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SUMMARY

It has been 40 years since the SDF-1 Macross crashed landed on Earth. Along with great scientific knowledge, the ship also brought the intergalactic war of the Zentran against the Meltran to the small planet. Caught in the cross fire, the planet was nearly wiped out. However, due to the strength of the Macross, and the power of Lynn Minmay's song, the war ended. Now, the Zentran and Meltran have been absorbed in to Earth's culture.

Isamu Alva Dyson is a hotshot pilot with the UN Spacy.  Due to his reckless nature, he has been reassigned as a test pilot at New Edwards on his home planet of Eden.  Chief Gow Guld Bowman, a rival test pilot, is also assigned at New Edwards.  In front of the design team, he tells them that Isamu is a "jinx" and "a pilot with no self control".  It seems that the two of them have some history, and that it centers around a girl named Myung.

To add fuel to the fire, Myung is also on Eden, as part of the Sharon Apple Galaxy Tour.  In the tradition of Lynn Minmay, Sharon is the universe's newest idol.  The fact that she is a virtual idol doesn't hurt her popularity.  Her AI is so advance, that even Marje, her creator is in love with her.

Unknown to her, Marj has already implanted an illegal AI chip into Sharon, making her truly complete.  At the same time, the military tests the same chip in their new Ghost fighter.  Due to the apparent success of this new chip, the Macross Government has decided to use the Ghost Fighter, and cancels the project Isamu and Guld are working on.  Myung is recalled to Earth with Sharon Apple, and the two men are going to be reassigned.

The stage is now set for a winner take all battle between Isamu and Guld.  A battle that could get one of them dead.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The video is the best of the three "Macross Plus" discs.  There are no wrinkles, pixels, color bleeds.  This is a pristine transfer.

AUDIO: The Japanese 5.1 is very well done, especially during the battles and Sharon Apple songs.  The surround sound hits you from all sides.  Yoko Kano's score comes through very clear, and all is mixed well.

The Japanese 2.0 is a little quieter, but still well done.  Not as full as the 5.1, but decent.  Most of it is center speaker based.

EDITS: As this is a retelling of the 4 episode "Macross Plus" OVA, some scenes have been deleted, while others have been redone, or extended.  No actual edits to the move have been made.

EXTRAS: Well, at least the KISS commercial is gone.  The "extras" consist of the English closing credits for the OVA's, very skimpy character bios, moderate picture gallery, and the "next episode" trailers from the OVA's.  You also have the standard batch of Manga previews.  Really, as far as the extras go, I was very disappointed.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Another great story by "Cowboy Bebop" scribe Keiko Nobumoto.  The characters are full of depth and emotion, with their personal demons affecting everyone they come in contact with.  Her take on the classic love triangle is well done, though she skates the thin line between "Macross drama" and "soap opera".

ACTING: The Japanese cast does a fantastic job.  Takumi Yamazaki is truly the Tom Cruse of Japan.  He can quickly change from aloof to passionate in a matter of seconds, all the while maintaining his cock sure attitude.  Unsho Ishizuka (Jet from Cowboy Bebop) is perfect as Guld, the guy everyone loves to hate.  He does a great job at portraying Guld for who he truly is, a man who suppresses his seething rage under a overly cool demeanor.

FAN SERVICE: Well, we do have blond hottie Lucy bare ass naked, with a nice rack for the fans.  We also have Sharon Apple nude, but she has no features.  There are tons of references to "Macross: Do you Remember Love", Macross II, and even Macross 7.

CONCLUSION 

Ever wondered what the staff of Cowboy Bebop was doing before their seminal work?  Look no further.  Macross Plus is packed with just about everyone who was involved in "Bebop".  The directors, writers, and even the queen of anime soundtracks, Yoko Kanno is here.  When you put this team together, everything turns out gold.

Macross Plus is perhaps one of maybe 10 or 15 anime that can bring in total non fans into the world of anime.  It has a little something for everybody.  Cool planes, and wicked combat sequences for the "Top Gun" fans.  A love triangle for soap opera watchers, and some of the best orchestral music ever, anime or live action.

This movie is not a sequel. Rather it is a retelling of the OVA series with some changes done for dramatic effect. To enhance the changes, there are several new scenes with new animation. Since the original series had such high quality, the news scenes blend in perfectly.  Like any condensed film, some scenes were removed.  The most noticeable missing segments are the UN Spacy VS Zentradi battle in episode one, and the Isamu/Guld brawl in episode 2.  On a positive note, you finally understand exactly how Isamu defeats Sharon, and you even have an epilogue, finding out if Isamu and Myung finally come together.

Another thing that Keiko Nobumoto and Shoji Kawamori improved on is Guld's finial fight with the Ghost Fighter. The writing combined with the animation makes the battle even more suspenseful and the outcome even more heart wrenching. 

Unfortunately, most of the action is confined to the later portion of the movie.  With the cuts, the first part of the movie is pretty slow.  What keeps you watching is the history between Guld and Isamu and how an event 7 years ago broke up this strong friendship.  Keiko Nobumoto does a fantastic job at incorporating what we have come to expect from Macross with her own views on the human heart.  It isn't until the race to Earth that things pick up.

The mecha designs are awesome, and they still continue to influence the next wave of animators.  For those of you who have been lucky enough to see some of the planes from "Yukikaze", you will understand what I mean.  The animation is fantastic, and of highest quality.

Any chance I get to rave about Yoko Kanno, I take it.  The first anime soundtracks I ever bought, both in Japan and the US were from Macross Plus.  Unlike her hip and trendy jazz fusion in Bebop, Ms Kanno has given us a majestic score, with a definite Russian and Militaristic feel.  She also shows her amazing abilities with the very interesting, avant guard music of Sharon Apple.  The usual suspects are there, with the vocal talents of Mai Yamani and Gabriella Robin helping to bring the cyber goddess to life. We also are treated to a new song, and an extended animated sequence of "Information High", arguably the best song of Macross Plus.

That is not to say that Macross doesn't have it's faults.  Frankly, I don't see why Myung is such the sought after love thang that she is.  She is whinny, seems like she is suffering from permanent PMS, and compared to Juicy Lucy, not that attractive.  Yet there is Isamu and Guld, chasing after her dumb ass.  Okay, at times, she looks like an older Minmay, but is that a reason to nearly kill someone?  Also, the big question about what Guld did to Isamu and Myung 7 years ago is even more clouded than in the original OVA!  While we do clear up the reason why Guld and Isamu hate each other, some of their reactions are a little off.  I mean, if your best friend did what he did, would you be able to forgive him? If you were the other person, is having sex with him a good idea?

There is one thing I am unhappy about.  The subtitles are burned into the image.  So, you don't have the option to watch the movie with out them.

Macross Plus the movie is a worthy conclusion to this fine series.  Truly, Macross Plus is a modern classic.  Like "Cowboy Bebop" not owning this series would be just plain wrong.  Go out, and make sure you get it.  You will not be disappointed.

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