series, three movies, four OVAs, and 2 manga series. The Macross II OVA carries the Macross title; however, it was not produced by Studio Nue.

Within the series, the term "Macross" is used to denote the main capital ship. This theme began with the first Macross, the SDF-1 Macross.

"Overtechnology" refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship ("Alien Star Ship - One" later renamed "Super Dimension Fortress - One Macross") that crashed on "South Ataria" island. With this technology, Earth developed mechas (variable fighters and destroids), starships and many other advanced technology like the faster-than-light drive "Space Fold".

Title

The series title uses the name of the main human spacecraft (which is usually shortened to "SDF-1 Macross" as it is Earth's first "Super Dimension Fortress"). The original name for the "Macross" project was "Battle City Megaload" (or "Battle City Megaroad", as the Japanese transliteration to either "L" or "R" gives the title a double meaning in reference to the story line: "Megaload", referring to the spacecraft containing an entire city of people; and "Megaroad", referring to the long journey through space back to Earth), however one of the sponsors of the project, Big West, was a fan of Shakespeare and wanted the series and the spacecraft to be named nihongo|"Macbeth"|マクベス|Makubesu. A compromise was made with the title nihongo|"Macross"|マクロス|Makurosu due to its similar pronunciation to "Macbeth" in Japanese and because it still contained connotations to the original title. The word "Macross" comes from a wordplay combination of the prefix "macro" in reference to its massive size (though when compared with the alien ships in the series, it is only a relatively small gun destroyer) and the distance they must cross.

Themes

The following are themes commonly seen and established among the various series in the Macross franchise.

U.N. Spacy

The U.N. Spacy is a fictional military arm of the nihongo|Earth U.N. Government|地球統合政府|Chikyū Tōgō Seifu. It was established by the successor to the modern United Nations in order to defend Earth from a possible attack by hostile aliens, and was involved in Space War I against an extraterrestrial race called the Zentradi. Later operations of the U.N. Spacy expanded into interstellar colonization and general peacekeeping of off-world Earth settlements.

The term "Spacy" is an extrapolation of the terms "Army" and "Navy" - though some Japanese sources also use the term "Space Army" and some English-language sources use the term "Space Navy", suggesting that the term is a contraction.

Variable Fighters

A variable fighter is one of a series of transformable aerospace fighters, primarily designed by Studio Nue's Shoji Kawamori and Kazutaka Miyatake. These craft are referred to in the series by the model name "Valkyrie."

Music

Music plays an integral part in almost every Macross title, having a significances in the way a series' antagonists behave towards it. Music idols also play a central role to various Macross stories. Often, the protagonist will be forced into a love triangle with a series' music idol; the most notable of them all is Lynn Minmay.

pace Fold

Faster-than-light travel in the Macross franchise is achieved via the "space fold". This capability was introduced when the SDF-1 crash landed on Earth. It has been oficially described as a type of warp (or what is called super-light-velocity spatial displacement) navigation that can travel ultra long distances nearly instantaneously. To explain in simple terms, a fold transports a spacecraft in a very short amount of time by first swapping the location of the spacecraft with "Super Dimension" space or subspace, and then swapping the "Super Dimension" space with the space at the destination. According to U.N. Spacy First Lieutenant Misa Hayase during Space War I (2009-2010), an hour passes in super dimension space as approximately ten days passes in normal space. Macross Frontier further expands on the concept by introducing fold faults or dislocations which further slow down fold travel and interfering with fold communications.

The act of entering "Super Dimension" space is called a "fold in". When arriving at the destination, the act of leaving "Super Dimension" space is called a "defold" or a "fold out".

eries chronology

Several sequel series and one prequel have followed, with most using a chronology created by the Studio Nue creators, the rest followed their own storylines regarded as "parallel storyline" by the studio. The main Macross production consists of (in chronological release order):

A feature film, subtitled (愛・おぼえていますか "Ai Oboete Imasu ka"), was released in 1984, with a condensed version of the storyline and cutting-edge animation. This movie was later described as a "historical drama" movie within the Macross universe (similar to, for example, "Braveheart" in the real world). In "Macross Plus" and "Macross 7", it is revealed that there was a movie produced after Space War I (the original Earth-Zentradi conflict). (A shortened, English-dubbed version of the feature was also released to video as "Clash of the Bionoids", though this is largely lambasted.) "Macross II", the only animated project without Studio Nue's direct involvement, was declared a parallel-world story by Studio Nue.

