35 years have passed since Lynn Minmay had brought peace between the Zentradi and the humans in the events of Macross. Nekki Basara is a guitarist and a singer of the band Fire Bomber. Living in a less-developed part of the flying colony City 7 which is looking for a habitable planet, he composes and sings songs in the belief that music holds a greater power.
During its flight, an unknown alien race appeared and started laying siege upon City 7. However, its attacks are not conventional -- instead of trying to destroy them, they steal what is known as "spiritia", rendering victims unresponsive and zombie-like. During these battles, Basara always goes out into the middle of the warzone, singing his songs and expecting friend and foe to listen and be moved by his music.
(Source: ANN)
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Comentários
TriumShockwave
I'm one of what is probably the most rare breed of western anime fans, those who will defend Macross 7. While not masterpiece of the anime art form, there is a lot to like about Macross 7. Since the series is so polarizing among fans, I'll take a pros vs. cons approach. Pros: 1. Music. While obviously a matter of taste, I find most of Fire Bomber's songs quite enjoyable. They're one of the few anime soundtracks I will listen to on their own merits. 2. Fun factor. Basara is genuinely entertaining to watch. 3. Nostalgia. There are numerous ties to the original series, and it's interesting to seehow things developed. Most notably, it's great to see Max and Milia again. Also, it continues the concept of the colony fleets introduced in Macross Flashback 2012.
4. Focus on characters. While ostensibly a mecha series, the focus of the story is on the characters. Fire Bomber's road to stardom, Basara's quest to move people's hearts with his music, Mylene growing up and understanding her own feelings for Basara and Gamlin, reconciling Max and Milia's relationship, etc. If you avoid mecha shows because they have too much technobabble and focus on the robots more than characters, this is not a problem here.
Cons:
1. Music. Some people hate it. If you don't like pop/rock, especially of a Japanese variety, you will be assaulted by it for the duration of the series.
2. Use of stock footage. Especially early on, there is an extreme use of stock battle footage of VF-11's and Elgarzorenes fighting.
3. Lack of focus on mecha. Fans expecting to have lots of cool animation of all the new Valkyrie models introduced here will be sorely disappointed. I recommend you pick up the VF-X games for the Playstation instead to get that fix.
Macross fans should give the series a chance, and don't give up on it too soon. This is certainly one of those anime deserving of the time honored line "it gets better later." Just be aware of what kind of show this is you're getting into. Macross 7's greatest flaw is simply that it isn't what people expected of a continuation of Macross.
primeparadigm
Macross 7 is so far the most different installment of the Macross franchise. While it retains the three main story elements of all Macross series (Love Triangles, Music and Variable Fighters), for everything else it tries to push the envelope of strangeness while trying to keep it within the confines of the Macross universe. For that reason, it may rub viewers, especially older fans of the franchise with certain expectations, the wrong way. As a result, Macross 7 is truly an anime that you either love it or hate it, no in between, and the only way one can tell which camp you fall inis to watch the whole thing for yourself. Make no mistake, I for one am glad I did complete the show as I found myself enjoying it greatly.
At its core, the story of Macross 7 is about a rock singer (Basara) trying to find his way in the world (or Galaxy whatever) with his singing. Sounds fairly typical fare, but the show introduces so many far-out story elements that you might wonder if the writers were on drugs. Someone once described Macross 7 as "Rock singers flying around in transforming robot planes fighting space vampires with the power of music", and I find that description is pretty dead on, so if you have trouble swallowing that it is unlikely this show is for you. Most Macross series pride themselves in not taking things too seriously, and Macross 7 not only revels in it but thrives on its weirdness, and that is really the fun of it. The key to enjoying it is to accept the silliness and go with the flow. I do understand that may not be to everyone's tastes, it reall tests the boundaries of one's suspension of belief. The show does drag at times, especially in the first 10+ or so episodes where they just seem to repeat each other. At the end it is painfully obvious that they could have done the show with a lot fewer episodes. When the story does pick up in the middle to late episodes, depending on whether you've allowed yourself to be immersed in the show's strangeness, it can turn out to be a fun ride.
Macross 7 has a rather memorable set of characters. They may not be especially deep, but everyone from the main cast to the smallest side character are each built around a unique quirk which allows them to play off each other pretty well. From Gamlin's relative squareness to Miriya's hot headedness to unnamed Flower Girl's unending quest to present flowers to Basara, each of them helps breathe life into Macross 7's environ giving it a rather organic feel. The only real problem for most is the main character, Basara, who like so many things about the show, you either like or not. A lot of people are turned off by his seemingly pig-headed and abrasive personality, he does not go out of the way to make himself likable. But for me personally, I find that is what makes him rather interesting in the way he effects change in those around him. A welcome change to the standard type of main protagonists we've been seeing in other shows in the same genre.
