HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Robotech'' is a
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
that began with an 85-episode
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series produced by
Harmony Gold USA Harmony Gold USA, Inc. was an American film and television production company. It was founded in 1983 by Egyptian-born Frank Agrama and is managed by his daughter, Jehan F. Agrama. In 1976, Agrama sold broadcast rights from Paramount Pictures t ...
in association with
Tatsunoko Production and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and " sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are ...
and first released in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1985. The show was adapted from three original and distinct, though visually similar,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese anime
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
(''
Super Dimension Fortress Macross is an anime television series from 1982. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war. It is the first part of two franchises: The Super Dime ...
'', ''
Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime TV series released in 1984, as the third of the Super Dimension series. It was adapted as "The Masters Saga" or the "Second Generation" of the American TV series ''Robotech''. Plot In the year 2120, ...
'' and ''
Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (literally "Armored Genesis MOSPEADA") is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan. MOSPEADA stands for Military Operation Soldie ...
'') to make a series suitable for syndication. In the series, ''Robotechnology'' refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship that crashed on a South Pacific island. With this technology, Earth developed robotic technologies, such as transformable
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
, to fight three successive extraterrestrial invasions.


Name origin

Prior to the release of the TV series, the name ''Robotech'' was used by
model kit A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...
manufacturer
Revell Revell GmbH is an American-origin manufacturer of plastic scale models, currently based in Bünde. The original Revell company merged with Monogram in 1986, becoming "Revell-Monogram". The business operated until 2007, when American Revell was ...
on their ''
Robotech Defenders The Robotech Defenders are a line of scale model kits released by Revell during the early 1980s with an accompanying limited comic series published by DC Comics. Contrary to what their name seems to imply, the "'Robotech Defenders'" are not part ...
'' line in the mid-1980s. The line consisted of
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
model kits imported from Japan and featured in anime titles such as ''
Super Dimension Fortress Macross is an anime television series from 1982. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war. It is the first part of two franchises: The Super Dime ...
'' (1982), ''
Super Dimension Century Orguss is an anime science fiction series. It inspired an Original Video Animation, OVA sequel series called ''Orguss 02''. ''Orguss'' was the second part of ''The Super Dimension (disambiguation), Super Dimension'' trilogy from Big West Advertising ...
'' (1983) and ''
Fang of the Sun Dougram is a 75-episode anime television series, created by Ryosuke Takahashi and Sunrise (company), Sunrise, and aired in Japan from October 23, 1981 to March 25, 1983 on TV Tokyo. A 1983 full-length feature film, ''Dougram: Documentary of the Fang ...
'' (1981). The kits were originally intended to be a marketing tie-in to a similarly named
comic book series a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
by
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
, which was cancelled after only two issues. At the same time, Harmony Gold licensed the ''Macross'' TV series for
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
distribution in 1984, but their merchandising plans were compromised by Revell's prior distribution of the ''Macross'' kits. In the end, both parties signed a co-licensing agreement and the ''Robotech'' name was adopted for the TV syndication of ''Macross'' combined with ''
Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime TV series released in 1984, as the third of the Super Dimension series. It was adapted as "The Masters Saga" or the "Second Generation" of the American TV series ''Robotech''. Plot In the year 2120, ...
'' (1984) and ''
Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (literally "Armored Genesis MOSPEADA") is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan. MOSPEADA stands for Military Operation Soldie ...
'' (1983).


Fictional chronology

The ''Robotech'' chronology, according to Harmony Gold, is illustrated below: * Asterisked works are now considered ' secondary continuity'—that is, that their events exist in the continuity of ''Robotech'', but 'don't count' when conflicts arise with the primary continuity that comprises the three-part ''Robotech'' TV series and 2006's '' Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles''. In 2002, with the publication of the
WildStorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...
(DC) comics, Harmony Gold officially decided to
retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...
the ''Robotech'' Universe. The following ''Robotech'' material is now relegated to the status of secondary continuity: * ''
The Sentinels The Sentinels are two 90 metre tall residential tower blocks on Holloway Head in Birmingham, England. The two towers, called Clydesdale Tower and Cleveland Tower, are both 31 storeys tall and were part of a major regeneration and council home ...
'' in all its incarnations. * '' Robotech: The Movie'' * ''Robotech'' comics published by Comico, Eternity, Academy, and
Antarctic Press Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes "Amerimanga" style comic books. The company also produces "how-to" and "you can" comics, instructing on areas of comic book creation and craft. Beginning in 1 ...
. * ''Robotech'' RPGs published by
Palladium Books Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games (RPGs) perhaps best known for its popular, expansive '' Rifts'' series (1990–present). Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by current president and lead game designer Kevin ...
. * ''Robotech'' novels written by Jack McKinney, most notably ''The End of the Circle''. While these materials are not precisely 'retired' or 'removed' from the continuity, their events are subject to critical review, and are strictly subordinate to the 'official' events of the 85-episode animated series.


