Robotech

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Robotech ranks 2,012 out of the 18,225 shows on TV.com.

The 328 users who count themselves as Robotech fans have written a total of 18 reviews.

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Robotech is the critically acclaimed animated series about mankind's first contact with warring alien races, and the use of alien technology to defend Earth. The series was broken into three chapters, The Macross Saga, The Robotech Masters, and The New Generation. Released in 1985, Robotech was the first anime... more »

Robotech is the critically acclaimed animated series about mankind's first contact with warring alien races, and the use of alien technology to defend Earth. The series was broken into three chapters, The Macross Saga, The Robotech Masters, and The New Generation. Released in 1985, Robotech was the first anime (Japanese animation) series that many fans had seen, and is often accredited as the cause of the anime fandom that continues to grow today in the United States.







COMMON TERMS

Robotechnology
Refers to technological systems that operate using protoculture.

Veritech
Refers to a series of personal war-machines that can change their configuration between at least two modes.

Destroid
Refers to a series of personal war-machines similar to Veritechs, but are limited to one configuration (usually somewhat humanoid).

Mecha
Refers to the generic term for any personal war-machine used.

Battloid
Refers to the generic term form any mecha with/in a "humanoid" form.

Zor's Battlefortress
Also known as the SDF-1. The Tiresian scientist Zor (angry over what the Robotech Masters had done to the Invid), destroyed all of the Tiresian data and production facilities for the creation of protoculture; except for the last remaining protoculture production matrix that he hid aboard the SDF-1. He was critically injured in an Invid attack. His final attack was to have the SDF-1 abandoned and set on a course that would eventually take it to Earth.

Flower of Life
Refers to a plant that was native to the Invid homeworld before it was defoliated by the Zentraedi acting on orders from the Robotech Masters. The plant is as essential to the survival of the Invid as flowers are essential to the survival of bees. The Invid use it for both survival and evolutionary purposes.

Protoculture
Refers to a substance derived from the the flower of life. It is used as the main source of power for the majority of the technology scene in the series.


Alien Races
Tiresian
The Tiresian scientist Zor was given the secrets of creating protoculture during a first contact mission with the Invid ruler - the Regis. From their homeworld of Tirol, the Tiresians built an entire empire based on protoculture and robotechnology. At some point the Tiresian rulers (the Robotech Masters) decided that they should have exclusive control over protoculture, and ordered the Zentraedi to defoliate the Invid homeworld of Optera.

Zentraedi
The Zentraedi race was created by the Tiresian scientist Zor through genetic engineering using protoculture and robotechnology. Through the use of protoculture sizing chambers they can alter their forms from human size to that of giants averaging 40-50 feet in height. They act as the "enforcers" of the Robotech Masters, performing peacekeeping/war-making missions when called upon.

Invid
The only non-humanoid race in the original Robotech series. The "natural" form of the Invid resembles that of a 4-foot slug with limbs. The Invid can use protoculture to change their form to whatever shape they deem necessary. Where humans might "terraform" a planet to suit their needs; the Invid would "bioform" themselves to suit their environment. Their society is similar to that of social insects, with a queen (the Regis) leading them. An Invid cannot survive outside of their mecha, unless they have been "bioformed" to survive in the surrounding environment. They were peaceful, trusting creatures until their homeworld was defoliated by the Zentraedi. The Invid have been hostile toward all life that is not Invid since that day.


(UN)COMMON ACRONYMS

SDF (SDF-1)
Super
Dimensional
Fortress

ARMD (Armor-1)
Armored
Reflex
Missile
Defender

VERITECH
Variable
Engineering and
Robotic
Integration
TECHnology.

AGAC (Ajax)
Armored
Gyro
Assault
Chopper

ATAC
Alpha
Tactical
Armored
Corps

GMP
Global
Military
Policeless «

• Robotech to air on Space in Canada!

