• UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    2 months ago

    The consequences of Macross

    Could you elaborate on that? I think I agree with you but I wanted to make sure I knew what you were getting at specifically.

    Arguably, the entire Battletech franchise is like copy-of-a-copy Macross that went a very different direction that found a different valid form.

    (I’m kind of sad that it shuns/dunks on the once-definitive transforming jet mecha because of IP legal struggles though)

    • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      Macross is one of the first huge TV anime that was specifically made by anime fans. It remixed pieces of older shows, like Space Battleship Yamato, and mixed in a city pop soundtrack to gain a broad appeal.

      Arguably, the entire Battletech franchise is like copy-of-a-copy Macross that went a very different direction that found a different valid form.

      I think you’re mixing it up with Robotech, which adapted the first Macross show, Mospeeda, and Southern Cross into one big show. The Macross bit is mostly intact, but the English music sucks so much ass that it really messes up the show.

      Battletech did snag the Valkyrie robots from Macross at some point (though I’m not too knowledgeable about that franchise), and Transformers used one of the Valkyrie toys as like Starscream or someone early on.

      The original Macross show and movie are genuine classics - but they do mark a big shift away from earlier mecha shows like Gundam and Votoms, since their creators are mostly only being inspired by other anime rather than the broader influences Tomino and Takahashi drew from.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        2 months ago

        Macross is one of the first huge TV anime that was specifically made by anime fans. It remixed pieces of older shows, like Space Battleship Yamato, and mixed in a city pop soundtrack to gain a broad appeal.

        I thought that was done moreso with Voltron: Defender of the Universe, in its western release. Maybe I was mistaken in what I read.

        The original Macross show and movie are genuine classics - but they do mark a big shift away from earlier mecha shows like Gundam and Votoms, since their creators are mostly only being inspired by other anime rather than the broader influences Tomino and Takahashi drew from.

        Now I see the bigger point at least. Thank you.

      • AFineWayToDie [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        2 months ago

        Transformers used one of the Valkyrie toys as like Starscream or someone early on.

        Jetfire, who was named “Skyfire” in the cartoon and given a moderate re-design (and stopped appearing soon after the first season), because the toy design was licensed from Bandai, and Hasbro/Takara didn’t want to include what was basically free advertisement for their competitors’ design.

        Battletech did snag the Valkyrie robots from Macross at some point (though I’m not too knowledgeable about that franchise)

        A company called Harmony Gold owns the American broadcast rights to Macross, and has been infamously litigious about defending their IP, despite not using it much. It’s a hell of a story, which continues to this day I think.

        • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          A company called Harmony Gold owns the American broadcast rights to Macross, and has been infamously litigious about defending their IP, despite not using it much. It’s a hell of a story, which continues to this day I think.

          Yeah, it’s why Disney has the streaming rights to everything else Macross right now in the USA besides the original show and the first movie, Do You Remember Love