Robotech: Difference between revisions

A cult anime series about three wars fought by Earth with alien technology against alien enemies over control of a powerful energy source. Initially a major success, its relatively adult story content is credited with introducing Western audiences to the sophisticated dramatic potential that Japanese animation had to offer.

 

 

The series was thus divided into three sagas, each based on its respective parent show and portraying a particular generation of characters. These are:

* '''"The Macross Saga" (''[[Macross]]'')''' started things off, telling the story of pilot Rick Hunter and the crew of the SDF-1 battle fortress. Of the three sub-series, this one has the most in common with the original anime: aside from the names, the biggest changes were made mostly to help fit all three series together, such as the relationship between the Zentraedi and the Robotech Masters. This is mostly backstory dialogue, though a few episodes late in the series have some Southern Cross footage of the Masters spliced in.

* '''"The Robotech Masters" (''[[Southern Cross]]'')''' features the second generation of heroes, and had probably the biggest number of changes (starting with moving the setting from the faraway planet Glorie down to Earth, and ending with, well, the ending, which became a [[Bittersweet Ending]] due to the series coming up next). It features Dana Sterling, the (first) daughter of Max and Miriya Sterling from Macross. Having been left on Earth in the care of General Rolf Emerson, she has joined the Army of the Southern Cross, and unlike her high-flying parents, pounds the ground in a Veritech Hovertank. Naturally, she ends up on the front lines when the Robotech Masters, the men behind the Zentraedi, invade the earth searching for the [[Applied Phlebotinum|Protoculture]] Matrix hidden in the wreckage of the SDF-1 ''Macross''.

 

In addition to redubbed anime, several comics, novels, and games have attempted to tell the story, with varying levels of success, within and between the Robotech "generations". One of the most ambitious was ''The Sentinels'', which chronicled the story of the ''Macross'' heroes as they go into space towards the Robotech Masters' homeworld in an attempt to stop any further wars. Naturally, they miss them, only to find the planet besieged by the second faction of the Invid, and meet a collection of alien races fighting to free themselves from Invid domination. Although the animated series fell apart after a few episodes were created, the story continued in comic, novel, and RPG form, each offering similar but varied takes on the story. Another stillborn project was ''Robotech: The Movie'' (a.k.a. ''Robotech: The Untold Story''), which spliced footage from the show with scenes from the anime ''[[Megazone 23]]'' in order to create a story set between the "Macross" and "Robotech Masters" sagas. Unlike ''The Sentinels'', this project was completed, but its tepid reception during test airings caused Harmony Gold to shelf it, and it has never had a wide release inside the states.

 

 

 

* Harmony Gold can continue to release the original ''Robotech'' stories, and can release their own DVDs of the original ''Macross'' in the US, but cannot create derivative works based on ''Macross'' (or its Big West stablemate ''Southern Cross'').

* In addition, they effectively have veto rights for the imports and English translation of ''Macross'' merchandise and series that are not covered by the original license. Consequently, all the sequels since ''[[Macross Plus]]'' are blocked from being sold or translated in North America, and under Harmony Gold's interpretation, [[Shoji Kawamori]] cannot make or distribute his own drawings and designs within North America. (This has not made them popular.)

 

 

 

* [[After the End]]: Earth is devastated no fewer than three times in the series.

* [[The Ageless]]: The Zentraedi apparently have biological immortality due to a protoculture-based genetic engineering, despite having a life expectancy lower than humans due to being a [[Proud Warrior Race]] and [[Martyrdom Culture]].

* [[Apocalypse How]]: Each series ends with one of these. Original Series faces a Class 1, Southern Cross' war is a Class 0, and the Invid Invasion is another Class 1.

* [[Applied Phlebotinum]]: Robotechnology and Protoculture in particular.

* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]: Breetai can take down two Battloids with a piece of pipe.

* [[The Battlestar]]: The SDF-1.

* BFG: The Veritech's cannons, the SFD-1's reflex cannon, and the Grand Cannon.

* [[Bishonen]]: Max, Kyle, Konda, Bowie, Zor Prime, Rem, ''several'' Tirolian clones, Lancer ...basically, a lot.

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: Several examples from each series.

** In Macross, while Earth was still recovering, both the SDF-1 and the SDF-2 get destroyed in Khyron's suicide attack (which he turned into one after getting too severely damaged to escape into space), and most of the main bridge crew aside from Lisa get killed.

