Product Details

• Actors: Jean-Claude Ballard, Cam Clarke, Rebecca Forstadt, Tony Oliver, Gregory Snegoff
• Directors: Robert V. Barron
• Format: Animated, Box set, Color, NTSC, Surround Sound
• Language: English
• Audio Description: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 17
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 18, 2011
• Run Time: 2028 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B005DTGAQQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,152 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #95 in Movies & TV > DVD > Anime

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Robotech (1985) was always an anomaly: an anime series that no Japanese viewer would recognize in its final form. Carl Macek and the crew at Harmony Gold edited together three similar-looking series from Tatsunoko Studios: Super Dimension Fortress: Macross, Genesis Climber Mospeada, and Super Dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross to create a sprawling 85-episode space opera with a completely new story. Robotech helped to create an audience for anime in America, and the toys, role-playing games, novelizations, and frequent reissues have kept it alive in the hearts of its fans for almost three decades. The First Robotech War (the Macross continuity) opens in 1999, when a gigantic spaceship strikes the Earth at Macross Island in the Pacific. After a decade of analysis, repair, and study, the Earth forces are preparing to relaunch the SDF-1 when the alien Zentraedi attack, hoping to capture it. The filmmakers introduce the main characters during the initial attacks and counterattacks: brash pilot Rick Hunter, dashing commander Roy Fokker, SDF-1 Captain Gloval and his assistant Lisa Hayes, and aspiring singer Minmei. The Zentraedi attack Earth with 4.8 million vessels, an assault complicated by the rebel Zentraedi captain Khyron. A climactic battle pits the SDF-1 and the new SDF-2 against Khyron. The Second Robotech War (Robotech Masters or Southern Cross) begins 15 years after the previous adventure. Half-Zentraedi/half-human Dana Sterling becomes a squadron commander as the Robotech Masters attack Earth to recapture the mysterious Protoculture factory, which was hidden in the SDF-1. But the Masters cannot control Zor Prime, a clone of the inventor of Protoculture. Having tasted freedom and love, Zor Prime defies the Masters and destroys what amounts to a high-tech slave culture. But the Second Robotech War ends as the first did, in a Pyrrhic victory. The Robotech Masters have been destroyed, but much of the Earth has been devastated--again. The Third Robotech War (previously packaged as the "New Generation" Mospeada) begins when the alien Invid have conquered Earth under the Regis. The only opposition to their tyranny comes from the survivors of Admiral Rick Hunter's space fleet and a few rebels who emerge victorious after numerous battles. Faced with imminent defeat, the Regis, who invaded Earth, delivers an address denouncing war to Scott's crew and transports her people "to a higher plane." It's a surprisingly lame conclusion to three interstellar wars. Nearly 30 years since its debut, Robotech looks decidedly primitive. The crudely drawn space battles and explosions reveal just how much computer animation has contributed to contemporary anime. Gen X-ers who grew up watching Robotech will delight in retracing its convoluted story; viewers accustomed to the faster-moving, more dramatic conflicts of recent anime will grow impatient with the leaden pace and endless repetitions. This latest edition comes with a disc of extras, many of which have appeared before. (Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and older: machine on machine violence.) --Charles Solomon