As expected, Music is very integral to Macross 7's story. The soundtrack mainly consists of Japanese Rock so if that's not your cup of tea, well then steel yourself for 49 episodes plus plus worth of it. Even then, early on, it does not show much diversity with Basara repeating the same two songs over and over again for the first few episodes until you are sick of them (afterwards he then repeats them so many times you end up liking them again) However this actually makes sense within the context of the show as Basara is still trying to find his voice early on and eventually as the story progresses, each time he achieves some self realization, he gets newer and better songs to play with.
As for the animation, well, you can tell that their budget was rather limited, even for an older show. There is a noticeable lack of big dogfight sequences that characterize other Macross shows, so if you are a fan who is in it for the Itano circuses, you might end up disappointed. Recycled cels means you end up seeing the same Valk being blown up every other episode even till the later end of the show so there is a certain sense of laziness in this department.
As I said, Macross 7 is a show that you need to watch in its entirety to give proper judgment on it as the early episodes do not do it justice. Even I admit that it took me 3 tries before I could move past the first few episodes, but I found myself rewarded with a rather enjoyable and surprisingly engaging ride by the end. Its 49 episode count may seem rather daunting, but I do encourage you to not give up so easily and try to endure it to the end. It is a show you either steer clear or watch all the way to the end. It is Macross at its silliest, and the show knows it. If you acknowledge this, Macross 7 might end up surprising you with a rather fun, and atypical Macross experience.
Stormy_77
So, since I'm hell bent on watching all the macross series I thought I'd start on Macross 7. For a while I thought I'd made a big mistake. Story It took a LONG time to finish this series which already indicates at first glance it's not all that exciting. It's all about Nekki Basara, guitarist and lead singer of the band Fire Bomber (what a great band name). The band starts unknown, living and practicing in a hovel on City 7, joined to Battle seven. They're the mainstay of the colony fleet Macross 7, searching for a habitable planet to live on. First part deals with characterdevelopment (boring) then the protodeviln appear. Instead of getting exciting it's a wash-rinse-repeat of Nekki using his songs to save the day. There are a few plot twists but overall this series though keeping with the Macross themes of Love Triangle and Power of Music ... is not done very well and honestly could have been squeezed into 26 episodes. There is a LOT of filler (1 min flashback at the start of every episode) and too much "Basara is a rebel" for my taste. Wakate, wakate, we get it, Basara is a rebel. Luckily the story picks up towards the last 10 episodes but it took a really strong will to continue watching this series!
Art/Animation
Dated animation and TONS of frame reuse. Like every episode there's frame reuse. I hate when it's done badly enough that I felt like fast forwarding through the same old animation of the same old battles with the same old songs. The mecha look nice but that's about it.
Sound
Shoot me now! The first 25 episodes I *hated* Nikki's singing. Oh god he's singing the SAME old song. Again! and Again! and Again! Ugh! Hate hate! Play something else dammit! I don't know if they did it to save money by reusing the same songs/frames but somewhere around episode 35 I started enjoying the songs and found myself singing along at some parts. Ack! Insidious! So ... that was their evil plan! Repeat the song until the viewer starts liking it. Well, I hate to say but it worked. I guess I now have to go download the soundtrack. Grrr!
Character
This is a mish-mash. There are a lot of characters, all with different personalities. I really started to feel for some of them towards the last 15 episodes so I guess you can say this series "grew" on me.
The lead protagonist is Nekki Basara, the cool tough rebellious guitarist/lead singer who has a huge ego and doesn't care what other people think. He's also a pacifist who sings instead of blowing up enemies. Of course while he's singing there's plenty of innocent people getting blown up by the enemies he won't shoot. But somehow no citizens protest his peacenik ways getting others killed. I hated this character.
The secondary singer/bassist of Fire Bomber is Mylene, daughter of Maximilian Jenius and Milia Fallyna. Supposed love interest who spent most of the episodes in teenage angst. Mylene is cute, young (14 years old) and spoiled. She treated her suitor, Gamlin, not too well. I hated her too.
The other 2 members of the band are Ray, the ex military guy and 3rd guitarist, and Veffidas the zentradi drummer. Ray was ok but Veffidas was just big and must have had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to drum everything in sight when she isn't at her drums - car windows, tables, chairs, other people's bodies etc. Veffidas is the strong, silent type. When she showed her strength and spoke it was with great impact. I loved Veffidas.
Then there's Max and Milia, the first human and zentradi love connection from the original Macross Series. Max is older and handsomer, Milia got all straight laced. Estranged in this series (he's the military commander and she's the civilian's Mayor) I spent the whole series waiting and hoping for them to get back together. If only Macross 7 was about Max and Milia this series would have scored much higher. I loved them both!
