About the Macross Chronicles

[yui1107]

VF-1A Max type (TV ver.) 1/48 Yamato toy.

Head components is new build!

Macross Chronicles special model/ toy pages

Edited July 26, 2008 by yui1107

[sketchley]

Oh comeon man, turn that frown upside down. Japan is like anywhere else - you get out of it what you put in!

That way its all proportional - and after 7 years, Im still not disappointed!

Then again, maybe its just because you are down in Osaka, ie tourist central :-p

BTW - if the guys from last night are reading this - was good seeing you. Its a shame there were no more Macross shot glasses left, but sipping Alto cocktails while listening to Sakamoto Maaya was definately a good way to spend a Friday night :-)

A little uninformed and biased? Everyone knows that the tourist cities are Kyoto and Tokyo. Also, when I first came to Japan, back in 1999, I was going to a university in Kanto.

Also, I wasn't talking about getting what you give. I was talking about expectations.

Apples and oranges, my Tokyoite friend. Nevertheless, come down to Kansai and have some real food.

@Zinjo: these aren't magazine inserts. Also, everything BUT the cover has holes for the binder.

@Wes: No idea how many years. It may go on for a long time. So far, the best estimate would be to pool all of the Macross mecha and characters, and divide by the following rate from the first two issues:

Issue one mecha: the VF-1J (no attachments) and the Sound Booster for the VF-19 Kai. Characters : Linn Minmei and Mushu (whutever. Cross-dressing barber from Macross II.)

Issue two mecha: SDF-1 Macross, VF-1J (?! maybe the armoured version?), SNN Valkyrie. Characters: Mirena Furea Jiinasu, Soldier(s) of the Anti-UN Alliance.

[vanpang]

Hey guys, anyone know how much the binder is going for ? I have not gotten mine but the local Kino mentions that it is around USD30 ? Can't be right for an empty binder !

Edited July 26, 2008 by vanpang

[Strumvogel]

I'm relying heavily on my local Japanese bookstore for the Chronicles. Can't make subscription orders for it since they have a strange policy of not taking them. I'm reduced to calling them on every shipment day to reserve a copy if they do bring it in. Annoying to say the least. As a result I'm not even sure if they will be bringing in the binders.

Oh to be back in Japan and Ikebukuro in particular right now....

[GGemini]

The TV ad...

macross_tv_cm.mov

[yellowlightman]

Hey guys, anyone know how much the binder is going for ? I have not gotten mine but the local Kino mentions that it is around USD30 ? Can't be right for an empty binder !

If it's any consolation, it's a very nice binder.

And as has been mentioned a few times already, it's going for around 1700yen.

[Tochiro]

A little uninformed and biased? Everyone knows that the tourist cities are Kyoto and Tokyo. Also, when I first came to Japan, back in 1999, I was going to a university in Kanto.

Also, I wasn't talking about getting what you give. I was talking about expectations.

Apples and oranges, my Tokyoite friend. Nevertheless, come down to Kansai and have some real food.

@Zinjo: these aren't magazine inserts. Also, everything BUT the cover has holes for the binder.

@Wes: No idea how many years. It may go on for a long time. So far, the best estimate would be to pool all of the Macross mecha and characters, and divide by the following rate from the first two issues:

Issue one mecha: the VF-1J (no attachments) and the Sound Booster for the VF-19 Kai. Characters : Linn Minmei and Mushu (whutever. Cross-dressing barber from Macross II.)

Issue two mecha: SDF-1 Macross, VF-1J (?! maybe the armoured version?), SNN Valkyrie. Characters: Mirena Furea Jiinasu, Soldier(s) of the Anti-UN Alliance.

Actually no, not at all. I quite enjoyed my first visit to Osaka, back in 1993. And having lived all over the country, including Hokkaido, I must say that Tokyo is the only place to be if you are into anime and/or gaming. Or if, like me, you are involved in the industry to some extent.

Your comment about being disappointed struck me as typical of a lot of the frustration and burnout Ive seen from foreigners in Japan (I used to be a counsellor) and personally, Im sick of all the negativity. Why SHOULDNT people have expectations? Being disappointed is part of the risk and without risk theres no real reward.