Television and film


The original television series

''Robotech'' (1985) is an original story adapted with edited content and revised dialogue from the animation of three different
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
anime series: #''
Super Dimension Fortress Macross is an anime television series from 1982. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war. It is the first part of two franchises: The Super Dime ...
'' (1982–1983) #''
Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime TV series released in 1984, as the third of the Super Dimension series. It was adapted as "The Masters Saga" or the "Second Generation" of the American TV series ''Robotech''. Plot In the year 2120, ...
'' (1984) #''
Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (literally "Armored Genesis MOSPEADA") is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan. MOSPEADA stands for Military Operation Soldie ...
'' (1983–1984) Harmony Gold's cited reasoning for combining these unrelated series was its decision to market ''Macross'' for American weekday syndication television, which required a minimum of 65 episodes at the time (thirteen weeks at five episodes per week). ''Macross'' and the two other series each had fewer episodes than required, since they originally aired in Japan as weekly series. On some television stations, the syndicated run was preceded by the broadcast premiere of '' Codename: Robotech'', a feature-length pilot. This combination resulted in a storyline that spans three generations, as mankind must fight three destructive 'Robotech Wars' in succession with various invading forces, each of which is motivated in one way or another by a desire for a powerful energy source called 'protoculture'. While each of the three animated series used for its footage informs its content, the Robotech storyline is distinct and separate from each of them. *The First Robotech War (''The Macross Saga'') concerns humanity's discovery of a crashed alien ship and subsequent battle against a race of giant warriors called the Zentraedi, who have been sent to retrieve the ship for reasons unknown. In the course of this chapter, Earth is nearly annihilated, the Zentraedi are defeated, and humans gain knowledge of the energy source called protoculture. Humanity also learns of the Robotech Masters whose galactic empire the Zentraedi protected and patrolled. * The Second Robotech War (''The Masters'') focuses on the arrival in Earth orbit of the Robotech Masters, who have come seeking what turns out to be the sole means in the universe of producing protoculture. Through a combination of mistrust and arrogance, their attempts at retrieving this meet with opposition from the humans and unleash a war that leaves the Masters defeated and Earth awash in the spores of a plant called the Flower of Life—the source of protoculture and a beacon to the mysterious Invid who scour the galaxy for its presence. * The Third Robotech War (''The New Generation'') begins with the arrival on Earth of the Invid, who are lured by the Flower of Life and rapidly conquer the planet. References in the previous two chapters explain to viewers that many of the heroes of the First Robotech War had left Earth to seek out the Robotech Masters on a preemptive mission, and it is this Robotech Expeditionary Force that sends missions back from across the galaxy to attempt a liberation of their homeworld. The storyline follows one group of freedom fighters as they work their way towards the final battle with the Invid.


''Robotech: The Movie''

