Product Description

In 2040, on the colonial planet Eden, the Ministry of Defense is developing a transforming super-stealth aircraft, a new advanced defense vehicle to counter alien attacks. An extrovert jet fighter maverick is assigned as the new test pilot on the project but competition heats up when he discovers that his old rival is a test pilot for a competing aircraft. The arrival of a mutal ex-girlfriend adds more tension to their conflict. This dramatic, visuallly superb and critically acclaimed 4 part anime series is now available in one complete box set and specially priced for its 10th Anniversary re-release.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17473 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-06-14
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English, Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 180 minutes

Amazon.com
A recut version of the four-part OAV (1994), the Macross Plus movie plays like a mixture of Top Gun, Gundam Wing, and Key the Metal Idol. It's 2040 on the planet Eden: former high school rivals Isamu Dyson and half-human/half-Zentraedi Guld Goa Bowman have become rival mecha test pilots. They're also still competing for the affection of Myung Lone, the producer for cybernetic singing sensation Sharon Apple. When an illegal "bio-neural" chip is implanted into the computer that generates Sharon, she becomes sentient, attacking Myung and attempting to lure Isamu to his death. Wild and crazy Isamu and serious Guld defeat the plot with their hotshot piloting. The film boasts elaborate computer-animated special effects and exceptionally well choreographed aerial battles, but director Shoji Kawamori correctly summed up Macross Plus as "a serious story with a silly plot." Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up: Nudity, violence, sexual situations. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Macross Plus at its best
An original OVA release, Macross Plus was the first Macross project to make heavy use of computer graphics, blended perfectly with a great storyline and a remarkable musical score by Yoko Kanno. Produced by Shigeru Watanabe and directed by legendary director and mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori, responsible for the original Valkyrie design back in 1982, it was a instant classic when released, both on US and Japan.

But there was something missing, and sometimes, there was too much going on, many would complain on how Isamu didn't died on so many accidents or the martial court that had nothing to do with anything (of course there was a reason for it, but in the end, it just ended up serving as a filler rather than useful, as nothing got changed after it).

Then came one of those Macross special events, where they released both a Macross 7 movie and a movie version of the OVA series that everybody loved. What everybody wasn't ready is that the movie version would be much better thant the original release.

Now the question: why? First, running on 4 episodes of 45 minutes, you got about 3 hours of story, and the movie runs for almost 2 hours, so you know that they cut a lot of fat on this one (and three end-credits of time). Also, they went all the trouble to make new scenes for this release, scenes that surely add more depth to the story, most specifically at two points at the ending (one of them is the ending itself, that's really quick on the OVA release).

If you are a serious Macross fan, you deserve yourself a copy of this DVD, even if you already have the OVA release. If you are being cautious on your budget, then you can get only one disc with the whole Macross Plus experience. Anyway, you're going to be pleased with this disc.

A sub-par DVD for the Movie Edition
I've heard good things about the movie edition for Macross Plus for a while. How it's better then the 4 part OVA. I've never gotten to see it until now, and IMO it isn't better. It feels a little choppy in the pacing department. The new music for the montages wasn't as good as the music they had in the OVA. I don't like that the battle scene with the VF-11B Thunderbolt and the board meeting talking about the YF-19 and YF-21 tests were cut but I like what they did with the rest. The ending is worth (at the very least renting) the Movie Edition of Macross Plus.

My biggest problem is with the picture. The video for the DVD releases for the OVA looks great. But for the movie it looks like a VHS tape. It's not like another company released the movie edition. I know it was put out for the Macross fans but it doesn't mean the video has to look as bad is it does, esp. when the OVA looked so good. I don't think it can be blamed on source material. What is up with the video quality? No one is going to be using this as a demo disc.

My next problem is with the Subtitles. From what I've read there never was an English dub recorded for the Movie Edition and of course to do it for the dvd would cost more money (and I have a feeling it wouldn't be that inspired anyway). I'm fine with it only being in Japanese. What I do hate is burnt in subtitles. Why oh why? It looks tacky and makes the video quality look a little worst. Again, they were going for the VHS look I guess. The audio does sound good though.

The extras are a laugh. The character bio's would have been better if a fan of the the series wrote them, the photo gallery isn't that great and the rest of the extras are just commericals for Manga. But I guess that's what is to be expected as they are pretty much the same (if not the same, but I don't feel like checking) extras for the OVA dvds. Still, Macross is pretty big and it would have been nice to see at least an interview with the director.

Overall I can't recommend this disc. There is no excuse for the bad video and the burnt in subtitles. They must have ported the movie from a VHS tape and re-mixed the sound. If you like Macross I'd recommend picking up the OVA. If you are a Macross region 1 dvd completist then you'll pick this up no matter what, just like me.

Great OVA, but Manga Video has to step it up
The best Macross since the original. Kawamori can do no wrong(*cough*Arjuna*hack*). This is probably the best non-epic story he's ever told. And the animation is some of the best, if not the best, I've seen outside of a feature film(even after 11 years). What I can't understand is why Manga Video has not added anything to the DVD for this great anime, yet this is the "10th Anniversary Edition". The original Ghost in the Shell release by Manga Video had few extras and no 5.1 surround track in Japanese. Their new GitS 10th aniversary release had many more extras and a great new 5.1 surround track in japanese. Why hasn't Macross Plus seen this kind of treatment? Apparently they just threw both volumes of the OVA into a box, cut a few bucks off the original price and called it a special anniverary edition. I already own the original DVD releases of this show and would have eagerly forked over another $40 to get them in full japanese language surround. C'Mon Manga Video, you've had 10 years to improve the DVD's for this show. What's the deal?