cristobal73 - 2016-08-15 21:13:44

I started Macross 7 because the completionist in me wouldn’t allow me to watch Macross Delta without finishing 7. I don’t know why I had such negative thoughts about 7. SDF Macross is one of my Top 10 anime and Frontier was a blast, but for some reason I had this feeling that 7 was just a waste of time. I’m here to tell you that’s it’s not. It’s actually really really enjoyable.

If you just want to know if you should watch it or not I’ll just tell you the answer right now. Maybe? Macross 7 is a weird case because it is so similar to Macross Frontier. If you are just getting into into the Macross series and haven’t seen anything Macross before hand, go watch the original SDF Macross. [https://hummingbird.me/anime/macross][1] If you are scared of animation that is (probably) older than you are, go watch Macoss Frontier. [https://hummingbird.me/anime/macross-frontier][2] If you are working your way through the Macross franchise, then by all means watch this
show. It’s a (mostly) great time. Now onto the full review!

We’ll start with the plot. I’m not going to give you a plot synopsis because you can just read the HB one. I was surprised how similar this show’s and Macross F’s stories were. I realize that they are in the same franchise, but there are some aspects that are almost identical. Both involve
colonization fleets being attacked by an alien species, and this species is affected by the music of a “special” character. You can definitely tell that Macross F took many elements from 7 and modernized and refined them into it’s something it’s own. I’d say that is probably a better telling of
this story than 7 if I’m going to be honest. It cuts out tons of the filler (Which there is tons of in 7, but we’ll get to that later) and isn’t nearly as over the top stupid, but there’s something to be said about getting the entire raw experience of Macross 7. It’s knows how stupid it’s premise is and doesn’t try to make it easy to swallow. I find that refreshing in an anime, since it’s so rare. It’s rare for a reason though because it is tough to swallow, especially in the beginning. You are dropped right into the this really interesting sci fi world with over the top characters and crazy battle sequences and it kinda just expects you to go with it. For some people it will be easy to get into it (like me), but I can
see other people struggling with it for a few episodes, and it takes this into account because literally nothing important happens for 10 or 15 episodes. This is the filler I was talking about. It takes it’s sweet time introducing you to the world, and having the same episode structure each
episode. As much as I would like to say there’s this much filler is to build character bonds, it’s probably just there so they could reach the mystic 50 episode mark. Those entire 15 episodes could fit into 4 or 5 episodes and we still would have gotten the same things out of them. This is the lowest point for the series, which sucks because plenty of people will drop it because of this, and this stuff after that is a blast. Once you get
past the 15 episode mark it’s somewhat smooth sailing after that. Then it progresses at a steady rate and things really pick up. It really hit’s it’s stride in the last 10 episodes. The story is really over the top, and is pretty dumb, but it’s not trying to be a war drama. It knows it’s about a rock band signing to defeat space aliens. It’s loud and bombastic, because that’s how a show about flying mechs piloted by a rock band
should be. Don’t go into expecting a serious space opera like or anything like the original Macross. Despite that though, it does have slower and sadder moments that really shine. They are executed well but don’t overstay their welcome and the show get’s right back into gear without dragging. The only reason the story works as well as it does though is because of the characters, who are all fantastic.

The characters of Macross 7 are all gifts to the world. The two leads Basara and Mylene play well of each other’s different personality. Basara is an over the top rock star who only cares about reaching people’s heart with his singing. He flies into battle in a red Valkyrie that is controlled with a guitar and can shoot speaker into the enemy Valkyries. He won’t hurt anything because he believes he can reach them with his singing. He is also a full fledged adult, which is great. While he strongly believes in what he is doing, he doesn’t feel like a annoying high school brat. It’s another breath of fresh air.  Mylene on the other hand is a 14 year old girl who is a fantastic singer but is still growing up and unsure of what she should do. She doesn’t understand why Basara does what he does, and constantly fights with him. Even though they fight, both perform extremely well with
each other along with two others in their band the Fire Bombers.  The rest of the supporting cast is just as strong. We have Gramlin who is Mylene’s boyfriend and military pilot. He is annoyed by Basara at first for not fighting the enemy and starts out as with a stick up his ass, but he grows into
one of my favorite characters in the show. Max and Milia return from the original Macross as captain of the Macross style battle 7 and the mayor of the city which battle 7 protects, Macross 7. Both are fantastic. Max especially steals the show in the later episodes. He is a treat to watch and I honestly enjoyed him in this show far more than I did in SDF Macross. The antagonists in the show, without spoiling anything, are pretty cheesy, but
feel are just what this show needed. As stupid as they are, they feel redeemable and have more of an impact than they probably should. I could go on and on about the characters but this review is already way too long and I still have the animation and sound to go. 

As far as the Animation goes, it’s alright. It’s looks pretty average most of the time, and there is a lot of stock footage. The first 15 episodes probably use the same battle footage for every episode and change only a few things. In fact there is one episode later in the series that is practically 100% stock footage, and it’s not even a recap. Because there is so much stock footage, the animators are able to spend their time on some scenes that are gorgeous later in the series. Some of the battle sequences in the last 10 episodes are breath taking. The sound effects are pretty standard for a space series form the 90’s. Nothing to write home about. The VA’s do a fantastic job at capturing the emotion of the character. Also, this wouldn’t be a Macross series without tons of good music, and let let me tell you, the music is really really good. Maybe it’s just me, but I much prefer the loud and bombastic rock music from this series compared to the j-popy idol music from the rest of the series. There are plenty of songs from The Fire Bombers that I have already downloaded. This soundtrack is the best of the best when it comes to Macross. I don’t think any other
Macross series will come close to it unless they drop the idols. 

Objectively, this is the worst Macross TV series. (Not including Macross II or plus) It’s too long, the animation dips, It’s story is really stupid. It’s not bad, just good. But when it comes to me, I’d say this is just as good as Frontier, just in a different way. This series isn’t for everyone, and it isn’t a show you can just watch three episodes of to find out if you will like it or not. You just have to dive in head first to find out.  But if you are anything like me, then I bet you will be glad you jumped.

[1]: https://hummingbird.me/anime/macross
[2]: https://hummingbird.me/anime/macross-frontier