Macross Plus: The Movie

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The plot and story line of the Macross Plus: The Movie are similar in most ways to the plot and story line of the Macross Plus series.

There are quite a number of minor points in the movie that were a little different then the series with the result making the movie more adult then the series.

The movie has some additional animation, and some small amounts removed. The biggest change is probably the ending of the movie, which is significantly more dramatic then the ending at the end of volume 4 of the series.

Most of the character personalities are unaltered, except perhaps for Lucy, who I think I liked better in the series.

It might have simply been because the movie was subtitled, rather then dubbed, but the movie felt more polished and put together better then the series. The story seemed to flow better. Maybe it was simply because the editor just had more practice.

I am sure that there will be some who will like or hate the Macross Plus: The Movie v.s. the series with a great passion. I don't really care to do such things. Both are excellent, in animation quality and story. If you own one, you should probably also get the other.

[David Eisman (malerik@jonction.net) had something to say about Macross Plus: The Movie. Here is his review]

Anime fanatics, that is, those of you who expressly pay attention to art, prepare to be blown away. Macross Plus: The Movie has some of the best animation you will ever see. Carefully pieced together, this film has a tremendous amount of artistic flow. The story is very well laid out and builds to a reasonably entertaining climax. Fans of the original Macross series, as well as some of the later stuff, will especially appreciate the detail and flexibility given to the action shots. In terms of content story wise, while there have been more spellbinding tales written, Macross Plus comes across very well and is definitely worth seeing, if not owning. Those of you who have seen the series version should not fall into the trap of liking one and hating the other for while the story is basically the same, they take slightly different routes in getting there. In short they both definitely have merit.

In interests of animation quality alone I would have to rate Macross Plus: The Movie a 9.5, never having seen a 10, folks.

In overall quality and "watch-a-bility" I would say it gets a solid 9. Good content, well written, and interesting depth of character and plot are its stronger points.