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ADV Films presents

Robotech #5: The Macross Saga: War And Peace (1985)

"We must learn to forgive - not blindly, not out of ignorance, but because we are strong and willing nation. We cannot blame the Zentraedi for this inexplicable lust for war. They have never known any other way of life, and it is their only means of survival. Nor can we condemn the individuals of that society for the mass insanity of a war machine. Instead, we must look to their good nature."- 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: IFPI
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (Mild animated violence)
Run Time: 02h:22m:31s
Release Date: 2001-09-18
Genre: anime

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
B+ B-CC+ D

 

DVD Review

As mentioned in reviews of earlier episodes, Robotech is a combination of three separate Japanese animation titles, edited together to form one complete franchise for the American market. With Disc 5, we enter the final story arcs that close off the The Macross Saga portion of the series, which concludes at the end of the next disc.

So far, we have experienced a war between the people of Earth including those aboard the Super Dimensional Fortress and the Zentraedi, a race of giant aliens looking for the secret of protoculture, which the SDF-1 plays an important role in. As our central characters continue their parts in these eventsóRick Hunter, now head of the SDF-1 defense force, Lisa Hayes, daughter of the Earth's commander in chief, now stationed in the Arctic bunkers of Earth's defense cannon, and Lynn Minmay, the singer whose voice has led to the defection of a large number of Zentraedióthe Earth and her foes stand poised for a deciding confrontation, even as hopes for a negotiated settlement are being put in place by SDF Captain Gloval.

After infiltrating the SDF-1 to assassinate her arch rival, Miriya instead finds herself accepting Max Sterling's proposal of marriage. As they become the first Zentraedi and Earthing to be joined in matrimony, the event shocks the Zentraedi fleet, causing even more trouble for Breetai who has been given orders for an all out assault on the SDF-1 from his superiors.

As his crew begins to mutiny against orders, Breetai sends Exedore to explore the possibility of a truce, and while the Zentraedi delegate begins to understand the human perspective, he is still at a loss to explain the powerful psychological weapon that has been used against them, that of Lynn Minmay's singing. As the two races look to form a common bond, the stakes increase with the arrival of 5 million Zentraedi warships bent on destroying the SDF-1 and the Earth. The stage is set for the final showdown in the first Robotech war.

As this series moves on, I must say that I am still enjoying the action and how the storylines are unfolding. My only real criticism is with the voice acting, which I feel is highly inadequate in many places, especially those where some form of extreme emotional expression is involved, which tend to come off very dispassionately. The animation does look dated, but I find that part of its charm. The love triangle between Rick Hunter, Lynn Minmay and Lisa Hayes continues to develop, as we move into a new era in the story.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicno


Image Transfer Review: Most of this disc is comparable in quality to previous discs in the series, with a digitally grainy appearance, variable contrast, and mediocre overall appearance. The fourth episode, Reconstruction Blues, in particular gets a lot worse, with excessive edge enhancement, and a far more digitized look, creating crawling hatched patterns across the entire image. This is isolated to the single episode but degrades the average score here. While not unwatchable, this is certainly a far cry from what I would hope for, though the source elements may be the determining factor.

Image Transfer Grade: C
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
DS 2.0Englishno


Audio Transfer Review: Audio is on par with previous releases. There is some distortion present, but nothing too unacceptable. It does the job, but like the video isn't too impressive.

Audio Transfer Grade: C+ 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 30 cues and remote access
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring Getter Robo, Original Dirty Pair, Farscape, Nadesico, Soul Taker and Queen Emeraldas
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extras Review: Trailers for Getter Robo, Original Dirty Pair, Farscape, Nadesico, Soul Taker and Queen Emeraldas, are the only extras, accessible from the trailers submenu.

Extras Grade: D
 

Final Comments

The saga of Robotech continues with another six episodes. Presentation quality continues to be an issue, as does a lack of extras on the individual discs. Plot development succeeds though growth of the main characters remains fairly stagnant with relationships pretty much maintaining status quo, though there are hints something may end up happening in the not too distant future.

Jeff Ulmer 2001-09-18