On our channel, we frequently pay homage to the 1980s, particularly when it comes to animated cartoon television episodes from that era. People who grew up watching cartoons at the period still think that they were the best cartoons ever made.
Sure, in comparison to what we have today 40 years later, the animation, sound, and other technological components may appear to be lacking. These cartoons, on the other hand, feature fantastic stories, incredible character design, and, most importantly, a lot of heart.
This movie looks at one such famous ’80s television show, Robotech, an anime-based animation that first aired in 1985. It was an American production, although the stories and footage were borrowed from other Japanese anime shows that had already shown. This is one that hardcore fans will remember, and there is also excitement surrounding this series because of a future endeavour. As a result, here’s our perspective on it!
What’s the show all about – exploring some of the finest episodes
Robotech is an 85-episode American adaptation of three unrelated Japanese anime television series set in three separate fictional universes: Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, all of which were produced in Japan between 1982 and 1984. Despite this, Funimation claimed in a statement that the show helped introduce a generation of western consumers to anime and that it is full of fascinating drama, authentic relationships, and forward-thinking concepts.
It was one of the first anime series to air in the United States that aimed to capture as much of the intricacy and drama of its Japanese source material as possible. Harmony Gold USA, Inc. collaborated with Tatsunoko Productions Co. Ltd. on the film. Harmony Gold commissioned American authors to adapt the three Japanese series’ scripts. Producer Carl Macek, a well-known pioneer of the anime industry in the United States, oversaw this complex procedure. This resulted in a three-generation scenario in which humankind must battle three destructive Robotech Wars in a row over a potent energy source known as “Protoculture”:
The scientific discoveries revealed in an alien starship that crashed on a South Pacific Island are known as robotechnology. Earth built gigantic robotic machines, or mecha, with this technology, many of which could morph into vehicles, to fight three subsequent extra-terrestrial invasions, encapsulating the greater plot of Robotech. These three invasions gave rise to three major wars, each of which was shown in each season. Thus, while the continuing theme was the same, each season had a different storyline.
The Macross Saga or The First Robotech War follows humanity’s discovery of a wrecked extra-terrestrial ship and subsequent fight with a race of giant soldiers known as the Zentraedi, who have been sent to collect the ship for unexplained reasons. Earth is nearly decimated in this chapter, the Zentraedi are beaten, and humanity learns about protoculture, a type of energy source. The Robotech Masters, whose cosmic empire the Zentraedi safeguarded and patrolled, are also revealed to humanity. Notably, the viewers are introduced to Rick Hunter, a rookie pilot, as he climbs into the cockpit of a bizarre changing jet aircraft. As the war to save mankind gets underway, he saves a young singer named Lynn Minmei, and we get a lot of interpersonal drama between the characters as they fight the Zentraedi.
The Masters, the title surrounding The Second Robotech War concentrates on the arrival of the Robotech Masters in the Earth’s orbit. They have come in search of what turns out to be the universe’s only means of manufacturing protoculture, a potent energy source that everyone seems to want to get their hands on. Their efforts to retrieve it are met with resistance from the humans, resulting in a war that leaves the Masters vanquished and Earth drenched in the spores of a plant known as the Flower of Life—the source of protoculture. Rejoicing in their victory, what the humans don’t know is that this Flower of Light serves as a beacon to the enigmatic Invid, a race of creatures whose sole life goal is to traverse the cosmos, looking for the presence of the coveted Flower of Life.
The Third Robotech War, titled The New Generation opens with the Invid arriving on Earth, drawn by the Flower of Life, and quickly conquering the planet to lay claim on what they desired – the Flower of Life. We see that many of the heroes of the First Robotech War had left Earth on a preemptive mission to seek out the Robotech Masters, and it is this Robotech Expeditionary Force that sends missions back home from across the galaxy to try a liberation of their home world, as explained in the preceding two chapters. The plot follows a group of liberation fighters as they prepare for the ultimate showdown with the Invid. This one, like all the others, has lots of fighting, lots of action, and lots of drama.
Codename: Robotech, the 73-minute animated pilot that preceded the series, is also worth mentioning here. The story takes place during the First Robotech War and is set against the backdrop of the chaotic events of the war. It was a much longer version of Gloval’s Report, the fourteenth television episode that wraps up the first season. It was screened on various television stations prior to the 1985 airing of the series.
