Macross: Do You Remember Love?

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 ... 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.

I just saw this for the first time, 20+ years after production and I am seriously impressed with this reinterpretation. I was/am a Minmay hater. She was the main reason why I couldn't get into the Macross tv series. But, she's actually likeable in this version. You almost can't hate her.

What I really enjoyed about this version is Misa Hayase's softer/vulnerable side. I think her sensitivity wasn't as obvious in the Robotech Macross series (or maybe my memory is just fuzzy because it was a long time ago). Here, while only a two hour film, her personality is quite likeable and you really ... feel for her.

As the previous reviewer stated, this movie should be (if not already) the benchmark of all anime movies. Animation, sound, story, characters are all great and still enagaging and exciting after more than 20 years since release.

I highly recommend this to those interested in some Macross nostalgia as well as those who want to see what makes 80's anime so classically historical and beloved.

*SINCE CHANCES ARE, YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE, I IMPLORE YOU TO SEEK IT OUT BEFORE RETURNING TO THIS REVIEW. THERE ARE PLENTY OF SPOILERS FOR "MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE?".

You know, people tend to have a lot of adamant notions on things. There are people who believe that the original version of a story is inherently and exponentially better than alternative versions and retellings. There are people who try to say that men are inherently better than women or vice versa. You have people who claim music to be less impactful and worth being labeled "art" as paintings and fiction. In one fell ... swoop, Macross: Do You Remember Love manages to address every single one of these issues (including the first and third ones indirectly) and do so phenomenally. As a fan of this franchise since the days of watching Robotech on DVD as a kid, I'm glad to finally examine this work of art.

We begin in the midst of the war between the Earth forces and the Zentradi. Ultimately, it's the Earth people who are at a gigantic disadvantage, more so than in the original series. After one such battle which ended up with a few Zentradi crashing into Macross and discovering the "miclones" (or Micronians for Robotech fans), famous superstar pop idol Lynn Minmei is trapped in an engine room with the pilot who rescued her from an armed Zentradi, Hikaru Ichijou. It is then where they bond and form an eventual romance in the span of 3 days, with part of the love expanding on their time together. After another fun time with them goes wrong as not only are they caught by Misa (Hikaru's commanding officer) and Kaifun (Minmei's cousin who is seemingly unrelated in the movie for some reason), but all 4 of them, as well as another pilot, Roy Focker, are captured by the Zentradi and are forced to show them their culture before we learn that the Zentradi have been at war with Melteadi. Basically, Zentradi are giant war guys and Melteadi are giant war girls. After an attack on the Zentradi ship, not only does Roy Focker die, but Hikaru and Misa (who got separated from Minmei and Kaifun) are now stranded on a desolate wasteland that was once called Earth.

With no hope for survival on this now ruined planet, Hikaru and Misa bond after some talk about what the hell they're gonna do. While one can argue that this romantic development moves a bit too fast, we do see the gist of what they're going through, in the span of a week, these two, who are alone in this desolate globe, are without hope as they toil away, looking for possible survivors and eventually just trying to survive, they can only really bond if they want to make any of this time remotely worthwhile, and that's exactly what they do, even after they find a lost city and end up learning that the human race was a combined effort from micronized Zentradi and Melteadi to create an environment and people of both sexes that can live in harmony. With this in mind, the two bond more so than ever, despite their rough introduction to each other as a nagging superior and upstart subordinate. Once the Macross arrived for the details, the Melteadi attack them, and after a few minutes into the fight, the Zentradi show up, using Minmei's singing as a way to screw them up and force them to retreat, as they have noted that culture is an effective weapon against both the Zentradi and Meltradi, and have learned how to use that to their advantage in their ear against the Meltradi.

Now all of our protagonists meet back up on Earth, and remember two singular cards, one of which Misa found on Earth. It is here that the love triangle really heats up, as Hikaru has chosen Misa over Minmei and now Minmei will know, and she takes it about as well as a love rival would considering that these two were originally in a relationship, and all of this bites Hikaru in the ass. Now that the lyrics from the cards are now ready for the new song and now that the Meltradi and some of the Zentradi are here, Hikaru rushes desperately to reach Minmei, even if it means literally slapping some sense into her to make her realize that now it's about the word instead of her dwindling relationship. Afterwards, we get my favorite scene in the movie.

As the final battle rages on, Minmei sings the titular sing: Do You Remember Love. Not only was this enough to screw up the Melteadi long enough for the Zentradi to take out their leader, but it even convinces some of the Zentradi to turn against their leader, allowing Hikaru to take him out. Was this turn a bit forced, yeah, but it still led to a really satisfying payoff. Following that, Minnie and Misa have a small, quiet, and impactful moment of understanding one another, and it's done gloriously. With that, both the movie and the war are over. Do I think that some parts could've been handled better, yeah, but what we got was still great. It expands only some of the concepts laid out by the original series (Melteadi and Zentradi feuding, the connection between Zentradi/Melteadi and humans), and it does so greatly, as well as tackling some interesting ideas.

I'm glad that this movie never tries to pick a side when addressing sexism as a major topic, since that would really be a disastrous move (even if some people will ignorantly call this movie sexist, but I digress). In fact, one could say that there was no true villain in the movie aside from sexism and the ignorance of culture. People were repeatedly put down for being sexist, and both of the alien overlords were eradicated on account of their sexism and ignorance of culture not making them understand cooperation and continue the war against each other. It's a nice message to send; both sexes should work together instead of bickering over something as dumb and trivial as "which gender is superior". Not to mention that I really like the message at the end that's implied by Misa: even an ordinary song can be impactful, for music is exactly that: impactful. We never really get to hear a message that highlights the importance of music and by extension, culture, but it's always nice to see it handled well without it being spelled out.