I have no beef with you personally and realise that you were only referring to a magazine release, but your comments struck me as typical of the types of attitudes that irk me when it comes to non-Japanese living in this country.

Besides which, it was unclear for the longest time whether or not the Macros Chronicles would even get off the ground. There were rumours last year, infighting with publishing giant Deagnosti, long periods where there were no updates to the "coming soon" homepage. Just by being released, especially when the original Macross had a very limited cultural impact here (especially when compared to the other two series that warranted their own magazines - Gundam and Eva) was a major win for fans. Just by being published, this magazine has more than exceeded most of our expectations imo.

[Mr March]

Yup, it's good to hope. I'm not going to spend time worrying about disappointment. That's life.

I'm a fairly smart spender anyway and I'm confident I know what the Macross Chronicle will be. For the most part, I'm not an impulse shopper

Though as I understand it, Macross had it's moment on top of Japanese pop culture during the 1982-1984 era with SDF Macross and DYRL. It's just not a "popularity exploitation" franchise. I think most of us fans are rather proud of that

[Strumvogel]

Actually no, not at all. I quite enjoyed my first visit to Osaka, back in 1993. And having lived all over the country, including Hokkaido, I must say that Tokyo is the only place to be if you are into anime and/or gaming. Or if, like me, you are involved in the industry to some extent.

Your comment about being disappointed struck me as typical of a lot of the frustration and burnout Ive seen from foreigners in Japan (I used to be a counsellor) and personally, Im sick of all the negativity. Why SHOULDNT people have expectations? Being disappointed is part of the risk and without risk theres no real reward.

I have no beef with you personally and realise that you were only referring to a magazine release, but your comments struck me as typical of the types of attitudes that irk me when it comes to non-Japanese living in this country.

Actually, Osaka has just as large anime scene these days. On my last visit to the city just earlier this year I decided to visit Den Den Town, the Osaka equivalent of Tokyo's Akihabara. You'd probably be surprised at the size of the anime market there, it has just as many stores but more spread out. They also have a seven story Gundam store. However for gaming it's still Tokyo you'd have to be since that's where the new games are field tested.

Btw, with the use of word 'burnout', in what context is it being used in? I mean I've been to Tokyo quite a few times now though I still like it, great transport system, reasonable knowledge of the city which makes finding things easier, I am getting tired of it and was probably why I had a better time in Osaka the last time I was there. However I can't say I'd use the word 'burnout' in relation to my feelings of Tokyo.

Besides which, it was unclear for the longest time whether or not the Macros Chronicles would even get off the ground. There were rumours last year, infighting with publishing giant Deagnosti, long periods where there were no updates to the "coming soon" homepage. Just by being released, especially when the original Macross had a very limited cultural impact here (especially when compared to the other two series that warranted their own magazines - Gundam and Eva) was a major win for fans. Just by being published, this magazine has more than exceeded most of our expectations imo.

That is probably why when I was at the TAF, there was a booth event at Satelight that Kawamori was present and his time there was literally spent marketing Chronicles. It makes sense now.

[sketchley]

Your comment about being disappointed struck me as typical of a lot of the frustration and burnout Ive seen from foreigners in Japan (I used to be a counsellor) and personally, Im sick of all the negativity. Why SHOULDNT people have expectations? Being disappointed is part of the risk and without risk theres no real reward.

I have no beef with you personally and realise that you were only referring to a magazine release, but your comments struck me as typical of the types of attitudes that irk me when it comes to non-Japanese living in this country.

Ah. Ok, now I see where you're coming from. I agree, I dislike those attitudes as well, and am sickened by the behaviour of some of the FOB foreigners (generally from English speaking countries) who cope with it by becoming drunk womanizers before they return to their home country in a year.

Nevertheless, it stems from culture shock, which everyone, from anywhere experiences to a greater or lesser extent when they move to and live in a foreign country (moving to live, as opposed to people traveling or on vacation.)

I agree with expectations with some risk. Nevertheless, the intent of my posts on coming to Japan was more to temper unrealistic expectations more than anything else. I'm all for realistic expectations.

Regarding Macross chronicle and expectations of statistical data (which started this whole tangent): the designers of Macross have given only the barest minimum of statistical data on their mechanical creations to date. The first issue of Macross Chronical reinforces this. I hope that I am wrong, but I strongly recommend readers of this to not expect more hard statistical data than we have had from other print sources on Macross to date.

