Bri

If there is one thing I that is wrong with Macross Frontier is that it is too short. I think the series would have been better if it had 50 episodes instead of 26. The side characters had a lot of potential but never got the time to develop. The main triangle used up most of the avaiable time and even that felt rushed at times. Anime has changed a lot since the 80s when SDFM was created. Evangelion changed anime, not only story wise but also its format. Night time anime is the norm now. Internet forums give instant fan feedback. Frontier is a product of it's time, it aims to please a mature hardcore anime audience without going in to Japanese culture or demographics. Fanservice, cliches, self mockery and insider jokes are more common as writers know their target audience will get the intent and references. If you write for audults you no longer need to behave grown up, you can just indulge in those old childhood fantasies and joke around with them. Still, it is possible to get a SDFM quality series out. If there has been any series that managed to recapture the feelings I had when watching SDF Macross it would be Eureka 7. In many ways it is the true spritual succesor to SDFM.

Sorry to hear it's cutting in your toys. Not meant to insult, just made a comparison to show how bad it can be. During last summer prices were up here as well and it cut in my wallet too. And as soon as the economy picks up, demand for oil will go up as well, cheap fuel wont be around forever.

I had nearly given up after the clones episode but they managed to turn it around. This was quite a good episode. One more vote here to give Billy a lead injection. Shame Louise and Saji have become such whiny characters. I enjoyed their "normal person view" in season 1 but no they had to be dragged in to the action. Hopefully a good wrap up in the next episode. Is that the last one or is it 26 total for s2?

Try classic media player that usually works best for .mkv otherwise make sure you use the latest cccp package for VLC

Most of the time watching a series in bulk helps me to apreciate it more. I was more positive then most about series like Gundam Seed Destiny, Xam'd and Macross 7. These all had some pacing issues or were somewhat repatative. Being able to skip the credits or the recpa episode helps a lot instead of having to wait another week. An exception was BSG season 3, it was very similar and dark so I got a bit saturated at some point and didn't apreciate it as much as if I would have seen it weekly by episode like season 4.

Hmm, a Roboteh movie as a Macross parody , Edward Peninhands..a travesty . I know! The new Robotrech movie will be a Burlesque cabaret with Toby Maguire as a genderbend Minmay!

Very true, but Warners size can also be a severe disadvantage here. If Warner releases a movie with Macross elements in it, they run the risk to get sued for copyright infringement in Japan. HG can have all the licenses in the world they do not have the IP. The Tokyo court was clear in awarding those IP to BW/Nue. The real question in this case will be what would be a copyright infringment? I am not a lawyer so can't answer that. Suppose the Robotech movie roughly follows the Macross story but would use transformable F14s called Veritechs. They fight the T'sen-Tradi, the slave army of the Robotech masters. Would that qualify?

I wish I could get gas at those prices. I'm paying 6.92 USD per gallon...

The final episode was just a bit so so. Predictable ending. Good to see what happened to the characters though, I'll hand them that. Adama and Roslin did some fine acting together. The thing that saved the episode for me was the conversation between the two angels.

I guess this why the site is called Macross World. No one needs to like all the series to join in on the discussion. Would get boring if everyone liked every part of the franchise.

Yes, there is very little fact to base anything on. Pretty much all information is either from observations or from employee/anime con panel remarks etc. So there is always doubt. I try to be careful in distinguishing between fact and interpretation by using "I think, could have or assume". The HG claim of no one minded the store does not neccesarily mean that they were financially unsound or in financial trouble. It's a private firm there could have been an internal conflict. Tommy Yune has stated that the current HG management is not the same as the one back then. (no idea how long "back then" is.) Also HG did not have the Macross trademark on animation products in the early 90s so I doubt they could have stopped Macross Plus and Macross II releases then even if they had wanted to. Note that HG contacted those importers about Macross Plus and Macross II merchandise, not DVDs. The intellectual property of Macross by Big West/Nue is not in doubt. A market is more then just the animation. HG blocked M+ and MII merchandise imports and asked importers to stop and hand over their products, that contradicts the statement that they want to make money of the license themselves. How much Macross merchandise have we seen from HG around 2000? I think there is a valid case for market protection, but feel free to disagree. Our opinions on why HG grabbed the trademark aren't as important as the fact that they did. Would Frontier and Zero hurt Robotech as a franchise? Interesting question, I don't know. Current day anime fans are less tolerant of "westernised anime" then those in the nineties but Robotech has a more mainstream audience. Would be interesting to see how Robotech fans would react if Frontier was broadcasted on say "Cartoon network". HGs statement of not blocking Frontier means very little if they expect Big West to pay HG license fees for their own product which I feel HG knows BW/Nue wont do. I would assume that if HG really wanted a deal they would hand over the trademark over to Big West in exchange for a licensing agreement from BW/Nue.

hmm, protecting the UK from an invasion by Elves with Morris dancers by an Isreali Defence firm in a Bollywood production Now there is a plot for a cult movie.

