Ask John: How Much Macross Anime Is There?

Question:
Do you know what’s the difference between the original Macross and Macross 7 and how many Macross series are there?

Answer:
For an anime series with such a long and multi-faceted history in America, there’s still a lot about the Superdimensional Fortress Macross anime franchise that remains unknown to most American fans. Cho Jiku Yosai Macross broadcast 36 episodes between October 3rd, 1982 and June 26, 1983. The success of the Superdimensional Fortress Macross television series led to the creation of a motion picture Cho Jiku Yosai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu Ka (Superdimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?) released in Japan on July 7, 1984, and its follow-up OAV Cho Jiku Yosai Macross: Flashback 2012, released on June 21, 1987. The Macross movie was an alternate continuity re-telling of the Macross TV series story. Flashback 2012 consisted mainly of Lynn Minmei music videos and concert performances, including clips from the TV series and movie, and new animation that was later incorporated into the “Perfect Edition” Macross movie to serve as the concert scene that was originally intended to be included in the film but never actually animated.

From May 21st through November 21st 1992, Bandai commissioned the production of a 6 episode OAV series sequel to Macross entitled Cho Jiku Yosai Macross II: Lovers Again. Haruhiko Mikimoto, character designer of the original Macross animation, returned to provide character design for the OAV series, but Macross creators Shoji Kawamori and Studio Nue were not consulted or involved in the creation or production of the series, resulting in a Macross anime series most fans wisely choose to forget or overlook.

Macross saw its first “official” sequel with the August 25th, 1994 release of Macross Plus OAV 1, set 30 years after the events of the Macross TV series. On September 25th of the following year, the 4 Macross Plus OAVs were condensed into a single feature length film (which many fans consider superior to the original 4 OAVs) and enhanced with a small amount of new original animation for release as the “Macross Plus Movie Edition.”

The 49 episode Macross 7 television series premiered on Japanese television on October 16, 1994. Set five years after the events in Macross Plus, Macross 7 (which dropped the “Superdimensional Fortress”), focused on the lives of original Macross heroes Maximillian Jenius and his wife Millia Fallyna Jenius, and more importantly their daughter Mylene Flare Jenius, who along with her rock band “Fire Bomber” must use “song energy” and “sound force” to battle the ancient enemy of the Zentradi. Although commonly panned by American fans, Macross proved to be wildly popular in Japan, spawning several sequels.

The 30 minute long Macross 7 movie, Macross 7: Ginga ga Ore wo Yondeiru! (“Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me!”) premiered in Japan as a double feature with the Macross Plus movie. It was followed up by the two episode, alternate continuity OAV series Macross 7 Encore, released on December 18, 1995, close to three months after the conclusion of the TV series. In February 1996, the final volume of Macross 7 TV episodes was released to Japanese home video and included a bonus episode, “Fleet of the Strongest Women,” that was never aired on Japanese television. Then, finally, the “official” four episode OAV sequel to Macross 7, Macross Dynamite 7, premiered on Japanese home video on December 18, 1997.

The first of 4 episodes of the Macross Zero OAV series are scheduled for release on December 21, 2002. Macross Zero is a prequel to the Macross TV series, set one year before the beginning of the TV series. The Macross Zero OAVs will focus on the development and testing of the valkyrie fighters. And the Japanese Macross 20th Anniversary DVD is scheduled to include the first information about another Macross project currently known as “Macross 3D.”