As far as episodes go, the entire series has a total number of 85 episodes, each of which ties into the larger plotline of every season and shows the unfolding of the wars. The first season had 36 episodes, the first of which was an episode titled ‘Boobytrap’. This episode laid down the complete backstory of the Robotech Universe and set the stage for the chaos that was about to ensue. The story is as follows.
The Global War decimated the Earth in the year 1999. As the struggle raged around the globe, brother fought brother, but the destruction was nothing compared to a new menace that threatened to change the path of human history forever. Astronomers found an alien spaceship crashing onto the Earth after breaking through the fabric of hyperspace. As tales of the massive spaceship were confirmed by scientists all around the world, the panic grew. They eventually decided on Macross Island in the South Pacific as the landing site.
The abrupt fall created enormous shock waves, yet the island and, amazingly, the spaceship itself suffered little damage. The heavily armored hull had taken the brunt of the impact, leaving the complex techno system mostly undamaged. The enormous vessel was investigated with a mixture of amazement and fear. The alien crew was nowhere to be found, but the battle fortress’s ruins revealed a society that was millennia ahead of Earth’s most advanced technology. That was the most depressing revelation. Neither the appearance of the spaceship nor the contents revealed the designers to be a benign race. Invasion by extra-terrestrial invaders had become a terrifying possibility.
The Global War drew to a close. The United Earth Government was formed when a cease-fire was ordered and world leaders gathered together. A study team comprised of the world’s brightest brains was assembled under this new administration to explore and rebuild the battle fortress. The researchers worked to understand parts of the texts using Robotechnology, a highly complicated technology. The entire planet’s resources were concentrated on the repair of the spacecraft on Macross Island for the next ten years. The Robotech Project spawned a thriving metropolis. Every inhabitant – man, woman, and kid – gathered on the occasion of the ship’s maiden flight to commemorate the success and witness the deployment of Earth’s new defender, the Super Dimension Fortress One.
However, all enjoyment is short-lived. The fabric of space is split by yet another warp-fold. Another massive extra-terrestrial spacecraft has entered Earth’s solar system. The Zentraedi are a species of enormous warriors developed for thousands of generations solely for military conquest, and they were hot on the trail of the Robotech battle fortress. The Zentraedi are a recurring villainous race spanning the first two seasons mainly.
The second episode titled ‘Countdown’ revolved around the Earth’s forces readying themselves for battle against the aliens as they prepare the lift-off of the newly fixed Battle Fortress to launch a counterattack on the invaders. Funnily enough, Captain Gloval hitting his head when he reaches the bridge of the SDF-1 in this season is a recurrent gag in “The Macross Saga.”
This is thought to be an in-series nod to the iconic “Star Wars” blooper in which a stormtrooper knocks his head on a Death Star door. The story is continued in each subsequent episode. All episodes have a hefty spoonful of action and drama and inter-planetary hostility. The episodes were 25 minutes long each and packed quite the punch. However, one definitely would have to follow the show closely as all of the episodes are linked as they follow each other chronologically.
Some of the finest characters in the show
The show featured very well fleshed-out characters that were developed and given solid backstories. Some of the best and most iconic characters are as follows.
Starting with the iconic, Richard A. Hunter, also known as Rick Hunter, who was a well-known human Veritech pilot. He served as a hero in the First Robotech War and later as the commander of the Robotech Expeditionary Force. “Pops” Hunter, his father, was a pilot who served in the US Navy during the Gulf War. Dan Fokker, his friend, and co-pilot was shot down by the Germans during this time. Roy, a friend’s son, was adopted by “Pops,” who pledged to look after him at Dan’s burial. Roy, for his part, assured Pop that he would cherish Rick as if he were his brother and would always defend him. Another major figure is Roy, but we’ll get to him later.