[sketchley]

Though as I understand it, Macross had it's moment on top of Japanese pop culture during the 1982-1984 era with SDF Macross and DYRL. It's just not a "popularity exploitation" franchise. I think most of us fans are rather proud of that

No. As he said, little to no cultural impact.

Of all the people that I have met, very, very, very, very, very few have heard the name Macross, let alone know anything about it. Of those, there are two types: parents, who may have watched the original series, and tend to talk more about the music and Iijima Mari. Or those who only know about Macross from Macross F.

Everyone has heard of Gundam, weither they've actually scene it, know details about it, or not. EVA is probably halfway between the two. Though, about a month ago, I had a junior high school student suddenly start singing the theme song in one of my classes! Which had me scratching my head, as she hasn't seen the new movie(s), and was something like 2 or 3 years old when the series was first released!

For all our love of Macross, it is still quite niche. Hopefully the continuing broadcast of Macross F as well as the constant presence of Macross Chronicle in the magazine stands will raise awareness and rekindle forgotten love of it.

All of that said, I do hear, or think I hear "fire bomber" or "let's fire" or "fire!" (screamed like Bassara) on occasion. I'm not sure if they are a genuine culture footprint of Macross 7, or simply borrowed cool sounding English words spouted at random.

[vanpang]

If it's any consolation, it's a very nice binder.

And as has been mentioned a few times already, it's going for around 1700yen.

Hi thanks, sorry must have missed it but Yen1700 is only about USD15.

They must have included the shipping charges.

[Mr March]

No. As he said, little to no cultural impact.

I repeat, the 1982-84 era, not 25+ years after the fact. And we all know Macross was not Gundam.

[Gubaba]

Okay! I just picked mine up this evening (the binder is coming later), and...well, I'm not sure where to start on the translation. The magazine is small, but there's A LOT of text, and I think that most of it is stuff we already know. The Timeline and World Guide Sheets seem most interesting to me, followed by the Character and History Sheets.

Any suggestions? And anyone want to pitch in and help?

[Sulendil Ang]

Okay! I just picked mine up this evening (the binder is coming later), and...well, I'm not sure where to start on the translation. The magazine is small, but there's A LOT of text, and I think that most of it is stuff we already know. The Timeline and World Guide Sheets seem most interesting to me, followed by the Character and History Sheets.

Any suggestions? And anyone want to pitch in and help?

As I have stated earlier in this thread, I can lead a help if you guys have problems translating those Kanji, as I'm very familiar with them.

[sketchley]

I repeat, the 1982-84 era, not 25+ years after the fact. And we all know Macross was not Gundam.

ok. It didn't have much impact then, either.

Macross Chronicles + Binder are available at the local Animate. They are also including a freebie: a (persumably in-house made) plastic Macross folder.

[Strumvogel]

ok. It didn't have much impact then, either.

Macross Chronicles + Binder are available at the local Animate. They are also including a freebie: a (persumably in-house made) plastic Macross folder.

I always thought that the original Macross had a huge impact, though largely contained within the anime community("Otaku no Video" hinted at this quite clearly). I also always thought that only reason it doesn't have an as large imprint on the community is that it didn't keep the attention of the public like Gundam did with a new series every 2-3 years.

I actually do know a couple of Japanese people who's first exposure to Macross was Macross 7. They were confessed fans of it at the time but still never watched the original series. I think one of them didn't even realise the original series actually exsisted.

Anyone got a pic of the Animate freebie? I wonder if Gamers and Toranoana have their own freebies as well.

[VF-25 Messiah]

Okay! I just picked mine up this evening (the binder is coming later), and...well, I'm not sure where to start on the translation. The magazine is small, but there's A LOT of text, and I think that most of it is stuff we already know. The Timeline and World Guide Sheets seem most interesting to me, followed by the Character and History Sheets.

Any suggestions? And anyone want to pitch in and help?

Get me a readable scan of the different macross vessels page and I'll be all over it.

[Nexx Stalker]

Are there any *cogh*scans*cough* available somewhere?