''Robotech: The Movie'', also called ''Robotech: The Untold Story'', is a feature film and was the first new ''Robotech'' adventure created after the premiere of the original series. It uses footage from the ''
Megazone 23 is a four-part Japanese cyberpunk original video animation created by Noboru Ishiguro, written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama and Emu Arii, and directed by Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai, and Shinji Aramaki. The series debuted in 1985. It ...
– Part 1'' OVA (
original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
; made-for-video animated feature) combined with scenes from "Southern Cross" and additional original animation produced for the film. The original plan for the film was to have it set during the Macross Saga, parallel to the SDF-1's return to Earth from Pluto. The film would also have served as a prequel to the Sentinels, as both projects were initially meant to share many characters. Harmony Gold producer
Carl Macek Carl Frank Macek (September 21, 1951 – April 17, 2010) was an American screenwriter, script editor, producer and voice actor on numerous English language adaptations of anime during the 1980s and 1990s. His work is considered by many to hav ...
worked with the OVA's original creators to make the story and the new ending work. The film had to be changed again after the distributor of the film,
Cannon Films The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that invested ...
, saw an incomplete rough cut of the film and were upset by it. They ordered Macek to remove multiple scenes from the film and to add more violence (most of the scenes removed were scenes setting up characters and showing female characters interacting). Macek reluctantly did what they ordered, and created a new script and rough edit for the film in less than 24 hours. When the distributors saw Macek act out the new film, they were much more pleased with the new cut.Macek, Carl: Robo-con 1995 The opening night in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
received a positive response, but Cannon Films pulled out after noting that most attendants were adults; the bulk of the scheduled advertising for the series was targeted to children. The film had limited success in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. In 2011, A&E Home Video released, as a part of their ''Robotech: The Complete Series'' collection, a 29-minute version of ''Robotech: The Movie'' containing only footage used from "Southern Cross". There was no attempt to remaster the footage.


''Robotech II: The Sentinels''

This aborted American-produced series would have followed the continuing adventures of Rick and Lisa Hunter and the Robotech Expedition during the events of ''The Masters'' and ''The New Generation''. The feature-length pilot is composed of the first three (and only) episodes that were produced. ''The Sentinels'' featured characters from all three ''Robotech'' sagas and introduced the SDF-3 along with an overview of their new mission. The series was planned to have a total of 65 episodes. In ''Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels'', Carl Macek blamed the cancellation of the series on the crash of the Yen/Dollar
exchange rate In finance, an exchange rate is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another currency. Currencies are most commonly national currencies, but may be sub-national as in the case of Hong Kong or supra-national as in the case of ...
, which caused toy partner
Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designed ...
to withdraw from the project. Harmony Gold lacked the funds to produce the series on its own, and production ceased after only three episodes. ''Robotech II: The Sentinels'' was released on VHS by
Palladium Books Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games (RPGs) perhaps best known for its popular, expansive '' Rifts'' series (1990–present). Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by current president and lead game designer Kevin ...
. In 2011, a "remastered" version was released on the A&E DVD set, ''Robotech: The Complete Original Series''
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
. This version has opening titles resembling those found on the "Robotech Remastered" DVDs, as well as a new ending with text explaining the fate of the SDF-3. Also, all of the flashback footage used from "The Macross Saga" has been removed, including the re-used footage from the episode "Wedding Bells".


''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles''

In 2002,
Tommy Yune Tommy Yune is a South Korean-born American comic book author who became known for his manga-style work on ''Speed Racer'', which was followed by a comic industry revival of classic anime shows such as ''Battle of the Planets'' and ''Robotech''. ...
announced development of a new sequel film, which was untitled until 2004 as ''Robotech: Shadow Force''. The storyline overlaps with and continues from the unresolved ending of the original series. The title of the
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
was soon changed to '' Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles''. The first trailers with finished animation were shown at
Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...
and
Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
in 2005. It was not until February 2006, when Kevin McKeever, operations coordinator at Harmony Gold
was able to confirm
that the pilot movie had been completed. After a series of delays,
FUNimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
was finally announced as the home video, broadcast, and theatrical distributor at the 2006 Comic-Con International in San Diego with the possibility of producing further sequels. Harmony Gold premiered the movie at various film festivals in 2006, and it was first seen by a public audience at
MechaCon MechaCon was an annual three-day anime convention held during the summer at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the oldest active anime convention in Louisiana. Programming The convention typically offered an artist's ...
on August 9, 2006, where it was showcased as a charity screening to help raise funds for the ongoing
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
and
Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico and the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which included three of the top ten L ...
recovery effort. A limited theatrical run followed in January 2007, and the film was released on DVD on February 6, 2007. A two-disc collector's edition was released in November 2007.


''Robotech: Love Live Alive''

First revealed in late 2011 in the final minutes of ''Carl Macek's Robotech Universe'', a documentary on the making of ''Robotech'' dedicated to the then-recent passing of Macek, ''Love Live Alive'' is an adaptation of the 1985 ''Genesis Climber Mospeada'' OVA, '' Love Live Alive'', incorporating some brand-new animation. The film was released on DVD on July 23, 2013, by
Lionsgate Home Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered in ...
in North America.