Lt. Gamlin is important and such a nice, honest, man. That's not good when you start falling in love with a 15 year old girl with no brains and who will likely choose the "bad boy" thus giving birth to the saying "nice guys finish last". I was 15 once and liked bad boys then but now that I'm more mature I wouldn't marry one. Gamlin is really likeable and he is the only human of 3 characters that really develop over the course of the series (other 2 are protodeviln). This was a well written character and I loved him too.
There's a whole slew of other side characters. Mylene's ecchi fan. Basara's fan who is always trying to give him flowers. Take the damn flowers Basara! Learn how to treat your fans better! I just pitied some of the side characters.
Enjoyment
Well I wasn't enjoying this series at the start (it sucked) but it started changing around episode 33 and by episode 40 it was fun. Just takes a lot of time and patience to get to the good parts, so overall I can't say it was much more than mediocre.
darkcommanderq
Overall: Macross 7 has to be the most polarizing macross series of all time. I defiantly give this show a 10 out of 10, but I understand that this is highly subjective. I will explain what the show has to offer and point out parts that you will love or hate. Story: Macross 7 takes place some time after the origonal super dimensional fortress macross. For those of you that watched the original there is a fun surprise character wise in this for you. Macross 7 takes the spirit of the show, as in "Music can stop war" and makes it aliteral effect. Nekki Basara is a singer/songwriter/martial artist/ace macross pilot. He wants to push his music as far as it will go. As the show moves on the enemy this time wants to suck out human spirita. Basara possess the strongest spirita and can fend off attackers with his singing. Right hear if this concept annoys you, it stays thoughout the whole series. Personally I find it rather amusing that his singing can hurt his attackers, and even revive some of the men who have there spirita sucked out.
Art: For its day macross 7 looked pretty sexy. Now a days it might seem a bit dated, and the fact that it is almost 50 episodes with lots of space combat means that some animation is going to get reused. This should not affect your enjoyment as since one attack is the same as another attack, do you really need to see the same thing a slightly different way? If you do then this will annoy you.
Sound: Most macross shows are known for there music, but macross 7 is a bit more special in that regard. The show uses actual music from a Japanese band. Because of this (and because the music was already licensed at the time of the creation of the show), there are only a few songs sung and resung thoughout the show. New songs are added over time, but if you do not like the first song sung stop watching the show now, because you will hear that song over....and over....and over....and over... and did i mention you will hear it over....and over.... -ahem- Yes the music is repetitive in the sense that they sing alot, but its good rock music and I enjoyed it. Also the music is used as narration for the space battles like it is in other macross shows which is also very well done.
Characters: This show shines because of its characters and there complex interactions between not only each other but the whole network of relationships as a whole. Basara and his band have quite a back story for each one of them, not to mention back stories of some characters once they paired up. (this will make sense if you watch it). None of the characters are one dimensional, and they always make logical decisions based on what is happening around them. In other words no one does anything stupid just so that they can make a filler episode of cleaning up the mess. Nothing from this area should turn anyone off.
Enjoyment: Outstanding, when you combine good visuals with great sound and some awesome characters on a well throughout plot you get one hell of a ride. I actually like this Macross a lot better than the original. Id say its about tied in interest with frontier. If you like the music and dont mind repetitive space battle animation you are in for a treat.
ggultra2764
Macross 7 was one of the first sequels to the Macross franchise made around the same time that Macross Plus came about. This chapter of the franchise focuses on the human and Zentradi members aboard the spacecraft Macross 7 dealing with a new enemy alien threat called the Protodevlin and a guitarist named Basara Nekki cutting in during heated fights in a Valkyrie unit between the forces to try singing to the enemy for seemingly unknown reasons. Continuity wise, the series takes place 35 years after the events of the original Macross series, clearly evident with the appearances of Maximillian and Milia, the first human-Zentradicoupling to come about from the original series.
This particular entry in the Macross franchise has a good deal of infamy among its fans as such where many consider it the franchise's black sheep. In part, I can kind of see where these thoughts would come from. The first dozen or so episodes to the series are a bit on the repetitive side as Fire Bomber are doing a performance, Mylene and Basara get in some sort of argument, a Protodevlin attack occurs, Basara flies in on the scene in his Valkyrie to sing to the enemy, the enemy retreats after getting what they need and the cycle repeats. Basara is a bit of a shallow and difficult character to connect with as we have no clue why he is behaving as he does and he doesn't seem to have much dimension to his character either as he mostly comes off as a free-spirited and impulsive pacifist. Even throughout the entirety of the series, Macross 7 offers little exploration to Basara's character and the viewer has no clue what drives him to do what he wants. The majority of the Protodevlin are also rather shallow as villains and the quirks with some of them can border on obnoxious. Plus unlike the original series that had a "real robot" approach to the mecha genre with plenty of drama to milk, Macross 7 crosses into "super robot" territory with its more light-hearted mood and absurd "power of song" plot devices milked to combat alien threats capable of wiping out planets.
