AKA: Macross: Do You Remember Love (see notes)

Genre: Sci-fi mecha

Length: Movie, 115 minutes

Distributor: VHS from Best Films

Content Rating: PG (violence, nudity)

Related Series: Macross, Macross: Do You Remember Love, Macross II

Also Recommended:

Notes: Editor's Note: This review is based on the original 80-minute edited version of Clash of the Bionoids, also, oddly enough, released in some places as Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, without the "Clash of the Bionoids" moniker. Apparently it was this bizarre version that Raph has seen. Clash of the Bionoids is the dub-only, edited Western release of the movie Macross: Do You Remember Love.

Rating:

Macross: Clash of the Bionoids

Synopsis

This movie is also known as Clash of the Bionoids, I believe. It summarizes the entire Macross TV series.

In the near future, a giant Super Dimensional Fortress crash-lands on Macross Island on Earth. Investigations of the advanced technology trigger a surge in human technology, particularly in the areas of military space and aircraft. An entire city begins to form inside the Macross due to its sheer size and the amount of discovery still left to be achieved.

Just as humans begin to gain some sort of understanding of the giant craft, the owners of the Macross, the Zentraedi, come to forcibly retreive their fortress. A fierce battle ensues, and the Macross escapes into space lest the Zentraedi nab it from Earth. Of course, the pilots also accidentally trigger the space-fold, and soon they're stranded on the edge of the solar system. The humans begin to make their journey back to Earth, but the Zentraedi aren't about to let them go so easily.

Review

First off, let me make the disclaimer that the version T.H.E.M. saw was dubbed, possibly the worst dub there is in existence in all of anime, or probably any other media, for that matter. Incomprehensibly, it was subtitled in Japanese as well. Apparently, the version T.H.E.M. saw was dubbed by a team of Japanese and Australians (no offense to you Aussies out there) with the intent to help Japanese people learn English. It's no wonder so many Japanese have trouble with our language, if this dub is anything near representative of what they have to work with.

Dubbing was terrible, so terrible in fact that I can barely remember what this movie was about, or who the characters were, for that matter. Everyone was either wooden, irritating, or sounded like Dr. Sbaitso from the old Soundblaster demo. The Zentraedi never ceased growling in their nasal voices (I'll bet you never thought that growling nasally was possible. Neither did I, until I saw this flick) about "Protoculture" and whatnot. I'd rather read subtitles.

Plotwise, what I could decipher seemed all right, if a bit corny in its premise, although I have some questions regarding why a Japanese pop song would have so much destructive power (but only when you also have the lyrics). Oh well, at least Minmei gets to do a last song in the end.

Animation was pretty decent (this is Macross, after all), and some of the action was kind of gripping. Nothing really to write home about, though. The characters were fairly engaging; they'd probably be more tolerable subtitled.

All in all, you'd probably be better off leaving this one on the shelf, unless you're a Macross maniac (which I'm not). The dubbing is just too hard on the ears, and the characters aren't interesting enough to carry the subpar story. But at least Minmei gets slapped. :-P

A subtitled version would probably get two, maybe three. — Raphael See

Recommended Audience: Pseudo-casual nudity (Rick peeps on Minmei), and a rather gory, half-second shot of someone's head getting cut off during Macross's transformation are things you might take into consideration. Probably okay for all but the youngest audiences.