5 Star

85 Episodes of Aliens and Mecha.

When Carl Macek (Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years, Robotech II: The Sentinels) created Robotech: The Macross Saga, he couldn’t have imagined that it would lead to eighty-five episodes plus plenty of spinoff films, and would be still a firm favourite thirty-plus years later. It tells the tale of Zor’s Battle fortress containing Protoculture. The aliens lose control coming out of hyperspace, and it crashes on Macross Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during a time of global war, leading to the devastating realization that alien life is real, and it controls technology that is far superior to that of Earth. A fateful day in 1999.

The Macross Saga tells the story of the way Earth finally comes to peace amidst the after effect of the massive alien spacecraft. Over the years, the Battle fortress is remodeled into the Earths’ defence forces, SDF 1, and around it a city grows into a prospering metropolis as the SDF 1 becomes the main attraction. The day comes that the Fortress is completed, and it is launch day, the SDF 1 is fully kitted out with new Robotech fighters and the display is wowing the gathered crowd. Enter Rick Hunter (Tony Oliver, Lupin the III) a young ace display pilot, and friend to Lt commander Roy Fokker (Daniel Woren, Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale) the leader of the squadron of new fighters.

Rick is a cocky young pilot, and he teases Roy that his fighters are easier to fly than his little display plane. Meanwhile, the bridge crew consisting of Cpt. Henry J Gloval (Greg Finley, Robotech: The Masters), Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Hayes (Melanie MacQueen, Crying Freeman), and Lt. Cmdr. Claudia Grant (Iona Morris, Megazone 23), are preparing for their inaugural flight. Tensions are high as the alien technology is untested on Earth. Unbeknownst to the population of Earth, an Alien space fleet has arrived in orbit, on a mission to retrieve Zor’s ship and the origin of Protoculture, the Zentradi want their ship back

Led by Commander Breetai (Tony Clay, Time Patrol) and Minister of Affairs Exedore (Theodore Lehmann, Smurfs & The Magic Flute) they are here to retrieve the ship undamaged, and take it back to the Masters.

They set about attacking the ship as it takes off. This attack leads Rick to enter a Valkyrie Fighter and take off for the flight of his life. He isn’t a fighter pilot, so he refuses to fire his weapon in anger, until he sees the enemy, they are giants and ruthless fighters. The Zentradi are as big as the fighter he is in when it has transformed into the Battroid mode. Luckily Roy is around to retrieve him safely. During this event he meets the young Lynn Minmei (Rebecca Forstadt, Dragon Ball), thus starting one of the most endearing love stories, whilst there is mass destruction and death all around.

The SDF 1 is taking damage, so the captain decides that now they are in orbit they will try the new technology in the hyperspace fold system. Unfortunately they are too low, and the fold bubble engulfs the town of Macross, and they all appear in the orbit of Pluto.

They are stranded but are able to get all the residents of Macross inside the massive space fortress, and they want to rebuild their lives onboard. But they have to get back to Earth under conventional engines, whilst battling the Zentradi forces.

This is just the start of an endearing series that takes us through generations of struggles with the aliens that want the Protoculture and the Flower of life that is connected with the SDF1 and the Planet Earth.

Robotech is definitely for the fans of Mecha and huge space battles. Now in this exclusive HMV release on Blu-ray thanks to Funimation check out the amazing special features below

Robotech: The Complete Series is available at HMV