In spite of the mentioned issues though, I would not necessarily consider this the worst offering in the Macross franchise in the same vain as forgettable entries in the franchise like Macross II or compressed film adaptations like Macross: Do You Remember Love? and the two Macross Frontier movies. The supporting cast in the series do rather well for the most part to carry along things in spite of how subpar things are with the series lead and the main conflict of the series. The series offers some nice exploration of Milia and Max's relationship as it has clearly been shown to degrade over the years in spite of the two gaining influential positions on the Macross 7 spacecraft and trying to raise their young teenage daughter, Mylene. Mylene's character also gets a good deal of development in the series as she tries handling the strain in her parents' relationship, comes to grips with the hostilities of war when events in the series escalate and get in an implied love triangle with Basara and Gamlin. The majority of the side characters in the series involve those connected to Fire Bomber's performances or involved with the military yet relevant characters still get enough focus to show there are more to them than a simple archetype.
The series also subverts some of the typical plot formulas you would expect from a Macross title. Outside of the "super robot" approach being milked, the love triangle dynamic that most titles in the franchise implement has a minimal presence despite the implications played up involving Mylene, Basara and Gamlin. The series is instead more focused on expressing its main themes of understanding and acceptance of others, the implied reasoning behind Basara's refusal to attack enemy forces when he rocks out in front of enemy forces. This message does lead to gradual developments with a number of the characters in the series as they come to understand why Basara had been behaving as he was during early episodes in the series and even leading some among the Protodevlin to switch sides when they come to understand Basara's intentions. As simple as the message may seem, Macross 7 still does well for the most part in expressing it through developments taking place throughout its run.
Presentation wise, Macross 7 is a mixed bag. The visuals were obviously done with a cheap budget in mind as scenery shots and character designs are on the plain side and plenty of corners get cut with animation as shortcuts like reused frames and still shots are a regular occurrence here. The soundtrack milked by Fire Bomber is a nice change for the series as unlike the original Macross' use of pop music, this series makes use of rock music. The energetic rock beats are fitting for the light-hearted mood given off by the series and the lyrics accompanying them fit in with the title's theme of understanding and acceptance. Only low point with the soundtrack is that there are points in the series where it gets repetitive as some of the same songs get recycled until new ones are composed for later episodes in the title's run.
Overall, I guess I could say my thoughts of Macross 7 as a whole are somewhat mixed and I think it's infamy among Macross fans may be overblown. While rather generic and repetitive in aspects of its premise and characters, the series still offered up some fresh aspects to the typical Macross plot formula, an engaging supporting cast, an energetic rock soundtrack and a simple yet well executed exploration of its main themes. Your mileage may vary on how you perceive the series with how different it is from other installments in the Macross franchise. But I would advise that one should check out the full series to properly judge it instead of ditching it in early episodes due to their repetitive setup for plot.
deathabarbar
Fanatic pacifist hippy mc who doesn't care how many innocent people and "asshole" soldiers have to die so he can keep forcing people to listen to his singing in the middle of battle. He repeatedly intereferes with the elimination of the enemy because he is convinced his singing will make everyone buddy buddy. One of the most annoying MCs, he is right and everyone else is wrong, he does whatever he wants, no one can tell him what to do, such a rebel! And it doesn't help that they made like 4 songs for him for 49 episiodes and he keeps repeating the same one forthe first 20 or so episodes. While the scenes are also repeated, they reused a lot of scenes to the point that sometimes you can't tell if it's a flashback or not.
somaisbatman
After seeing almost all of the Macross series, I’m here to say that Macross 7 is maybe the best one? I’m being completely serious, and I’ll try to explain some of why I found it so special. BOMBER!! Let’s start with the music. SDF Macross was made to sell toys, and Macross 7 was made to sell CDs. To accomplish this, the show focuses on the band Fire Bomber, who have about a dozen insert songs in the show. At first these songs may seem tacky or repetitive, and it doesn’t help that the early episodes keep using the same two songs, but the soundtrack seriouslygrows on you to the point where it’s hard not to sing along. The song lyrics can feel nonsensical at times, but by a certain point in the show, everything clicks and suddenly all the song themes directly correlate with what’s happening on the screen. The opening and first ending are also totally kickass.
I can’t go any further without talking about the elephant in the room: Basara. He’s our main character this time around, and boy is he different. Unlike the military recruits of every other show, Basara is a guitarist and vocalist who is completely opposed to war and fighting, believing that everything can be solved with music and love. But he’s not a totally stoned-out hippie about it! He’s impulsive, feisty, and extremely faithful to his beliefs. in other words, he’s an asshole. Most people who don’t like 7 can’t stand Basara, but I think he’s so fresh and interesting. His flaws are very pronounced but understandable, since his morals are so straightforward and idealistic. He’s a beatnik through and through and I’m glad we have him instead of a by-the-books military man as the main character.
