In 2040 a.D. On the colonial planet eden the ministry of defense is testing and developing a transforming super-stealth aircraft a new advanced defense vehicle to counter alien attacks. Isamu dyson is an extrovert jet figh... more »ter maverick assigned as a new test pilot on project super nova. Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 10/12/1999 Rating: Nr« less
"Macross Plus is possibly one of the best movies I have ever seen. Note: I did not say "anime movies" I said "movies". I am 14 and an anime fan, however not a "deep" or "avid" fan. I only consider myself a fan. I hate how some people say "I am the biggest anime fan in the world! I will rate this movie and you will believe everything I say!" All I am saying is that most people will like this movie, whether an anime fan or not. Now to the plot....It is basically Top Gun, meets Robotech, meets the visual splendor of Ghost in the Shell, meets some of the best animation and artists int he world. Throw in some dramatic conflict, tons of action, and some slapstick humor and you've got one of the greatest films ever made, in my humble opinion....Guld Bowman and Isamu Dyson are the worst of enemies, yet the best of friends, as the conflict between them clashes throughout the movie. They are both test pilots on the planet Eden flying two very different jets, trying to win the governments funding to replace the currently used fighter. Isamu flys the YF-19, a manually controlled jet with a lot of agility and a great amount of speed. Guld, on the other hand, flys the YF-21, a jet controlled by the mind, giving it an incredible amount of agility, very quick linear thinking, and stealth capabilities. The old friends are now constanly at eachothers throats, always making you wonder who the real enemy is. The other conflict involves Myung, a singer, now gone producer, with a strange past. She is the producer for the virtual pop diva, Sharon Apple. Macross Plus has a story that slowly and mysteriously unravles, leaving you curious and confused until the end.The music in the story is some of the best to hit movies, beating the pants off anything else, with all original songs performed by Yokko Kanno, and almost all os the songs are dubbed to english. The dubbing is great too, and facial expressions are edited to match the voices in the english version. The ending of the movie is superb, leaving you wanting to watch it again and again, and do watch it at least twice, because the more you see it the better it gets. Lastly the animation is simply put: Amazing. You look at each individual frame on the DVD and think, "WOW. What group of people could take the time to draw over 240,480 frames of animation so damn perfect."The DVD is one of the best I've seen, featuring full 5.1 Dolby Digital audio on the english version, and Dolby Surround on the Japanese version. It has both Japanese and English dubbing and subtitles, so you can enjoy it in both it's original form and the english version. It has 4 theatrical trailers, and selectable previews for upcoming Manga Video films, that aren't manditory to watch. It also has a fully animated interactive menu with music, and a great intro to the movie.It is by far one of my favorite movies ever, and even both my younger sister and my father (who isn't big fan of animated movies) enjoyed it thoroughly. Buy it on VHS or DVD, get the cut movie or the 4 individual parts, or at the very least rent it, because I promise you, that you wont regret. If you dislike it, come over sometime and give me a swirly or something, because I know that you will like it as much or more than I did."
In a word? Brillant.
Khyron | 04/21/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From the explosive opening to the sad but trumphant ending, Macross Plus is pure class all the way. You probably know the plot from some of the other reviews, so here are just a few comments from a humble viewer.1. The english voice acting for this anime is spectacular, with Isamu standing even higher than the rest. His calm, reckless and confident personality comes across perfectly in the dialog and inflection. Simply put, this guy makes Tom Cruise in Top Gun seems like a wannabe. Guld is a good tough guy persona, but he's the weakest of the bunch. But even bit parts like Lucy and the Flight Commander have personality and style to spare.2. The action is probably the best I've EVER seen in an anime. The opening dogfight alone is better than most big budget film's climax. It's short, but friend, it's oh so sweet. While there are only a few action peices per episode, the quality put into them is staggering. The later dogfight between Guld and Isamu is a gut wrenching action banaza and their dialog is hilarious to boot! Even the training mech/dogfights put most action scenes in anime to shame (Yes I'm talking to you, End of Evangelion and Gundam W: Endless Waltz).3. The music is superb. The classical music during the dogfights fits the mood and setting perfectly. And what would an anime be without great Japanese pop music? Although Sharron Apple is definately a weird concept, if you give her music a chance you'll probably be bobbing your head along with her other zombie-like fans. If you like great characters, awesome action, stylin music or just want something fun and differnt to watch. Give Macross Plus a go, it will not disapoint."
AWESOME Animé
Khyron | 01/11/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Consider my real rating to be 4 and a half stars since that isn't really a choice to enter.Don't even think about buying Part I without getting Part II. Animation: The mecha scenes are excellent. I only wish there was more of it. The animation is top-notch and the blend of traditional animation with computer-generated animation will easily remind you of "Ghost in the Shell" if you've seen that. Music: The music is also excellent, with styles that vary from haunting a capella to techno, but which fit perfectly into the particular scenes in which they appear.Story: The story is the only part that isn't so great. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty good story. But it borrows waaaay too much from "Top Gun" and my friend and I had fun assigning "TG" character names to the Macross Plus characters. There's also some cliché plot devices you'll instantly recognize if you've seen much animé at all. But don't let what I've said put you off. The positives far outway the negatives here.Overall, this title is a must-have for any serious animé collector."
Fantastic anime with more to it than hollywood has to offer!
khusru@khusru.freeserve.co.uk | London , England | 10/06/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Macross Plus is an outstanding piece of animation, with visuals that can rival the legendary Akira. But what makes this so special is the storyline that has you hooked on from the first episode to the last. A love triangle between three high school friends , Isamu , Gold , Mieux is the main plot line. They have all split up and are leading their own lives after an incident.....watch the film. Fate brings them all together in the same city where old memories start to come back and troublehas started to brew. You get so involved with the charcters that at times you forget that it is just an animation, that's how good this gets. Not to mention the music, which helps to move the story along,with a fantastic opening score that stays in your memories for months after watching the final part. Action, Romance , Adventure, this is the new way for animations a top notch movie in its own way....."
Great by any standard
Dan Diamond | Philadelphia, PA United States | 06/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Too few movies are crafted as this one is; Macross Plus has interesting characters, intricately beautiful scenes, a wonderful score, and a new fan in me.The film's plot doesn't sound very unique: Two rival test pilots fight over their planes and a shared love interest. However, as their backstories unfold, the material is lifted beyond its rote orgins. The creative juices that generate the futuristic world of Macross Plus don't limit themselves to flashy fighter jets duking it out; they give equal time to explore character's emotional issues. Since I've seen very little anime, I'm only guessing when I say that this balance is rare. Beyond anime, however, there are few conventional action films that are anchored by a legitimate character story. So imagine if Top Gun's aerial scenes were combined with a Casablanca-type plot. Now THAT would be a heck of a movie and not coincidentally, so is Macross Plus. The drawback to the DVD version is that the film isn't continuous and requires some disc changing during viewing. I think the climax is also a little difficult to understand too, but not so much that it would detract from the film.This is a great film for any action film fan, anime or not. Surprisingly, it's based on the mid-80's cartoon Robotech, but any comparison between the two can hardly be qualified. This gets an enthusiastic recommendation from me."