Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross

A 1984 anime produced by Tatsunoko Productions, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross is perhaps best recognized these days as having been adapted into the second part of the Robotech trilogy.

In the year 2120, humans have colonized other planets after Earth has been left ruined after too many wars. On one such colony planet, Glorie, the Southern Cross army has been established to keep the peace with its Transforming Mecha. Their vigilance is put to use when the planet's former inhabitants, The Zor, come to reclaim their former world by force. It falls to the Alpha Tactics Armored Corps, led by brash newcomer Jeanne Fránçaix, to lead the charge against the invaders.

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross was the least successful of the Super Dimension Trilogy shows. It was canceled early on and forced to end at 23 episodes from the original 39.


 * Absent Aliens:
 * Liner notes for the DVDs reveal that the Zor are descended from temporally-displaced human colonists.
 * The Protozor flower may qualify as an alien species.
 * Adjective Noun Fred
 * Cancellation: Was cut down to twenty-three episodes due to less than satisfactory ratings.
 * Ensign Newbie: Jeanne Fránçaix
 * Five-Man Band:
 * The Hero: Jeanne Fránçaix
 * The Lancer: Charles De L'Étoile
 * The Big Guy: Andrzej Sławski
 * The Smart Guy: Louis Ducasse
 * The Chick: Bowie Emerson
 * General Ripper
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Jeanne was the first major role for Michie Tomizawa; Musica was the debut role of Noriko Hidaka. Further, Mika Doi and Arihiro Hase (Misa Hayase and Hikaru Ichijyo in Macross) play Lana Isavia and Bowie Emerson respectively.
 * Jeanne D'Archetype: Logically enough, Jeanne.
 * Mind Screw: This series ending sequence is in the league of The Prisoner in terms of being incomprehensible and explaining almost nothing, though it appears that . The Mind Screw properties of the ending are probably due to the production staff having to wrap up the series at warp speed to beat the clock on the show's cancellation.
 * Pink Means Feminine: Jeanne's suit is pink.
 * Sobriquet: Mary Angel, AKA "Cosmo Amazon."
 * The Stoic: Lana Isavia. She also qualifies as Tall, Dark and Bishoujo in an '80s sort of way.
 * Shell-Shocked Veteran: Seifriet Weiße.
 * Stupid Sacrifice: Seifriet could've easily survived the series if he hadn't killed the one man who could land the ship while he was escaping.
 * Transforming Mecha