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Positive Experience/Entertaining? I’m a fan of the Macross universe, in general, but this felt pretty damn useless to me.

Technically any good? The story on it’s own would have been fine, but it just doesn’t mesh with the rest of the Macross Saga. The involvement of the the pre-existing ships and history (but none of the characters we actually know) feels shoe-horned in and doesn’t make this Japanese animated mini-series any better. In fact, I think it hinders its ability to stand on its own–not that it does stand on its own very well. While the story is “fine” it’s not terribly good. It’s watchable, but ultimately not remarkable. It’s filled with several anime cliches–the young, brash, disrespectful, yet handsome rogue, the easy-to-bed goofy sidekick woman and the big, dumb, brute who ultimately redeems himself. The creepy girl is also represented. Meanwhile the Macross-specific themes are all there–a love triangle, fighter pilots and music–but ultimately the miniseries lacks anything that might resonate with fans of the Macross saga. The only good thing here is Yoko Kanno’s music. She is a brilliant composer and her stuff here is wonderful. Kanno is probably best known for her music for Cowboy Bebop, in case you’re curious.

How did it leave me feeling? Disappointed. The original Macross series and the movie-version/remake embodied the space opera at its best. Sadly, this just feels like a sequel capitalizing on an existing brand name.

Final Rating? DNS – Do Not See unless you’re a hardcore Macross fan or, like me, a completist who wants to see EVERYthing in the Macross universe.