(1. Booby Trap, 2. Countdown, 3. Space Fold, 4. The Long Wait, 5. Transformation, 6. Blitzkrieg, 7. Bye Bye Mars, 8. Sweet Sixteen, 9. Miss Macross, 10. Blind Game, 11. First Contact, 12. The Big Escape, 13. Blue Wind, 14. Gloval's Report, 15. Homecoming, 16. Battle Cry, 17. Phantasm, 18. Farewell, Big Brother, 19. Bursting Point, 20. Paradise Lost, 21. A New Dawn, 22. Battle Hymn, 23. Reckless, 24. Showdown, 25. Wedding Bells, 26. The Messenger, 27. Force of Arms, 28. Reconstruction Blues, 29. Robotech Masters, 30. Viva Miriya, 31. Khyron's Revenge, 32. Broken Heart, 33. A Rainy Night, 34. Private Time, 35. Season's Greetings, 36. To the Stars, 37. Dana's Story, 38. False Start, 39. Southern Cross, 40. Volunteers, 41. Half Moon, 42. Danger Zone, 43. Prelude to Battle, 44. The Trap, 45. Metal Fire, 46. Stardust, 47. Outsiders, 48. Déjà Vu, 49. A New Recruit, 50. Triumvirate, 51. Clone Chamber, 52. Love Song, 53. The Hunters, 54. Mind Game, 55. Dana in Wonderland, 56. Crisis Point, 57. Day Dreamer, 58. Final Nightmare, 59. The Invid Connection, 60. Catastrophe, 61. The Invid Invasion, 62. The Lost City, 63. Lonely Soldier Boy, 64. Survival, 65. Curtain Call, 66. Hard Times, 67. Paper Hero, 68. Eulogy, 69. The Genesis Pit, 70. Enter Marlene, 71. The Secret Route, 72. The Fortress, 73. Sandstorm, 74. Annie's Wedding, 75. Separate Ways, 76. Metamorphosis, 77. The Midnight Sun, 78. Ghost Town, 79. Frostbite, 80. Birthday Blues, 81. Hired Gun, 82. The Big Apple, 83. Reflex Point, 84. Dark Finale, 85. Symphony of Light)

Product Description

ROBOTECH is a sweeping science-fiction anime epic of humans defending their home world against alien domination. The saga is told through the eyes of characters caught up in a series of wars that erupts when a mysterious spacecraft crash-lands on Earth at the turn of the millennium. The secrets of alien knowledge aboard this vessel were unlocked, leading to the development of "Robotechnology" and the creation of a vast arsenal of robotic "mecha" to defend the Earth against the alien threats that would eventually strike to lay claim to the mysterious power source known as "protoculture."

Carl Macek’s groundbreaking sci fi epic has enthralled audiences since it first appeared on American television in 1985. One of the first-ever anime imports, this saga spans three generations of mankind’s fight for freedom.

ROBOTECH: THE COMPLETE SERIES contains the remastered versions of all 85 episodes from the three Robotech Wars: THE MACROSS SAGA, THE ROBOTECH MASTERS and THE NEW GENERATION.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovingly Assembled And Comprehensive Reissue--Classic Anime Gets A Deluxe Treatment September 30, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

The beloved anime classic "Robotech" was certainly one of the earliest and most influential imports to hit U.S. television in the mid-eighties. Many attribute its success to helping launch an entire industry. The complete collection of eighty-five episodes has been released many times through the years with increasingly confusing titles and varying degrees of quality. But I'm pleased to report that this reissue is NOT just some slapdash repackage haphazardly arranged for a quick buck! No, this is one of the most lovingly recreated box sets that you're likely to encounter. And this series and its fans really deserve it! The designers worked closely with original "Robotech" producer Harmony Gold to present the episodes in a new re-mastered quality and with countless original special features. In terms of visual quality, this ranks as the crispest presentation of the franchise that I've ever seen--although keep in mind, it is a classic series that will never look as pristine as its contemporary counterparts have the potential of being. Without a doubt, this is an easy recommendation for fans discovering the series for the first time. If, however, you own previous versions--the upgrade is essential only in how invested you are in the extras (which I will speak to shortly). I will say that the Complete Collection is a 17 disc limited edition with 4 discs (individually cased and in an outer slipcase)--one for each of the three segments of the series, one for special features. In all, there are over ten hours of optional features.

Obviously, I will not dissect the plot of the entire show--but I do want to include some information for a new generation of viewers. A true epic told in three distinct parts, this tale begins with the discovery of an alien spacecraft and the impressive technology it presents. Using this information, Earth is able to construct a mechanized army using advanced robotics that will arm them against the potential alien threat. A mysterious power source (protoculture) is at stake and the invaders will not relent until it is theirs. Told in three successive stories, this is classic mecha anime, great action and riveting drama. If you think the Transformers are cool, I'd suggest this is actually much better! "Robotech" was technically brought together from three separate anime series, but Harmony Gold brilliantly assembled them into consecutive generations of the same story. For reference sake, there is the Macross Saga (First Robotech War with 36 episodes), the Robotech Masters (Second Robotech War with 24 episodes), and the New Generation (Third Robotech War with 25 episodes). Any of these will hold up on their own (and they are being released separately as well--without the 4 bonus discs of extras) but the series achieves its true genius in its entirety.

