In 1982, a series premiered that would forever change the face of anime. Not only did it provide an arena for serious, continuous animated drama, but also it reinvigorated the stifled and dying animation industry in Japan. The series was a phenomenon from the music to the toys. The series was Super Dimension Fortress Macross, and it has finally been released in the United States as it was meant to be seen.

The story is about a giant alien craft that crashes on an island in the Pacific. The resources of the entire planet are poured into the restoration, and, on the launch day, the aliens return to claim the ship. Due to an accident, the ship is flung to the outer edge of the solar system and has to make the long journey home.

The story is also about people. The loves and losses of the crew and civilians trapped aboard. Indeed, the story is often about the love triangle of three people - including Lynn Minmei, the schoolgirl turned idol singer. There is also a macro-story about culture and those who protect the culture, almost always separate, yet always linked. The series is simultaneously about why we have to fight and why we have to stop fighting.

AnimEigo has done an impressive job cleaning up the video for the boxed set.	One of the highlights of the series is a love triangle, which takes many twists and turns throughout the course of the series.

Macross was originally a TV series in Japan. The original run was set for 26 episodes, but due to the popularity of the series, producers expanded the run to 36. Character designs are by the incredible Haruhiko Mikimoto (who designed Eve for the Megazone 23 series and did the character designs in Mobile Suit Gundam 0080). The mecha designs are by Shoji Kawamori (his most recent work, the Escaflowne movie, will be showing throughout the U.S. next month).

As part of Robotech, Macross the animation has been seen in America, but the real story with the real music and the real message has never had its day. The Animeigo release is surprisingly better than the Japanese release due to the incredible restoration undertaken by the company. The staff went frame by frame doing color corrections, removing scratches, and generally cleaning up the picture. Macross probably did not even look this good during the original television run.

The music sounds fantastic, as well. The music in the series has a more serious tone than the music from Robotech, and it adds greatly to the drama. Unfortunately, a few pieces of background music have not aged very well, but there are only a few of these that fall in the first few episodes.

The box set is aesthetically well-designed: each DVD case of the nine disc set has a different character from the series in very nice line art, though the printing seems a little blurred. The box, however, looks wonderful in stylish black. Animeigo has always been known for incredible liner notes, and this release is no different. There are eight sheets, folded over into notecard form that include song lyrics, character information, mecha stats, and information from each episode.

As far as animation quality goes, Macross is a mixed bag. At times, the animation shows itself to be well ahead of its time, however certain episodes look horrendous. As well, there are several recap shows that take previous footage and simply retell the story. The most important thing to remember is that this show was created in 1982. When compared to contemporaries, it shines. And, it does hold up well today.

At least a few sentences must be given to the fantastic transforming fighter planes, the Valkyries. The Valkyrie looks to be fighter jet similar to an F-14, but it can undergo a startling transformation into a humanoid form. Toys of the Valkyrie are still made today, and the designer (20 years later!) still says that it is his best design. A wave of transforming robot shows swept the airwaves after Macross, but none had the subtle style of the Valkyrie.

This is a must-own set for any anime fan. The story is easily accessible to anyone, and you would be surprised at how easily non-anime fans can get drawn into the drama and romance. To be honest, there is simply no reason not to buy this set. Animeigo has gone above and beyond what any other U.S. company has done for the fans. I can only hope this sets a new benchmark for releasing classing shows here in America.

Distributor: AnimEigo
Creator: Tatsunoko
Released: 1984

Plot: A+
Character Design: A
Animation Quality: B
Music: B+
Overall: A+