Customer Reviews

Macross [VHS]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you're a fan of Macross, you have no excuse not to get this movie immediately. While it is in essence only a condensed version of the original animated series, it's still well worth your time. The animation is simply excellent, and every moment is a joy to look upon, from Minmay and Hikaru's time alone in the Macross to the final battle at the end. The Lynn Minmay songs are wonderful as well. Please, please, PLEASE do yourself a favor and find a subtitled version of this. The English-dubbed version is horrible, in truth the worst anime dub I've had the misfortune to stumble across. All the characters speak with a British accent and are for the most part emotionless, while the dialogue doesn't even make sense at times. There's nothing like hearing "Beat...him...and....restore...culture." delivered in a dead voice to kill the drama in a scene.

The first time I saw 'SDF Macross', I was amazed by the animation. For many years, the artwork was the standard for other anime features to be compared to. It featured a story similar to what was witnessed in the original 'Macross' TV series, which was adapted in the U.S. into the first generation of the Robotech saga. It featured the SDF-1, redesigned Zentraedi (Exedore with a pulsating head, for example), and the classic love triangle between Hikaru ('Rick Hunter'), Misa Hayase ('Lisa Hayes'), and Lynn Minmei. But it also had some new twists and surprises. The movie became so popular, it is now considered the canonical ("true") beginning of the Macross mythos, rather than the series. Continued in "Macross II" and "Macross Plus".

The only problem to me, as most would agree, is the English dub. It brings things down quite a few notches. It's a lot like the voice-over soundtrack you'd hear in a Godzilla flick. Maybe I'd expect that from 'Rodan', but not 'Macross'. However...

'Superdimensional Fortress Macross' is available in English-subtitled VHS format, known as 'Macross '84: Do You Remember Love?'. I've seen this rendition, and consider it to be exceedingly superior to the English dub edition. Unfortunately, it has seen a limited release, mainly in the UK, and is extremely hard to find stateside. If you're able to track it down, this is the version I recommend you get.

Good Luck...

The best thing about this movie is the animation. For a 1980's anime, the animation in this movie is spectacular. It even rivals some of today's anime movies. The only real bad part of the movie is the dubbing, which was done in Hong Kong by actors who probably knew nothing of the Macross series which explains how dead the voice actors seem. I've read that people are complaining that this movie did not stay true to the Macross/Robotech story. First of all Robotech was the amalgamation of 3 unrelated anime TV series. The Macross saga which was part of Robotech was altered and edited to fit the Robotech story. The original Macross series is different. This movie's original title was "Do You Remember Love?". It is a fictional movie. It was designed to be a movie within a series. To explain it better, it was designed to be a movie made by the people of Macross about the Macross story or Space War one. For example, Hikaru Ichijo/Rick Hunter would have gone to see this movie. That's why it doesn't follow the events exactly in the Macross series. Also the screenplay suffers heavily because of the terrible translation and horrible voice acting. If you're a Macross fan, I definitely recommend this movie. To many Macross fans it is THE Macross movie. If you're not a Macross fan, I would still recommend this movie, b/c of its excellent animation and good story, but remember that it was made in the 80's and that the dubbing confuses the storyline.

Harmony Gold first released this to America as Robotech: Clash of the Bionoids and actually put in some theaters as Robotech the Movie. Which was actually an edited version of the movie you see before you now, Macross Super Dimensional Fortress. They did a hack job trying to convert this movie, based on the Japanese Macross series, to the American Robotech series. Actually, no conversion was actually done other then the cutting of some violent scenes(i.e. Zentradi commando gets turned into swiss cheese by Miriam), hence all the characters still go by their Japanese names: Hikaru(Rick), Misa(Lisa). Which confused a lot of Robotech fans, but in turn introducing them to the series' true roots, Macross. Anyhow, this version is the original movie in full and uncut with all the original scenes deleted by Harmony Gold and bad dubbing included. In terms of Anime though, this one definately goes down in the history books as a major player. After all these years, the animation still holds its own against newer stuff released today.

As many Robotech fans should know by now, what America knows to be the Robotech series, was actually based on 3 different Japanese Anime series that actually had no continuity between one another. Macross(Robotech Generation 1), Southern Cross(Generation 2), and Mospeada(Generation 3). Through some creative writing and dubbing, Harmony Gold (who acquired exclusive licensing rights to those 3 series for American release) managed to connect these series together forming the American Robotech saga. The Macross movie you see before you is actually based off of the Japanese movie Macross: Do You Remember Love, which is essentially a condensed version of the Japanese Macross series. Keeping in continuity though, this series would later spawn Macross II(OAV series), Macross Plus, and Macross 7.