  Robotech is set to premiere on Space this January, airing weekdays with back-to-back episodes! Gonna be good, for those who live in Canada

  Robotech is set to premiere on Space this January, airing weekdays with back-to-back episodes! Gonna be good, for those who live in Canadaless «

  EmeraldWarrior Last online 1 day ago
  2 comments, last one Nov 1, 2008 + Add Comment

• How did you get into this series?

  For a long time, I enjoyed anime, but hadn't really gotten into a big series. I watched plenty of Astro Boy when I was young...more »

  For a long time, I enjoyed anime, but hadn't really gotten into a big series. I watched plenty of Astro Boy when I was younger, but Robotech is the first "epic" series, you might say, that I've watched. Due to a lack of cable for many years, or just being in school when it was on, I never saw it during its original North American run. Around a year ago, I saw some of the DVDs in a store for around $8 each and thought "wow, a great bargain for a show I've always wanted to see!" I was not disappointed. Soon after, I bought the entire 21-disc set and am currently building a collection for a friend, too. Needless to say, I found the series very impressive. I had actually seen many elements of it around 10 years ago because a friend had the RPG books. I liked the designs so much that I actually photocopied a ton of pages from those books and still have them today. I had no idea how deep and interesting the storyline was, though. Now I'm into an anime called Dai Guard and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a laugh! Hilarious tongue-in-cheek humor and lots of poking fun at bureaucracy and the headaches it involves. One of my favorite lines comes from the pilot of Dai Guard (a giant robot) after he makes it fall three times. He's sitting there, frustrated, and says "didn't they say that bipedal mecha were stable even on rough terrain in those old animes?" :Pless «

  Ripplin Last online Jan 4, 2008
  38 comments, last one Nov 1, 2008 + Add Comment

• Macross starting to be released on DVD in 2006

  It's listed in the comming soon book at Sam Goodie, and Sun Coast. Check it out.

  It's listed in the comming soon book at Sam Goodie, and Sun Coast. Check it out.less «

  edmorita
  4 comments, last one Jul 7, 2008 + Add Comment

•  

  10 Perfect

  A jewel of the japanese animation, sadly three different animes mixed together. Still is good and clever thanks to the story that mixed them together (protoculture) hide « show »

  Well, somebody can say that those anime were mutilated when they tried to mix these three stories only to be broadcasted in the tv daily on weekdays. Still if you were a child on the 80's you need to watch this series.
  
  I was born early in the 90's but months ago I watched the remastered version in Retro TV channel and I loved it specially the Macross Saga that is the best. I don't understand why this show is not so popular after all, I mean at the early days of the cildren they still don't know anything about the genres of animation and that they were produced in japan, years after this they have internet and learn about what happend with the series.
  
  I watched the original 1986 version and liked even when the effects at the beginning of the episode were like made on Windows Movie Maker I still liked all that specially the voices. Robotech is good still and even when I became a fan this year I had all: Robotech Remastered, The Shadow Chronicles, etc. I didn't waited so long only for this and they are going to make a live-action movie with toby McGuire and the sequel of the Shadow Chronicles. Robotech is still alive and I hope that everyone that doesn't know nothing about the existence of Robotech became fans because they need to.

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  winged_angel321 Added Sep 10, 2007 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  My son finds it hard to believe that Mama was ever his age... and that I liked 'cartoons'... I keep telling him the difference between Anime and Cartoons... he just won't listen ;) hide « show »

  Robotech was 'ground-breaking' when it came out. The continuing storyline, the actual 'death' of characters, one with graphic 'blood' (Roy) it gave many parents pause. After all, you have G I Joe where a car explodes with someone in it and they're thrown 100 feet away, but they're just 'shaken up.' Robotech added a little bit of realism. Then again, there was that monstrous fish head... so, it was a toss up.
  
  I never really put much interest in Robotech: Masters (never could get over the fact that Dana Sterling's hair went from Blue/Green to BLONDE! How normal for a half Zentraedi child! How gauche! Robotech: Next Generation was another favorite of mine. Rook Bartley was a strong woman... a woman surviving in a war-torn country. The ideas of a planet coming together to prevent our own extinction, tiny humans shocking giant aliens with music and emotions... kissing! It was funny... it was campy... and it made my childhood a magic memory that helped inspire my love of fantasy.

