Customer Reviews

Robotech - The Macross Saga - Legacy Collection 3

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Of all 7 volumes of the Robotech DVD box sets, this is the one to get. It includes episodes 25-36 of the Macross Saga, which covers some of the grandest moments of the Robotech saga. Included here are the destruction and rebirth of Earth, the Sterling wedding, Lisa and Rick finally falling in love, and a lot more. Here is a summary of the episodes:

25: Wedding Bells: The alien fighter ace Miriya Parino meets her match in human Max Sterling. Since she can't kill him, she does the next best thing...Marries him!

26: The Messenger: With the destruction of Earth nearing, a group of aliens (Zentraedi) form an alliance with Earth to prevent their own destruction.

27: Force Of Arms: The Earth is devastated in a horrifying attack.

28: Reconstruction Blues: Two years after the global holocaust, Earth is being rebuilt. All is not peaceful, however, and old conflicts threaten to flare up again.

29: Robotech Masters: The Zentraedi living on Earth continue to grow disillusioned as the Robotech Masters leave their homeworld to head for Earth...and battle with the humans!

30: Viva Miriya: Our heroes attack the last enemy weapons factory with their secret weapon...a baby????!!!!

31: Khyron's Revenge: The renegade alien warlord Khyron attacks a peaceful city.

32: Broken Heart: Khyron holds singing star Lynn Minmei hostage.

33: A Rainy Night: Claudia Grant and Lisa Hayes discuss loves lost and still to come.

34: Private Time: Rick abandons Lisa for a date with that sniveling pop star, Lynn Minmei.

35: Season's Greetings: Khyron the alien warlord attacks Macross City in a quest to destroy as many humans as possible.

36: To The Stars: Our heroes must stop Khyron's attack, but some of them will pay the ultimate price while the rest are changed forever.

These episodes include some of the high points of the series, and represented here are all of the facets that made Robotech such a splendid Sci-Fi experience. Space battles, cheesy pop songs, introspective moments of philosophizing...it's all here. This really is the best segment of the Robotech series.

Also included on the bonus DVD is the OAV sequel "The Sentinels", which follows Rick, Lisa, Miriya and the rest as they set out to make peace with the Robotech Masters but end up fighting the most ruthless enemy of all, the Invid. This action-oriented follow-up was never completed, but the first six episodes were edited together into this smashing sequel. "The Sentinels" will not be available anywhere other than this box set, so this really is the one to get.

A few words of caution: The sound for Robotech was recorded only in mono, so that's what we get on this DVD. Also, the video transfer is a bit grainy. The quality is at least as good as the aired versions or the VHS tapes released earlier, but has not been cleaned up a whole lot for the DVD. For these two reasons only I gave this DVD box set 4 stars instead of 5. Still, I loved it and will watch it over and over.

The Robotech Legacy: Macross Saga Collection 3, a three disc collection, contains episodes 25 through 36 of the legendary anime series from the mid 1980s. The first two discs contain six episodes each. The third disc contains the "Exclusive DVD feature presentation" of "Robotech II: The Sentinels," the little seen feature film of the aborted "Season Two" of Robotech. It is only available if you purchase this boxed set. Out of all the releases, the special feature makes this 3rd Boxed Set Collection a MUST OWN!!!

Set in the 21st century, Robotech was the most popular of the Americanized Japanese anime series to hit American TV waves during the 1970s and 1980s. 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.

Robotech's sweeping saga spanned three generations, weaving together three separate actual Japanese anime series. The basic story premise is that the earth became forever changed when a mysterious alien battleship crashed on earth. The people of the world, now knowing that they are not alone, end all wars and unite to assimilate the advanced technology and prepare for the inevitable alien invasion that is sure to come. As the story unfolds mankind would go on to become embattled in an intergalactic struggle, battling three separate alien races over the next 60 years.

This volume chronicles the dramatic conclusion of the first season - The Macross Saga. In this collection we see the dramatic (and destructive) climax of the Zentraedi - Earth war and its fallout as well as the final resolution to the love triangle between Rick, Lisa and Minmei, as well as foreshadowing of events to come.

Here's a listing of what you'll find on these discs.

Disc 1: War and Peace

Episode 25 - Wedding Bells: The unusual courtship of Max and Miriya which leads to the historic union between mankind and Zentraedi.

Episode 26 - The Messenger: Exedore visits the SD-F1 on a historic mission. Also, Dolza's sentence: Death to All!!!

Episode 27 - Force of Arms: The historic final confrontation between Earth's defenders and Dolza's armada of 6 million. An unlikely alliance and an unconventional counter attack. Plus, Rick saves Lisa from what remains of the Earth...

Episode 28 - Reconstruction Blues: Set two years after Dolza's attack, the Earth's survivors attempt to rebuild their lives, Zentraedi survivors and renegades roam the earth. Also, Lisa's feelings for Rick continue to grow...