Other television and film productions


''Robotech Wars''

This promotional VHS tape created by
Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designed ...
was included with their ''Robotech Wars'' playset. This video includes two episodes cobbled together from clips of ''The Macross Saga''. Titled "To the End of the Universe" and "Battle Royale", these episodes contain no new footage, and are not meant to follow any continuity established in the TV series.


''Robotech III'', ''Robotech IV'' and ''Robotech V''

Carl Macek Carl Frank Macek (September 21, 1951 – April 17, 2010) was an American screenwriter, script editor, producer and voice actor on numerous English language adaptations of anime during the 1980s and 1990s. His work is considered by many to hav ...
revealed ideas for another proposed series, ''Robotech: The Odyssey'', which would have picked up where ''The New Generation'' and end of ''Robotech: The Sentinels'' left off, and eventually created a circular storyline that would end where the original ''Robotech'' began in a giant 260-episode cycle to fill up all the weekdays in a year. According to Macek, ''The Odyssey'' would have involved the SDF-3 travelling back into the past to the days before the birth of Zor (as well as Scott Bernard's search for the SDF-3). The SDF-3's crew would become citizens of the Robotech Masters' homeworld and change time by becoming a part of its history. Ultimately, it would be revealed that Lynn Minmei was the mother of Zor, making Minmei the focal point of Robotech. The final episode of the Odyssey would be of Zor dying and his Super Dimension Fortress (the SDF-1) being launched into space, and eventually crash landing on Earth in 1999. The next episode after that would be "Boobytrap", episode 1 of the original series which in turn will create an endless loop within the ''Robotech'' universe. After the failure of ''Sentinels'', ''Odyssey'' never went into development, although some of its ideas were worked into the final Jack McKinney novel ''The End of the Circle'', which wrapped up all of the outstanding plot threads left by the original series and the previous ''Robotech'' novels. Fan publication ''Macross Life'' interviewed Harmony Gold executive Richard Firth in 1986, where he revealed that Macek had "plans through ''ROBOTECH V'', which would give us an episode for each day of the year for a year and a half." He also said that these two installments would have brought the series to 285 episodes. Regarding the plot, Firth mentioned a "retired Commodore Hunter, whomever that may be, could very well be speaking at the graduation of the later day cadets or whatever, and they ask him to tell them the story all over again: it comes back o the first episode of the series" Macek himself described a fourth and fifth series envisioned for ''Robotech'' in Chris Meadow's Space Station Liberty podcast in 2007. Macek mentioned the original series as the first, ''The Sentinels'' as ''Robotech II'', ''The Odyssey'' as ''Robotech III'', and then 2 further series detailing the evolution of Zor, bringing the combined series' total to approximately 300 episodes.


''Robotech 3000''

Macek attempted another sequel with the development of '' Robotech 3000''. This all-CGI series would have been set a millennium in the future of the ''Robotech'' universe and feature none of the old series' characters. In the three-minute trailer, an expedition is sent to check on a non-responsive mining outpost and is attacked by "infected" Veritech mecha. The idea was abandoned midway into production after negative reception within the company, negative fan reactions at the
FanimeCon FanimeCon is an annual four-day anime convention held during May at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California over Memorial Day weekend. Programming The convention typically offers an AMV contest, artist's alley, contests, ...
anime convention in 2000, and financial difficulties within
Netter Digital Netter Digital Entertainment (NDE) was a visual effects and CGI special effects company founded in 1995 and went out of business in 2000. History Netter Digital Entertainment was created by Douglas Netter in 1995. The company produced the show ...
who was animating the show. The trailer is hosted on the official ''Robotech'' website, and was included in the 2007 release of the ''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' 2-disc collector's DVD, along with behind-the-scenes motion capture footage.


