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Jun 22, 2008
When it was initially released, Macross: Do You Remember Love? was a benchmark by which other anime films would be judged. Its beautiful, detailed animation holds up even today, over 20 years later. This is in no small part due to the always gorgeous work of character designer Mikimoto Haruhiko, and now-legendary mechanical designer Kawamori Shoji.
In comparison to the TV series, Do You Remember Love? solves a lot of the problems people have with it. The animation holds up much better. There are no shortcuts or sudden drops in quality due to budget constraints. In addition, the movie format cuts a lot of the slower
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parts of the story that put off some fans. The pace is much more consistent, and downtime is minimal.
On the downside, the shorter format sends any development of minor characters out the window. Roy and Claudia's relationship, Max and Milia's relationship, all personality of Kanzaki, the bridge bunnies, and all of the Zentradi... these aspects are all greatly cut back if not gone altogether. This is a typical consequence of converting TV series to feature film format, so it's not something one can hold against Do You Remember Love. However, you will feel a better connection to these characters if you've seen the TV series first.
The music utilizes many of Minmay's songs from the TV series, with the addition of the title track "Do You Remember Love?" The song itself becomes a major plot point, and at about 9 minutes in length plays over the whole climactic battle sequence. Iijima Mari was also propelled into pop stardom in her own right due to the mainstream popularity of the single.
I definitely recommend Do You Remember Love? to anyone interested in the Macross franchise, as well as anyone interested in the best of 80's anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 22, 2008
I'm one of what is probably the most rare breed of western anime fans, those who will defend Macross 7. While not masterpiece of the anime art form, there is a lot to like about Macross 7. Since the series is so polarizing among fans, I'll take a pros vs. cons approach.
Pros:
1. Music. While obviously a matter of taste, I find most of Fire Bomber's songs quite enjoyable. They're one of the few anime soundtracks I will listen to on their own merits.
2. Fun factor. Basara is genuinely entertaining to watch.
3. Nostalgia. There are numerous ties to the original series, and it's interesting to see
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how things developed. Most notably, it's great to see Max and Milia again. Also, it continues the concept of the colony fleets introduced in Macross Flashback 2012.
4. Focus on characters. While ostensibly a mecha series, the focus of the story is on the characters. Fire Bomber's road to stardom, Basara's quest to move people's hearts with his music, Mylene growing up and understanding her own feelings for Basara and Gamlin, reconciling Max and Milia's relationship, etc. If you avoid mecha shows because they have too much technobabble and focus on the robots more than characters, this is not a problem here.
Cons:
1. Music. Some people hate it. If you don't like pop/rock, especially of a Japanese variety, you will be assaulted by it for the duration of the series.
2. Use of stock footage. Especially early on, there is an extreme use of stock battle footage of VF-11's and Elgarzorenes fighting.
3. Lack of focus on mecha. Fans expecting to have lots of cool animation of all the new Valkyrie models introduced here will be sorely disappointed. I recommend you pick up the VF-X games for the Playstation instead to get that fix.
Macross fans should give the series a chance, and don't give up on it too soon. This is certainly one of those anime deserving of the time honored line "it gets better later." Just be aware of what kind of show this is you're getting into. Macross 7's greatest flaw is simply that it isn't what people expected of a continuation of Macross.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 22, 2008
Gundam X gets a bad reputation much of the time due to the fact that it was canceled—the only Gundam since the original to get cut short. We'll probably never know what set of circumstances led to the early end of its broadcast in Japan, but there is one thing I can say. Much like the original Gundam series, Gundam X was extremely underappreciated in its time.
In a technical sense, the art, music and sound effects are roughly equal to Gundam Wing. They were produced back to back, so this is expectable. If you've seen Gundam Wing, then you know what Gundam X looks and
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sounds like.
What really sets Gundam X apart, especially from its immediate predecessor, is its characters. Gundam X is full of characters that you can actually care about. In particular, Garrod and Tifa's relationship is extremely genuine and endearing. This is quite a feat for a genre of anime not particularly well known for being able to develop a believable romance.
The plot of Gundam X is well paced, keeping a good momentum and tension throughout. Each episode tends to leave you hanging, and craving more. This structure worked well for Escaflowne, and it works very well here too.
Overall, don't write this Gundam off just because you heard it got canceled. I consider this the best of the AU Gundam series, and enjoy it on the same level as the original series. Any Gundam or mecha fan should see this series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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