Episode 29 - Robotech Masters: Amidst problems with Kyle, Minmei returns to visit her family and starts to realize her true feelings for Rick. Restless Zentraedi renegades cause havoc. Also, who are the Robotech Masters?

Episode 30 - Viva Miriya: Rick, Lisa, Max, Miriya (w/ baby Dana) and Claudia join Breetai on a secret mission to a Robotech Fortress... Also, the Robotech Masters make Zor???

Disc 2: The Final Conflict

Episode 31 - Khyron's Revenge: The origins of Robotechnology and the Zentraedi race are finally revealed. Also, Khyron returns - with a vengeance!!!

Episode 32 - Broken Heart: Rick is off to the rescue after Khyron kidnaps Minmei and Kyle.

Episode 33 - A Rainy Night: Despondent over fears of losing Rick to Minmei, Lisa turns to Claudia who shares the woes over her initial courtship with the late Roy Fokker...

Episode 34 - Private Time: DOH!!! Rick stands up Lisa for a rendezvous with Minmei. Plus, more Zentraedi rebellion.

Episode 35 - Season's Greetings: Low on protoculture Khyron attacks on Christmas. Also, lost and with nowhere to go, Minmei moves in with Rick.

Episode 36 - To The Stars: The dramatic conclusion to the Macross Saga. Khyron's final offensive, Lisa's finally admits her feelings to Rick and Rick's final decision: Lisa or Minmei??? Plus, a sign of things to come.

Disc 3: Elements of Robotechnology III

This is the "Special DVD features" disc that contains all the DVD extras. Compared to the previous releases THIS IS THE GEM OF THE BUNCH. It is only purchasable with the Boxed Set. On this disc you'll find the following:

1. Feature Film: Robotech II: The Sentinels. MUST SEE, this is the "sequel" to the original 85 episode series picking up right after the Macross Saga. Find out what happens to Rick, Lisa, Minmei, Max, Miriya and all the rest. The story picks up 9 years after the last episode of the Macross Saga as the REF gets ready to depart for the Robotech Masters' Homeworld. It ties up all the lose storylines from all 3 generations.

2. Audio Commentary with Carl Macek: Another MUST LISTEN. Macek voice-overs the feature presentation once again offering insights not only into the storyline of Robotech, but also it's production as well as the animation world as well.

3. Robotech II: The Sentinels promo: 10 minute promo highlighting scenes from the aborted 65 episode Sentinels series.

4. Character and Mecha sheets from the Sentinels

5. Bios for characters from the Sentinels. Great background info revealing a lot of the storylines of what would have been...

Out of all the releases so far this is the MUST OWN. The Sentinels features on the E3 disc is a MUST HAVE for all true fans of the series as you'll see what would have been in store had the series continued into a second season.

Robotech is BY FAR one of THE BEST animation products EVER. 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. Honestly, watching these episodes now I can honestly say that they are better than I remember. You can't lose!!!

MUST OWN!!!

The Macross saga of Robotech finally winds up with this box set (the last 12 shows on 2 discs), as well as the Sentinels feature film salvaged from what was to be a new series that got the axe after the completion of only a handful of episodes. Like the previous Robotech DVDs released thus far, the picture & sound quality of the episodes aren't too much better than their VHS counterparts. But, at least they're now preserved on a more durable format. Also, with six eppies per platter, you're savin' a lotta shelf space compared to the old VHS tapes which held, at most, 4 shows per. Now you have a place to put some of your other fave 80's `toonage platters! Gotta give He-Man & the ThunderCats their little niches too, you know?

This particular box set is the only way to get The Sentinels on DVD, which is the bonus disc's main feature. Speaking of the bonus disc, it has its good points and bad points. The 10-minute-long Sentinels promo featurette included a nice amount of scenes created for the aborted series which never made it into the video-release movie. Some of the dialogue, however, was re-dubbed using different voice actors. Then there's the movie itself. I was somewhat disappointed by the picture quality-- it wasn't all that different from what I used to see when I had it on VHS. The sound quality's not all that different, either. On the upside, though: like the other two platters included in this set, at least I don't have to worry about the disc deteriorating after several viewings like I would've with video tape (granted I take good care of the disc's playing surface, `natch).

Writer/producer Carl Macek's feature-length commentary for `The Sentinels' doesn't cover too much on the making of the series/movie per se. Rather, he discusses how Japanese anime is conceptualized and produced, its history, and the differences between anime and American animation. His commentary is taken directly from Robotech Art 3, which he authored. I happen to own a copy of this particular publication, so in my case his verbal commentary didn't really cover any new ground. However, since the Robotech Art Books have been out of print for several years, and thus are very hard to find, it'll likely be quite new to most viewers. Just don't expect to be wowed by Macek's delivery-- he's a pretty soft-spoken guy!