''Robotech: Mars Force''

In October 2004, veteran animation writer and producer
Greg Weisman Greg Weisman (born September 28, 1963) is an American novelist, writer, producer and voice actor. He is best known as the creator of the animated series '' Gargoyles'', ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' and ''Young Justice''. Early life and career ...
revealed that he developed an animated spin-off series titled ''Robotech: Mars Force''. When asked about the project, Weisman said that he was under a non-disclosure agreement with Harmony Gold and was only allowed to mention that he developed the series. In 2006, Harmony Gold Creative Director Tommy Yune elaborated on the project in the Space Station Liberty Podcast, saying that Mars Force was a series geared at younger audiences, following the children of the Robotech Expeditionary Force. A similar plot would later be used for the canceled 2014 spin-off, ''Robotech Academy''.


''Robotech UN Public Service Announcement''

A sixty-second public service announcement for the 60th anniversary of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, featuring Scott Bernard and Ariel, was animated during the production of ''The Shadow Chronicles''. Although it did not use the original voice actors and the dialogue was somewhat out-of-character, it nonetheless marked the first fully completed ''Robotech'' footage in many years.


''Robotech: Shadow Rising''

On July 27, 2007, at their Comic-Con International panel, Harmony Gold and Yune unveiled the second entry of the ''Shadow Chronicles'' production, titled ''Robotech: Shadow Rising'' and was to be a co-production with
FUNimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
. Pre-production reportedly began in February 2007 and a projected release date of sometime in 2009 was originally expected. Production was reporter to have ceased in 2007 after Harmony Gold terminated their deal with FUNimation Entertainment due to creative differences. At Comic-Con 2012, Tommy Yune announced that ''Love Live Alive'' would pave the way for ''Shadow Rising''. As of 2015, the Shadow Rising trademark remains abandoned since 2007.


''Robotech Academy''

On July 5, 2014, Harmony Gold started a
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
project for ''Robotech Academy'', which Macek had developed before he died. The goal of this project was to raise US$500,000 to produce a new 24-minute pilot episode. The
crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
project was to have closed on August 9, 2014; however, on August 2, the project was canceled with a pledge level of US$194,574, or 39% of its target. Harmony Gold, however, announced that further plans to fund the project were being explored. At the 2014 Long Beach Comic Con, it was announced that the producers at Harmony Gold were in talks with at least one
new media New media describes communication technologies that enable or enhance interaction between users as well as interaction between users and content. In the middle of the 1990s, the phrase "new media" became widely used as part of a sales pitch for ...
network on the prospect of producing the show. As of December 7, 2015, the project remains abandoned.


Unofficial and parody productions

In the 1990s, Seishun Shitemasu, an anime
fandub A fandub is a fan-made dub or redub of a live-action or animated production. Dubbing is the act of re-recording of a live-action or animated production, typically in a language other than the original. Most productions are translated from diffe ...
bing group, produced the parodies ''Robotech III: Not Necessarily the Sentinels'' and ''Robotech IV: Khyron's Counterattack'', using footage from, respectively, ''
Gunbuster ''Gunbuster'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese OVA anime series produced by Bandai, Victor, and Gainax and released from 1988 to 1989. It was the directorial debut of Hideaki Anno, best known as the creator and director of ''Neon Genesis ...
'' and '' Gundam: Char's Counterattack'', continuing the tradition of the original Robotech's adaptation of unrelated anime series into a single continuity. On July 2, 2010, Ecuadorian animator Patricio "Pat" Mosquera uploaded to YouTube a teaser for ''Robotech Skull Knights''. On August 17, 2010, second teaser revealed Rick Hunter standing in front of an image of the VF-4 shown in the final episodes of the original series. ''Robotech Skull Knights'' has not been released yet. In July 2013, Patricio Mosquera was included as an animation director in the staff list in the
IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
page of ''Love Live Alive''. On December 31, 2012, Cesar Turturro uploaded to
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
an
Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
fan trailer for ''Robotech Valkyrie Project''. On December, 2013 the first episode was uploaded to YouTube, and in January 2014, the second episode was also uploaded. The series was cancelled after Harmony Gold issued a "cease and desist" letter to the producers. The team was, however, hired to do the CGI effects for ''Robotech: Academy''.


