Macross II Anime Film, True Masterpiece! **Heavy Spoilers!**

[retroborg]

I watched Macross II Movie (DVD) and I must say it was a fantastic film, a true masterpiece!

Here are my thoughts and feelings about the film.

It featured everything a self respecting Anime should deliver.
Awesome animation, epic intergalactic battles, a dramatic / sad story line / plot and a fantastic sound track.

The voice acting in both the US & Japanese versions were very well performed, but my favorite factor in the film was its music.

When Hibiki takes Ishtar to the Moon festival and they listen to Wendy’s Love Song for the first time, with all the fans cheering inside the amphitheatre under the glass dome and the flagship Gloria in orbit, was my favorite moment by far!
I love Lady Ishtar’s ecstatic expressions of joy and happiness. She then reveals her wish to Hibiki, which was to sing the song of love to her own people and bring them peace.

Later on, another very dramatic and shocking moment was when Ishtar starts singing the song of love at the Alus Nova chamber inside the alien flagship, (Sarride) bringing confusion to the Zendraedi soldiers. The outraged Emperor then orders the executioner death ship to cleanse the polluted flagship by blasting it with its laser beams.

Lord Feff and Lady Ishtar, manage to fly out of the doomed flagship inside a battle Mech, just in the brink of time!
As they watch the large nuclear explosion of the Sarride from afar, Ishtar cries for the loss of lady Elensh, but Lord Feff replies:

“Behold, Ishtar…This is the will of Ingues, lord emperor of the Mardook. And this is the result of what you have done!”

The order given by the Emperor to his soldiers is equally dramatic (And very Japanese in style if I may say so)

"Soldiers sworn to the Mardook discipline… In the name of our culture, crush these arrogant vermin!
In this universe nothing exists which can overpower us!
Therefore, resisting our conquest is impossible.
In the name of the Mardook, destroy!"

The final battle between the U.N Spacey forces and the Mardook fleet is one of the best in any Macross / Robotech film.
The music used for the battle scene is just perfect, as you watch the ships mobilizing for the imminent battle to come!
The two huge fleets engage in a devastating clash, in close proximity to the moon’s orbit.
At first impression, it would seem that the earth’s fleet gains the upper hand by wiping out 60% of the Mardook fleet in a single blow after using four Macross cannons, but all of a sudden, a huge wave of enemy ships de-folds and begins hammering the outnumbered earth fleet with a devastating laser storm!
The entire fleet, the Macross Cannons & the Gloria Flagship it self are destroyed!

What’s interesting is that the Earth side fleets, in all the battles that take place in the film; consist almost primarily of old Zendraedi style battle cruisers also seen in the older Macross DYRL film & the Robotech series.

An apocalyptic dialogue that reveals the true feelings of Lord Feff for Lady Ishtar, takes place at the hangar of the Mardook command ship.
Lord Feff releases Ishtar, but before she leaves, he tells her:

"I know no other life but one of a proud Mardook soldier, in service to lord Emperor Ingues.
I will only cease fighting at my death.
Ishtar you must leave now before I regain my senses.
And remember what is my sworn duty. To the Mardook you died by my hand.
No one will know my failure that I dare to love above my people."

Finally, at the earth’s siege, in the last decisive battle over the scourged earth landscape, Ishtar sings the song of hope and sends to everyone the gentleness of her own heart and saves her people from the dictator.

I find Wendy Ryder’s love song (Japanese) (At the Moon festival) better than Minmay’s “Do you Remember Love” song from Macross DYRL and superior to the English translated version “We Will Win” song, from Harmony’s Gold Robotech series imo.
Same goes for “The Hush of Two Hundred Million Years” intro song (Japanese) compared to Macross DYRL & Robotech intros imo.

Overall, Macross II is definitely one of the best Anime films and should be placed in the hall of all time classics!


Lady Ishtar


Macross VF:


Lord Feff and Lady Ishtar at the Hangar:


Lord Emperor Ingues


Lady Ishtar Concept Art.