[Mr March]

I always thought that the original Macross had a huge impact, though largely contained within the anime community("Otaku no Video" hinted at this quite clearly). I also always thought that only reason it doesn't have an as large imprint on the community is that it didn't keep the attention of the public like Gundam did with a new series every 2-3 years.

I actually do know a couple of Japanese people who's first exposure to Macross was Macross 7. They were confessed fans of it at the time but still never watched the original series. I think one of them didn't even realise the original series actually exsisted.

As far as I've been able to piece together, that appears accurate. SDF Macross was very popular and I understand DYRL was very successful at the box office. From what little I've found in english it appears Macross never took off after the 1982-1984 era partly because it was not followed up, partly because Kawamori refused sequels and partly because Macross was never taken seriously by the owners nor expected to become the success it did. Macross has always been a success story but little more and is probably likened more to something like Serial Experiments Lain or Berserk rather than Gundam.

From what I can tell of the franchise itself, Macross is aimed more at hardcore anime audiences than mainstream. Despite it's explosive popularity for those brief few years, Macross is not a top tier staple of popular culture in Japan. Again, this is not to say Macross isn't popular, just placing it within proper context. Macross has apparently maintained a degree of enduring interest outside of the hardcore anime market and successive installments like Macross Plus and Macross 7 have found great popularity and success. There was a 2005 poll called “Nihon Zenkoku Tetei Chousa Suki na Anime Ranking 100″ sponsored by the TV Asahi television network, where Macross ranked 80th out of Japan's top 100 most popular anime titles. Animage, one of the oldest anime magazines in Japan, ranked SDF Macross 31st in a "top 100 most important anime of the 20th century" list published in 2001. This all seems to suggest Macross is low on the mainstream radar for entertainment, but proof of the Macross series' resilience and enduring popularity.

There is a tendency, especially by North American fans, to consider Macross a franchise of sequels. Although technically correct, I don't think Macross in Japan is perceived as such a franchise. The Macross sequels are produced so many years apart from each other that a new Macross anime is more akin to a recurring revival of similarly themed anime. I suspect Macross sequels in Japan are thought of more as remakes.

Having said all that, it's difficult to examine Macross much more than that. I've tried to accumulate as much information as possible over the years, but it's clear most fans and websites have no reliable information on the subject. Plus, as I recently mentioned in another thread, there's a sad tendency to gauge Macross in direct comparison to Gundam, when it's clear the two shows don't try to achieve the same aims nor necessarily the same market nor comparable potential financial returns.

[Beltane70]

$30 US sounds pretty normal for a 1700yen item.

[Nexx Stalker]

As far as I've been able to piece together, that appears accurate. SDF Macross was very popular and I understand DYRL was very successful at the box office. From what little I've found in english it appears Macross never took off after the 1982-1984 era partly because it was not followed up, partly because Kawamori refused sequels and partly because Macross was never taken seriously by the owners nor expected to become the success it did. Macross has always been a success story but little more and is probably likened more to something like Serial Experiments Lain or Berserk rather than Gundam.

From what I can tell of the franchise itself, Macross is aimed more at hardcore anime audiences than mainstream. Despite it's explosive popularity for those brief few years, Macross is not a top tier staple of popular culture in Japan. Again, this is not to say Macross isn't popular, just placing it within proper context. Macross has apparently maintained a degree of enduring interest outside of the hardcore anime market and successive installments like Macross Plus and Macross 7 have found great popularity and success. There was a 2005 poll called “Nihon Zenkoku Tetei Chousa Suki na Anime Ranking 100″ sponsored by the TV Asahi television network, where Macross ranked 80th out of Japan's top 100 most popular anime titles. Animage, one of the oldest anime magazines in Japan, ranked SDF Macross 31st in a "top 100 most important anime of the 20th century" list published in 2001. This all seems to suggest Macross is low on the mainstream radar for entertainment, but proof of the Macross series' resilience and enduring popularity.

There is a tendency, especially by North American fans, to consider Macross a franchise of sequels. Although technically correct, I don't think Macross in Japan is perceived as such a franchise. The Macross sequels are produced so many years apart from each other that a new Macross anime is more akin to a recurring revival of similarly themed anime. I suspect Macross sequels in Japan are thought of more as remakes.