Proposed live-action film

On September 7, 2007, ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' stated that
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
had acquired the film rights to ''Robotech'' and would be producing a live-action film with an as-yet-unknown release date.
Tobey Maguire Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing Peter Parker (Sam Raimi film series), the title character from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi films, ''Spider-Man'' tril ...
is producing the film through his Maguire Entertainment banner and is pursuing the lead role, in what the studio plans to be a tentpole science fiction franchise. Maguire stated, "We are very excited to bring ''Robotech'' to the big screen. There is a rich mythology that will be a great foundation for a sophisticated, smart and entertaining film." In an interview, Harmony Gold representative Kevin McKeever said that Warner Bros. had approached Harmony Gold about the project, that Harmony Gold would have "a say" in its creative direction, and that it was not expected to affect the production schedule for '' Shadow Rising''. He was unable to confirm any details of budget, casting, expected release date, or storyline, explaining that it was too early in the life of the project for these things to have been decided. In June 2008, it was reported that
Lawrence Kasdan Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the ''Star Wars'' films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), ''The Force Awakens'' (2015), and ''Solo: A Star Wars Stor ...
had been hired to write the film, with
Charles Roven Charles Roven (born August 2, 1949) is an American film producer and the president and co-founder of Atlas Entertainment. He is known for producing the superhero films ''The Dark Knight Trilogy'', ''Suicide Squad'', '' Man of Steel'', '' Batman ...
and
Akiva Goldsman Akiva J. Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making motion pictures and adaptations of popular novels. Goldsman's filmography as a screenwriter includes ''The Client''; ''Batman Forever'' and its sequel '' Ba ...
joining Tobey Maguire as producers. During the Robotech Panel at Anime Expo 2008, the involvement of Maguire and Kasdan was confirmed, with Kasdan writing the script for the live-action film.
Tommy Yune Tommy Yune is a South Korean-born American comic book author who became known for his manga-style work on ''Speed Racer'', which was followed by a comic industry revival of classic anime shows such as ''Battle of the Planets'' and ''Robotech''. ...
also revealed that the film is planned as a
re-imagining A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...
of the original ''Robotech'' universe (with new updated
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
and character designs) and will take place several years in the future, departing from the original cartoon's 2009 setting. As of November 2008,
Alfred Gough Alfred Gough (born August 22, 1967) is an American screenwriter, producer and showrunner. He is best known as co-creator of The WB/The CW's Superman prequel series ''Smallville'' and Netflix's ''Addams Family'' spin-off series ''Wednesday''. Al ...
and
Miles Millar Miles Millar (born 1967) is an Australian-British screenwriter, showrunner, producer and director. He is known for co-creating the long-running Superman prequel television series ''Smallville'' and the Tim Burton Netflix ''Addams Family'' spin- ...
(who both worked in ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'', ''
Spider-Man 2 ''Spider-Man 2'' is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Michael Chabon. Based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the ...
'', '' Herbie: Fully Loaded'', and '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'') are the writers for the film. Roven is currently no longer working on the proposed film adaptation of the ''Robotech'' animated series, but he wished the remaining producers Goldsman and Maguire "fantastic luck" on the project. The Mania.com website reported on June 23, 2009, that British television writer and novelist Tom Rob Smith "has taken over writing duties" for the proposed film adaptation. Smith wrote for the British soaps ''Family Affairs'' and ''Bad Girls'' before writing the critically acclaimed crime suspense novel ''Child 44''. Smith will be the fourth writer or writing team to be reportedly attached to the upcoming film's pre-production. In early 2013, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' announced that Warner Bros. was in talks with commercial director Nic Mathieu to direct the film. On July 24, 2013, it was reported that Leonardo DiCaprio had turned down a role in '' Star Wars: Episode VII'' and has shown interest to star as a main character in the upcoming big screen version of ''Robotech''. DiCaprio is a longtime friend of Tobey Maguire; they co-starred in ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts First-person narrative, first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious mil ...
''. Maguire will probably participate in the film as another one of the lead actors—while Nic Mathieu will direct. On February 4, 2015, Deadline.com reported Gianni Nunori and
Mark Canton Mark Canton (born June 19, 1949) is an American film producer and executive. Life and early career Canton was born to a Jewish family in Queens, New York, the son of Shirley and Arthur Canton, who worked in the film industry on marketing and publ ...
selected Michael B. Gordon to write the film's script and are looking at
Andy Muschietti Andrés Muschietti (; born August 26, 1973) is an Argentine filmmaker who achieved wide recognition with the 2013 film ''Mama'' which he made with Neil Cross and his sister, producer and screenwriter Barbara Muschietti, based on their three-minut ...
to direct it. On March 25, 2015, Variety announced that the ''Robotech'' franchise had been acquired by
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
, who views ''Robotech'' as a potential film franchise. On April 29, 2015, Deadline reported that
James Wan James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjurin ...
is in talks to direct the film. On June 3, 2015, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' reported that Wan is confirmed to direct the film. On July 3, 2015, Kevin McKeever of Harmony Gold announced at Anime Expo that Sony has the rights to release this film worldwide, with the exception of Japan. On March 27, 2016, Wan told IGN that the film will follow the roots of the franchise. As of April 4, 2016, Harmony Gold's Kevin McKeever revealed on the official Robotech Facebook page that their deal with Sony is still not finalized. On July 17, 2017, it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Argentine filmmaker
Andy Muschietti Andrés Muschietti (; born August 26, 1973) is an Argentine filmmaker who achieved wide recognition with the 2013 film ''Mama'' which he made with Neil Cross and his sister, producer and screenwriter Barbara Muschietti, based on their three-minut ...
will direct the project, after Wan dropped out to work on ''
Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially ...
''. On September 12, 2017,
Jason Fuchs Jason Isaac Fuchs (born March 5, 1986) is an American actor and screenwriter, best known for writing ''Ice Age: Continental Drift'' (2012), ''Pan (2015 film), Pan'' (2015) and ''Wonder Woman (2017 film), Wonder Woman'' (2017). He is also known f ...
was reportedly hired by the studio to write the script for the film. In September 2019, when asked about which project he would choose to direct next, director Andy Muschietti told the Argentine news agency
Télam Télam is the Argentine national news agency founded in 1945. It provides news and information to about 300 subscribers, including government entities and national and international media. It operates as a state enterprise. Overview Télam was ...
that ''Robotech'' is a “complicated” property, citing its lack of popularity in the United States compared to other properties, and its requirement of a $100 million budget.  He did, however, say that the script is completed. After Harmony Gold and
Big West The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...
reached an agreement which was signed on March 1, 2021 regarding to the ''Macross'' and ''Robotech'' franchises, which was announced on April 8, 2021, Big West officially affirmed as part of the deal that they will not to take any opposition on Harmony Gold's upcoming live action adaptation of ''Robotech''. Both Harmony Gold and Big West will cooperate on future projects for the foreseeable future. On April 27, 2022, it was reported that executive producer of '' Hawkeye'' Rhys Thomas will be directing the film.


