Ask John: Where’s the Rest of the Macross Anime?

Question:
As I understand it, Harmony Gold’s death grip on the rights to Macross is preventing the domestic release of series like Macross 7, Zero, and Frontier. But that leaves me wondering, how on Earth did Macross II and Macross Plus make it to the R1 market? If they could be released in the US, why not the other Macross installments? Is there any hope at all that the companies involved could reach an agreement for the benefit of anime fans?

Answer:
Discussion of Macross licensing is a convoluted subject and, to be honest, there are diehards more familiar with the subject and more qualified to analyze its intricacies than me. Because I presume that this is a topic which many American anime fans are curious about, I’ll briefly summarize an answer. The legal ownership of the Macross trademark and its components was in legal uncertainty in Japan for many years. American company Harmony Gold has asserted its right to involvement in any American distribution of properties using the Macross name or specific characteristics of the Macross franchise because of its possession of domestic master licensing rights to the Japanese Macross television series footage. The validity of Harmony Gold’s claim to a say in any and all American Macross licensing is probably tenuous, but ignoring or challenging Harmony Gold’s claim may cause more trouble and expense than American distributors want to handle. To put it simply, even if right may be ultimately in their favor, attempting to license and distribute new Macross anime in America entails so much headache that domestic distributors just don’t want to try. Instead of wrestling with the convoluted rights and the expenses associated with the Macross franchise, just pick something else that’s easier to license and distribute.

Two different cuts of the Macross Movie have reached official American VHS release, but an authentic, unaltered Japanese version of the movie has never been officially available in America. The Macross II: Lovers Again anime made it to America in part because it was always intended for simultaneous American and Japanese release. Additionally, it was produced without the involvement of Studio Nue, the studio that created the Macross concept and its distinctive themes, robots, and characters. Since Macross II circumvented the Japanese dispute between Studio Nue and Tatsunoko by not involving either company, it was able to make it to America without delay. The American release of Macross Plus probably has as much to do with luck as anything else.

Casual Macross fans and Macross 7 detractors may be shocked at the realization that Macross 7 is the longest, most prolific installment in the Macross canon. It’s also famously not in America partially due to complex and expensive music rights. (A similar situation involving music rights kept the Canadian produced Heavy Metal animated film off commercial home video for 15 years.) Macross Zero is presumably an expensive license. Macross Frontier has been tremendously successful in Japan, and it’s a lushly produced sci-fi action series, which ought to make it a highly desirable American license. The only explanation for the absence of recent Macross anime in America is that the franchise has been deemed too difficult to license for American release since 1995 when Macross Plus premiered in America. Prior to 1995, when the American anime industry was still in its relative infancy, DVD hadn’t been introduced to market yet, and American licensing rights costs hadn’t skyrocketed, Macross anime was difficult, but not impossible to bring to America, considering that all of the existing Japanese Macross anime at the time except Macross 7, with its cost prohibitive music rights, had made it to American home video in one form or another. Macross Zero premiered during the American market boom, when licensing was expensive and competitive and Harmony Gold was especially aggressive about exerting its stake in the Macross rights. Macross F premiered in the midst of a diminished American anime distribution field, so the combination of few viable American licensors and the innate difficulty of acquiring Macross properties has probably kept the show from American shores.

It’s said that where there’s a will, there’s a way. But so far there’s not been enough will to bring more Macross anime to America to overcome the difficulties involved in that effort. Macross Zero and Frontier are particularly highly viable properties for American distribution. The problem is that they’re difficult licenses to negotiate, and there aren’t many American distributors left that have the resources to potentially acquire either of these shows. Just because the remaining Japanese exclusive Macross anime has a lot of American market potential, including both DVD/BD and streaming distribution, it can’t be ruled out for possible future American release. However, considering the diminished American consumer market for anime, reductions in domestic licensing, and the diminished number of possible American licensor/distributors, I don’t anticipate seeing the Macross movie, Macross 7, Macross Zero, or Macross Frontier anime get announced for American distribution in the foreseeable future. The one exception may be Bandai Channel potentially offering Macross anime via online streaming when the service expands outside of Japan next year. The Bandai Channel site presently streams all of the Macross anime for Japanese viewers.