My ultimate gripe is that almost all characters not a part of the main trio get the shaft. Sure,I'm glad Kaifun takes a back seat and doesn't get to be a total dick, and I'm glad that Roy got to die with badassery, but Max and Millia were sidelined, Roy is really flanderised from his show counterpart (now being an obnoxious and playfully sexist macho man instead of a more suave and down to earth cool guy who also happens to be a lil' bit of a womanizer), Hayao is just a light version of this version of Roy (was he even named in this movie?) and Claudia doesn't get to be as much of a fun, jovial, and down to earth character as before, but that one was inevitable due to the fact that this is a 2 hour film and the TV series was a series of 36 22 minute episodes. Not to mention that the trio of Zentradi that went to Earth in the original doesn't show up at all here. At the very least, the trio that occasionally hangs out with Misa and Claudia act as naturally as possible, which is a rarity in anime; side-characters that act genuinely human.

On the flip side, the main trio gets expanded upon. Hikaru, while more of an asshole in the beginning Han he ever was in the original, he grows rather quickly when he's stranded on a desolate wasteland of a planet. He's still pretty great and his ultimate love interest, Misa is handled just as well in the TV series, only with more streamline development. We get to see the more fragile side of her that was not as present as before and it's rather nice to see the two warm up to each other. Yet out of all of the trio of the love triangle, Minmei was handled the best, by far. People claim this version of her to be infinitely superior to the TV Minmei, and I kinda have to agree with them. Her development was more streamlined, and her demeanor seemed more lax and lovely than the original one was, even making fun little jokes and jabs here and there. Plus, her adventures with Hikaru are a sight to behold. Not to mention that she's just as beautiful as the scenes with her and Hikaru having fun. Even when she's at her worst (with the whole love triangle thing) she ends up realizing a grander purpose and that the needs of the world outweigh the needs of her and her romance. This development is so grand in its intensity that it even amazes Hikaru, who made her develop in the first place. As mentioned previously, the moment that sealed the deal on Minmei being my favorite character in this movie was the final scene with her and Misa, which was handled so damn well that I was blown away. Speaking of blown away...

Studio Artland has been heralded as one of the best studios ever made, mainly due to them working on the critically acclaimed Mushishi and that elitists' fapping shrine, Legend of The Galactic Heroes, which is considered by many to be the creme de la creme of anime. Not to mention that they worked on the original Macross. So, of course, they worked on this and did a splendid job. Although, they weren't the only studio that worked on it, Tatsunoko Production joined the fun as well. Honestly, both studios did an amazing job with this anime. Every ship, explosion, character, and background is lavishly detailed and it all looks majestic. The action really sells itself as the best in the franchise as well, and the character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto are as gorgeous as ever, and nothing really dips at all. It's easily one of the best looking anime movies I've seen to date, and given that this was in 1984, that's amazing in its own right. Each location is so strikingly different and full of personality, even the more mystical yet oppressive desolate Earth and the more alien Zentradi and Zentradi environments, which are more distinctly alien than ever before. Then again, when one of your key animators is the legendary Hideaki Anno, you know your eyes are in for a treat. I mean, just look at this movie! I can't begin to do it justice!

The OST by Kentarou Haneda is still pretty great, with some classic tracks form the series, and it all works as well as you'd expect from Macross. Now for the real thing which happens to be one of the 3 things that characterize Macross: the songs. Each song sung by Minmei (Mari Ijima, who voices her and sings the songs). All of your favorites from the original series show up here and are as catchy and fun as ever. Plus, the titular song, "Do You Remember Love?" is easily my favorite of them all, partially due to it playing in the most majestic moment of the movie, and partly since it's in between the two scenes that made her my favorite character in the movie. It's a truly delightful song if I do say so myself. As for the dub "Invasion of the Spacenoids", that is its own abomination that I refuse to associate with this movie. It's some fucked up localization that is nothing like the movie and is even marketed as its own thing, not with Macross or even Robotech, by even the Robotech cast would've been an infinitely better fit. Get that weak shit outta here.

DYRL is a truly beautiful work, both visually and emotionally. I honestly can't say much more than what I have aside from mentioning the Max and Milia plotline, which despite a brilliant reversal from their plotline in the TV series, was as sidelined as the characters involved. It's not my favorite installment in the franchise, but it's one that can stand perfectly on its own as both a gateway into the franchise and a superb supplement to the original series it diverges from.

Well, this movie doesn’t necessarily begin where the series does, or an established beginning like where the SDF-1 is about to make its maiden voyage and then transports to the other side of the milky way and must make their way home. Instead, the movie is more about how its already established that those events did happen, but we don’t see them. In addition, Hikaru is already a Valkyrie pilot and Minmei is already a star, though they have yet to develop some sort of relationship. By accident, like in the TV series, though under some slightly different circumstances and results, their bonding encounter is ... when they get caught inside the engines of the macros and upon their freedom, they become the target of the tabloids. It’s just that in the TV series, Minemei was yet to be a star, while in this movie, she already is and people are gossiping over what they may have been up to while stuck.