We actually do get that exact military man in the form of Gamlin, who’s painted in such a poor light through his pathetic social interactions. Even if he can save the day he can’t save a failing dinner date for his life. It’s also a messed up that he spends the whole show trying to marry a fourteen-year-old.
Mylene, the band’s bassist and backing vocalist, is our fourteen-year-old in question. She’s bratty and irrational most of the time, which gives her a very bad rap amongst many watchers. But c’mon, that’s how fourteen-year olds really are, especially if you spoil them with rich parents and giant music robots! Mylene is a great foil to Basara, two jerks for different reasons trying their best to be a part of something much greater than their own egos. This doesn’t make them bad characters at all, it makes them really stand out compared to most anime characters.
This is a show about a band, which makes it a different beast than the other Macrosses! Like its shift in genre from idol to rock, the show is rowdy, more rough around the edges, and not afraid to try some new stuff. This more experimental approach is interesting because it’s at complete odds with the low budget – cels and audio samples are constantly reused, but in some rather interesting ways the more the show goes on.
With bands come fans, and there is no better fan in any anime than Flower Girl. She’s a cameo figure, showing up in every episode. She dreams of meeting Basara and giving him flowers but the plot intervenes every single time to prevent her from doing so. Her struggle goes from being a gag to being really depressing to being emblematic of the show as a whole, with some episodes jump-cutting to her to represent loss or determination or unrequited love. In a show bursting at the seams with annoying yet lovable jerks, she stands out as a beacon of light.
Macross 7 totally could have done more with its unique concepts though. Imagine a rival punk band appearing halfway through the show to challenge Fire Bomber’s monopoly on the music scene. Imagine everyone needing to switch instruments for an episode. Imagine them getting washed up and trying to radically reinvent their image and sound. Imagine the songs themselves eventually getting really experimental, as if Basara had suddenly joined Throbbing Gristle. Imagine the production studio really going all out on the vocals recording and imbuing the fight scenes with way more auditory inflection and power. If Macross 7 cut some of the alien stuff and focused more on the trials and tribulations of being a band, it truly could have been a 10.
One last thing, for all you art fans out there. The colors are really good?? Like, stupidly good??? The animation cels are nothing to write home about, but the backgrounds are beautifully painted with bright pinks, oranges, purples, blues, and pretty much any pretty combination you can think of. So many good panned-out sunset shots. Also, this is a show where outer space is blue, and I think that's wonderful.
Macross 7 is great because it is able to so effectively walk the lines between campiness and seriousness, it can really defy your expectations. Those 49 episodes will feel like a breeze. It’s the most experimental of the Macrosses by far, and in the wake of safe boring shows like Delta, that carefree nature and willingness to explore new thematic territory really pays off. I don’t feel like I sold the show quite well enough in this review, so let me just say I felt a certain magic that I don’t normally feel when watching anime. A feeling of flow, of really connecting with and grooving along with the show. Maybe this is what Spiritia really is.
neonUFO
I'm going to try to remain as objective as possible in this review, but it's fair to mention beforehand that this IS my favourite show, however I am well aware of it's flaws. This review contains no spoilers. Macross 7 is absolutely nothing like it's predecessors, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross or Macross Plus. That is most likely why it gets such a bad rep - people went in expecting what is basically the opposite of what they got. Macross 7 is a heavily character-driven show and it takes it's time away from the plot to really develop it's characters, which is something I personally thought SDFand Plus criminally lacked.
-STORY-
The premise of Macross 7 is that an unknown alien species tries to take what's essentially life energy from people, and while the military tries to find a way to destroy these eldritch abominations, Basara, our hero, only wants them to listen to his songs, which carry a message he wants everyone to hear and heed. The plot goes into some bizarre directions and makes some choices you could only see in anime.
I found it very unique and while the pacing suffers in some places, the story that this show is telling is still very entertaining and definitely makes me excited (and worried) to see what happens next.
In a story like this, you will most likely be able to predict how it will end, but it's the journey there that takes many interesting turns.
Kawamori, the creator of Macross, has stated that he wasn't happy with how he ended the first show, as despite the power of music, it was still the weapons that ended up saving the day. He decided to fix that problem in Macross 7, having music be the sole saviour in the end.
The series does have a lot of what most would consider filler episodes, but I firmly stand my ground when I say that it's those episodes that really make you care for the cast. The shows starts off mostly focusing on the band and their band-related shenanigans, and it slowly develops as things start getting more and more dire.