Well, trademarks have to be renewed every 10 years by turning in a form and pay a fee of 100USD per registered class. I know very little of the US legal system but it doesn't mean it's safe for any other party to start using the trademark straight after, there are bound to be some ways for anyone who forgot to re-register to reclaim it. The UK trademark is due to expire end of July this year, will be interesting to see if it gets renewed.

I'm not sure. HG was not very active in the early 90s due to some kind of problems. In 1999 HG seems alive again and started to agressively contact distributors of Macross related merchandise to stop imports. The whole Bigwest/Nue versus Tatsunoko court case is a result from that. In 2000 Big West tries to secure the Macross trademark. Big Wests attempts fails for whatever reason. HG reacts and secures the trademark shortly after Big Wests failure. I would interpret the combination of banning imports and securing a trademark in this context more like HG trying to protect its market instead of trying to get in on the action of Macross products. Their focus until 2006 is mainly on trying to revitalize Robotech with the comics and shadow chronicles. HG sanctioned Macross merchandise is a pretty recent thing I think. We will only know HGs true intentions in 2012 when the trademark runs out. If they don't renew it they were only in it for licensing money and underestimated the response of Big West/Nue, if they renew then its to stop Macross/Big West.

@ taks Afaik HG was in fanancial trouble at the time and didn't pay much attention to Macross related releases. Note: Oddly only just noticed that Big West registered the US trade mark first. They were abandonned a few months later and then HG took them over. Always thought HG filed them first.

I certainly agree it is al about money. I have heard the argument before ( think some interview with Tommy Yune?) that HG only wants a licensing fee from their Macross trademark as they helped make it popular in the West. However, how realistic is that the Macross/UN spacy trademark will ever generate any cash for HG? Big West hasn't allowed any dealings with HG in 20 years, why expect that to change soon? HG still incurs a fixed cost of a few thousand dollars(excluding legal fees) every 10 years to retain that trade mark. If there isn't a second motive (like protecting their own franchise) then hanging on to the trademark sounds like a poor bussiness strategy to me.

This topic made me dig up my Kiseki VHS tapes again. Now I rememeber again what I disliked: the horrible dub (couldnt get a sub) and the setting of 70 years after Macross. I don't like large time jumps in sequels. But in fairness it's not a bad show. Cool Valks and Mikimoto character designs.

I prefer character mecha over cannon foder so it would be Nora versus Ivanov for me. In terms of colors: The darker the color the more pronounced the silloutte is compared to the details and vice versa. I'm not the biggest fan of the shape of the Sv-51 and the stripes make the Nora a bit more dynamic so I personally like that one best. If you prefer a more realistic, less anime like color scheme or a military feel then go for the Ivanov.

I don't think they are panicking but I would call it a defensive strategy. HG protects the Robotech franchise with those trade marks and with good reason. These trademarks keep out any Macross sequals and merchandise, which are arguably superior to what HG and their partners release. Not to mention that all Robotech derivatives are dead in the water.

Neither Boeing nor Lockheed was particularly impressive in building real fighters. Boeings last fighter to enter service was the P26 Peashooter in 1934 if I'm not mistaken. Lockheed was bit more succesful with the P38 Lightning, P80 Shooting star and the F104 Starfighter. They were off course far more reknoned for their Spy/Stealth planes. The F16 was developed by General Dynamics. McDonnel-Douglas and North American were far more famous builders (both part of Boeing now) Northrop-Grunman is still independant I think?

True, I worded it a bit ambigously. HG has been securing the Macross trade mark per nation, individually. They did it in both the US and Canda sperately, effectivly the trademarks cover most of North America. I'm sure they were pretty afraid for cross border imports from the North.

I doubt it will add much to the story. These movies are like a treat to the fans and to make some extra money of an existing succesfull series. I can remember an interview where Kawamori says that he likes to do an OVA or movie after a TV series. Producing a TV series is apperantly very stressful and the people who have worked on such a project tend to unwind a bit while working on an OAV or movie project after completing the series. Can't find it, but it ws some Q&A session with Kawamori and Kanno before Frontier.

The USAF is the most likely target customer even though Boeing denies it. If this is indeed a retrofit kit then it could be an option with target numbers of F22s falling short of what the USAF needs. Boeing is a major subcontractor for the F22 so has no real interest to see the program ended. Maybe that is why the statement was made that they don't actively aim to market it in the US.

A retelling? Use the designs from Mikimotos Macross the First manga, story boards and dialog from original SDF Macross, animation team from Frontier (and maybe some Sunrise or Bones buddies from Kawamori) and voila. Only annoying thing is that HG has the copyright on the name Macross otherwise it could even be distributed worldwide without Tatsunoko or HG, not to mention all the derivative Yamato or Bandai VFs. Hmm SDF MacBeth? nah

Aren't we saying the same thing? Leave the original alone and make derivatives or change it and do what ever with it as long as the original is remains avaiable to the fans gives the same net result? reading back: I meant mental as in going crazy in a positive way.