SDF-1 Fortress


A few nice Wallpapers / Flyers:

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/2453/ishtari4wo.jpg
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/2...ross53b4eh.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/577...lue10249ke.jpg
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7007/ishtar14oy.jpg
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/6...ross11b2jn.jpg

[e-LAN-go]

I've never seen Macross 2 but I'd recommend you check out Macross Zero as it has some of the best cgi animation and dog fighting I've ever seen in an anime.

http://anidb.info/perl-bin/animedb.p....search=search

[retroborg]

Yes, I watched the 1st episode of Zero last summer, but it was in Japanese (No subs), so I'll have to check on that again.
Excellent animation, I agree!
It was Xvid encoding.

Another anime I have to watch, is the "Area 88" remake, even though I prefer the original 1984 verison.


By the way, anyone know the exact name of Wendy Ryder’s love song (Japanese) (At the Moon festival)?

It's pretty short (Less than 2min...)

I'd like to buy the soundtrack just for that song!

[Stewart]

Pah. Its got nothing on Trap Door.

Or Penny Crayon.

[Yohji]

I've got Macross Plus, and found it a bit boring really :/

[Kaine (AoD)]

Originally Posted by Stewart

Or Penny Crayon.

i'd have to agree there but not with the first ^ ^ although it was good hehe

well had a "crush" on her when i was young ;P loooool

[Stewart]

You had a crush on Penny Crayon?

Top man.

[Kaine (AoD)]

i mean... cmon man ^ ^ when i was bout 6... that was one damn hot chick! ^ ^

[loki]

I've got a few macross dvds but i happened to watch super dimensional fortress macross first which i recon is one of the worst things i have ever seen so i haven't watched any of the others. I believe this is the film i am thinking of. She stops a cosmic war by singing...
If Britney Spears tried that in iraq, there would be a truce to shut her up.

Also is it me or does penny crayon not look remotely female?

[Nacrisa]

I saw Macross Plus a while back and really liked it- I thought the soundtrack was ace too (Yoko Kanno).
Maybe I'll get round to checking out Macross II...

lol @ penny crayon!

[retroborg]

I personally liked the Metal Siren Valkyrie and the UN Spacy Flagship Gloria.

Metal Siren:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...-prototype.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...highoutput.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...ms-gerwalk.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...ms-fighter.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s-battroid.jpg

Gloria:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...ero/gloria.jpg

If you look closely at the Macross Cannons, you'll see that the cannons themselves are parts of Zentradi style battleships.

Macross Cannon:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...on-carrier.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...non-attack.jpg

Zentradi Style Battleship:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...-vergnitzs.jpg

[beanbandit]

Good read, personally i'm not the biggest fan of Macross 2, having seen it so many years ago it may be worth a revisited, but i wouldn't put it in my top 50 Anime list.

If your into Macross then a couple of books that need to be in your collection.

Book Of Valkyries:Tenjin Hidetaka Art Works of Macross
Kawamori Shoji Design Works
I've got the first one and the artwork is stunning, the second one is currently somewhere between Japan and the UK and you can also find a review of it on the MacrossWorld website.

[retroborg]

Yes, these 2 books look stunning!
I'll be sure to add them in my collection when I get paid.
Thanks!

By the way, I'm a Mecha fan not just Macross, so what other similar books do you suggest?
Thanks in advance.

[beanbandit]

Originally Posted by retroborg

Yes, these 2 books look stunning!
I'll be sure to add them in my collection when I get paid.
Thanks!

By the way, I'm a Mecha fan not just Macross, so what other similar books do you suggest?
Thanks in advance.

I haven't bought art books for a few years now, the Macross ones just looked too good. I like all sorts of art books from Sailor Moon (years before its western release) to Gundam but by far and away the best books are the Intron Depot series by Masamune Shirow, its not all mecha, lots of character designs but it does cover Ghost In The Shell, M66, Appleseed etc.

The best way is to use the Hobbylink website and look for books in the series that you like, most hits will give you a few shots of some of the pictures from the book. Oh and be quick on the Book Of Valkyries, its out of print and Ebay was the best option after lots of hunting.