One anime sub-genre that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention at Animation – American and Japanese is known popularly as mecha. Mecha series have been a mainstay of Japanese animation since the late 1960s, and feature melodramatic space-opera type storylines featuring young people. They also star improbable giant robots often named inappropriately after non-Asian mythological characters. They're a hybrid between Top Gun and Power Rangers! Such series are extremely popular among preteen boys, and mecha model kits are common anime artifacts. Needless to say, unless you are a preteen boy (or unless you can get into the mindset of one) you won’t enjoy most mecha.
Macross II is a feature-length mecha movie with a tarnished reputation. For starters, it’s a compilation film; all the episodes of the Macross II TV series were spliced together to make this feature. Naturally, the animation and draftsmanship reflects broadcast TV production standards rather than those of a feature film. Furthermore, the film/TV series was done without the participation, encouragement, or consultation of any of the key figures at Studio Nue, which were responsible for the original Macross series. The film has been relegated to an "alternate timeline" and is largely ignored by Macross fans. The version I saw was dubbed by Manga Entertainment with typically mediocre results. Finally, it’s a sequel to a series that was difficult enough to follow in the first place, and some newer viewers will be understandably perplexed.
That said, from the perspective of an anime fan that occasionally enjoys truly campy science fiction, Macross II certainly has its moments. Hibiki, the lead character, is a seasoned TV reporter at the mere age of 17, whose idea of responsible journalism is harboring a possibly hostile humanoid alien named Ishtar in his apartment, and who has the nerve to act shocked when his network censors his military reports. He also follows the willowy Ishtar around with what looks like a camcorder at all times, claiming he’s collecting footage for a big story. (And you thought Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen had a knack for making stupid decisions!) Whole sections of the film are funny in a Mystery Science Theater way. Ishtar herself is attractive in that anorexic, amnesiac way that so many anime women are, but the real costars of the film are the Valkyries, a type of mecha which transforms from a fighter jet into something resembling a samurai cyborg. The Valkyries in Macross have nothing to do with Norse mythology; instead, they present some of the most stunning designs in mecha history. There are few male anime fans over 18 who either haven’t seen a Valkyrie model kit or owned one. (I owned two grey market copies when I was younger.) The entire Valkyrie body is built around a "V" shaped motif, making it one of the most artistically interesting mecha of all time.
The plot yo-yos from stupid to sensible, often within the same sequence. Nevertheless, the type of audience Macross II was made for doesn’t care about plot. As long as there are enough cool spaceships and neat robots for the kids to enjoy, no one would be disappointed at the flimsy plot and predictable character development. This, ironically, is also the strength of the film. Aside from the garden-variety anti-war message that almost every mecha series has, Macross II is refreshingly nonpretentious. It’s just an outer space adventure, and – truth be told – an awful lot of Hollywood blockbusters billed as "breakthrough" entertainment are far less enjoyable than the pleasures of Macross II.
Older kids or nostalgic adults will get a big kick out of Macross II. Those looking for deeper, serious anime would be better off looking for Mononoke Hime or Serial Experiments Lain.
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Other Anime Reviews Black Dream Hole Review Curse of the Blood Rubies Review Serial Experiments Lain Review * Project A-ko 2 Review Slayers:The Motion Picture Review* |
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