Other changes is that the female Zentradi, renamed the Meltlandi, are recognized as a different faction in the war. Despite all of that, the movie still retains the themes of love triangles and such in the same fashion, but Hikaru’s coming of age story is not that well emphasized in my personal opinion. However, because the series of Macross was told in this single movie, other elements such as Max’s and Milia’s relationship is slightly nodded to, but not at all officially established or developed. But in general, the main characters from the series are still present and still share the same fates but under different circumstances and situations. Despite this being a movie off a series, I say you don’t necessarily need to have any familiarity with the series to watch this movie because the characters are already established and developed. It’s not really who, but it’s question of how you want to know the characters and this movie doesn’t address it in the same way the TV series does. Despite that, the characterization is still faithful. But it offers another kind of ending and its own distinctive approach on the origins of the Zentradis where you are getting a movie still semi-original in its own right.

Not only are you getting new footage in this movie, but there is much more updated designs and animation quality over all you can say is appropriately theatrical. Despite this movie being as old as I am, I find the animation to be amazing. I like how it’s really high res while the series was more grainy with the quality. It’s brighter with the res, but still knows how to keep dark tones. Especially with the Zentradi characters who have a much more updated look. They look more alien and monster like and not as humanoid or human resembling in the TV series. They are colored much darker and are just re-designed altogether. Minmei’s concerts are also just great to watch and have excellent elaboration.

The mech designs are still the same, but the execution of the action is always as exciting as ever and spread out. The city inside the SDF-1 is excellently detailed and I love the battle scene there.

Much of the music from the TV series is still present in the series. For example, the moment you see the title screen, you hear an instrumental version to the opening theme from the TV series. I thought the music was good enough in its own rights and I don’t think it needed that much changing, but could certainly use some additions which is where the main theme, Do You Remember Love comes in. This was the song that really made Mari Iijima an established singer. She still sings today and works out of LA. Her talent is just incredible and well rounded. She can sing bubble gum pop in the likes of Shao Bai Lo which is also sung in the series, and this really incredible love song right here. It’s really hypnotic and the lyrics are just beautiful.

And the Japanese voice cast still retains more or less the same voice actors from the TV series which is good and I got nothing more to comment on except I really liked how they gave the Zentradi their own language which is subtitled to Japanese which is then subtitled to English depending on what version you watch. I wouldn’t say that approach is more realistic, but more logical and practical. I also like how they were given an echo sound effect and well modulated in that kind of way.

Considering how much of a success the TV series was and how it continues to be a success today, I think the movies could have been a TV series like Gundam like how I said earlier. Granted Gundam movies in comparison tended to stick to the design and animation style of the TV series while Macross steps above that. I think in Macross certain characters were not centered around that much, like Max, who is my favorite character. I like how he has this nice guy personality and looks all nerdy, and yet, his piloting skills is shown to be much more superior to Hikaru’s and I think he takes down Roy. But I gotta give the experience edge to Roy and in a lot of situations, that out does skill and natural talent. Though it’s not necessarily the same as the series and is just meant to be a retelling, it’s still distinctive in terms of art and animation style, and music. If you’re looking for top notch plot, I wouldn’t call this movie that, but still has something engaging, but the characters are too established already and all you need is the relationship development which I don’t think should be that centralized. But anyway, you’ll also get action and adventure

Intense, powerful, eloquent, moving.

These words came to me when I saw this alternative version of the Macross series. (It's not compulsory to watch the tv series to understand and enjoy this movie)

First of all, I'd like to say that, visually, I took a slap. I saw Akira, Redline, Gurren Lagann and many other quality shows but I never ever saw something so divinely well moving than in "Macross, do you remember love?".

The fights are at same time violent, powerful and choregraphed with a sort of delicacy, nobility in the movement. Theses movements are incredibly harmonious and at the same time, on numerous occasions, direct ... and true. The sweetness and the violence alternate in a brilliant way. The decorations are extremely worked, colors are magnificient and even monsters are well designed. (I advise you to watch the HD version)

But this movie is not only beautiful ; what makes it a true masterpiece are the tackled themes, that can be explicit or implicit. It's a "form" in the service of the "content" and mutually, that is to say : the ideal situation. Moreover, even if the duration of two hours obliges to get to the point, all is said, all is clear, all is explained. That speaks about extraterrestrial, about genetic things, that looks complicated... but not ! Everything is totally clarified, it is probably the most clearly science-fiction anime I've ever seen. The made choices are relevant, the characters are very credible. Of course, they are note incredibly charismatic, but worked with accuracy, what makes them charming and relevant in the story they have to tell.

The message of the movie, that I let you discover, is of an absolute foolishness, but that's also the japanime's magic ! Everything is radiant, filled with magnificience, we have a gorgeous fight with a romantic music in background. To mix so skillfully the genres was a brilliant idea. There is some dispair, fury, enjoyment, beauty and the most important :

Romantism !

Most people in the anime community have probably heard of the show Mobile Suit Gundam. It’s unquestionably one of the grandfathers of the anime that air today. It proved anime can have narrative that can be taken seriously by an adult audience and the tropes that it perfected for its time are still used in anime today, even if the mecha genre is dying they can be seen in other genres and if you watched the original Mobile Suit Gundam it won’t be hard to trace back the tropes. It is arguably the most influential anime of all time and deserves to be placed on ... a pedestal for its historical value. But many people miss out on a mecha title that is disputably; equally as important as Gundam. That anime is Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Macross captured the hearts of many anime fans that were already indulged in the medium and brought in a new wave of admirers from overseas. It is also the progenitor of all the idol anime that have flooded the market in the last 6-7 years. For many it has cemented its place as one of the anime classics from the 80’s.