If you can't find a good subtitled version, then this is your only choice for a piece of Macross history. Or you can always hope they'll release a digitally re-mastered DVD version in the future.

I'm sure it's been said, but this movie is the original 1984 movie, "Macross 1984: Ai, oboete imasu ka? (Do you remember love?)". An earlier review said this was released to theaters in the US as "Robotech: The Movie", and that is untrue; that was a dubbed/reedited version of Megazone 23, a totally different movie. *This* movie was only released in the US on video as "Clash of the Bionoids" and now rereleased with the original "Macross" title.
"Ai, oboete imasu ka?" is a two hour movie of one of the best anime to come out of Japan. It has *incredible* animation a terrific story to boot.

The story is basically a compressed version of the original Macross series (as distinguished from Robotech - I also love that, but it is *not* the original story of Macross) from approx episode 4 to episode 27, although it's been mismashed and reordered to make a similar, but different storyline. For example, Minmay is already famous and Hikaru is already in the military (and they're both already in deep space) before they ever meet. The same basic events happen, but not in the same way. It's actually pretty neat. In "Macross, A Future Chronicle" on the Macross Plus LD #1, this is explained as this movie being a "historical" movie about "real" events made *in the Macross universe* years after the first Space War.

HOWEVER, the version for sale here is dubbed, and really badly. Part of what made the real movie so great was the voice acting, and this one is missing it entirely. If you must see this movie, and I mean MUST, then this would be a decent rental choice, but not purchase. For less money you can go on Ebay and get a DVD or VCD with the original movie with subs (which is likely a bootleg, however). Maybe one day Animeigo or a similar company will get the buzz and put a GOOD subbed version out, but in the meantime, most people will have to deal with this.

Bottom line: if you can find this subbed, GET THAT ONE. If you cannot wait to see ir for the animation only, then rent this. But don't buy it.

This movie takes
the Robotech theme to the limit. I like Robotech, but since Robotech was targeted at a young audience, the violence and intensity of the fighting wasnt shown in its entirety. Also in Robotech you had the soap opera mentality to it, which kinda made me bored in some episodes. Finally Robotech has a lot of loose ends , the awful Robotech 2 Sentinels movie only made matters worse.

This movie tells the real tale of MACROSS (Robotech was the English name for Macross) and its real conclusions to the characters involved like Max and Miria. Whereas in the tv series they fall in love , in this movie they fight to the death (who falls in love during combat anyway) and its the REAL ending between them.

The mecha designs were and are revolutionary (Tatsunuko Productons and Bandai), and the character development done here is excellent done brilliantly by Shoji Kawamori and NOT Carl Macek. There is absolutely no flaw in this film and thats why 15 yrs to 18 yrs later it still beats the ... American cartoons and bad cartoons in general.

Get the uncut version as the American dubbed version
is horrible. The uncut Japanese version
has never been commercially released except in its birthplace Japan. Luckily several auction sellers sold off copies to lucky buyers.

... Watch this film, you wont regret.

Now available on DVD. Also Robotech BattleCry for PS2, Xbox
and Gameboy Advance, based on the movie and series are
coming out!!! Macross rules!!!

Macross the Movie (orginially released in Japan as Macross: Do you Remember Love) is the retelling of Macross the Television series created by the famed Shoji Kawamori who has brought many great anime and manga to life. First released in the United States as Clash of the Bionoids, a horribly dubbed and butchered version of an otherwise beautifully animated experience. The soundtrack to the movie is par-excellance. Though the dubbing is not as good as it could have been, it is still a must buy for any fan of Macross, Robotech, Anime, or all things Japanese.

Awesome future naval aircraft type, feature film. I recommend it in subtitle . It is so much better. The battle scenes,mech scenes and story line, is just superb! Macross Plus is ok, but Macross is what started it all. IT made history in my book and how I wish today's naval aviation would like to be. Don't forget, u must watch it subbed! Its to hokkie dubbed in english.

This anime is a must-have.
Its is more like the cream of the robotech macross saga but even much better.
The dubbing is abit bad but thats ok,we're used to bad dubbing here.
I loved this anime so much i bought the remastered japanese dvd version.

The VHS tape you are looking at is a dubbed version of the epic Japanese movie SUPERDIMENTIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS, DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE (DYRL). This movie was like the Japanese Star Wars back in the 80's and has been a base for many sequels and spin-offs including Macross 2 (spin-off) and Macross Plus, and also now in production is Macross Zero which is a prequel to this movie.

This movie is a retelling of Space War I, as first detailed in the Japanese TV series. No one will be disappointed with this film; it is simply one of the most beautiful movies ever created.

BTW: If you think that this movie has some connection with Robotech, you are wrong... Robotech is a lousy hack of the TV show in which this movie was based.