Robotech : The Complete Original Series on DVD!

Anime fans are nothing short of passionate. Robotech fans are doubly so, dedicated enough to be able to keep a relatively still franchise alive for decades. This month, A&E and Harmony Gold are releasing a new iteration of the influential anime series, and fans are thrilled that it completely blows away all previous releases of the show.

Robotech has a very interesting history, and in 1985, it was one of the most influential Japanese cartoons to be brought into the US. The US audience had already experienced plenty of anime by then : translations of Gigantor and Astro Boy were already part of the cartoon lexicon.

Robotechis actually a uniquely American experience, as the show never existed in Japan in this format – though it did exist as three different animated series which were combined into one for a US audience, and to fit US syndication formats : The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (all of which are available in the US in different incomplete, poorly-translated or out-of-print formats). This unusual conglomeration of three series was edited into one show, miraculously contained a cohesive narrative, and Robotech was born, capturing the hearts of thousands of kids and robot enthusiasts.

The story is thus : Earth is at war with itself, until a giant spaceship crashes on an island. This causes all of the nations of Earth to work together for a decade in order to decipher and rebuild this alien technology. During a celebration to mark the completion of this epic project, the crashed spaceship is reactivated and catches the attention of an alien race who is seeking it out. The ensuing wars last for three Robotech seasons, or 85 episodes, all of which are included here.

Spaceship-jets that turn into fighting robots, bio-organic aliens and warships, dogfights with lasers and explosions, human drama : Robotech covers a little bit of everything which makes the minds of kids tick, as well as the adults who remain dedicated fans – all while lending itself to some awesome toys. This release is far beyond one of those “let’s throw some old series on a DVD” sets which populate and repopulate stores. This one includes a ridiculous ton of bonuses (some old, many new) – so many that they’re included on an additional 4-disc set contained in this very handsome slipcase.

Bonuses include pilot episodes from the anime series from which Robotech was derived, tons of character art and original animation stuff, The Sentinels (a three-episode series which was turned into a feature length film), a very recent Robotech documentary, and everything which could be scraped together from the first Robotech movie (which wasn’t destroyed in a studio flood during the 1990s).

With 17 discs to enjoy, it’s unlikely that you’ll run out of robot and alien fighting anytime soon. While some fans have complained about the release of this on DVD and not Blu-ray, there seems to be a lack of understanding that popping something onto Blu-ray does not automatically make it clearer or”better”. The source material for these DVD episodes has been cleaned up and remastered, but it does not change the fact that these were shot on 16mm film, making a significant grain inherent to the source material, and if I may be subjective, the experience itself. The vague haze which covers a majority of pre-1990s cartoons has a warmth which just cannot be replicated with digitally produced, or remastered, shows.

This doesn’t make a HD release impossible, just unlikely in the immediate future, making this the set to get. Quoth the Robotech Facebook page :

“There are challenges to transferring from the original film reels to HD, one being that the footage was originally filmed in 16mm, not 35mm, so the materials have much more grain which would be pronounced in HD resolution. Therefore, this is something we’re still working on — the ideal is for the restoration technology to improve and costs to come down to hit a sweet spot for consumers.”

This complete series set is ideal for now, and joins the ranks of some of the best complete animated series sets I’ve collected, including Jem and The Real Ghostbusters. It’s refreshing to see an animated series being treated respectfully, and subsequently, the fans being given a great package of something they hold dear. A&E outdid themselves on a popular property which could have been lost to the ages and buried under today’s Bakugan and Yu-Gi-Oh junk.

If you’re a dedicated fan, you’ve probably already bought the out-of-print Protoculture Collection from Section 23, or other half-complete releases, but this is a pretty solid way to get almost everything in one convenient package. It’s a very neat set, and I can’t wait to watch through the whole thing.

[DVDs graciously provided by the publisher.]