Robotech (TV series)

Last updated
Robotech
RobotechTitle1985.jpg
Title screen from the 1985 broadcast
Genre Epic, Mecha, Space opera
Created by Carl Macek
Based onPart 1
Super Dimension Fortress Macross
(by Studio Nue) [1] [2]
Part 2
Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
Part 3
Genesis Climber MOSPEADA
Screenplay by
see list
Story byCarl Macek [4]
Directed by Robert V. Barron
Ippei Kuri
Uncredited:
Noboru Ishiguro
Yasuo Hasegawa
Katsuhisa Yamada [lower-alpha 1]
Starring(see below)
Narrated byJ. Jay Smith
Theme music composer Ulpio Minucci
ComposerUlpio Minucci
Country of origin United States
Japan (o.v.)
No. of series3
No. of episodes85 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersCarl Macek
Ahmed Agrama
Animator Tatsunoko Production
Running time25 minutes
Production companies Harmony Gold USA
Uncredited:
Studio Nue
Artland
Artmic
Original release
Network First-run syndication
Sci-Fi Channel
Cartoon Network
KTEH
Crunchyroll Channel
ReleaseMarch 4 (1985-03-04) 
June 28, 1985 (1985-06-28)
Related

Robotech is an American 85-episode adaptation of three unrelated Japanese anime television series (from three different fictional universes) made between 1982 and 1984 in Japan; the adaptation was aired in 1985. Within the combined and edited story, Robotechnology refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship that crashed on a South Pacific island. [5] With this technology, Earth developed giant robotic machines or mecha (many of which were capable of transforming into vehicles) to fight three successive extraterrestrial invasions. [6]

Contents

Background

Robotech was one of the first anime televised in the United States that attempted to include most of the complexity and drama of its original Japanese source material. [7] Produced by Harmony Gold USA, Inc. in association with Tatsunoko Productions Co. Ltd., Robotech is a story adapted with edited content and revised dialogue from the animation of three different mecha anime series: The Super Dimension Fortress Macross from 1982, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross from 1984, and Genesis Climber Mospeada from 1983. Harmony Gold's cited reasoning for combining these unrelated series was its decision to market Macross for US-American weekday syndication television, which required a minimum of 65 episodes at the time (thirteen weeks at five episodes per week). Macross and the two other series each had fewer episodes than required since they originally aired in Japan as a weekly series. [8]

Production history

Harmony Gold hired American writers to adapt the scripts of the three Japanese series. [9] This complicated process was supervised by producer Carl Macek, a pioneer of the anime industry in the United States. [10] [11]

This combination resulted in a storyline that spans three generations as mankind must fight three destructive Robotech Wars in succession over a powerful energy source called "Protoculture":

Codename: Robotech

Codename: Robotech is a 73-minute animated pilot that preceded the series. It is set within the events of the First Robotech War. It was a greatly extended version of Gloval's Report, the fourteenth television episode that summarizes the beginning of the series. It was aired on some television stations before the broadcast of the series in 1985. It was included on DVD as an extra with the first volume of the Robotech Legacy Collection and the complete Protoculture Collection, from ADV Films. [12] The disc includes the option of audio commentary by producer Carl Macek and was also released in Australia by Madman Entertainment.

Television broadcast

North American television debut

Robotech originally aired in 1985 in first-run syndication, meaning it was sold directly to local television stations without having been run on a network first—this was part of a trend in animation in the 1980s. Previously, local stations would rerun theatrical cartoons like Looney Tunes or shows that had previously aired on network TV on Saturday mornings. This changed after He-Man and the Masters of the Universe introduced a new economic model: shows sold directly for first-run to stations, driving and funded by sales of related toys. [7] Though the original Robotech series did well in ratings, the attempt to cash in on toys may have doomed Robotech II: The Sentinels as the original series attracted older viewers, not necessarily the children targeted by the toy line. The failure of the Matchbox toy line is cited [ by whom? ] as a primary reason for the cancellation of the Sentinels series.

International broadcast

In Australia, Robotech was aired from 12 April 1986 to and throughout 1988 and 1995 by both the Ten and Seven Networks and various regional stations in different states (including RTQ7, AMV4 and GRV6). Ten cut the series at episode 52 (Love Song), while Seven broadcast all 85 episodes. In 2018, also in Australia, Network Ten multichannel Eleven started airing the Macross Saga.

In France, Robotech was originally broadcast by La Cinq during the summer of 1987; the show moved to TF1 in 1991.

The Philippine network GMA-7 aired the Masters and New Generation episodes in the late 1980s (as RPN-9 aired Macross in the early 1980s), as part of the late-afternoon weekday animation block (together with Captain Harlock).