Macross: Do you remember love is an alternate re-telling of the original Macross TV show that began airing in 1982. Both instalments of the franchise were brought to life by Studio Artland, the same studio who have produced acclaimed shows such as Mushishi and the king itself; Legend of the Galactic Heroes. The movie features the exact same themes, characters and style found in the original, but it condenses all of Macross’ elements into two hours of runtime. You would think that trying to condense components of a TV show wouldn’t work in a two hour movie, and that it would come off as “rushed” or “crammed”. Let me assure you that DYRL(will call it this from now on) manages to take everything that was good about the original and produce something that is if not better; on par with the original.

The same cast from the original Macross returns but due to the re-telling of the plot, their roles are somewhat played out a little differently, but the core elements of what made those characters who they are remain the same. What really stands out about the cast most is how well their chemistry just clicks. The biggest hand in making this work is their personalities which all bounce off each other so well to create plenty of entertaining interactions throughout the movie. They are what give character friendships a real sense of comradery that is missing in many casts today and the romantic relationships just clicked in the blink of an eye from the get go. Snarky remarks, flirtatious dialogue, amusing jokes, Macross’ cast had it all. With great personalities and cast chemistry, DYRL doesn’t want you to like its characters; it wants you to love them.

Likewise, one of the most prominent plot points in DYRL was a love triangle between Ichijou, Misa and Minmay. For the most part, the romance was executed fine. Instead of painting a realistic picture on the romantic relationships, Macross opted to go for a more idealistic portrayal of romance that many young teenage girls and boys would dream of being involved in when thinking about relationships that comes with their age. On top of not only accomplishing the task well, the idealistic romance would appeal to a huge demographic as both teenagers but adults can also relate to the cast as they also know how it feels to be in the shoes of a teenager. Hikaru and Minmay’s chemistry felt so natural and so rapid that it almost felt like a completely believable tale. It’s this charm and connectivity between the characters that is the focal point of the story and what marks Macross: DYRL as such an immersive and magical experience. On the other hand, Misa’s romantic relationship with Hikaru was a little less plausible. While I feel it was ultimately a success, Hikaru’s chemistry with Misa was not as convincing as Minmay. While starting off on a negative note because of Hikaru’s immaturity they were given a sufficient amount of time to bond later on in the film. The love triangle was certainly more of a success rather than a failure, but what was evident in the latter half of the film was some netorare that didn’t serve any purpose to the narrative and felt like a cheap hoax to manipulate the emotions of the audience. Given the drastic situation at the given moment it could have worked far better if it served the overall narrative in a meaningful way, but thankfully the netorare didn’t last long enough to detract from the story.

Another drawback is the lack of characterization given to the secondary cast. They were all on the periphery offering some occasional banter and nothing more. I wasn’t personally too bothered as seeing the original Macross had already connected me with all the cast. But the side characters' lack of screen time and characterization is undeniably valid criticism that would be nearly impossible to refute.

The very first sequence is perfect for capturing everything that makes macross the anime it is. The audience is immediately thrown into one of the Minmays concerts and is immediately interrupted by an attack. The heat pumping OST, the slick dogfights, the humorous banter, Minmays infectious music. It captures the “feel” of Macross perfectly and does a magnificent job of increasing the excitement for the rest of the movie.

From then on, the rest of the film is briskly paced with a very fine balance between being a dramatic war story and a charming love story. Both elements are integrated comfortably without detracting from each other and the music also plays an integral part in the plot without being a one-dimensional gimmick merely just for fan service, as one of the core themes in DYRL is the power of music, and how it bring people together regardless of ideology, culture or race. On paper, DYRL’s story is ludicrous. Not in the random sense but its premise is one that would probably not be found in any other show apart from other macross instalments. Leaving the fate of the galaxy to a single j-pop song is about as ambitious as an anime can get. But as ridiculous and stupid as it sounds; Macross makes it all tick by giving solid context on the origins of all the races as well as the culture currently up taken by the human race known as ‘protoculture’ in the story. The story isn’t the most intricately written nor does it tackle a multitude of complex themes. But using enhancing tools to an anime like music as a means to serve its overall story is quite unique especially for its time. Some have criticized the film for its overly idealistic narrative and characters, which are far too blinded by love. They are both understandable points as to why someone wouldn’t like the nature of the anime. However its earnestness, charm and its charismatic cast are all what make its narrative compelling and the tone it establishes with all these elements works seamlessly with its idealistic narrative and ultimately what won me over.

The most impressive element of Macross:DYRL is by far the OST and the animation. Both were already strong in the 1982 TV series, to the film takes it to a whole new level. And that is also taking into consideration that it’s made in 1984. All of the dogfights are energetic and the Jazz fusion soundtrack only enhances the experience; making them more adrenaline pumping. The art style is the classic 80’s anime art style that is found in most shows around that time period that serves well to bring out the spunky charm the characters all possess. The character designs were nicely drawn and anything mechanical was drawn with top notch attention to detail. There were a few small derps when the characters moved but punishing the film because of that would be a serious case of nit-picking. Its animation still holds up today as some of the best I have seen. As good as the Jazz soundtrack is being played over the dogfights; the most noticeable tracks in the OST are Minmays songs. All of them are great standalone listeners but the best of them all has to be by far is ‘do you remember love’. It complements the tone and romantic energy already established in the film perfectly.

And all the elements in the film come together in a spectacular display of animation skill and visual flair to create one of the most memorable finales I have personally had the pleasure of watching. It was the climax of everything the film stood for and set out to achieve. To the core theme portrayed, the energetic dogfights, the charming music; everything intertwines and is executed so well that I cannot do anything but congratulate the staff on a job well done.


