Macross II: Lovers Again

One of my fav macross serie´s for years on end, Though the storyline os on an alternative macross timeline, it shows that , well it was trying to be quite special from the ´macross saga´ and did a nice job to it, but still from many fans it has received mixed reviews, the Minmay attack specially was becoming discarted along with some of the mecha/designs wich i liked , you see big space shipbattles and other known macross related stuff, colorful animation , nice and bright personality , buit some stuff could be done better

On the surface, Macross II isn't a particularly exceptional OVA, and you might say it relies on the Macross franchise to carry it. But it is very enjoyable. It is set after the events of Do You Remember Love, and takes a Zeta Gundam-style approach to the future of humanity whereby, complacent after their decisive victory over the Zentradi, mankind has established an unsteady peace and industrialised the solar system. The extensive space colonisation alluded to in Macross Plus, 7 and Frontier is nowhere to be seen, and the UN Spacy are no longer the officious but well-meaning organisation you come to expect but instead havetaken up dark blue and gold uniforms and a love of media control and state interference reminiscent of the Titans. The heroes of the original movie and show are nowhere to be seen, with Minmay now just a pawn whose music is seen as humanity's superweapon. It's a good subversion of what DYRL and the series set up. It's also a nice twist on Macross 7's use of music as an offensive weapon rather than just culture shock - especially when the Marduk reveal themselves. Also of interest is the shift away from the traditional "officer/star/pilot" love triangle - the real pop star of Macross II is barely present, and the ending offers a decisive main character (there's no "you are my wings" here.) All that aside, though, the biggest problem is that it feels like Macross II is trying too hard to be another Do You Remember Love. There's a lot of material that feels familiar - and not in a good way, more of a lazy way. The songs themselves aren't actually very memorable - they're pleasant to listen to, but not catchy or powerful. The mechanical designs are very interesting, but don't really innovate much compared to the new styles of Valkyrie seen in Plus and 7. All told, it definitely feels like a sequel and that's good in its own way. But the problem is the lack of innovation, and the fact that the plot is very weak when considered outside of the franchise as a whole. Also the fact that, as you'll see if you watch it, it completely retcons all other franchise material (or all subsequent franchise material retcons it.) It has to exist as an Alternate Universe - and that's why a lot of diehard fans don't like it.

Let me preface with "This was my First Anime.. Ever" so not only does it for on just about every cylinder for me, but i also have nostalgia goggles. I gave this show a perfect 10 PERSONALLY. However objectively i rate it more at a 7 or 8 now that ive seen hundreds of other anime. I still stand by a high rating though, the characters seem like they actually care about what's going on and react reasonably for the situations. I'm a fan of Hibiki and Sylvie, overbite and all. Ishtar is a bit more bland but really she's supposed to be given thecontext. You get some love triangle angles, but its not too prevalent and focuses more on the story, which while relatively direct i do enjoy. I know part of the guidelines are not to comment on other reviews but the entire Internet as a Whole seems to cast some hate on this movie for it not really being Canon and lining up in the universe. I say F all that noise, watch this movie, enjoy it for what it is, and take into consideration it's release date. It's a fantastic show. I also really enjoy the Dub, while not perfect most of the mains are well done, and in the emotional scenes, its believable, in the end thats the goal here.

I've been a fan of Macross Plus since the days of VHS and then later in life I finally saw the original TV series and DYRL. I've recently decided to watch the lesser loved series like this and 7 just to make sure I wasn't missing anything because sometimes reputations of certain series aren't really deserved. Let's see what the scoop is on Macross II: Lovers Again. I'm not going to break down the plot aside from just saying that it's an alternate timeline that breaks off from the original TV series / DYRL. There are no returning characters that I'm aware of. I found thestory serviceable and entertaining enough for a short series. It won't blow your mind or anything, but it does stand above many short OAV series of the time just by having a plot that follows through to an ending. Low bar, I know. The main feature here as far as I'm concerned is the character art by Haruhiko Mikimoto. Close-ups of these characters should leave you dazzled. The art here is even more refined than what we saw almost a decade before in DYRL, just slightly less animated. There's a level of detail here that in my opinion makes the show worth watching no matter what. The art in this series starts off above average and hits a peak around episodes 4 and 5 where you'll see high framerate animation with precise, colorful designs that look stunning especially if you manage to catch this show in HD. There are a few segments that an animation lover might want to rewind and watch over a few times just to enjoy the fine details. Sadly, two problems are present here. First off, the general mecha design (ships, backgrounds, settings) are all great. No problems there, but the Valkyrie fighters design in this series don't quite stand up to other Macross series. There's very technically well-done animation applied to designs that just don't do it for me. I'm guessing this is due to Shoji Kawamori, the original designer of the Valkyries, not being present during this production. I feel bad knocking them because they're very Masami Ōbari-looking (I believe he's involved), which I sometimes love, but in my opinion, they just don't hold a candle to the flowing, solid designs of the original Macross works. Secondly, something terrible happened with the last episode of this series. The quality of the art and animation took a drastic nosedive. It doesn't help that it follows up the most stunning-looking episode 5 AND it's the final part of the story. I'd love to know the story behind the production because while it remains serviceable and doesn't ruin the show, it lacks any of the spectacle the OAV had displayed up until then. The key art of the characters seem to be done by a different artist and long shots show sloppy artwork that looks nothing like the rest of the series. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. The music in the series is composed by Shiro Sagisu of Evangelion fame. I can't say that it ever really stood out to me, but people in other reviews seem to enjoy the soundtrack so maybe I'll enjoy it more on a second viewing. There's a few idol style Macross songs here aside from the opening theme and they're just fine. Again, nothing stand-out, but it supports this short OAV well enough. I felt like if the animation continued it's high quality up through the final episode I would have given it an 8, but it was seriously jarring enough to put a damper on the whole thing. I think Macross II: Lovers Again is absolutely worth a watch for any Macross fan and for any fan of 80s / early 90s OAVs. It's an interesting piece of anime history that you may enjoy more than you think you will. It's one of those "more than the sum of it's parts" type of shows. See if you can seek this out in HD and enjoy some old-school goodness.

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