Isoquant

This first comment smacks of elitism, much in the same way that your original post did. My opinion of NGE has nothing to do with anime in general, and nothing to do with concepts that I find difficult to grasp. Contrary to what you're implying, I don't need some guru like yourself to enlighten me so I can enjoy it more. Overblown and overrated? Yes, that's MY opinion and I will continue to express it. Live with it. So what if that implies what others think of it. Are you telling me you've never publicly declared something popular to be overrated? You want more of my opinion? I think the creators were so focused on religious iconography, metaphysical concepts, and psycho babble that they forgot to actually make a complete story, start to finish (or maybe they just didn't know how to begin with). My immediate thought was that they were trying too hard, much like the Wachowski bros. with the later Matrix movies, or Ang Lee with the dreadful Hulk motion picture. In other words, I found NGE to be a heap load of style, with the throwing around of alot of heady concepts, but with only a smidgeon of substance to show for it. And I'm sorry, but I've experienced too many other quality works to know the difference. FYI: After discussing this more with others, I'm finding I'm far from alone in having this opinion. The term "overrated" seems to pop up rather frequently.

I've already found a copy at Suncoast, which I believe is a nationwide chain (usually located in shopping malls). I went ahead and took a quick peak of the end of episode 11 to see if Minmay's first musical performance was altered at all (it's not! ). She sure does sound great in 5.1!

It wasn't in where I am either, and I checked Best Buy as well. This is strange because every site I've checked (Suncoast, Amazon, Best Buy) all have the 14th listed still. Very odd.

Well... Actually, I also just saw Macross Plus for the first time and absolutely loved it despite being 10 years late for that as well. And, yes, my expectations were extremely high for it since I already had some familiarity with the original series. In fact, they were MUCH higher than the expectations I had for NGE. I'm sorry, but I just don't take much stock in your contemporary viewing theory. The simple fact is that I watched something based on its substantive merits and didn't find it to be the masterpiece that others have claimed it to be. That's just my opinion, and at the present time it hasn't changed. I find it kind of humorous that you think you have the whole reason pegged, like there's some formula for this, i.e., "the animation is older" or "you weren't around when it came out" or "you had too many preconceived notions prior to seeing it". No, no, and no. I was just extremely disappointed by it, and then shocked later on to find out that some people really praise it to the degree that they do.

I'm thinking that they're going to have the 6 episodes on release 1, and then after that they will have 6 more releases each with 5 episodes. 6 x 5 = 30 plus the 1st release with 6 = 36. I wouldn't put it past ADV. Why sell 6 when you can sell 7 at the same per unit price?

Well, I will admit that I probably did have my standards set too high, but primarily because the only anime I had ever really gotten into was Macross. This may sound naive, but for awhile I just assumed that alot of anime was of that caliber (see my original post). I know better now. With NGE, I was VERY impressed with the first 5-6 episodes, and so that sort of set me up for disappointment as well because I really had my hopes up by then. And by the time I got to those last few episodes... uh... I just don't see how anyone can take anything positive from them. It seems like they were either rushed or they were just trying too hard. But, honestly, as a whole I don't think it's a terrible series, and I'm still hopeful that the movie might change my opinion somewhat. Overall, I've been able to stick with it longer than most anime. It's just that, at this point, I still view the thing as extremely overrated.

Um... I'm not sure what you mean by the "10 years too late" comment. No offense, but I think it's stipulated on some big assumptions on your part (with an air of condescension as well). Honestly, I had never even heard of this series until about 3 months ago. I saw a trailer for it on an ADV disk, so I asked a few people about it and read a brief review or two, all of which described the series with superlatives. At that point, about all I knew was that it was extremely popular and had a fanatical following. Going into it I didn't know a single character's name, and had only the most rudimentary knowledge of the plot (humans use mecha to fight off beings called angels - really that's all I knew). I didn't come in contact with any spoilers (wouldn't that require some research?), until AFTER I had viewed the entire series. It's not like this is Star Wars, Star Trek, or something else that's been at the forefront of the American popular culture and the population's collective conscience for years. Someone who isn't part of the anime fan community probably has never even heard of it. As for the "dated" art and animation - which I actually enjoyed - I'm an old Macross/Robotech fan, so it doesn't take much to impress me. I didn't think of these things as detractors at all. No, when it all boils down to it, I just didn't find the story all that compelling, and felt that the series severely lost its way over the second half. At times I felt like I was being teased, like the show had flashes of brilliance, but in the end I was just disappointed. So the only "high promises" I had were born from watching the first few episodes (which I really enjoyed), not from any a priori knowledge I had of the series. That doesn't make me "dead wrong" anymore than someone who states that they find prime New York strip steak to be vastly overrated. It's just a matter of taste.

