Macross Plus
| Also Known As: MP, MPlus, Macross+ | ||
| Genre: Romance/Action | ||
| Format: 4 part OVA | ||
| Allegiance: Bandai Visual, Big West, Studio Nue | ||
| Director: Kawamori Shoji, Watanabe Shinichiro | ||
| Vintage: 1994 | ||
| Intelligence Agency Report by: The Macaque | ||
| This is the tale about Isamu and Guld. Two fighter pilots who have been assigned one aircaft (mecha) each to be tested and promoted to a board of highly ranked military officers. These two hotheads were actually friends many years back, but a despute over a girl called Myung turned them into eachothers worst enemies. Now, years later, Myung arrives in town as the manager of a virtual pop-star called Sharon Apple, and the rivalry between Isamu and Guld is about to turn for the worse. Everything doesn’t seem to be quite right about miss Apple either, as this intergalactic love triangle sparks up.Note: The movie version of the same name follows this same plot, and is basically just a two hour wrap up of this OVA. | ||
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| Field Agent Report by: The Macaque | ||
| Plot Characters Impact Visual Audio |
8.75 9.00 8.75 9.25 9.25 |
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| Overall | 9.25 | |
| (not an average) | ||
The story of Macross Plus might sound to be just another triangle drama, where two guys fight over the same girl. In many ways it’s just that, but then again there’s alot more to it. Not to be in any way connected with the previous Macross saga spinoffs, Macross Plus should be seen as the first worthy follow-up to the legendary series. Directed by quite a peculiar duo of two men with very different backgrounds. One (Watanabe-san) with only one previous directoral post under his belt, and another (Kawamori-san), a true heavy-weight among anime directors, together managed to produce a true masterpiece both visually and plot-wise.
You definately do not need to be in any way familiar with the Macross franchise in order to understand this OVA. The characters are presented in a clear fashion, and the storyline follows a very logical path. No deviations into some obscure mindraping scenes, and only a few very understandable flashbacks. To many a very enjoyable anime to watch, to a very small minority maybe even too linear.
The leading characters might seem a bit two dimensional, but then again, they’re fighter pilots, not anime reviewers. The unhibited and very immediate nature of all the characters make them feel easily approachable, and also helps creating a very relaxed feel about the show, even while the action heats up. And there’s plenty of action in Macross plus, all animated with a stunning grip. The OVA features probably the nicest aerial dogfight scenes ever created without the help of computers, and will most certainly keep all action-lovers on their toes.
So you might ask: “OK, it’s good anime, but is mecha anime really my thing?”. Don’t worry, since it’s actually a love story spiced up with action. Think Top Gun, but without the glorification of the U.S. airforce, and a much more intricate story. There’s something for everyone here and accompanied by an outstanding soundtrack (a’la Yoko Kanno, naturally) the OVA manages to produce a whole variety of feelings inside the viewer. Some of sadness, some of amazement, but above all ALOT of enjoyment. If you want to see what great anime looked like some ten years ago, pick up Macross Plus. It doesn’t get much better than this.
