ADV Films presents

Robotech #3: The Macross Saga: Homecoming (1985)

"This ship still has its secrets"- Captain Gloval

Stars: Greg Snow, Reba West, Jonathan Alexander, Drew Thomas
Other Stars: Deanna Morris, Thomas Wyner, Brittany Harlow, Donn Warner, Alex Roberts, Tony Oliver, A. Gregory, Noel McGrath, Sandra Snow
Director: Robert Barron, Ippei Kuri

Manufacturer: DVDL
MPAA Rating: Not RatedRun Time: 02h:19m:06s
Release Date: 2001-08-07
Genre: anime

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B+	B	C	C+	D+

 

DVD Review

Here we are at disc three in the Robotech series already, which is being released on a much faster schedule than some of ADV's other titles. Like the first two discs volumes three and four are available individually or as part of a second mini box set which contains a third disc of extras. Since we have only been receiving the individual discs for review, I can't comment on whether the additional disc is worth the extra $10 the boxset will cost you.

In keeping with the releases so far, disc three contains another six episodes, complete with the original eye catches at the commercial breaks. Since I have difficulty with English dubs at the best of times, it is still strange to watch this series, and probably calls my attention to the fact that the script often seems forced, with sentences that go nowhere, or dialogue that is rushed to fit the animation.

In Blue Wind, SDF-1 returns to Earth after another unapproved attack by Lord Khyron is thwarted by his superiors. The three Zentraedi spies are trying to mingle with the civilian population, but their attempts at being discrete would require a bit more research to be fully effective.

As the ship returns to Earth, we get a recap episode with Captain Gloval's Report.

The Homecoming for the tens of thousands aboard the SDF-1 isn't going to be what they expected, as Gloval and Lisa Hayes meet at a secret base in Alaska, trying to persuade the Earth government to negotiate a peace treaty with the Zentraedi. Their request is flatly denied, and the SDF-1 is ordered to leave Earth once more. Meanwhile Rick escorts Minmay back to Japan for a reunion with her parents, but their stay is shortlived as they reject the idea of her returning to the SDF-1 until her cousin Kyle volunteers to join her, much to Rick's dismay. When word that none of the civilians aboard ship are allowed to leave, tension mounts in Battlecry.

Describing the last two episodes would reveal too many spoilers, so I'll just note that Rick's imagination gets a workout in Phantasm, and he is not much happier with the news in the final episode, whose title is a major spoiler.

Robotech continues to entertain, though does feel kind of awkward at times, especially during Minmay's singing sequences, where the music is completely out of step with her performances. The animation, while interesting is pretty dated, and isn't helped by the quality of the video. That said, at six episodes per disc and the pricing these are streeting at, you do get a good deal of anime for your money. We'll return shortly with disc number four.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Video quality continues to suffer with disc three. Colors shift continually and are flat and washed out a lot of the time. Contrast gets out of line in several places forcing whites to blow out. The image still has a very granular look to it, though very digitized. There is a fair amount of frame damage, and lots of edit marks at the bottom of the image. However, this is apparently sourced from the 1" video master, so without an extensive restoration, this is the best we can expect.

Image Transfer Grade: C
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
Mono	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: Nothing spectacular here. We have a serviceable English dub track, nothing more. A bit of distortion here and there, limited frequency range, though no major issues with hiss. Still sounds like TV.

Audio Transfer Grade: C+ 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 30 cues and remote access
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring Martian Successor Nadesico, Original Dirty Pair, Gasaraki, Orphen, Farscape, Neon Genesis Evangelion
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: RSDL

Extras Review: Extras are limited to trailers for Martian Successor Nadesico, Orphen, Gasaraki, Original Dirty Pair, Farscape and Neon Genesis Evangelion, which are accessable from the trailers submenu.

Extras Grade: D+
 

Final Comments

Another six episodes continue the first segment of Robotech. Still entertaining despite pretty mediocre video quality. The boxed version is apparently pretty nice and contains a lot more extras, though we haven't seen any of them yet. Fans of the show continue to get a good bang for their buck.

Jeff Ulmer 2001-07-30