Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984)

I don't know about you, but for me, the Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (or SDF-1) is a sci-fi cultural icon as significant as the Starship Enterprise.  Do You Remember Love? tells the tale of the SDF-1, originally chronicled in the epic Macross Saga television series.  Earth has been invaded by a race of beings who know of nothing but making war.  While defending the planet from the invasion, the hyperspace fold engines of the SDF-1 are triggered, sending the lone defender to the outer reaches of the solar system.  The SDF-1 must return to Earth against all odds and try to determine how to defeat the enemy or, if possible, negotiate peace.

Of course, squeezing 30-something episodes into 150 minutes requires some plot and character changes.  The enemy race is divided by gender into the Zentradi, male warriors, and the Meltrandi, the female warriors.  Noticeably absent from the film is Khyron, the militant Zentradi who relentlessly undermined the peace process in the series.  And, interestingly enough, Roy Fokker becomes a chauvinistic drunkard in stark contrast to his supporting "big brother" role in the series.  Ultimately, all of the supporting characters are short changed in the film, including Captain Gloval, Claudia, and Max.  As a result, I do not recommend seeing this film until you've finished watching the Macross Saga- you simply will not appreciate the epic nature of the plot without knowing the backstory to many of the characters and confrontations.

Of course, the love triangle between Hikaru (Rick Hunter in Robotech), Misa (Lisa), and Minmay (Minmei) remains intact.  In fact, I liked their characters better in Do You Remember Love?, since they seem more mature and intelligent.  Indeed, Hikaru's predicament seems ever more heartbreaking in the film when Minmay isn't the bratty young girl often portrayed in the series.  Also surviving the transition from the small screen are most of the notable scenes and episodes in the series- Hikaru's breathtaking mid-air rescue of Minmay and their subsequent isolation in the bowels of the ship, the capture of Hikaru and Misa by the Zentradi, and, of course, music scenes performed by Minmay.

The music is even more integrated than it was in the series, providing the backdrop for most of the film.  The animation, while looking a little dated in comparison to recent films like the excellent Macross Plus, is still as exciting as ever, with missile trails flying around the screen and the Valkyries in heated combat with the enemy.  I have to admit, the Valkyrie is still my favorite mecha out of all the mecha-based science-fiction anime, taking the maverick appeal of the F-14 and combining it with cool robot transformations.  Max and Myria's dogfight in the film has got to be one of the most exciting scenes in anime history, although you have to watch the series to really appreciate the relationship between the two characters.

I have now seen all the major pieces of the Macross franchise- the original Macross Saga television series (albeit in it's U.S. Robotech form), Do You Remember Love?, Macross II, and Macross Plus.  If Macross Plus is any indication of the possibilities of future Macross stories, I can't wait.

Posted: 8-13-1998

Update:

A reader has informed me that this film is not considered to be a recreation of the events in the Macross saga, but instead is considered to be a film produced in the Macross timeline (a "film within a film", of sorts) about the events that happened in the series.

Updated: 2-26-1999

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