In the 80’s Macross was one of the most popular anime around. Macross:DYRL was the most rented VHS at the time. The US remake(robotech) brought in a new wave of fans into the medium. More instalments in the franchise are still being made today and it is largely responsible for the influx of idol anime today. Macross’ value runs deeper than just achieving critical and financial success. It has historical value that has kept it relevant throughout time. It cannot be argued that it comes with its drawbacks. The romance and characterization isn’t quite as tightly written and believable as the original, but everything else in the story was well done. I highly recommend DYRL to just about any anime fan, as I found it to be one of the most enjoyable anime/movies I have had the pleasure of watching. Even anime fans who are not quite fond of retro anime and mecha should give this one a shot. It offers something for everyone to enjoy and its narrative is targeted more towards a mainstream audience compared to some other mecha and space anime that are strictly for hardcore fans of the genre. It possesses a compelling narrative, enigmatic characters, A-tier audio-visuals full of impressive visual flair and an unforgettable finale. And while it might not be the most polished piece of work in the medium it is certainly one of the most charming and memorable ones. DYRL doesn’t simply ask you to like it; it asks you to love it. It wants to trap you in its magical charm, and for me it has most certainly succeeded.

Shoji Kawamori and I have this little understanding: I don't watch his stuff and he's allowed to do whatever he wants whilst I occasionally look at the premise for whatever new thing he has coming out whilst going "Kawamori, please". Throughout the entire history of the man who brought us Escaflowne, there have only been two things he's made that have interested me to any degree. One was Aquarion EVOL - which admittedly I've lost interest in ever rewatching due to the fact that it depends too much on a style that ages faster than bananas dipped in acid - and the other is his ... movie summary of Macross SDF, which I haven't actually watched, but my colleagues who have seen it assured to me that Lynn Kaifun is a grade-A dickwad.

Well he doesn't get a chance to be a dickwad here, because he barely shows up in the movie. In fact, if your name isn't Hikaru, Minmay, or Misa, chances are you're going to have less screen time than Tron did when Kingdom Hearts caused Disney to realize that maybe there's still more that could have been done with that forgotten universe. If you've seen any Kawamori anime - let alone Macross SDF - prior to watching this film, then you pretty much know what to expect. Three people are put in a love triangle. Said love triangle is used as a basis for mecha action and cheesy pop tunes. Egoism is abound all over the dialogue. Basically, a bunch of silly stuff that makes me embarrassed for Kawamori's parents.

The story is set in some universe where humanity is at war with an alien race known as the Zentradi - an all-male race of giant aliens who are at the same time at war with their female counterparts, the Mentradi (yeah I have no idea why the females got the "men" prefix either). Because gender cross-breeding does not exist in their culture, they are extremely surprised when they discovered that the different sexes in humanity can do things like hug, kiss, do the Lincoln, everything that Disney has desensitized us to...to the point that they react like KyoAni fans whenever their precious moe being has her lips tainted. Our main hero/ladies' man of the story is Hikaru Ichiyo, a young soldier who becomes acquainted with a popular idol named Lynn Minmay after an attack traps them in an enclosed space for days. And when a man and a woman are trapped alone with no one else around and no sign of rescue anytime soon, maintaining purity was one of the first things to drop from the human mind.

This leads to the two having a small relationship until another attack strands Hikaru on a post-apocalyptic Earth with his superior female officer, Misa Hayase for a month. And considering that he's stranded with a more mature female in a more empty environment for a far longer time, this part of the plot might as well have had large subtitles the entire act that said "Hikaru will move on to another woman and this will cause awkward shit to happen later on when he reunites with the pop idol he's only had one date with" all over the screen. Although I guess that would make it hard to see the eventual making out the two soldiers performed in the cold wasteland right before the giant robot spots them since love shines so brightly on normal Earth let alone a destroyed one. And speaking of obvious plot points, I don't need to detail what happens after the loving couple is rescued and brought back to civilization and Minmay, do I? I hope not, because it doesn't deserve its own paragraph unless you're one of those outdated writers who thinks that Wikipedia is the standard we should base all online writing on.

I know what you're going to say to me at this point. "Wait a minute. Doesn't Mr. Flaw hate stories about soldiers, idols, love triangles, robots, and everything else we find cool? What exactly makes this thing stand out?" Well first off, I can tolerate most of those elements as long as they're in service to something else, and since the love triangle along with discovering the secrets behind the Zentradi culture and such are put in the forefront, the only thing the film has to do is get rid of the problems I have with the former whilst putting a good amount of focus. And I liked the love triangle in here for the same reason I liked the one in Kids on the Slope: because people actually act out on their feelings rather quickly instead of just mope for...well okay Minmay moped for a bit after discovering the truth, but there was an alien attack happening around her, so I let that slide.

Also, forgive me for going into lame fanboy praise here, but my god is this thing beautiful to look at. Whilst I haven't actually seen the show, I did catch a few glimpses of clips and pics here and there, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the production values on this thing are a serious upgrade by comparison. In fact, Do You Remember Love is probably the best animated thing to come out of Japan I have ever seen next to Redline and Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer. Every frame is bursting with enough life to make Toontown envious and shot in such an epic way to the point that you can classify the film as the equal to James Cameron's Titanic in regards to the epic feeling they give their love stories. Well okay, I remember one particularly noticeable still frame in the film, but it was following up the final climax and a fight scene involving Bruce Lee would look lame following that up.

