Robotech Remastered Vol. 1

Manga Entertainment visit the annals of anime history and return with Carl Macek's classic and controversial Robotech series, the heavily edited American version of Macross, one of the most influential anime of the 80's, who's influence is still felt today.

Taking place in 1999, some 15 years ahead of the anime's original airdate, this "futuristic" world has been brought together by the arrival of a gigantic alien spaceship. With humanity rebuilding the ship and dubbing it the SDF-1, the celebrations on launch day are cut short when a new foe shows it's face and attacks Macross Island, leading to a premature launch of the SDF-1, and throwing ace non-military pilot Rick Hunter into the middle of an interstellar war.

Originally aired in 1985, the series does show it's age - animation is typical TV fare and a bit choppy in places despite the remastering, fashions are very much of the time and the dubbing reminds us just how much the art has advanced in the last 20 years, but despite this, it retains much of its charm. The characters are lively, and it's almost refreshing to watch a giant robot anime where the characters aren't all sullen teens.

Where Robotech scores the majority of its points is in the quality of the remaster - it looks incredibly fresh and sounds fantastic, and fans who may have this on old VHS tapes would do well to invest in this series.

This really is a classic anime, and whether or not you agree with Carl Macek's heavy-handed editing, you can't fault the package - Manga have become extremely proficient at creating very appealing boxes for their latest product, and Robotech remastered is no exception - with 12 episodes across 2 discs, with the episodes themselves digitally remastered and re-edited, wrapped up in a gorgeous foil sleeve, it certainly doesn't lack initial appeal.

What may prove a turn off for mass market appeal is the fact that, no matter how well this has been resurrected, it's still a 15 year old anime series, and in a world where digital animation is commonplace, it may well prove too crusty for the current generation. For we old timers who get misty eyed at the old classics, it's a gem.