In March 2007, Studio Victor placed a casting call for a voice actress to play the heroine, Ranka Lee [ [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-08-18/yoko-kanno-heroine's-voice-announced-for-new-macross Yoko Kanno, Heroine's Voice Announced for New Macross] ] , in a then untitled new Macross series. [ [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-03-09/follow-up-victor-voice-actress-auditions-for-macross Follow Up: Victor Voice Actress Auditions for Macross] ] 18 year old Megumi Nakajima was selected in the nationwide singing and acting audition for the role of Ranka Lee in Japan. The project was given the tentative title of "Macross 25". Later, as part of the 25th anniversary concert, a trailer was shown that revealed the new tentative title of "Macross F (Frontier)". During the concert, Shoji Kawamori mentioned that the timeframe of Macross Frontier was about 2070 A.D. Kawamori also announced that Yoko Kanno would be the music co-composer of the new Macross series. According to Newtype Magazine, this new series were supposed to take place in a school. The pilot episode aired in December 23, 2007. The new series were finally set in the year 2059 A.D. and took place in a new Macross Colony Fleet called "Macross Frontier". The new show was produced by Satelight and its episodes began their regular broadcast on April 04, 2008 in MBS channel of Japan. The final episode aired on September 25, 2008, what brought the series to a total of 25 episodes. A "Macross Frontier Movie" was announced just after the ending of the new T.V. animated series.

Video games

Macross video games are based on its universe, sometimes expanding it with original characters and sidestories, latest games often include newly created anime footage. All of them were released in Japan only probably because of the Macross / Robotech license issue. These include:

* "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross": A sidescrolling game released in 1985 for the Nintendo Famicom by Namco and Bandai. The main objectives of the lone Valkyrie are to destroy the Zentradi forces, penetrate the Zentradi mothership, and destroy it. A simplified midi rendition of the song "Shao Pai Long" plays in the background throughout gameplay.

*' - A 2D shooter released on the Nintendo Super Famicom and based on '. The story takes place after the movie, but before the launch of the "SDF-2 Megaroad-01".

*"" - A 2D shooter created for the Sega Saturn , it was co-programmed by Sega and was later ported on the Sony PlayStation. It is closely based on the movie, with a mix of 2D and 3D action and special effects. It was released with 2 CDs as it contained footage and soundtrack from both the Macross movie and Flash Back 2012. The footage contained some new scenes including Hikaru and his fellow pilots still on Earth flying on their way to the Macross which made a space fold jump just before the massive Zentradi attack reached them.

*"" - The first ever 3D graphics and polygonal game of the franchise made by Bandai Visual for the PlayStation. It was a best seller and was re-released as a budget priced game.

*"" - The sequel of VF-X is also a 3D shooter based on the VF-X original characters and released on the PlayStation.

*"" - The third 3D shooter and last Macross game for the PlayStation. It is based on the Macross Plus OVA series storyline.

*"Macross M3" - A 3D shooter released on the Dreamcast. "M3" takes place around 2014, and covers the story of Max, Milia, and their adopted daughter Moaramia, as the three of them continue to serve as Valkyrie pilots.

*"The Superdimensional Fortress Macross VO (Valkyrie Overdrive)" - A space combat simulator released in 2001 only in Japan for the Pc. It was compatible with Windows 95, 98 and ME. A year later a Windows XP version was released ("The Superdimensional Fortress Macross VOXP"). The game was unique in the fact that it enabled players to sortie online using practically each and every mecha, fighter and power armor from the different factions (Zentradi, Meltlandi and U.N. Spacy) that appeared in Macross DYRL. It has become quite popular recently among western players (thanks to translation patches and reference files) with multiple online tournaments being done regularly.