Having said all that, it's difficult to examine Macross much more than that. I've tried to accumulate as much information as possible over the years, but it's clear most fans and websites have no reliable information on the subject. Plus, as I recently mentioned in another thread, there's a sad tendency to gauge Macross in direct comparison to Gundam, when it's clear the two shows don't try to achieve the same aims nor necessarily the same market nor comparable potential financial returns.

Ironically, Macross was a Huge success outside of Japan, in its Robotech incarnation, and it really became a staple of pop culture in the 80s.

I hear Macross 7 (primarily Fire Bomber's music) was a huge success in Japan.

[lynn2009]

Okay! I just picked mine up this evening (the binder is coming later), and...well, I'm not sure where to start on the translation. The magazine is small, but there's A LOT of text, and I think that most of it is stuff we already know. The Timeline and World Guide Sheets seem most interesting to me, followed by the Character and History Sheets.

Any suggestions? And anyone want to pitch in and help?

I'm willing to help, mostly for the mindless ones like the goods and characters type things. My copies of the magazines probably won't be for at least a month, and then I'll only go once a month or so for a pick-up... Scans could help, but the kanji will need to be on the larger side to read.

[Morpheus]

Well, I'll also tried translating several page there, the one with world background and technology is quite interesting. BTW, I just got the binder, the SDF-1sketch inside it is just awesome not to mention the UN kite in the backside are shown with top view of VF-25 and VF-1 for each half.

Whats interesting is that in the timeline　sheet, Macross II isn't mentioned at all so I wonder on how far they will include Macross II in it, probably just the Mechanics and Characters?

[Mr March]

Macross II is supposed to be excluded from the time line, isn't it?

I thought that was the whole point of placing it in a parallel world; because it's not part of the Studio Nue chronology.

[sketchley]

Having said all that, it's difficult to examine Macross much more than that. I've tried to accumulate as much information as possible over the years, but it's clear most fans and websites have no reliable information on the subject. (...)

<sigh>

(... ) This all seems to suggest Macross is low on the mainstream radar for entertainment, but proof of the Macross series' resilience and enduring popularity.

(...) I suspect Macross sequels in Japan are thought of more as remakes.

I believe that this post sums things up nicely:

I always thought that the original Macross had a huge impact, though largely contained within the anime community("Otaku no Video" hinted at this quite clearly). I also always thought that only reason it doesn't have an as large imprint on the community is that it didn't keep the attention of the public like Gundam did with a new series every 2-3 years.

I actually do know a couple of Japanese people who's first exposure to Macross was Macross 7. They were confessed fans of it at the time but still never watched the original series. I think one of them didn't even realise the original series actually exsisted.

Edited July 28, 2008 by sketchley

[vanpang]

$30 US sounds pretty normal for a 1700yen item.

yes if you include shipping charges and other custom charges

[sketchley]

Well, I'll also tried translating several page there, the one with world background and technology is quite interesting. BTW, I just got the binder, the SDF-1sketch inside it is just awesome not to mention the UN kite in the backside are shown with top view of VF-25 and VF-1 for each half.

Whats interesting is that in the timeline　sheet, Macross II isn't mentioned at all so I wonder on how far they will include Macross II in it, probably just the Mechanics and Characters?

Oh yeah... that reminded me: the plastic folder from animate has on the upper corner, the same VF-25/VF-1 in the Spacy kite. I can't say about the rest of it, as it was stuffed in a shrinkwrapped magazine, and I didn't want to rip it out...

[Mr March]

<sigh>

Don't worry, I have faith in you

[Save]

Cover for issue 3.

[sketchley]

Ooooo! VF-5000 w/ FAST packs!

Where'd you spot this?

[azrael]

Ooooo! VF-5000 w/ FAST packs!

Isn't that just the Zolan VF-5000?

[Mr March]

Yep, that's the Zola forces VF-5000G. Looks like a really nice picture too. Here's the version from my website:

[sketchley]

I know it's not new. I'm just happy that the VF-5000 is featured so early. Hopefully they'll have the UN Spacy FAST packs as well, sooner or later.

[miriya]

I dont know if this link was put up yet or not but I just ran into it online...

http://superrobotwar.wordpress.com/2008/07...s-chronicle-01/