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Robotech Remastered - Volume 1 Extended EditionRating:
Release Date: 27 January, 2004 Retail Price: $29.98 OUR Price: $26.98 You SAVE: $3.00! Cast: |
Robotech Remastered - Volume 1 Extended Edition Reviews
Destroyed a little bit of my childhood
I purchased this is in memory of the little boy who woke up early to watch robotech; unfortunately, robotech is awful. The program is written for a bright five year old or a dumb 10 year old. The plot barely makes since and the animation is stilted at its best. Save the memories of your childhood and don't by this.
Robotech Remastered (A.K.A. The AnimEigo Restoration Lite!)
In order to appreciate this release, you have to know what went into making it possible.
For those NOT in the know, independent US Anime Distributor AnimEigo (with the cooperation of North American Macross distribution right holder Harmony Gold) conducted an EPIC and PAINSTAKING restoration of the original UNCUT Japanese Language/Soundtrack Macross TV series from the original 35mm Film Masters that Robotech's Macross Saga was based on and then released this MASTERPIECE on 9 DVDs.
The Macross release was then followed by a DVD release of the UNCUT Japanese Language/Sountrack version of the Southern Cross and Mospeada TV series which made up the second and third arcs of the Robotech storyline respectively.
On the 9 DVD AnimEigo release, there was the option to play the Restored Japanese Language version of Macross DVD's without the sound.
This curious feature led many of us to suspect that Harmony Gold agreed to the AnimEigo funded and conducted restoration because they had already secured the right to use the finished product of it and because they had always/secretly/eventually intended to do a Special Edition Robotech release which would take the form of Robotech Re-Mastered.
This hypothetical release would likely be created using the restored video masters synchronized with the US English Language/Robotech Soundtrack which was composed by Ulpio Minucci. It would also likely include the extra deleted original footage which had been deleted from the original Robotech TV series because of concerns over continuity, length, and content back in the 80's when Robotech first came out. As it turns out the original audio master tapes had been destroyed in a freak flood accident but a recently discovered back-up gave Harmony Gold the missing piece of material they needed to do a full audio merge with the restored Macross TV Series making Robotech Re-Mastered possible.
With the release of these sets, our suspicions have been confirmed and Robotech fans everywhere can rejoice and dance in the streets!
The reason that the image quality isn't quite as good in this release (Even though it came from the EXACT same AnimEigo Restored 35mm Film to Digital Video Master!) is because Harmony Gold has squeezed MORE episodes onto each disc (6 as opposed to 4!) INCREASING the amount of compression necessary to pull it off. The AnimEigo release has 36 episodes spread over 9 discs (The best space-use/image balance possible!) and the ADV release will have 36 episodes spread over 6 discs so you can do the math on image degradation due to the compression.
The results with the increased compression actually aren't bad at all, especially, considering how wretched the original Robotech Series looked both on TV, VHS, Laserdisc, and the initial DVD release as much as we loved it.
For those who want to appreciate the level of restoration they were able to do and also understand the Macross TV series as a stand-alone release before it was spliced into Robotech, the AnimEigo set is still the best one to own and it is available for order from Amazon and AnimEigo and the Robotech website.
One must wonder why they just didn't just go 9 for 9 on the number of DVDs utilized in this release. My suspicion is that they were either feeling cheap or they wanted fans to be able to replace the two intitial release DVD's that came with each Legacy Box Set 2 for 2. A better strategy would have been to follow the Animeigo 9 for 9 approach and then release a special case for the Bonus Discs.
The credit text and organization are a vast imrovement and the "new" opening credits are just the original Macross TV Series opening credits with the new Robotech Credits. They have added A LOT of improved and way-cool weapon and ship's systems sound effects which adds a level of believability to the action. For instance, the SDF-1 take-off, transformation, and bridge scenes all have techno-sounds which make them feel more real then before.
The original US version of the credits was more integrative for the combined series -- Though the credit text looked cheap and awful! -- but this is a fun alternate version although seeing Lisa Hayes (Misa Hayase) tossing her hair like she is in a Pantene Commercial looks pretty dumb considering how serious the character was most of the time.
Another thing that doesn't make sense (And blame for this goes to Tatsunoko because they designed the credits!) is that the SDF-1 is shown firing its Main Gun while flying through the upper atmosphere in cruiser mode using it's gravitational control system which NEVER happened in the original series and which would have been IMPOSSIBLE given the limitations of their reflex furnace power, their gravitational control system's requirement for standby booster support while in cruiser mode and within Earth's gravitational field, and the disappearance of the fold system which rendered the Main Gun inoperative while in cruiser mode.
Anyway, ADV and Harmony Gold could have given us a slightly more Royal Treatment, but, considering all the hard work they have done, considering how badly we all wanted the Restored Version/Deleted Scenes to be paired with the US Music and Vocal Soundtrack and to have it all come together in this life, this version, and the Southern Cross and Mospeada versions that are going to follow, are going to be a welcome addition.
Well done, ADV, AnimEigo, and Harmony Gold, well done!
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