For me, it's Basara's character and his actions that really make the story, as he's such an unusual protagonist. It's often hard to guess what he'll do next, but one thing is for certain; he will definitely jump right into the fray and yell his signature "LISTEN TO MY SONG!!!" before he drops some of the sickest riffs in the entire Macross franchise.
-ART-
Since most of the budget in this show went into music, the animation suffers for it, but I'd say it was a worthy exchange.
There's a lot of reused footage, and I mean a LOT of it, and some animations definitely look off. For a music-focused show, the animations the characters have on stage are quite sub-par.
However, the art style itself is perfect for the show, as it allows for some very subtle yet strong expressions, which suits the often inexpressive main character a lot. Occasionally the animators decided to drop some really fun and cartoony expressions as well, which made the characters even more lovable.
Colour-wise, the show also delivers REALLY well, as it's very bright and colourful, which is another thing I appreciated from an artistic standpoint.
Lastly, Haruhiko Mikimoto's character designs are absolutely beautiful.
This show definitely has some of my favourite anime character designs, especially with Sivil and of course Basara, who's look is absolutely iconic and I don't think anything about it could be done better than it is - absolute retro perfection. I think this show by far has the best character designs in the Macross franchise when it comes to colour, recognition and just the right amount of detail.
-MUSIC-
Fire Bomber has became my favourite band before I even watched the anime, and they were the reason I got interested in the first place. As if the songs themselves don't already sound fantastic, having a very 80s-90s rock feel to them, Yoshiki Fukuyama as Basara's singing voice really sets the songs on fire.
In the show, Fire Bomber's music has the ability to restore people's life energy.
I would believe it if someone told me it can do that in real life too.
Lyrically, most of Basara's songs carry a message of togetherness, determination and better future. There isn't a single negative or sad song in their entire discography and even the most melancholic ballad of his carries a powerfully positive message.
I can't really speak for Mylene's songs however, I found her voice to be a little bit weak and not the best match for Fukuyama's incredibly powerful vocals, but that might just be my personal preference as I tend to heavily swing towards upbeat and loud music.
Another downside to the music might be that the same songs are used over and over and I can see that annoying some people. New songs are added to the show as it progresses, but the shows starts off with only about 3-4 songs at first.
-CHARACTERS-
What makes the protagonist Basara Nekki so interesting and unique is, that character-wise he's pretty much everything your standard protagonist isn't. He's not a fighter, at least not in the traditional sense. He's a pacifist that sticks to his ideals through hell and back. He's not very charismatic and is actually pretty bad with people, and not in a comedic 'misunderstanding' way; he's genuinely NOT a people person.
He's extremely flawed, but his flaws are extremely important, as they reflect into his strengths. He's stubborn, but that's why he's determined. He's focused, but that's why he's dismissive. One couldn't work without the other, making him a really well rounded and realistic character.
He's also an artist and an introvert, and that's what struck me the most. Being an artist and an introvert as well, I found myself understanding exactly where Basara comes from in most cases, and I think this is where most of the issues people have with Basara come from; it might be hard to like him if you can't understand his VERY realistic artistic perspective.
It's not just Basara who's an impeccably written character; the supporting cast is equally interesting and lovable. By the time the show comes to an end, I loved nearly every character.
A complaint this show often gets is the amount of filler, however it's that filler that ends up making you love the cast so much. Especially the main three characters (Basara, Gamlin and Mylene) get some really good character development and three entirely different and very well handled character arcs; A flat character arc, a growing up character arc, and a finding oneself character arc. All three types of arcs are equally valid and interesting and keep the character's stories diverse.
-OVERALL-
I found Macross 7 extremely enjoyable, fun and emotional, as it has a good balance of everything that makes a show great. It has comedy, character development, intense action, unique and creative ideas, great character designs, emotional moments executed so well that i get goosebumps just thinking about them, a cathartic ending, it made me care about what happens next, and it made me eager to rewatch the show as soon as possible - three times within the year of discovering it.
The core message of the show is to stick to your ideals and never give up (classy!), and I think that it's length, as much as people tend to criticise it, plays into that a lot. Basara suddenly becomes a much stronger character when you realize that pretty much every episode up until later in the series is considered a failure in his eyes. The guy literally fails and fails and fails continuously and hardly ever wavers because he's just that stubborn and 100% convinced that he'll succeed eventually. Giving up is not even remotely an option. There's a reason why 'Try Again' is the title of the song that saves the galaxy.
The show also carries a strong message for all the artists, which is to let loose and create from your soul and from your raw feelings. Be true to yourself and put yourself into your art. People will notice when your art is genuine. This I can most certainly say is true, from my own experience.