The Hong Kong cable television channel Star Plus (now Star World) aired all 85 episodes, from May 1994 to January 1995, with changes in time-slots (May-early October 1994, 11:00 a.m. Sundays; October 1994-January 1995, 5:30 p.m. Weekdays). The series was broadcast in a number of European countries by the then Super Channel during the 1980s.

In the UK, Robotech aired on The Children's Channel in the mid to late 1980s, and it was transmitted on Prem1ere, the satellite movie channel, in the same period.

In Spain, all Robotech episodes were aired using the Latin American Dubbing, from August 1990 to April 1991, with changes in time slots, in Telecinco channel. The series was aired again in the same channel from October 1993 to May 1994. At that time only The Macross Saga and The Robotech Masters Saga were aired, leaving the third part of the show unaired.

In Russia on the TV channel 2x2 a dubbed version in Russian was shown in 1992. [13] [14] [15] In the spring of 2012, there was a rerun on the TV channel 2x2 with a new dubbed version. [15] [16] [17]

The Dubai-based channel MBC 3 began broadcasting an Arabic-language dubbed version in early 2010.

In Yugoslavia, 14 dubbed episodes were aired in 1990 on RTB. A sticker album was also released by Forum Marketprint.

Subsequent airings

Robotech appeared on the Sci-Fi Channel in 1993, and on Cartoon Network's Toonami in 1998. Toonami aired only episodes 1 through 60, finishing the run at the end of the Robotech Masters story-line. Toonami reran 3 selected episodes of Robotech as part of the Giant Robot Week in 2003. Superstation KTEH, a PBS public television station in San Jose, California, as part of its Sunday Late-Prime (9pm-after 12) Sci-Fi programming line-up aired the "Macross" and "New Generation" storylines, as well as the Robotech II: The Sentinels feature. Robotech formerly aired daily on The Anime Network. As of January 7, 2007, the show also airs in Canada on Space and Retro. As of 2017, all three storyline sagas of Robotech are currently available for streaming on Netflix. Internet based Pluto TV, a Paramount Global subsidiary, began showing all three Robotech stories Summer of 2019 on the Anime All Day channel. They appeared in their original Japanese format as Macross, Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada.

Critical reception

The series has attained a significant cult-following over the years along with critical appraisal; in 2009, IGN ranked Robotech as the 34th greatest animated show of all time in their Top 100 list. [18]

In 1996, Hyper magazine reviewed The Macross Saga, rating it 10 out of 10. [19]

Home media

Original series cast and crew

English-language cast

Executive and creative staff

  • Ahmed Agrama - Executive Producer
  • Jehan Agrama - Associate Producer
  • Debbie Alba - Dialogue Director
  • Robert V. Barron - Supervising Director / Writer / Dialogue Director
  • Ardwight Chamberlain - Writer
  • Greg Finley - Writer / Dialogue Director
  • Kent Hayes - Production Manager
  • Jason Klassi - Writer
  • Steve Kramer - Script Editor / Writer / Dialogue Director
  • Carl Macek - Producer / Story Editor
  • Mike Reynolds - Writer / Dialogue Director
  • Gregory Snegoff - Script Editor / Writer / Dialogue Director
  • Tao Will - Writer

Production crew

  • Jorge Allia - Transfer
  • Leonardo Araujo - Recording Engineer
  • George Bours - Recording Engineer
  • Guillermo Coelho - Video Tape Engineer
  • John Reiner - Recording Engineer
  • Bryan J. Rusenko - Chief Engineer
  • Eduardo Torres - Recording Engineer
  • Gerardo Valdez - Transfer
  • Joel Valentine - Final Re-Recording

Music staff

Since Robotech was a non-union project, many of the voice actors involved worked under pseudonyms to avoid trouble with their union.[ citation needed ] The voice-actor list printed in Robotech Art One lists the pseudonyms rather than the real names of most of the actors.[ citation needed ]

Continuing after the original series

Notes

  1. Ippei Kuri is listed in the credits to Robotech as "Director" of the "original animation"; however, Ishiguro, Hasegawa and Yamada were the actual directors of Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada respectively. At the time Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada were produced, Kuri's brother Kenji Yoshida was the head of Tatsunoko Production (credited as "producer" of the "original animation" in Robotech), but Kuri has no credit involvement whatsoever.

Related Research Articles

<i>Robotech</i> Science fiction media franchise

Robotech is an American science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production; it was first released in the United States in 1984.

<i>Super Dimension Fortress Macross</i> Science fiction anime series

Super Dimension Fortress Macross is an anime television series from 1982. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war. It is the first part of: The Super Dimension trilogy and the Macross franchise.