I just finished watching the Evangelion series, and I am extremely disappointed. I haven't seen the movie yet, so maybe my perception will change, but as of now I regard this series as an overblown, overrated mess. The way the series concluded is reminiscent of how the Matrix movies just imploded at the end; so much promise with so little to show for it. I just can't fathom how some consider Evangelion the greatest anime of all time. To be honest with you, as soon as I finished the series, I simply shook my head and popped in my new copy of Flashback: 2012. I think I'm now convinced that Macross is just a freak anomaly that will never be duplicated in the anime world.

I'm just curious how many people on here are into some form of anime other than the Macross universe. Personally, I've not given other popular series much attention. There are a few that I've tried to watch, but I just don't find them that interesting. It seems that no other series combines drama, sci-fi, action, intrigue, and romance as well as the Macross series does (oh... and let's not forget pop music). I've tried Armitage, Ghost in the Shell, Samurai Champloo, and several others, but I've had a tough time getting into them. I'd say the only series other than the original Macross that have held my attention are Neon Genesis (though I find it vastly inferior), and other series within the Macross universe. I've heard that Escaflowne is great (another Kawamori product, of course), but I haven't seen any of it yet. Is my experience atypical, or is Macross such a standout series that most everything else will inevitably disappoint me? Robotech/Macross was my first real experience with anime, but I've felt like it's been all downhill afterwards.

Thanks!

Is it worth buying, even if it is in Japanese only? Does anyone have it and can they tell me more about it?

Coming from RT, I hated it at first (thought it sounded way too dated), but now it's really grown on me. In fact, I just received the complete Macross soundtrack in the mail and have added some tracks to my ipod. The tracks from DYRL are particularly outstanding. I have to confess, Mari's tunes become quite infectious after awhile, and this is coming from someone who utterly detests most forms of commercial teeny-bopper pop music (I grew up listening to old-school indie stuff like Pixies, Joy Division, The Smiths, etc.).

Frankly, I don't know what all of the fuss is about the new Macross ADV version. No offense to anyone, but I wonder if people here are overly harsh with it just because they already feel financially "vested" with the Animeigo set (it certainly wasn't cheap), which makes it hard to go with something newer, even if it might actually be better. To be honest with you, if someone without either had to choose between ADV and Animeigo, I would point them to ADV unless they absolutely love subtitles. I'd like to clear up what I consider to be some minor misconceptions about the ADV version: First off, I don't think the dub is all that bad, and compared to Robotech, it's great. It's wonderful to be able to immerse yourself in the imagery without having to focus on the subtitles. Like the Animeigo set, the remastered visuals are simply gorgeous (at least I think so), and I hate to miss any of them. Secondly, I've heard some false claims recently (not necessarily here) about the 5.1 sound. Contrary to what some have said, these are NOT the same sounds that were used for RT remastered. The ADV version actually uses most of the original sounds (unlike RT remastered), and just compliments them here and there with some bass and effects. I think it ends up being an effective tradeoff. Being the geek that I am, I have directly compared RT:R and ADV Macross episodes and they are simply not the same. ADV has enough enhancements to sound great on a modern 5.1 system, but also enough of the original sounds to excite an old fan. If you have a decent 5.1 system, they you'd have to view this as at least somewhat positive. Which brings me to my next point. The music in the ADV version is spectacular. It is so clean and robust, and it jumps right out of the speakers. It is clearly more powerful in 5.1 than in 2.0, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't experienced it this way. If you're a fan of the original soundtrack then this is just an undeniable bonus. It just makes it so epic. The extras are also mildly entertaining, albeit they're not earth shattering. It's interesting to hear the interviews and see the notes. Finally, I have to add a more subtle issue. This series holds a particular place in my heart, and I love to share it. My wife has never been fond of subtitled anime (it's like pulling teeth getting her to watch any with me), but now she is watching Macross episodes with me... and really getting into them! I was also able to watch some with my little brother who is a fan of TV dubbed anime (Gundam, Neon Genesis, etc.). He loved it as well. Personally, I love the original, unadulterated, subtitled versions of Macross. In fact, if someone absolutely prefers subtitles, then maybe the ADV version just isn't for them. But it's a wonderful tradeoff to have a product like this that I can finally see with others who wouldn't have been drawn in otherwise.

So, this Fx "Perfect Collection" that I keep seeing everywhere is a bootleg? Is it not worth buying?

I have SDF Macross, DYRL, and Macross Plus, and now I'd like to give Macross Zero a shot. I've been reading that alot of Macross fans have mixed feelings about this series, and for the most part it seems to not be as well regarded as the others. Also, I'm not sure what version to get. I've seen a "Perfect Collection" listed on some anime vendor websites, but is this version legit? I know my "Perfect Edition" of DYRL isn't all that great. If I can manage it, I'd like to get a nice copy of it and not some poorly transferred bootleg with bad sound.

Does anyone actually have a list of the episodes that have the substandard animation? From what I understand, the animation was farmed out from time to time to a third party that did less than impressive work. From what I can remember, episodes 3 and 7 weren't that great. Can anyone round out the rest of the list?