All in all, this is one of those shows that I am incredibly grateful to have found as it resonated with me on a very personal level. I found Basara to be one of the best characters I've ever seen, his music is exactly what I need in my life, and his story makes me want to keep going no matter what life throws at me.
I truly hope that other people can find such joy in this show, because I want people to feel as good and as happy as I felt when I watched it.
Thank you for reading and peace out,
-neonUFO
JoeStraatmann
I gave Macross 7 as fair of a shot as I could give. I love Macross and have a fair stomach for an all-cheese diet, but this is essentially one cour of a show that combines Sailor Moon and Kidd Video and stretches it to FORTY-NINE episodes (Plus character-vital special episodes they apparently had no time for)... and Kidd Video still has more songs. Only the last ten episodes move at what I would call an acceptable pace, and even then, it's paying off tween-level material where the audience would be better served watching things like... Sailor Moon. It starts with the main character. Basara,bro, you only wear the tiny, round glasses AS glasses if you're some sort of information broker. Kafka from Star Rail, show him how it's done. Anyway, he's brick-headed, pure of heart, and writes lyrics like somebody put "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" into a salad shooter. His only character growth is he sometimes gets sad and writes passable ballads. But his music is REAL, man! Sure. It's no surprise they have to angle away from the love triangle plotline because he's WAY too simple as person to imagine microwaving a burrito, much less be in an interpersonal relationship at that level. An awesome biker chick is completely wasted on this guy.
Basara jumps into the show IMMEDIATELY trying to be Lynn Minmay as a singer with songs that have the power to stops wars, but with nonsense, junky garage rock at the level of filler soundtrack songs for late 80's, direct-to-video action films. The only reason his music get traction is the evil spirit vampire villains have never heard music before and what tops the chart on Macross 7 is Lite FM adult contemporary; in a world of Amy Grant, the poor man's Winger is king. His bassist Mylene is a better songwriter, vocalist, and probably should've been the main character since she's the daughter of two characters from the original Macross and, you know, actually goes through more emotions than, "Why isn't my music reaching them? Is my music not REAL enough?!" She can at least pull off pop rock Runaways or some songs reminiscence of "Beatles for Sale." Veffidas is the real soul of the band, though. 10/10, Neal Peart level drummer. No notes.
I can roll with extremely basic music pretending to be the greatest ever, but the show is really this simple while trying to hoist 49 episodes featuring seven one-note villains where individual ones sometimes have to support ten+ episodes. It's occasionally monotonous to the point where the bottom-tier Jem episodes have more going on. It even makes the characters from the original Macross look bad. Milia and Max, how the HELL can you not find spirit vampires for MONTHS who are a foot taller than everyone and wear gigantic, cyberpunk headpieces?! It's like not being able to find Jason Voorhees in Lazy Town! To be fair, even if pacing didn't make them seem incompetent, they still set up and support their 14-year-old daughter being in a relationship with a professional soldier. However, the show being creepy about both repeating how Mylene is 14 and treating her like she's five years older down to the nude fan service in the second closing is a whole other essay. Her 15th birthday brings up the prospect of marriage. YOU'RE BEING WEIRD, MACROSS 7.
Macross 7 is a pack of wafers trying to be a meal. Even if you accept the music as the series wants you to, are fine with it seemingly being aimed at a significantly younger audience than the original, and acclaim its stabs at things like war propaganda as more than a blind man trying to drive a tank, it's still not filling.
konor-good
Boy oh boy where do I even begin. Kawamori... I have loved you ever since I first watched Escaflowne. The way you drew mechas and created characters that felt real, that acted with emotion. The way you handled personal character development, and the impact of every movement a mech would make, the fluidity of a valkyrie switching to flight mode, gerwalk, or battroid. I would do anything for you. I wish it were possible to freeze time so I would never have to watch you pass. You had a rough childhood but you never gave up hope. You are amazing, even void ofthe anime world, I have no doubt that you are a great husband/father. I forever fear and dread the day that comes when you and I will both no longer be part of this world at the same time. I would sacrifice my own life if it were the only thing that could make you direct a new Macross show in cel-animation. You have given me so much joy, and heartbreak over the years. I remember the first time I watched Macross Plus and my heart was broken into a million pieces. Although some people may not like your work, I will always hold it dear. I wanted you to return home, and you did, but unfortunately my love couldn't harbor with modern day Macross or Basquash or Aquarion. I was crying, I was bawling, yet I remembered these words that changed my life forever, "Dedicated to you, our future pioneers". Not only have you changed the world of anime, mecha, the culture as a whole, but you've forever made a lasting impact on my life and the ideology that I personally believe in. As I watch you get older every year, sadness befalls me knowing that our days are limited but you will always be my GOAT. I love you, my glorious King, Shoji Kawamori
Zetage
As many, I grew up in the early-90s watching re-runs of Robotech, which eventually led me to now the original source of it's first generation: Super Dimension Fortress Macross. I watched (on pirated VHSs, of course) Macross Plus, II, DYRL and Flashback 2012, but I never got into myself to watch Macross 7. Why? Easy. I found it too cheesy for my liking, too "Super Robot". The first image I had from 7 was the robotic humanoid face of Basara's Valkyrie after transforming which inspired me to NOT watch this series until this day, twenty years later. And what can I say about Macross 7? Well,it's a solid... 7. It's enjoyable if silly. The characters can be funny, even if they're also very flat. And the story is...well, passable. Honestly, don't watch Macross 7 waiting for something as serious as the original Macross or Macross Plus; or even as interesting as Frontier. Macross 7 is to the Macross franchise what ZZ was to Gundam: a slow-starting, funny mess you can enjoy if you shot down your expectations.
