Macross 1: Upon the Shoulders of Giants [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

As a long-time Robotech fan that has recently purchased and viewed this release, I'd like to give it a balanced review and clear up some obvious mistakes made by other reviewers.

First off, this is NOT a censored DVD. I'm not certain why this claim has been made by another reviewer, but rest assured, it simply is not true. The reviewer "Peter Payne" claims that the Minmei shower scene has been edited. It has not been. My only guess is that he really hasn't seen this release and is quoting hearsay. From what I've seen thus far, every scene from the AnimEigo release is included here (with the same outstanding picture quality).

Secondly, I've heard several others state that the sound FX are exactly the same as the revamped 5.1 sounds used in Robotech Remastered. This also is NOT true. Yes, there have been some alterations to various FX to make them 5.1 compatible, but the changes are not as widesweeping as those in RT remastered. I have that entire series, and I directly compared episodes 1-6 of it to this new Macross release (I know... I'm sick), and the latter clearly retains more of the original sounds (although, be warned, not all of them). Overall I think the 5.1 in this new Macross is an acceptable balance between the completely original mono sounds and the overly augmented sounds from RT remastered. Here again, I can only assume that those making the claims have not made a direct comparison. It is correct that the 2.0 Japanese track has all original sounds (although the quality is awful).

Many viewers have stated their disappointment concerning the subs. Overall I would have to say that the subs are mostly a success. The only voice that really grates on me is Roy's (too over the top), although it is true that Hikaru sounds too much like a SoCal dude at times, and Minmei's accent is quite heavy throughout. But in comparison to the original RT voices of Rick (too wimpy), and Minmei (too childish and annoying) I'd say there's been improvement, albeit not perfect. And, of course, Mari Iijima's vocals are vastly superior to those of Reba West, although you won't hear much of it until disc 2 comes out.

All in all, I'm quite pleased with this release and will be purchasing the rest. It's certainly not perfect, but where else are you going to be able to see the original Macross and be able to devote your full attention to the restored visuals? If you're not one of the devout "anti-subs" types, then this advantage is for you. The music also sounds spectacular in 5.1, which is a huge bonus for those who love the original Macross soundtrack. There are enough of the original sounds to be excited about, and there are some interesting extras on the discs (unlike the AnimEigo releases).

So it's not for everyone, but there's certainly enough here to even make some finicky fans happy.

Okay, here's the low-down comparing the ADV and Animeigo versions:

Picture Quality

Contrary to popular belief, ADV Films did NOT simply obtain and use Animeigo's telecine transfer. While it's quite possible that ADV obtained the same FILM masters that Animeigo used, it's apparent that ADV created another (and inferior) telecine transfer for this release. The issue here is with 3:2 pull-down cadence - you know, where a set of interlaced fields are supposed to be weaved together to form one clean frame. The Animeigo version had excellent cadence, but ADV's version appears to have foregone proper cadence altogether. This is most easily detected with a software DVD player, such as WinDVD. The Animeigo version plays back flawlessly, with straight, smooth lines. The ADV version exhibits aliasing throughout (ie. jagged lines) and other artifacts involved with incorrectly mixing interlaced fields into a single progressive frame. Fortunately, my Faroudja-based Denon DVD player is able to sucessfully reconstruct the frames, but most other DVD players out there will be in for a struggle.

Sound Quality

I was quite impressed with the 5.1 English mix. I was worried that the re-mix would sound a lot like the horrible Transformers box sets that Rhino released. However, I was quite impressed with the fact that they didn't overblow anything or add blatant sound effects. I can't confirm if this sound mix the same as the Robotech version released last year.

The Japenese track is very grainy compared to the Animeigo version. Along with the video issues mentioned above, this further leads me to believe that ADV did not receive anything from Animeigo's archives, and had to obtain everything themselves from different sources.

