Macross II

Thanks to the modern miracle of Netflix streaming I've been watching the Macross II OVA over the Labor Day weekend.

I don't hate it.

In fact, I kind of like it.

It's sort of the bastard child of the Macross continuity.  In that it didn't involve Shoji Kawamori (and came at a time when he thought he was done with Macross--huh, then Macross Plus and 7 came along).  And that it exists in an alternate continuity.

It first came out on VHS when I was a senior in high school.  Since that's when I was starting to figure out the whole japanese source material patched together into Robotech thing, I tripped all over myself getting the first cassette.  Well.  I didn't really like it then.  I think I saw Clash of the Bionoids that summer and then saw this.  I didn't really understand was Clash of the Bionoids was (a Australian(?) attempt at dubbing Macross DYRL), and then I saw this, and it sorta dampened my enthusiasm for anime for a while.  That, and the shit was expensive!

Now I've just finished the entire OVA.  The dub wasn't great.  That alone would have been enough to kill it for me in the 90s.  However, it wasn't the worst dub I'd heard (ADV's 2006 dub of the original Macross has that award--I ***HAVE*** seen anime dubbed and subbed that isn't Macross--but seriously.  Have you LISTENED to that dub?  More on that in another post).  Mostly my problem.  Is with.  That.  Bizarre William Shatneresque PACING.  And.  overly. melodramatic deLIVery.

Obviously I wasn't floored by it.  The way I was floored by Samurai Seven (SEE!?!? Nonmacross!!!!) or thhe 08th MS Team (see!?!?!? Gundam--not Macross!!!)  But watching it was sort of like bracing myself to get beaten by a baseball bat--and realizing it was only nerf.

So, Macross II is Nerf Macross.  Not quite the impact of the real thing.  But still a little fun.