Things I Watched: Macross Plus - Dogfighting, Killer AIs and Space Romance

The Macross franchise has had a bit of turbulent history. The original show aired in 1982 and quickly became something of a cult classic. A stripped down but technically pleasing movie adaptation followed two years later. It then took an entire ten years for a sequel to emerge, Macross II. This was quickly written off by the show’s original creator Shoji Kawamori, before a slew of spin-offs descended upon us much like the show’s Zentradi villains.

This includes Macross Plus, an OVA which takes place three decades after the war between Zentradi and Earth. The remaining humans who were living aboard the Macross at the time have built a new civilisation around the now decimated spaceship. They’ve done an enormously successful job because the world is now a flourishing techno-haven. They’ve even got as far as creating an AI musician who attempts to completely take over the world. Consider this a loose plot summation.

In many respects the show (movie?) is similar to the original in being a love story set in space. This one features a love triangle between three characters: Myung, Guld and Isamu. The last two both long for the hand of Myung who is confused by who she longs for most. This lends her consciousness to manifest inside on AI unit which proceeds to seek vengeance, control or lust. Something like that.

Overall it’s pretty chaotic and great. Lots of aerial dog fighting.

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