Robotech - Masters - Legacy Collection 5
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The fifth collection in the series concludes the Robotech Masters story line (originally Super Dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross). Like the previous story, this adventure centers on a conflict pitting the freedom of thought and action that humans enjoy against the repressive civilization of the Robotech Masters. The endless spaceship and mecha battles ultimately prove less significant than the actions of the rebel clone Zor Prime. Having tasted freedom and love, he defies the Masters and destroys what amounts to a high-tech slave culture, where masses of clones and mecha labor to support a ruling elite. But the Second Robotech War ends as the first did, in a bittersweet Pyrrhic victory. The Robotech Masters have been destroyed, but much of the Earth has been devastated. And the spores of Flowers of Life ("the Three Who Act As One") have been dispersed to summon the alien Invid, setting the stage for the final episodes. The Elements of Robotechnology V disc includes portfolios of pre-production designs for "The Sentinels," unproduced "Southern Cross" designs, and the pilot episode of "Space Fortress Macross" (which would become "Booby Trap," the first installment in the Macross Saga). Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and up: Mild violence restricted to spaceship and robot battles. --Charles Solomon
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Robotech - Masters - Legacy Collection 5
Starring: Susie London , Lara Cody , Mearle Pearson , Michael McConnohie , and Mike Reynolds Director: Robert V. Barron Manufacturer: Adv Films ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD  ADV Films
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ASIN: B00005QZ7O Release Date: 2001-12-11 |
Amazon.com
The fifth collection in the series concludes the Robotech Masters story line (originally Super Dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross). Like the previous story, this adventure centers on a conflict pitting the freedom of thought and action that humans enjoy against the repressive civilization of the Robotech Masters. The endless spaceship and mecha battles ultimately prove less significant than the actions of the rebel clone Zor Prime. Having tasted freedom and love, he defies the Masters and destroys what amounts to a high-tech slave culture, where masses of clones and mecha labor to support a ruling elite. But the Second Robotech War ends as the first did, in a bittersweet Pyrrhic victory. The Robotech Masters have been destroyed, but much of the Earth has been devastated. And the spores of Flowers of Life ("the Three Who Act As One") have been dispersed to summon the alien Invid, setting the stage for the final episodes. The Elements of Robotechnology V disc includes portfolios of pre-production designs for "The Sentinels," unproduced "Southern Cross" designs, and the pilot episode of "Space Fortress Macross" (which would become "Booby Trap," the first installment in the Macross Saga). Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and up: Mild violence restricted to spaceship and robot battles. --Charles SolomonCustomer Reviews:
So, this is THEE robotech.......2006-11-30
Good Extras, But Leaves More To Be Desired.......2002-01-08
At first glace, these extras appear to look pretty good, but once you see them, it's kind of a let down. The main attraction here is the Macross pilot. This pilot episode has all the original Japanese music and animation with an exception for the closing and opening sequences. There isn't much in here that is different from the Robotech version. Such as the scene of the Mayor talking about the future of Macross city and the scene where Gloval walk off the stage. There are also a good number of script changes. Most notably that the name Rick Hunter has been changed to Rick Yamata. Some other small changes include changing SDF-1 to Macross and Micronians to Inhabitants. It was pretty good, but not all that enthralling.
Then there is material from the Robotech movie. The first is a high quality trailer for the film that is less than 30 seconds. A lengthy music video that was made for the movie is on here, but it's typical 80's techno that will leave you a little tired. Probably the best movie material here is the animatic sequence which tells a part of the story through storyboards. But still, with all these extras, why didn't ADV just put movie on the disc?
Thankfully, the rest of the extras are well done. The production sheets of all the military units from Southern Cross and the unused designs from The Sentinals were pretty fun to take a look at. The International clips were okay, but someone needs to fix that Italian track.
Overall, these extras are above average when compared the last disc, but still leave you wanting more out of Robotech.