Also included are character & mecha sketches, many of which haven't been published before. And, like the previous Robotech Legacy Collection bonus DVDs, this one includes various scenes from the Macross saga in various European languages. Sadly, I think most of the foreign dubs sound better than the English (American) dubs! The Euro voice actors really took pride in their work!

`Late

Post Script: I'd actually give this only 3.5 stars were it possible. But, since there's no such rating classification, I rounded up my rating to the nearest star.

'Late (for real this time!)

For those of you who are robotech fans, and also for you who do not know Robotech... this is an ESSENTIAL purchase. Robotech manages to appeal to all generations all over the world, because of it's solid story telling, and complex plot. Robotech boasts some Amazing animation, and a superb soundtrack.

Don't let reports of bad picture or sound quality bother you.... it's robotech in it's original form... and the best I've ever seen it look or sound !!!!

You just have to buy one of the 3 Macross Saga sets, and the rest will follow automatically (You'll just HAVE to see the rest)

Enjoy !

Robotech has always been in my life. I don't remember ever watching Bert and Ernie or Mr. Rogers or anything like that as a child--I would just vaguely remember Lynn Minmei in her red Chinese dress. As a middle schooler, I thought I would grow up to be like Miriya and become an ace fighter pilot (Ha!). It's funny how things change, but now, as a college student, I appreciate not only the whole story but the love triangle in the story--especially Minmei, who always came across as an annoying little... But having experienced a love triangle of my own, I have come to sympathize (sp?) with her.
Anyway, the Robotech series is a classic that everyone should experience watching (even if you're like me and don't like Japanimation--Robotech is different!). These particular DVD's sadly bring the conclusion of one of the greatest stories of all time. Why is the story so great? Well, there's action, drama, comedy, romance, etc. There is also a great number of characters that the viewers come to care about, and each of them, with their own uniqueness, contribute to the greatness of the Macross story. The main character is Rick Hunter, who follows the footsteps of his best friend Roy Fokker and joins the Robotech forces against the 40 feet tall alien Zentradai that have come for the SDF-1 (a huge alien ship that the humans have transformed for their own protection). Rick Hunter falls in love with Lynn Minmei, who later becomes a famous entertainer, and forms a strong relationship with his commanding officer Lisa Hayes throughout the series. And then there is Max Sterling, the modest ace pilot of the SDF-1, who constantly out-manuevers Miriya, the Zentradai ace pilot of the elite Quadrono Squadron. (My favorite episode is "Farewell Big Brother" when they first combat each other).
I also commend the writers of Robotech for having such strong female characters, like Claudia, who is a solid rock to all around her.
Although the Sentinels return to some of the old Macross characters with new and interesting ones, I don't think it's as good as Macross. So it makes me sad everytime I watch the very last scene of Macross and hear Minmei's song bringing it all to a close...
"...a world of things we've never seen before
where silver suns have golden moons
each year has thirteen Junes
that's what must be for me
to be in love..."

I'll have to admit being a bit biased here since I ordered all 3 Macross boxed sets at once. After watching the first 2 boxes the last still managed to come up with a surprise for me. Ofcourse it features the last episodes of the Macross saga, but the bonus DVD is also worth some attention IMO... Ever heard of Robotech II (the original feature length film produced for the aborted 65 episode of Sentinels) which has the marriage between Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes ? I once had this film on VHS and now I'm glad that I regained it since it makes a good addition to the Macross collection.

To put it blunt (damn, this almost sounds like some commercial yet isn't intended that way): if you got the 1st 2 boxed sets then its hard to get around this one since its a must have. If you got that far its time to complete it, you'll regret it otherwise.. I took these steps myself and I never regretted it.

One small advice; be prepared for a shocking ending....

By that I mean the picture quality is like the TV version. If you loved robotech then get it, it's better then the runned out VHS or RealPlayer converts. The only annoying thing was that every episode is like the TV series so you get the intro-outtro and the breaks for commercial.

I was overjoyed when I found out that the 3rd boxset would come with a bonus DVD of Robotech II: The Sentinels. These episodes were commissioned by Matchbox, Int. and Harmony Gold after the original Robotech released. Sadly, the series was discontinued due to funding problems. Robotech II: The Sentinels was released for a short time on VHS many years ago. To find a copy most people would go to Ebay or a similar place to obtain it, since it was rare to have. A great bonus.

just wonderful. it's kinda hard to say more than what has been said about the previous two series. i'm just very happy that they are putting the entire 85 episodes out on dvd. it makes a fan like me quite happy and willing to purchase all of them. thanks for giving some great entertainment to a young kid at heart.

The closing of the Macross Saga is phenomenal. I have been very impressed, thus far with the three sets. You even get what was released for Robotech II, the Sentinels. If you are an anime fan, Robotech is what started it all.