What makes this an incredible new edition, besides print quality, is the abundance of extra material. While (as of 9/30/11) this information is listed with the product description, I will highlight my favorites in case the product description eventually merges with previous releases (as happens often here) and becomes more confusing to potential collectors.

Exclusive Features NEW to this set: Making of Robotech documentary (terrific for true fans), Robotech Music Videos (fun if not essential), Robotech Overview (surprisingly informative), Alternate versions of several episodes (another great feature for fans), Robotech: The Movie supplementals (didn't really care), Macross Original Pilot (great bonus), Promotional Reel about China Launch (didn't really care). In addition to all this new material, some noteworthy returning features include deleted scenes, The Sentinels, original pilots, and original animation as well as other press related and promotional features.

Again, if you already own "Robotech," this double dip is only necessary based on how valuable you think the extra content will be. I loved the comprehensiveness of this new version and the loving detail used to reconstruct all these great features. If you've never taken the "Robotech" plunge, however, now is the time! An awesome and important series with a box set befitting its classic status. KGHarris, 9/11.

44 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Robotech August 30, 2011

By Justin Ordonez

Format:DVD

I thought I'd leave a 5 Star review to balance out the one below.

Look, it's unlikely we're going to get the entire show redone to Blu Ray standards. Even if we could, it'd still be in the 4:3 presentation. So if Harmony Gold released a Blu Ray edition, it would essentially be the DVDs on Blu Ray - now that would be ripping off the public.

This release is simply to keep the show stocked for new fans, completists or old fans that need to replace the discs.

As a Robotech fan who lived for years and years with incomplete releases (The Perfect Collection from Streamline comes to mind or the mind blowing 2 episodes per tape FHE release [that was a rip off], Sci Fi played the show, but they also edited it to fit in more commercials, I could go on), I still kind of marvel at how effective robotech.com has been at unifying the fan base and keeping the show in the market.

Lord knows, the 90s were dark times...

So be careful what you wish for. Robotech has a large fan base, but it's nothing like Transformers (to use another 80s tv animation). If this show doesn't make constant efforts to stay fresh and make new fans, it'll basically disappear again.

With no new content down the pipeline (that we really know about, I'm not counting the movie, which I don't think will ever be made, Maguire just bought the rights cause it was there to be bought, but I digress...), Robotech may be on the endangered species list (again) soon. It's come back from near death quite a few times, but it's never taken over the market in the way it so deserves, or in a manner that guarantees its prominence 10, 20, 30 years into the future.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Woth Buying Again? June 25, 2012

By Brian J. Mcafee

Format:DVD

Some of you do not own a Robotech box set. For you, I would say, "Get this, its the best of the various Box Sets that have been released." For those of you who already own one, the question is more complex.

There are some differences between this box set and ones that came before. First, new and improved opening/credit sequences, with a distinctive credit sequence for each of the three sagas. It looks good. I'm a hardcore Robotech fan, and even I can admit that this is an improvement. Also, the sound has been re-done. A lot of the sound effects are more in line with the original (and I do mean original) airing of the series in '85. If you watched the series when it first aired, you may have noticed that the DVDs seemed slightly different from what you remembered watching it on TV. That is because the original airing was done so soon after the completion of the series that the audio was not the "final" version. Actually, when the series was re-run on TV even in the '80s, it had the final audio in it, which was different from the initial airing. Many fans say they liked the original, which emphasized the effects over the music, among other things. This box set is closer to the original airing, and if you own the older dvd versions, you can compare and definitely tell the difference. Personally, I like the new audio.

For those of you who are holding out for a Blu-Ray version, dont. Harmony Gold has said that this version is about as restored as it is possible to do with the footage. It just isn't going to get any better, and the benefit of putting it on Blu-Ray is negligable, especially for the cost. They are very happy with the price range, and want to keep it in the impulse buy area. Blu-Ray is not in the cards, at least not any time soon.