All Is RevealedýThe Thrilling Conclusion!!.......2002-01-07
Robotech was the most popular of the Americanized Japanese anime series to hit American TV waves during the 1970s and 1980s (along with Star Blazers, Voltron, Transor Z, etc.) Known for its cutting edge animation, high-tech battle scenes, futuristic weapons (planes, tanks, motorcyles that transform into robots), cool alien invaders, and realistic and compelling storylines, Robotech swept an entire generation and helped put Japanese Anime forever on the map of American pop culture.
In this particular volume the action and drama hit a crescendo as a memoriless Zor joins the Earth's ranks and the Earth's defenders (under the direction of the stubborn and foolish Leonard) continue to fight an uphill battle against the far superior Robotech Masters. This collection is the pivotal chapter to the entire Robotech saga as the secrets of Protoculture (the reason why all the fighting has taken place) are finally revealed, giving a prelude to the maelstrom to come in the next story arc.
Here's the rundown of the episodes and content featured on each disc:
Disc 1: Counter Attack
Episode 49 - A New Recruit: General Emerson assigns a memoriless Zor to Dana's 15th Squadron in hopes that (an infatuated) Dana can help him regain his memories. Bits and pieces come back in haunting bits for Zor. Also, Supreme Commander Leonard makes a faithful decision.
Episode 50 - Triumvirate: Dana and Zor visit the site of the SD-F1 in hopes to jog Zor's memory and find mysterious plants growing inside. Marie saves the day as the Earth Defense forces launch their biggest (and fruitless) attack against the Masters yet. Also, introducing, The Ajax Fighters.
Episode 51 - Clone Chamber: Musica is overcome with human emotion; Marie saves the day again as Leonard unveils his new plans. Plus, Dana makes a date!!!
Episode 52 - Love Song: Reunited, Sean and Marie head off for a date (with disaster); Nova has a secret admirer. Plus, Leonard has an unpleasant surprise for General Emerson.
Episode 53 - The Hunters: Louie's special targeting system for his video game draws attention from the Robotech Development department. Plus, Emerson's fleet goes off into battle.
Episode 54 - Mind Game: The 15th is assigned to and attacks the Robotech Masters Fortress -- where betrayal awaits. Bowie copes with his feelings on killing. Plus, introducing -- the Invid Fighters!!!
Disc 2: The Final Solution
Episode 55 - Dana in Wonderland: Trapped once again aboard the Robotech Masters' Fortress, the 15th gets another first hand look at the Robotech Masters' way of life. Also, Bowie is reunited with his true love.
Episode 56 - Crisis Point: The 15th make their escape from the Fortress with the aide of Musica and a re-programmed Zor.
Episode 57 - Daydreamer: The 15th smuggles Musica back to Earth, hiding from Nova and the GMP. The Masters plan their next move and deal with the fallout from Musica's actions. Plus, the 15th is betrayed again...
Episode 58 - Final Nightmare: On the run, Bowie and Musica (with Nova and the 15th on their heels) return the site of the SD-F1 and make a startling discovery. Zor regains his full memories revealing all. Plus, Leonard gives the final order -- fight to the end!!!
Episode 59 - The Invid Connection: The Final Battle between the Earth Defense Forces and the Masters. Zor cuts a final deal with the Masters.
Episode 60 - Catastrophe: The thrilling conclusion for the Robotech Masters saga. The 15th attempts to liberate the clones and Zor attempts to stop the Masters once and for all!!!
Disc 3: Elements of Robotechnology 5
This collection actually contains one of the better installments in the "Elements of Robotechnology" series. Here's a rundown of the contents on this disc.
1. Original Macross English Translation Pilot: This is the half hour Carl Macek produced English translation of the Japanese anime series Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, which formed the 1st Generation of the Robotech series (the Macross Saga). Same basic storyline, etc. etc. Awfully cool feature.
2. More Production Art Clips for the Sentinels as well as unused artwork for Southern Cross. Pretty cool.
3. Extras from the Robotech Movie including: 1 - the movie trailer, 2 - a music video featuring 3 Dog Night's "In My Heart" (really cool) and 3 - Storyboards and 2 ½ minute animatic (the animatic's pretty cool).