Not going to deny that I have some problems with the buildup. The whole "stranded on Earth" thing wasn't the most engaging of acts and the actual political stuff makes me about as indifferent as I am to all other fictional political stuff, especially if it's written by Sunrise. But that final action scene is a work of art in of itself. Now everyone and their mum has already gone off on how it's one of the best climaxes an anime has ever produced and how the song matched perfectly with the intensity and how the power of love is more butch here than it was in those Care Bears movies, so I won't go into detail myself, but I will say that if Mass Effect had the balls to do that sort of ending, the outrage wouldn't have been nearly as volatile. And I probably would have played it for more than three hours.

All in all, Do You Remember Love is pretty much everything that Macross fans remember about the show. Same themes. Same love triangle. Same aliens who don't seem to get that we prefer to kiss our females rather than kill them - unless you support a certain video game controversy whose name rhymes with "Fame or Fate". And it hits me in that romantic gut that mostly died off when Suzuka came into my life because it gets how you're supposed to do romance. You're supposed to do it with honesty. With chemistry. With explosions. Lots and lots of explosions.

Oh, and the KyoAni fanbase being represented as giant aliens helps too.

30 year later, this is still one of the most stunning works of animation I have ever seen.

Macross : DYRL is more of a reinterpretation of the series (roughly episodes 2 thru 27) rather then a summary. While the primary plot elements remain the same, I still would recommend watching the series first in order to be able to fully appreciate this movie.

The action sequences are wonderfully choreographed and set a new standard in the industry for their detail and fluidity. The animation is amazing and can hold its own against anything released recently.

Almost every single character is improved. Of ... course the development isn't there that the series had, but they all seem a bit more mature and are lacking most of the annoying traits that they had in the series. Particularly the main female leads of Misa and Minmay. I have a slight issue with a lack of Max and Milia, but it's made up for somewhat with one very intense dogfight between them.

We also get a treat with a new dynamic on how the male (Zentran) and female (Meltlan) Zentradi interact. They took the resentment and segregation between them present in the series and expanded on it.

The music is an improvement over the series as well. There are several new tracks included with new recordings of most of the music from the original. As per usual Mari Iijima's voice does not disappoint.

10/10

STORY 6/10

Without delving into the details too much, this first Macross movie, like the other Macross shows, is about culture, song, and love's ability to touch people and to cease violent conflict. Both the Zentradi aliens and humans are greatly moved by Minmay's music, even though the Zentradi thought themselves to be pure warriors, incapable of any social behavior except organized warfare.

Extending this concept to our society, the movie makes a firm statement about the universality of the power of music and love, and by extension, the humanity that we all share.No matter what gender, race, origin, etc., we can are sensitive to love and ... love songs.

Despite this beautiful overarching (albeit simplistic) theme, the plot is not too well executed. There was very little that could not be predicted and very little to excite. Perhaps it was because I had watched the 2008 Macross Frontier series, which had a similar basic plot. The movie lacked interesting subplots and the dialogue and pacing were rather banal.

ART 10/10:

For a 1984 movie, the animation is outstanding. Everything is highly realistic and well-executed. I have no doubt this set a standard for many years in the industry.

Of course, compared to modern animation, there is little to be excited about here, but even so, it remains a good watch for the casual viewer, and a gem for those who enjoy the oldies.

SOUND 7/10:

The sound was good, especially for its time. I suppose that I wasn't particular taken in by Minmay's (the singer's) voice, though many people did/do like her very much. At the same time though, I am not a fan of pop love songs, which the series focuses on.

CHARACTER 3/10:

The character development is nonexistent in this movie. The minor characters have no development, and even for the main characters, it is very scarce. A few details about their past (e.g. for Hikaru, about his parents and why he joined the military) and some trite and poor developed telling of the present (e.g. the main love triangle).

If you're looking to watch engrossing and inspirational characters, this is the wrong movie.

OVERALL 7/10:

Overall, I think it's a good movie. For an 80s movie, the animation is amazing. So I enjoyed it from a historical perspective, but also from a watching-for-fun perspective. The biggest downside was the poor plot and character development, which left me wanting much more. I suppose only so much can be done within the time frame, but even so, I was left disappointed.

Well, really an anime masterpiece from 1984, i,ve only seen in twice ever i bought it on tape in 1995 or 96 wich was an original production tape produced in 84. But the movie itself and the animation......GREAT! and then a saga started ever since, and it just MORE than space battles, its quite emotional too some moments. The art just belongs to that time, loads of ideas they´ve put in and background fillers as for the charachters, If u gonna see this the 1st time ever, most of them have an important role u probably gonna pick out some favs!

Absolutely blew me away after watching SDF. One of my favorite anime movies I’ve ever seen. Viewing SDF vastly improves your first viewing of the movie, as otherwise you’ll miss out on a lot of side characters and bits of lore from the SDF anime. It’s a necessary sacrifice to make a movie work though, and it pays off for the main characters.

The animation is top notch. It’s gorgeous. Probably has some of the best animation I’ve seen in a movie.

The love triangle is vastly improved and actually makes sense. In a lot of ways, this is closer to how it should have played out ... in the show.

There are only two things I strongly dislike about the movie. The assassination of Focker’s personality into a total piece of shit is horrifying. Then there’s the Zentradi redesign. The new look is terrible. The distinction between male and female Zentradi was also an unnecessary retcon.

By the way, there’s barely any Kaifun, which automatically makes this better than SDF. It does suck to lose out on some great characters like Global and Claudia however, who appear but are mostly shafted due to time constraints. There’s also very little of Max and Millia here, when there was already too little of them in SDF. Can’t have it all I guess.

Minmay performing Ai Oboete Imasuka is perfect. Such an incredible scene.