And honestly, I don't regret watching it, even if I'm sure I'm not watching it again in the future. It's a 'good' series, but not memorable. The character desings are passable: Basara is the shonen archetype, while Mylene is your typical Japanese, tsundere, eye-candy, anime-girl. The mecha? Not that passable. The enemies? Laughable. But the series can be enjoyed nonetheless. Why?
Because, Oh, My God, this series must have the BEST soundtrack in the whole franchise. It's not a secrete Fire Bomber's rock songs are good, but I never expected falling in love with this band after watching this series. Since the moment I started watching the first episode I haven't stopped listening to its soundtrack at home, in the car, at my job or even by humming it to myself. The soundtrack alone made this series worth watching. Sorry Minmay, Sheryl and even you, my beloved Sharon Apple, but nothing surpasses some good 90s JRock (by the way, as I wrote this I'm yet to watch Macross Delta, but I don't think it has a better soundtrack, especially because I'm not a fan of the Japanese Idol culture).
So, in the end, do I recommend this series? Yes... and no. Yes if you have the patience to watch a very slow-starting series which will give you some memorable moments. And No if you want to watch an outstanding mecha anime based on Macross. If you are in latter, go watch something else from this franchise. Though, I don't know, maybe 7 will surprise you.
Fire!
BowlingJD
A direct sequel to the original 1982 Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, comes twelve years later in the form of Marcross 7. Studio Nue (Macross, Macross Plus, Dirty Pair) with the help of director Tetsuro Amino (Iria Zeiram the Animation) and music by Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus) set the tone perfectly for the anime. Yoko Kanno must be given so much credit because music is so key to Macross 7, without it, this anime would downright fail. Taking place about 35 years after the events of the original, in 2045 a colony spacecraft and its’ fleet sets off into space for colonization. During said journey, the fleetencounters an alien race that sucks the spirit out of life, but the anime tends to focus more on a rock band called Fire Bomber. In the band are the main characters of Nekki Basara, Mylene Jenius, Ray Lovelock, and Veffidas Feaze. Why focus on the band and not the military? Well, Macross 7 is all about Nekki Basara and his journey to get everyone to listen to his music and in turn, music will stop war.
For characters, Nekki Basara is Macross 7. He is short temptered, knows what he wants, and singing for others is what he lives for, a good character overall. Mylene Jenius (daughter of Max and Millia; captain and mayor of Macross 7) is also a good character with decent development for a 14 year old, while the rest of the characters in the show are in their 20s to 50s (technically). The portrayal of age is pretty hard to judge and other needed character developments are left alone for the sake of more music.
Issues with Macross 7 begin and end with re-hashing animation. Very quickly Macross 7 continues re-hashing fight scenes, lines between characters, and even the good music becomes repetitive. There are two scenes (notable) where the music hit perfectly setting the stage and really gets the heart pumping, but overall, the good music of Fire Bomber was there as background. Where there could have been a deeper plot, or even on the same level as the original Macross, Macross 7 falls just short of a fantastic show making it only a good anime.
algoPotaku
It has but the best protagonist of the macross saga of the best makes you want to make an altar to the incredible protagonist. Taking that out, I feel that the plot takes many turns on itself, I mean that it never closes anything until the end. I still want to know who the fuck the blonde with the flowers was. The soundtrack as always in macross is very good, incredible. The truth is I saw the anime in 2 days and it has 49 chapters that says it all more or less. See it, you will not regret it En español: Tiene sino el mejor protagonistade la saga macross de los mejores te dan unas ganas de hacerle un altar al protagonista increíble. Sacando eso siento que la trama da muchos giros sobre si mismo, me refiero a que nunca cierra nada hasta el final. Sigo queriendo saber quien mierda era la rubia con las flores. La banda sonora como siempre en macross es muy buena increíble. La verdad me vi el anime en 2 días y tiene 49 capítulos eso lo dice todo mas o menos. Véanlo no se van a arrepentir