4. More International Clips in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian for two scenes (Sean's disastrous date with Marie and the 15th trying to sneak Musica onto Earth past Nova).
Though this particular arc of the Robotech saga is pointed to by many as the "low-point" of the series due to somewhat confusing storytelling and less enthralling characters (I felt the same way too as a kid), I must say that it's definitely A LOT better than I remember it being. The action still kicks ... even 15 years later.
If you've never seen Robotech, simply put YOU MUST. The action and the drama are compelling, clearly showing why Robotech became a pop culture icon. It is the series that forever put Japanese anime on the map in the US. If you did grow up with Robotech, give these a watch again. They're great for a trip down memory lane. You can't lose!!!
Highest Recommendation
A showcase of Robotech's highs & lows.......2001-12-18
Much like the previous ROBOTECH eppies put on disc, the picture & sound quality of this batch ain't that much better than what I used to see & hear on VHS. But, at least the DVDs have more eppies per plateer than any of the VHS videos had per tape, making this series an amazing shelf-space saver. That, and I don't have to worry about degradation after endless viewings. So, at least there's a bright side to the situation.
The bonus disc in this particular set contained a surprising addition: the first episode of the English-language rendition of `Macross' before it was incorporated into the Robotech saga and re-dubbed! Until now, the only way to get this rare piece of anime history was eBay for a legitimate VHS tape (VERY expensive!) or the bootleg market. This pilot has the same voice actors in the same roles, and most of the original dialogue spoken here remained intact in the Robotech re-do. Also included are a few scenes that were eventually trimmed from the Robotech rendition. Unless you're a really observant viewer of the show, the restored parts may pass you by without a second thought!
Also included are a few bits of media regarding the unreleased and largely-unseen `Robotech: The Movie', most of which didn't impress me all that much. Both the teaser trailer and music video (3 Dog Night's "In My Heart") weren't all that spectacular, and contained only `Southern Cross' footage that was cannibalized and stuck into the film. None of the cannibalized `Megazone 23' scenes are present. The Robotech movie animatic is basically the dialogue & sound track from the end of the movie, with shots of the corresponding rough storyboard sketches. This little bit of anime proto-cinema is probably one of the only moments from the movie that'll ever see a legitimate video release. Don't feel too bad about this revelation, though-I've actually viewed `Robotech: The Movie', and believe you me, you're not missing out on much.
Also included on the bonus platter are several sketches of various Southern Cross body armor & transports that never made it into the finished series. Most of the body armor designs are reminiscent of Samurai uniforms & the robots of M.S. Gundam. And, like the previous bonus platters, this one includes a few clips dubbed in French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
`Late
A misunderstood section of Robotech.......2001-11-29
The bittersweet ending of the series should have made people understand that this section is not about heroes and crusades for peace, it is about war for the sake of war and the evils of such warfare (the supreme commander is exemplary of this). At the end, it is clear that the foolish destruction of the Robotech Masters will lead to earth's invasion and decimation, enter the Invid.
The series features the deepest questions about us as humans in the Robotech series. It lacks the immaturity of the first series (Dana's immaturity is mocked and quickly confronted, as is Bobby's). Reviewers who have attacked the plot problems (like the returning ship from the REF forces) forget that it was not originally created as part of the Macross universe, and elements were conveniently adjusted to fit it in (such as constant references to Zentraedi of which there are none, only 15 years after the original series!!!). If such depth is not your style, wait until the Invid invasion series, which feature the most interesting battle scenes and mecha in Robotech, but perhaps the worst plot and characterization.
A fan of the Macross series will likely dislike Southern Cross, but a fan of the Robotech re-creation will admire the much more complex, deeper (and granted imperfect) plot. Great mecha animation coupled with stunning musical pieces makes this as well as the remainder of the Southern Cross series a must-have.
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