This is Macross at its best, period. Nothing from the rest of the series has been able to compete for me.

well what the heck, guys i love anime, i have watched over 54 days of pure watch tie animes, and i have never neeeever come came across such a masterpiece, there are plenty of of ggood anime out there, but this is NOT it. This is a definition of what it means to be HUMAN, i decided long ago that i i am not a Human but after gaining more exp i came to realize that being human is the definition of my reality. just watch this. if u like it then u understand. if u dont, then watch it again u frikin ape.
12378/3 ... best poetry and lyrics eva. gg.

More campy and more condensed than its source material, Do You Remember Love? is also much more beautiful than its source material.

This film version of the original Macross is much less subtle, and much more extravagant. It has a totally retooled story, has a LEGENDARY animation team, who would go forth and work on some of the best anime ever made. It was the benchmark for animation for a long while, and its very apparent why; the entire runtime of this film really is pure, unadulterated sasuga, bolstered by a beautifully-composed score.

But in the end, aside from its technical perfection and influence, Do ... You Remember Love? accomplished what Nolan’s Interstellar tried so hard to convey, but failed:

it makes us believe that love can save the universe.

And it takes one hell of a movie to accomplish that.

10 minutes into this 80s classic movie and I was completely hooked. The cinematic shots were mind blowing. The amount of detail and fluidity was flawless. Keep in mind there is no digital here, a job impressively done. Atmospheric shots were fresh and unique. The Battle scenes were choreographed superbly. The imagination in visualising a futuristic and technologically advanced world was hands down exciting, entertaining, and creative. I cannot praise this half of the anime enough.

Unfortunately for the other half of the movie which personally brought much disappointment was the interaction and relation between characters. Possibly due to the art style, bodily gestures, facial ... expressions and reactions felt utterly off. To put it in a colloquial way I found myself saying "WHAT THE FUCK" a number of times. The intimate scenes with characters felt strange and rushed. Even the "cliche" moments.......were terrible!!! Maybe the "gap" was intentional but I feel as though they could have slowed it down a little.

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Memorable scene and quote.

Scene - in a flooded ancient dwelling she picks up nostalgic clay items reminiscing of a past that was filled with "culture".

「かわらないのね。」- 早瀬未沙
"Some things never change over time." - Misa Hayase

This review is coming from someone who hasn't watched the series, I understand many of the flaws of the movie would be gone with the series, I'll probably go back and watch it eventually.

As a film separate from the context of the full series it manages to stay quite cohesive throughout the run-time rarely losing me. However there are times where I think it really needed longer time with some of the characters and more time to really show the time between major events, but it does it's best and does it quite well.

Love the aesthetic, it's probably what kept me the most interested. Despite ... being a movie revolving around singing I didn't really care for the singing. The relationships are just as expected, the characters act as you would expect aswell. The general theme is very much in the realm of anime, "Love can save the universe". I kind of think it could have delved more into the ridiculous anime territory here but it was quite campy which is nice.

I'm still very much curious for the Macross Plus Movie, which is why I watched this in the first place. Oh yeah I also watched this with my HTC Vive VR Headset, with a slightly curved virtual screen, it actually enhanced some of the space shots and gave extra depth to some scenes.

My what a film and more of a rabbit hole than I anticipated.

I first gained knowledge of the Macross universe through an AMV of Nanidato's "Super Riser" after being recommended it by chance upon finishing listening to "Plastic Love" for the 8 millionth time. At the time I didn't know what and AMV was and took straight to the comments to try and find out what the anime was so I could watch it for the amazing music, visuals, and most importantly the looks of Lynn Minmay.

Upon scourging Google for "Super Dimension Fortress Macross DYRL free" I found the full movie on YouTube that ... was posted without any copyright claims!?!?!?

Boy was I in for a surprise, not only did I figure out that the song was not in the movie but I realized a new obsession; I had come to love everything about this movie despite the music being an initial disappointment. Upon watching the movie I was hooked for more, so I watched it again and then began my quest to watch all of the episodes, movies, sub divisions, and the in-betweens of Macross which has in turn, fueled a small model obsession.

I'll admit that this movie and franchise isn't for everyone but it is important to take what you get from it and appreciate it. The visuals, art style and, character design were phenomenal for the time period and still cease to amaze me when I force a friend or colleague to watch it with me.

Jets that turn in to robots and the memorable line "Yack De Culture" may not be your cup of tea, but I'd consider giving DYRL a shot.

Macross do you remember love is a retelling movie of the events that takes place in series known as Super dimensional fortress macross

They altered some of the events like minmei already famous and already an idol
The mc is already part of the skull squadron
And they change some of origins like the song that become plot device in the end part of the movie

This movie has lack of characterization since it was a movie and its impossible to tell all the vital points of the series

The good thing in this movie is the animation and the fight scenes even today it was the most beautiful handrawn ... animation you can find in anime

I recommend watch the series first then watch the retelling movie

For full transparency, this is my first foray into the Macross franchise.

For its age, this is a very pretty anime with impressive background art and very solid animation, though most notably in its Itano circus scenes and battle fights. If this was pure sci-fi, would definitely solidify as it one of those series that demands a watch for its impact on anime mecha.

But while the complaint that idols in space converting aliens to CULTURE might be falling on deaf ears to adherents of this franchise, it is unfortunately so off-putting as a plot point that it simply requires a mention. This movie desperately ... wants to give a strong "I drink respect women juice" message throughout, whether through its weird alien men vs alien women background lore or shoehorned "machismo pilot that sexually assaults his partner" plot point. It almost comes off as one of the late Shinzo Abe's fertility messages or something that desperately should be broadcast in South Korea these days. But I digress - an idol platform on a major space fortress is a hilarious, almost campy addition to a traditional mecha anime, and probably not for the better.