*"The Super Dimension Fortress Macross " ("超時空要塞マクロス") - A full 3D shooter released by Sega-AM2 only for the PlayStation 2 in Japan during 2003. The game features both famous and new characters, as well as a large number of VF (Variable Fighters) from the TV series to Macross Flashback 2012. This game made by one of the most experienced and famous development team (Shenmue series, Virtua Fighter series, "Daytona USA" series, "Virtua Cop" series) has been acclaimed by both the media and the gamers as the best Macross game ever released. There are two game modes designated by which carrier arm you select. Selecting the "Daedalus/Prometheus" carrier arms will take you through events based on th TV series which is longer but easier. The second scenario (unlocked after completing the TV scenario) is designated by the "ARMD" class carrier arms which were used on the refit of the SDF-1 and also in the "Do You Remember Love" feature film. This scenario is based on the aforementioned movie events and is shorter, but harder when compared to the TV scenario.

*"Macross 7 Ginga no Heart wo Furuwasero!!" - A 2D side scrolling shooter released on the Game Boy Color. In this game you select three of six characters from Macross 7, who are split into "Fire Bomber/Soundforce" (Nekki Basara with his VF-19 Custom Kai-Fire Valkyrie, Mylene Jenius in her VF-11MAXL Custom Valkyrie, and Ray and Veffidas together in their VF-17 Custom)and the regular Macross 7 Military (Gamlin Kizaki in his VF-17 Nightmare, Max Jenius in his Blue VF-22 Sturmvogel and Millia Jenius in her Red VF-22 Sturmvogel). The general layout of the game is that you choose three characters, allowing you to switch between them during gameplay. However depending on which character you finish a level on before a boss battle, the way boss battles are fought differ. Choosing anyone from the regular military will simply mean you just shoot the boss and avoid getting hit. Selecting any member from "Fire Bomber/Soundforce" will turn the boss battle into a rhythm game where the player is to press and/or hold the A and B buttons with the right timing. The final boss battle is fought by Basara by default, regardless of who you selected. Songs for the boss battles include "Planet Dance", "Dynamite Explosion", "Totsugeki Love Heart", "New Frontier", "Holy Lonely Night", and finally "Try Again".

*There were three arcade games released by Banpresto during the 90s, all of which were scrolling shooters: "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross" (1992) [ [http://www.mameworld.net/maws/romset/macross Chou-Jikuu Yousai Macross] ] , "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II" (1993) [ [http://www.mameworld.net/maws/romset/macross2 Chou-Jikuu Yousai Macross II] ] , and "Macross Plus" (1996) [ [http://www.mameworld.net/maws/romset/macrossp Macross Plus] ] .

*"Macross Ace Frontier" - An upcoming PSP release from Bandai Namco and developed by Art Dink, this game is due for release in October 2008 in Japan. It is a 3D shooter action game with multiplayer capability (1 - 4 Players) over the PSP ad-hoc feature. It will feature various characters and mecha from the last 25 years of the series, ranging from the VF-1 Valkyrie up to the most recent variable fighter craft in the "Macross" universe, including the VF-25 Messiah and also featuring the VF-0, the VF-19 Custom Kai-Fire Valkyrie as well as various enemy class mecha from Zentradi, Varauta and Anti-UN Forces. The game is being developed using the "Gundam Battle" engine. [ [http://kotaku.com/5017474/macross-ace-frontier-coming-to-psp Famitsu: Macross Ace Frontier Coming to PSP] ] [ [http://b.bngi-channel.jp/psp_macross/ Official Macross Ace Frontier Site] ] [ [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-20/macross-ace-frontier-to-ship-in-japan-on-psp-in-fall Macross Ace Frontier to Ship in Japan on PSP in Fall] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.macross.co.jp/ Macross Official Website (Japanese)]
* [http://www.bigwest-ad.co.jp/service/contents/macross.html Big West (Japanese)]
* [http://www.anime.net/macross/ Macross Compendium]