** Then in the Robotech Masters, Zor Prime attempted to destroy the Protoculture factory in the SDF-1, but accidentally released the spores instead, which then causes the Invid to invade Earth. Since Earth's defenses were already really exhausted from all the fighting with the Robotech Masters, they weren't able to put up much a fight against the Invid.

* [[Blithe Spirit]]: Dana.

* [[Bridge Bunnies]]: [[Trope Namer|The originals]].

* [[Curiosity Causes Conversion]]

* [[Cut and Paste Translation]]: One of the most famous examples.

* [[Desk Jockey]]: {{spoiler|Henry Gloval}} becomes this after being promoted to admiral. {{spoiler|It still does not keep him from going down in combat}}.

** The Zendraedi's warrior culture is extremely similar to the militaristic culture of WWII Japan.

** When the war begins, their first strike is a carrier-launched surprise-attack on a coastal military base.

* [[Downer Ending]]: Even worse in the books.

** Depends on which books, and which ending. The novelization of the Invid Invasion, for ex, ends more or less on an upbeat note, with a hint of more adventures to come as Scott Bernard heads back into space to find some missing personnel and clean up the loose ends. A later novel called ''The End Of The Circle'' picks up at the same point, but with a ''completely'' different tone, and it's ending is just plain stone cold stupid.

* [[During the War]]: Every season references the previous war.

* [[Dub Name Change]]: An example:

** Miriya Parino Sterling (Millia Fallyna Jeinus)

** Dana Sterling (Komillia Jeinus and Jeanne Francaix)

** No, most of them don't. Quite a few of them are a bit too young to remember when anime (then called Japanimation) was practically unheard of in the USA.

* [[The Dragon]]: Breetai, who matches one in size, too!

* [[Expanded Universe]]: The novelization of the series and the comic books.

** Which conflict with each other extensively and the original material somewhat. At their worst the expanded universe materials are ghastly, at their best they can be quite good. This is especially true of the novels.

* [[Fighter Launching Sequence]]

* [[Final Girl]]: In the Macross Saga, Lisa Hayes is the sole survivor of the original bridge staff following Khyron's suicide attack, as she was forced into an escape pod by Claudia and Gloval before the SDF-1 was destroyed.

** [[Big Bad|Commander-in-Chief:]] Dolza

** [[The Dragon]]: Breetai

** [[The Dark Chick]]: Azonia

** [[The Lancer|Loose Cannon:]] Khyron

* [[Flaunting Your Fleets]]: For example, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG75QBL5C-o&feature=PlayList&p=D56E887A3A6EAF1B&playnext_from=PL&index=20&playnext=2 here], starting at 0:24.

* [[Foreshadowing]]

* [[Frothy Mugs of Water]]: Rico, Bron, Konda, and the "punch" at the SDF-1 landing celebration. Surprisingly this, trope is often averted in the series.

* [[General Ripper]]: Supreme Commander Leonard, especially as [[Flanderized]] in the [[Expanded Universe]].

* [[Genius Ditz]]: Dana.

* [[Hand Wave]]: The human-like appearance of the enemies is explained away via [[Human Aliens|ancient common ancestors]].

** [[Heel Face Turn]]: Miriya Parino, Breetai, Exedore, Rico, Bron and Konda

* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Several characters go through them at various points throughout the story, such as Rick when {{spoiler|Roy Fokker died}}, Lisa when she finds out Minmei is at Rick's apartment, and Minmei towards the end of the series after she gives up singing.

** Scott Bernard suffers one when he finds out that a large contingent of reinforcements that arrived earlier were wiped out entirely by the Invid. He gives up hope until he sees Ariel screaming in fear at the Invid, and promptly pulls a [[Big Damn Heroes]] moment.

** Tony Oliver = Rick Hunter = the arrancar Ulquiorra Schiffer in Bleach.

** Jimmy Flinders (Cam Clarke) = Max Sterling / Yellow Dancer = Liquid Snake / 2002 He-man

* [[Hive Mind]]: The Invid. The human-form ones can evidently unlink at least partially and don't 'need' it, but the ones with their memory still mostly maintain their presence on it.

* [[Hover Tank]]

* [[Humanity Is Infectious]]: For all the mecha and weapons Earth has, this trope is at heart the ''only'' thing that saves humanity.

* [[Humongous Mecha]]

* [[Idol Singer]]: Minmei, Bowie, Musica, and Yellow Dancer.

** Roy Fokker had a similar moment in the first episode when he is giving an airshow when Rick Hunter comes barnstorming into the airspace. Fokker is yelling at Rick through the mike's radio function forgetting that the speakers are also amplifying his speech to the audience and they are laughing it up. Embarrassed, Fokker orders the mike to be switched to radio only.