Voices

Most voices are performed at average to very well levels, with the exception of two characters: Misa Hayase (Monica Rial) and Captain Global (John Swasey). I think the other reviews on this site already go into the problems with Monica's rendition of Misa. I will admit that I did start to sympathize with Monica after I listened to her on the audio commentary for episode 4, and how supportive she was for Mari Iijima (Lynn Minmay). You can hear a sample of Misa's voice in a trailer at the ADV site: [...]

As for Cpt. Global, well, I think it's partly to do with the fact that I was so used to hearing him previously with a Russian accent, and that this almost-no-accent Italian version is quite the change. Also, he tends to yell and overact too much on the bridge.

Value

I have to say that ADV should've spent more time planning this entire set. Volume 1 is a set of 2 DVDs. The first disc is dual-layered, includes the first 4 episodes, the commentaries, and the interview with Mari Iijima. The second disc is single-layered, includes 2 more episodes, a restoration comparison, "liner notes", and an interview with translator Javier Lopez.

This leaves me scratching my head. Why not have both discs dual-layered, and release more episodes per volume? Also, why is the upcoming Vol. 2 set only releasing 5 more epsiodes, forcing the set to have to run over 7 volumes?

In comparison, Animeigo only released 4 episodes per disc, but that was because the discs were SINGLE-layered. A dual-layer disc can easily fit 8 episodes. My dream set would feature 9 episodes per disc, allowing the entire 36-episode series to nicely fit on 4 dual-layered DVDs. Considering the strives in MPEG-2 encoding since the birth of DVD 9 years ago, I see this as a very viable option. Most of the special feautres could be placed on a 5th disc, and the entire set could be released in one relatively inexpensive box.

The way ADV is currently releasing the series, I'm looking at spending a lot of money if I want to collect this entire series. I wonder if ADV plans to continue releasing the other volumes in 2-disc sets. Considering Vol. 2 will only include 5 more episodes, this seems like an extreme waste of space.

So you do you need this set? Well, I would recommend renting it first if possible. If you can't find it at the local Blockbuster, check out Netflix. I rented it through Zip.ca, which is the Canadian equivalent of Netflix. If you can endure the English dub, then go ahead and start shelling out your cash for what will eventually be a 7 disc collection. I sat on the fence about this for a few weeks but finally decided to pick up Vol. 1. Will I pick up the other sets? Who knows...

First, I will say that I have been a fan of both Macross and the better-known state-side series that encompassed it from the mid-80's until now, Robotech. It should be noted that this series is an anime CLASSIC - one of the best EVER. That alone makes it worth seeing if you haven't. But the real question at hand is "Does this particular product live up to the expectations?" - a new English dub of Macross (and the first ever direct translation into English). I will say that having watched the Robotech version of the story (as well as the previously availabled subtitled versions), it's nearly impossible to approach this set with an open mind, but I gave it a shot.

I'm sorry to say that this new dub is pretty disappointing. It's great that the original Japanese voice actress for Minmay reprised her role for this new English version, but her accent is actually a bit distracting from the story. The other major problem with this dub is that the voices of Hikaru and Misa (the other two main characters) don't fit their characters very well. (Hikaru's voice actor previously appeared in the newer dubs of the Megazone 23 series, and he didn't fit into those either.) Most of the supporting cast members fare much better, with voices that at least work. Roy Fokker, Henry Grobal, the bridge crew, Breetai & Exedore all have appropriate voices, if a little less character than the Robotech voice actor counterparts had.

One good point about this series is that the script is much closer to the original Japanese series than it's better known Robotech counterpart. The cheesy 80's dialog of Harmony Gold's Robotech is not present here, and that is actually a big plus. The story is much simpler and more clearly presented, primarily due to the fact that this is a direct translation and not a re-writing as Robotech was. Unfortunately, it's not enough to save the new dub.

So if you don't have any Macross series dvds, this might be worth getting, as it is a CLASSIC. Even if you have the Robotech dvds and are interested in seeing the original Macross, it may be worth getting. However, if you have the subtitled version of this series already, you'll want to pass this one up.