Macross II: Lovers Again

I imagine this one would've fared a little better if it was just a side story and not labeled Macross II: Lovers Again, because that title pretty much aims at all the show's weakness. As a sequel, are the characters, the story, the songs, the action sequences, or anything better than the original Macross? No. Even if they had the best songs and unlimited money to make it look at the level of "Do You Remember Love?," this is SIX episodes. That's not to mention beyond Ishtar's one-day date, the lovers aspect is severely lacking, leaving the ending to feel like it has tacked-on aspects.

Putting ... aside all that, is it GOOD? In its own way, sure. Rating Macross is a nightmare for people who understand giving numbers to reviews is a sliding scale, and ALMOST EVERY. SINGLE. MACROSS. THING. is on an entirely different level. When I'm done, people will come at me saying, "How is Macross Plus ANYWHERE near everything else?!" Macross Plus puts ITSELF on one of the hardest difficulty scales and because of the subjects it CHOOSES to deal with on the same soap opera level as most other Macross, I have to scrutinize it harder than I normally would. But I will restrict talking Macross Plus to when I'm just talking Macross Plus and under spoiler domes.

Macross II has one subject that lifts its substance over complete fluff like Macross 7, and that's the relationship of the media with the government and the military. Like everything else in Macross II, it's hardly comprehensive because of its length, but that I can't remember if it's the Space news Network or the Spacy News Network, and what hit me is IT DOESN'T MATTER.

I've worked in the news for 20 years, which is enough to make jokes that the SNN station Valkyrie was probably budgeted down to being permanently parked in space-only requiring a strict military permit instead of needing to be slingshotted into space before being phased out completely in 5 years along with editors and production assistants. I watched this serendipitously while the strikes on Iran's nuclear ("NEW-CLEE-UR," say it with me now...) program were going down. The thing is, there is no way you have can have facts to know what is closest to the truth here. There are the statements of two countries who clearly have no vested interest in anyone knowing the complete reality, some satellite shots that could mean certain things or they could not depending on the underground facilities, and a couple opinions from some watchdogs or independent organizations. But me, I can't feel confident in anything because every comment is treated like a fan war between two teams, and the news directors in charge these days are all business majors who haven't had to pass 8 a.m. ethics and law classes with above-average grades like journalism majors are only concerned with "numbers go up," and are likely friends with the same people and officials we have to keep watch over.

So, while Hibiki's rise from "GOTCHA'" Inside Edition journalist to keeper of the truth happens in about an episode and a half and all of this is about third-grade reading level, I'm glad it's here. The rest is extremely loose, jumping quickly from one event to another, and having a rather shallow investment in character reality. Ishtar just wakes up in some dude's apartment on her enemy planet, has some stranger guy force a device on her, and is pretty chill about all of this pretty quickly. That's not to mention Silvie's relationships with EVERYONE are never really cemented. It's nice the Greek choir of women have graduated from bridge officers to pilots, but they literally disappear for two episodes with nobody noticing.

I'm awfully critical, so why is it sitting at a 7? After 50+ episodes of Macross 7 that have not improved my life in any way except giving me the firsthand experience of watching it, I appreciate the brevity. The songs work as well, even if there's less of a focus on them because this is the LAZY, SELLOUT GARBAGE version of military-supported pop. Most of it would do well on one of those city pop Youtube playlists, and if it wasn't for its immediate dismissal by fans, Ishtar's turning them into genuine SONGS would be on all-time Macross song lists. They are legit.

Overall, I had fun watching it. Macross has NEVER had proper pacing or episode count for something, so this series is missing a ton of content that would beef it up. In this case, there should probably be about two episodes extending the relationships with Ishtar, Silvie, and Hibiki, really pressing the drama of the mind control, and probably make Wendy Ryder a bigger supporting character to give an idea of what the "Lynn Minmay program" is at this point. Beyond the arrogance of the Earth generals and what Spock would call their "two-dimensional thinking," there's nothing pushing the drama here. But it is light, breezy, enjoyable, and I would watch it again easily. I guess that's all that matters.

The most (?) reviled series in the franchise. But it’s actually not bad.