<i>Macross</i> Mecha anime franchise

Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the human race after the year 1999, as well as the history of humanoid civilization in the Milky Way. It consists of four TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel, and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West, in addition to 40 video games set in the Macross universe, two crossover games, and a wide variety of physical merchandise.

<i>Macross Plus</i> 1994 Japanese OVA series

Macross Plus is a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the Macross series. It was the first sequel to the original Macross television series that took place in the official timeline. Plus was a groundbreaking combination of traditional cel and computer-generated animation at the time of its release, paving the way for the incorporation of more computer-generated imagery in Japanese animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streamline Pictures</span> Defunct American media company

Streamline Pictures was an American media company. Founded by screenwriter Carl Macek and animation historian Jerry Beck, it was one of the earliest distributors of English-dubbed Japanese animation.

<i>Macross: Do You Remember Love?</i> 1984 Japanese film

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?, also known as Macross: Do You Remember Love? or Super Spacefortress Macross, is a 1984 Japanese animated space opera film based on the Macross anime television series.

<i>Genesis Climber MOSPEADA</i> Japanese anime television series

Genesis Climber MOSPEADA is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan. MOSPEADA is an acronym of "Military Operation Soldier Protection Emergency Aviation Dive Armor", one of the transformable motorcycle-armors the series features. The other primary mecha featured in the show is the three-form transformable fighter called the Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss. MOSPEADA was adapted as the third generation of the American series Robotech, much like Macross and Southern Cross.

<i>Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles</i> 2006 American film

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles is the 2006 animated sequel to the 1985 Robotech television series. It was released on DVD on February 6, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmony Gold USA</span> US film and television production company

Harmony Gold USA, Inc. is an American film and television production company. It was founded in 1983 by Egyptian-born Frank Agrama and is managed by his daughter, Jehan F. Agrama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hikaru Ichijyo</span> Fictional character in The Macross franchise

Hikaru Ichijyo is one of the main fictional characters of the Macross Japanese anime series. His voice actor was Arihiro Hase. After the death of Arihiro Hase in 1996, he was voiced by Kenji Nojima in the PlayStation 2 Macross video game from 2003. In the English dub of the series produced by ADV Films, he is voiced by Vic Mignogna.

<i>Megazone 23</i> Japanese OVA series

Megazone 23 is a three-part Japanese cyberpunk original video animation co-created by Noboru Ishiguro and Hiroyuki Hoshiyama, written by Hoshiyama and Emu Arii, and directed by Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai, and Shinji Aramaki. The series debuted in 1985. It was originally titled Omega Zone 23 but the title was changed just before release.

<i>Robotech 3000</i> 2000 film

Robotech 3000 was Harmony Gold's attempt to revive the Robotech franchise before the turn of the millennium. After the relative success of Voltron: The Third Dimension and Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, a new Robotech sequel was proposed that would use 3D CG visuals, with producer Jason Netter and writer original Roobtech Carl Macek at the helm.

<i>Robotech</i> (novels)

In 1987, the Robotech animated series was adapted into novel form by authors James Luceno and Brian Daley and published by Del Rey Books. Having previously collaborated on the animated series Galaxy Rangers, the pair released the Robotech novels under the unified pseudonym of "Jack McKinney". Using fictitious epigraphs in the style of Dune, McKinney's novels escaped the limitations inherent in the dubbed cartoon and fleshed out its chronology in greater detail; most significantly, by adapting the storyline of the aborted sequel project, "The Sentinels". The entire series lasted for twenty-one books, the first fifteen of which were later collected into five three-book omnibus compilations in the early 1990s.

<i>Robotech</i> (comics)

Robotech comics first officially appeared in print in 1985, though Comico published the first issue of its license from Harmony Gold USA under the Macross name.

<i>Robotech: The Movie</i> 1986 film by Noboru Ishiguro, Carl Macek

Robotech: The Movie, also called Robotech: The Untold Story, is a 1986 American-Japanese science fiction animated film based on the Robotech TV series and Robotech franchise created by Harmony Gold USA. The film was created by splicing together footage from the Japanese direct-to-video movie Megazone 23 Part I and animated television series Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and had only a loose connection to the Robotech TV show.

<i>Robotech II: The Sentinels</i> 1988 American film

Robotech II: The Sentinels was an attempt by Harmony Gold USA to continue the original 1985 Robotech television series. Only three episodes were ultimately animated before the project was canceled in 1986, and a feature-length film was released from footage taken from the completed episodes. The aborted 65-episode Sentinels series would have followed the ongoing adventures of Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes and the rest of the Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) during the events of The Robotech Masters and The New Generation series.

<i>Macross Frontier</i> 2008 anime series

Macross Frontier is a Japanese anime television series and the third Japanese anime television series set in the Macross universe. It was broadcast on MBS from April 4, 2008 to September 26, 2008.

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