** As a meta-example, Robotech's ratings took a dip after the episode 'Force of Arms' because viewers had assumed the show was over, now that the Zentraedi were destroyed, and Rick had picked Lisa over Minmay. When they came back, they were shocked to find that the show was still going on, and that it was dealing with the aftermath. Some fans who had watched Robotech never came back, and didn't learn about Southern Cross or the Invid saga until years after it's first run.

* [[Kawaiiko]]: Minmei.

** The destruction from Dolza's attack in the first part continues to hang over the whole story, too. There's no magic recovery, Earth is a ''wreck'' afterward.

** It is not immediately clear in the early episodes whether the main protagonist is Rick Hunter or Roy Fokker. It's only with {{spoiler|the death of Roy}} that {{spoiler|Rick comes fully into the spotlight...and Roy was a major character, with well-developed personality and connections. His presence is still felt many episodes later.}}

* [[Leitmotif]]

* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]

* [[Love Triangle]]: Between Lisa, Rick, and Minmei.

* [[Macross Missile Massacre]]: [[Trope Namer]].

* [[Mobile Factory]]: A number of examples.

* [[Mooks]]

* [[Narrator]]

* [[Novelization]]: The Jack McKinney novels.

* [[Oh Crap]]: In an anime of this caliber, there are plenty.

** Max Sterling, upon finding out that his dream woman, Miriya Parino is in fact a Zentradi Pilot and is trying to kill him.

'''Max:''' There goes our first date. }}

** Rick Hunter, as he finds himself caught in friendly fire, thanks to Lisa. Oops.

** The Earth's military upon seeing Dolza's ''entire Zentradi Fleet'' warp into Earth's orbit. [[I Warned You|They find out that Lisa was in fact right.]] Cue carpet-bombing of the entire planet.

* [[The Omniscient Council of Vagueness]]: The Robotech Masters.

* [[The Power of Love]]

* [[Point Defenseless]]: As impressive as they look while firing, the turrets/mechs on the surface of the SDF-1 don't seem to accomplish anything aside from getting blown up.

* [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]]: Scott Bernard's rebellion against the Invid; The Sentinels.

* [[Roboteching]]: The [[Trope Namer]].

* [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens]]: The Invid could be taken as a stereotype of {{spoiler|Communist China}}, and the Zentraedi as...{{spoiler|Americans}}.

* [[Shape Shifter]]: The Zentraedi's "micronization process."

** In "The Big Escape" (Macross Saga episode 12), Lisa Hayes suggests that humans and Zentraedi might actually be related somehow, and it is commented upon by both Zentraedi and human scientists that physical makeup, cell structure, biology, etc between the two species is almost identical. In the original [[Macross]] anime, humans, Zentraedi and Meltrandi (female Zentraedi) were all directly related species of [[Human Aliens]], different offshoot branches of [[Precursors|The Protoculture]].

* [[Sixth Ranger]]: Zor Prime.

** [[Hand Wave|It could be said]] that eventually they would figure out where damage would be and make it easily repairable. This is [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in the novels, where the civil engineers were marvelous, able to both synthesize new building materials at an incredible pace, and devised a way of setting up the city in such a way it sustained minimal damage during transformation.

* [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]]: A classic example with the Zentraedi, controlled by the Robotech Masters, who were afraid of the Invid, who were TERRIFIED of the Children of Shadows.

* [[Space Is Cold]]

* [[The Starscream]]: Khyron, who gets bonus points for {{spoiler|[[Dragon Their Feet]] during the [[Colony Drop]]}}.

** Implied Admiral Rick Hunter.

* [[Tank Goodness]]

* [[Tragic Hero]]

* [[Transforming Mecha]]

* [[They Look Like Us Now]]: Zentraedi becoming human sized. The Masters, particularly Zor Prime being sent in as a [[Heel Face Mole]]. The Invid Simulagents.

* [[This Is Not a Drill]]

* [[Villain World]]

* [[Wave Motion Gun]]: The Macross reflex canon. It doubles as a fancy light show for special occasions.

* [[We Could Have Avoided All This]]

* [[We Have Reserves]]: Dolza's Grand Fleet consists of ''4.8 million ships''.

* [[Wholesome Crossdresser]]: Lancer/Yellow Dancer.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:The Renaissance Age of Animation]]

[[Category:Science Fiction Western Animation]]

[[Category:Anime]]

[[Category:Toonami]]

[[Category:Edie Mirman]]