The love triangle and how it's addressed also doesn't seem to help resolve whether this is a respect women movie or simply a wish fulfillment anime - though I suppose it is at least admirable that they decided to not have the protagonist pursue the idol and go for a mature woman (though one that still subscribes to traditional female roles in said relationship). Baby steps for the mid-80s, I suppose.

It's a beautiful movie everyone should watch to understand why this franchise exists, but damn is the messaging whack. FOR THE CULTURE!

After finishing the og series, I went straight into this film and it was a really fun experience.
This film looked really good, in terms of detail and animation, its up there for one of the nicest films i’ve seen and unlike the og there isn’t really any massive quality drops which I noticed. The ost was yet again really good and i liked the new versions which was added.

I wasn’t sure about how this film rewrites some of the stuff from the series, but I do think it kind of makes more sense this way, I’m just a bit mixed about them doing that in ... the first place.

This film doesn’t work at all as a replacement to the original series it just doesn’t have the development or depth, they get away with not explaining things just because you have seen the series.

The final battle to this was a spectacle the music and animation greatly improved upon the og series and it was a really epic moment. I did like how the romance had a more decisive ending to it, and overall this film feels like a patch to the og rather than a remake or anything else as it simply can’t replace it with how it skims over some things.

I enjoyed this film a lot and it is definitely worth watching for people who have seen the og, but decided not to give this ago, there is new content here, and the rehashed content was mostly improved upon.

There will be spoilers.

Movies often fail when trying to retell a series because of how rushed and condensed they have to be. Still, "Do You Remember Love?" managed to cement itself as necessary viewing for after the series, despite its flaws. I watched this first not knowing what I was getting myself into, and with fascination, though I obviously missed a lot as this was intended for those who had already watched the series. After watching the series and coming back to watch this one more time after not remembering it so well, everything made sense, even more so at times. It felt like a ... whole different experience, so much more satisfying with it's breathtakingly beautiful art, so much more improved compared to the series. Seeing Minmay and Misa drawn so much more beautifully and moving so fluidly was a pleasantly otherworldly experience that can only be really appreciated if the viewer watched the series first. Consistently throughout, the animation shocked me in how good it looks. If I was alive back then, surely I would be one of those that slept in the streets outside the theater waiting for this to come out. At the time, the film was a massive success back in 1984, only coming second place to "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind."

The movie is very different than the series. In the movie, the writing makes Minmay look like the better choice for Hikaru while the series spent most of the time making Misa appear that way. The end of the series gets even deeper than this, however. Misa appears very unpleasant this time but Minmay is portrayed without many of her flaws from the series. Hikaru is much more decisive and assertive instead of feeling so confused and oblivious previously. The Zentradi's men and women get involved in the conflict. There is more explained about the story and origins of certain parts.

As the humans travel in space inside a city that is inside a giant robotic fortress that can transform into a soldier, they often get into fights with a strange alien race from far away. Humanity is struggling to stay alive against it as nearly the entire population has been wiped out by them. The secrets of protoculture, and a 500,000 year old song become their secret weapons.

As a romance it sadly did not get to develop itself out as well as it could, but tried it's best by changing even more from the plot to make it as dramatic and meaningful as possible. Since most who watched it had already seen the series, the majority of the characters were not developed at all here or rarely focused on to help make this just under two hours long. Nothing is perfect, but despite it's flaws, it still nailed the core of what Macross is about. I cannot forget the hilarious reactions of the Zentradi to the so called degeneracy of Protoculture.

The climax of the film is the famous "Do you Remember Love?" sequence. It is legendary, and the height of what the original Macross has to offer, for all it has in epic moments. If I was to name the greatest moments in anime based on what I have experienced, this would be near the top, as one of the most crowning achievements of the medium in what it can do, when there is love and passion behind a project led by legendary staff.

In the final confrontation, the Macross and it's cast are stuck between a crisis just as the main Zentradi forces begin their giant battle between their women and men. Through resolve, Minmay begins to perform "Do You Remember Love?" in the Macross as it is broadcasted for everyone to hear and see. It begins to return culture to an alien race that had lost it, as this is a 500,000 year old song that they felt sounded familiar. With space battles, explosions and death going on all around for her to see behind the glass, not to mention that at any time she could get attacked, Minmay passionately and unmovingly continues to sing her song as everything becomes chaotic around her. Her song creates an alliance between millions of Zentradi who then suddenly turn on their master in order to protect Minmey and her music. Hikaru, the ace pilot, moves out during the confusion as the song nears the end. There is an interesting use of imagery as Misa's frame flashes and alternates with Hikaru's plane before taking off. During the most passionate moment of the song, Hikaru charges at the Zentradi's main supreme commander while Minmay's frame with her hand reaching out flashes in and out behind Hikaru ship, as if to personally deliver to Lord Boldov not just the protoculture of her music, but their ace pilot as he grows near. The song ends as the action slowly cools down, and Minmay looks down looking a bit sad. After all, it was a love song that wasn't all too fitting for her to sing at the moment. Never having seen something of this quality in the Macross series, it was breathtaking.

The song itself is one of my favorite songs not just in anime, but all time. Tragically, the man who composed it committed suicide in the early 2000s. Not just him, but Hikaru's voice actor had suffered the same fate a few years earlier.

Despite all its flaws, this is still a masterpiece. And for anime, a historical document.