Rick Hunter began his career as a naive and brazen nineteen-year-old civilian pilot, flying for his father’s world-class flying circus. He grew into a well-respected, experienced, and daring military commander by the end of the show. Until the alien civilization known as the Zentraedi attacked the Earth, Rick shared his father’s pacifist philosophy of violence. Rick subsequently spent the rest of the series trying to reconcile his sentiments with the horror of war and the need to face the terrifying extra-terrestrial menace if they were to survive
Rick was a good-natured young man who looked up to his older brother Roy. During the First Robotech War, he became a dangerous ace who even the Zentraedi feared. But he was also a compassionate and accepting person, saving the Zentraedi deserters and casting the deciding vote on whether or not they should be granted sanctuary. He was incredibly disciplined as a commander, though he did break the rules when required. His command style was eerily similar to Henry Gloval’s, and he would frequently clash with people who didn’t share the same outlook as him. However, he lacked the same level of discernment as his predecessor, and as a result, he occasionally placed too much trust in the wrong individuals.
He also has a blooming love story arc in this series with Lisa Hayes. His romance with Minmei, a singer he had rescued during the war gets cut short as Lisa walks into his life. During the First Robotech War, Lisa Hayes was the first officer of the SDF-1, serving underneath captain Henry Global and alongside fellow bridge officers. She rose through the ranks of the Robotech Expeditionary Force to become an admiral.
She was descended from a lengthy line of military leaders dating back over a century. Admiral Donald Hayes, a top-ranking admiral in the Robotech Defense Force and a key figure in the development of Biotechnology and the Grand Cannon, was her father. She was reared by her caring but strict father after losing her mother at a young age. The importance of Admiral Hayes’ duties during and after the Global War necessitated frequent separations.
She met Rick while she was serving in the First Robotech War and they hit it off soon after. Their relationship stood the trials and tribulations that were thrown at them, and Lisa and Rick were hitched on board the Robotech Factory Satellite the day before the SDF-3 launch in a large wedding ceremony witnessed by all of their friends.
Next, we come to the character who can arguably be considered the star of this entire show – Ry Fokker. Roy Fokker was a famous Human fighter during the First Robotech War and the Global War. After his father Dan Fokker died, Roy was adopted by Pop Hunter. He was a brilliant pilot since he was a child, and he flew in Pop’s flying circus before enlisting in the military during World War II.
Roy had a strong desire to fly since he was a child. He grew up with Rick Hunter’s father and flew with their aerobatic team, the Flying Circus. The two boys developed a strong bond. When Roy left the Flying Circus to serve in the Global War and later joined the Veritech development project on Macross Island, their friendship was severely challenged.
Following the Macross Incident, he joined the newly established Robotech Defense Force in their quest to uncover the alien technology’s mysteries. He went on to lead the illustrious Skull Squadron and served as a fighter pilot on the SDF-1 during its long journey from Pluto to Earth. Fokker was wounded in action not long before the SDF-1 returned to Earth, and he died as a result of his injuries. The dearth of a beloved main character is never taken lightly by fans and Roy’s death too was met with collective disappointment.
He also had a romantic arc with a badass woman named Claudia Grant. Claudia enlisted in the Global War effort, and after being assigned to an airbase in Wyoming, she met a young Lt. Roy Fokker. When the SDF-1 deployed in February 2009 during the first Robotech conflict, Claudia became a bridge officer with the rank of lieutenant commander and was third in command behind Captain Henry J. Gloval and Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Hayes. Claudia was in charge of organizing communications for the SDF-1’s 15,000 crew members.
While they were practically made for each other, their love story was not meant to be. Roy died as a result of wounds he received while defending Macross against Miriya’s Queadluun-Rau battle suits. He knew his injuries were too grave to be helped and thus, for the last few moments of his life, he chose to play the guitar for the love of his life instead of going to the hospital to have his wounds treated while waiting for Claudia Grant to finish making the pineapple salad that she was preparing for him, he fainted from acute internal bleeding and expired a few minutes later. Claudia herself also suffered a terrible fate as she, Admiral Gloval, Lt. Vanessa Leeds, Lt. Sammie Porter, and Lt. Kim Young perished at their posts during the last fight with Khyron, who conducted a suicide run against the SDF-1 in 2014.
Both Roy and Rick give to us many wonderful actions and fight sequences as they fly towards their enemies unfazed in their aircrafts that they so expertly maneuver. There is lots of action. Lots of drama and many other characters join in on the battle to defend their homelands and repel the invaders – be it robots or aliens.