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  missraye Added Jul 6, 2007 All my reviews
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  9.8 Superb

  Was a favourite when i was a kid. Watched it all again recently and still loved it, Though I admit you probably won't see the beauty of it if you re a recent 1st time watcher. hide « show »

  Was a favourite when i was a kid. Watched it all again recently and still loved it, Though I admit you probably won't see the beauty of it if you re a recent 1st time watcher, but it was awesome for its time, and was a definite trend setter. I actually woke up at 6 AM to watch it (it ran on a weird time slot over here) and I'm definitely not a morning person :)

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  Lost_Monk Added May 25, 2007 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  One of the classic anime series of the 1980's... hide « show »

  Back in the mid-1980's, Carl Macek and Harmony Gold acquired the rights to three Japanese anime programs ("Macross," "Southern Cross," and "Genesis Climber Mospeada") and wove a story to tie the three series together, thus creating the show that Americans have come to know as "Robotech." While the three series didn't necessarily combine together seamlessly, they still came together in such a way that the story seemed believable. Of the three series, I would have to say that "Macross" is my favorite part of the "Robotech" saga (I absolutely loved the character interactions and relationships in this section), followed by "Genesis Climber Mospeada" (I love how Harmony Gold was able to get away with having a cross-dressing character!), and then "Southern Cross" (the "Southern Cross" section takes a little while to get going and catch your interest... but once it got your interest, it kept it).

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  ldaesch Added Apr 16, 2007 All my reviews
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  5 Mediocre

  Hated by anime fans back in the 80s for its destruction of real Japanese shows, Robotech took three seperate series and tied them together with a bizarre back story. Unfortunately it didn't work well, but sometimes the real shows come shining through. hide « show »

  According to Robotech lore, the show's American producers were looking for a syndication opportunity and decided to look into the possibility of bringing some Japanese anime to US audiences. They quickly discovered, however, that Japanese anime was shown weekly and none of the shows they thought they could sell in the USA had run long enough to reach the magic minimum number of 90 episodes required by US stations for daily syndication.
  
  Undeterred, the producers chose to purchase three seperate series, each involving transforming robots, and created thier own back story. What they ended up with was pretty clunky and drained a lot of the life out of the original shows. The result was clearly aimed at kids who wouldn't see the obvious flaws in the story or care about the different artistic styles each of seperate series had used. The first series was orginally called Super Dimnesion Fortress Macross and was about a giant space ship that crashes on Earth. Years later when the aliens who lost it come looking for it, they discover that human males and females live together. This is unheard of in their culture and they are shocked. It turns out that the aliens' shock over male/female relationships helps to turn the tide in the war...
  
  I have to admit that this portion of the show was really pretty good. The producers obviously knew this was the strongest of the three series and made only minimal changes to the Japanese version. The characters in the original series were quite strong and I think a lot of that carries over into the English version.
  
  The second series, The Southern Cross, was as bizarre in Japanese as it was in English. It makes no sense, but it had giant robots so the American production company bought it and worked it into the mix. It is this show, with its wildly different artistic style that is the weak link in the overall Robotech series.
  
  The third series was called Mospeda in Japan and dealt with the aftermath of the failed attempt by human colonists on Mars to liberate the Earth from crab like aliens who took over during an invasion. I actually liked this part of the series, transvestite and all. Of course there are those meddlesome back story parts that the American production company had to include - and Admiral Hunter never does come back.
  
  I really liked this cartoon when I was a kid. There was nothing like it on TV when it originally aired. However, as an adult I have to say all the weak points are too hard to ignore. Considering the source material, this could have been a really great show instead of just a medicore one. I'm sorry I can't call it anything more than average.

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  tmkreutzer Added Feb 16, 2007 All my reviews