Macross II is solidly average. Its first three episodes are really great, but then it seems like they forgot to actually continue the direction of the show and decided to wrap it up with the three remaining episodes. With a bit of stronger writing and three more episodes for this OVA, it probably would have been amongst the best of the Macross series. You’ll find a lot of later entries in Macross seem to borrow from ideas presented in II, but tend to handle its concepts in an inferior manner.

It’s a good follow ... up to SDF/DYRL. It’s overall themes are the weaponization of culture, something you can imagine became far more prevalent after the events of SDF/DYRL. Including in more understandable terms than just combat idols, covering propaganda as well. The idea was perfect for a follow up. It doesn’t fully land all of its points, but it’s serviceable. It’s a shame there were no proper music duels, which would have instantly made this show much better.

It’s soundtrack is nothing to write home about. It’s not bad, but it still lacks to some degree. Quite a few songs are catchy, though.

It’s greatest weakness may be its love triangle, where it’s only hinted at with one line. Then the triangle is dropped on you later. Also, the resolution to said triangle is really quick and pointless, leaving you wondering why this was included in the first place. This is truly the only bad part of the OVA.

Macross II features some female Valkyrie pilots, and the main female character is one of them. And she’s a good female character for 90’s anime. Like, really good compared to how a lot of the women are treated. Better than half the crap that comes out today.

Macross II’s biggest sins may be that it can be boring for some, and otherwise forgettable for others. I don’t think it ever was boring, though. It’s never bad, it just never hits any really great heights. The definition of average. Also, Banana Moon & Deja Vu are great songs. Fight me.

(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)

Written July 30, 2014 5:23 pm EST
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I didn't want to believe it, but the consensus is right on this one: Macross II is mediocre.

Given its lackluster reception, I was actually surprised that this really does feel like a genuine Macross entry. We can even give it credit for being the first sequel and therefore solidifying the themes that run through the franchise: mechs, music, and romance. However, unlike future installments, it doesn't take these elements to new places.

The plot's conflict and resolution is almost exactly the same as the ... original series. A new alien race has shown up, and when offense and singing proves ineffective, there's only two options left: offense and singing. In other words, the resolution is dumb, doesn't make much sense, and is anticlimactic in its unoriginality.

The romance progresses predictably save for one part near the end. The problem is that unlike the original Macross, Hibiki doesn't have Hikaru's charming, innocent naivete. We also aren't given time to see his relationship grow, like we do with Hikaru and Minmay. There's no enticing mystery about whether these two feel the same way towards each other, because it never crosses the mind that they don't. All throughout Macross II, it feels like there's only one possible way it can conclude.

The least-recycled part of the premise is Hibiki's career as a journalist, which is unsurprisingly its best aspect. But there isn't enough time to focus on this side hustle, so outside of the exposition, this and any themes regarding media censorship play a trivial role. It's interesting how Hikaru's perspective is of one kid in the middle of huge events he has little control over; it makes him relatable. Hibiki feels like someone who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

The Variable Fighters are exactly the same as they were in the first Macross. When a new unique machine named the Metal Siren appears that's revealed to be a two-seater, I was hoping and expecting it would be piloted by Hibiki as Ishtar sits in the back and uses her power of song in some way. Cool right? Doesn't happen. It's just a high performance regular VF that plays no significant role in the story.

The combat sequences themselves are all right, the colors are so dark due to the age of this thing that at times I couldn't really tell what was going on. But without any reason to care about the enemy or pilots (since there's only three characters that matter and one of them you barely see fight), these combat sequences seem like fluffy fanservice for the mecha crowd.

Oh yeah, and the music. The score is a bleating mess of horns and synthesizers that couldn't sound more low-budget or stock. The pop songs are… okay. But they're pretty damn far from the memorability of "My Boyfriend is a Pilot" or Firebomber's songs.

There's nothing about Macross II that's offensively bad. It's just boring at worst, and mildly interesting at best. I could like it more if 20 minutes were shaved off the runtime's last quarter. I don't particularly recommend it.

Macross II is average for an OVA, and probably below-average for Macross. Still, there's much worse things an anime could be than an average '90s OVA. If you're really into that style like I am, this could be good enough entertainment for an afternoon.