Marvelous verdict – this show Ignited the anime explosion in the West
Today, anime is famous all over the world with most OTT platforms hosting a vast number of anime titles ranging from Death Note to My Hero Academia however, I doubt any of this would have been possible if this particular show was never made. It practically introduced anime to the Western audience, especially because the people even got to see anime-specific animation and storylines. Anyone who watched these on their television sets back in the eighties will tell you that they remember it fondly.
Robotech is one of those shows that predicted where the human race would try to go in the twenty-first century: populating the stars, establishing colonies on Mars, and so on. It’s a fun space opera that any true sci-fi or anime fan should check out. In the anime world, this could be considered the equal of Star Trek because both Trek and Robotech, in my opinion, are fantastic space operas.
Despite the fact that we don’t even see their lips move correctly when they talk, the characters come through with great clarity. You identify with the characters because they are so real and well-developed. Even the villains, rather than simply being wicked extra-terrestrial species, are well-developed characters with regular foibles and frailties. All of the characters learn and evolve, and they can change their minds about things. The animation is terrible compared to what we have now but the wonderful fantasy world created in Robotech makes up for it for the modern viewer.
The difficulties discussed in this show are genuine, despite the fact that it is a science fiction/fantasy narrative. As one person already pointed out, Robotech is separated into three different series, all of which revolve around wars with alien cultures. There is bloodshed and death, as well as the apparent celebration of battle. But, in the end, the conclusion of the story is that conflict generates nothing but death and destruction. And the series primarily verifies that message in the conclusion of the three series, when there is a peace with the alien race of invids. Much had been lost by that time, but both sides had learnt their lesson.
When you watch Robotech in order, it feels a little disjointed because it is made up of three independent TV series. For the most part, “The Macross Saga” is the one to watch. Robotech is the one that means the most to them. The fact that Rick Hunter in his flying suit and his jet fighter is still the picture most typically associated with the series is indicative of this. Even 36 years later, you can tell Macek was most passionate about bringing Macross specifically, to televisions.
The characters in the second and third sections, on the other hand, are fantastic. Dana and Bowie make a wonderful one-two in “The Masters Saga,” and the mech design is most fan’s favourite of the bunch. Scott Bernard is the protagonist of “The New Generation Saga,” and he’s a total badass. The changing motorcycle mechs are also very cool. All in all, Robotech was extremely well received even though it received some flak from anime purists. To this day it remains a fondly remembered series that has since spawned its own franchise.
Moreover, this was the show that created the foundation for Japanese animation’s current success, albeit Akira was the film that used that foundation to jumpstart it. In short, the show’s creators helped the Western world discover for the first time that Japanese animation can actually appeal directly to adults, and a new audience for that work was born as a result of this remarkable show.
The new launch is an exciting prospect
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There is some insanely exciting news for fans of the franchise! It turns out that Robotech was recently remastered, once more as per reports released in August 2021. Robotech has appeared on home media in a number of different formats over the years. It was finally licensed to FUNimation in 2019.
Robotech, the critically renowned anime space opera that debuted in 1985, is coming to Funimation’s platform. In August, all 85 episodes of the series were made accessible to stream. Hardcore fans don’t have to be concerned about the streaming release’s appearance. This new remaster is believed to be true to the original DVD box set release, including the “film grain” appearance that has become famous with the franchise.
Late last year, the original Robotech series was not the only Robotech product to enter the streaming platform. Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles and Robotech II: The Sentinels were both made accessible for viewers to stream. The series and films will also be published on Blu-ray in a collector’s edition, according to Funimation. This box set is meant to feature a reproduction of the VF-1S piloted by Roy Fokker in the episode, as well as embroidered patches and a figurine of the said badass pilot. On September 28, it was made available exclusively through the Funimation Shop. It is a gorgeous collector’s set and fans of the show will definitely be vying to get their hands on one of them.
Watching robots smash other robots and creatures in a battle unto death is every kid’s dream come true, so no wonder this show was so well received all across the board. However, it was also interesting because of the well-made plot and fleshed-out characters that took center stage in this epic sage spanning three intergalactic battles. Fans all across North America and the West fell in love with this show and it opened up the gates for Anime’s entry into the West.
It is safe to say that shows like these are a rare occurrence nowadays, which is why it is a great relief that all of it is available on a Blu-Ray released by Funimation. Have you ever watched this series? Let us know in the comments section below!