Other media

At the time of its broadcast, Harmony Gold also launched ''Robotech'' through a popular line of comics to be followed by novels, role-playing games, toys, and other consumer products. With the cancellation of ''Robotech II: The Sentinels'', many of these licensed products were discontinued, and led to a drought of ''Robotech'' product through much of the 1990s, except for publishers who continued ''The Sentinels'' storyline in print.


Art books

In 1986, Starblaze Graphics published ''Robotech Art 1'', a reference book containing artwork, Japanese production designs, and episode guides from the original television series. This was followed by ''Robotech Art 2'', which was largely a collection of art by various American artists and fans. In 1988, Carl Macek collected much of the unused designs from ''Robotech II: The Sentinels'' into ''Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels'', which also included his story outline for the rest of the unfinished series, with an explanation behind its cancellation. In 2007, Stone Bridge Press published ''The Art of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles''.


Comics

''Robotech'' comics were first published in 1984 with DC Comics' short-lived ''Robotech Defenders'' and Comico's adaptation of the first episode of the Japanese version of ''Macross''. However, the first adaptation of the ''Robotech'' television series did not arrive until 1985 with Comico's ''Robotech: The Macross Saga'' Number 2, which continued from the first ''Macross'' issue. The various comic publishers include: * Comico (1984–1989) *
Eternity Comics Eternity Comics was a California-based comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of Malibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as so ...
(1988–1994) *
Academy Comics An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
(1994–1996) *
Antarctic Press Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes "Amerimanga" style comic books. The company also produces "how-to" and "you can" comics, instructing on areas of comic book creation and craft. Beginning in 1 ...
(1997–1998) *
Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...
(DC) (2002–2005) *
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...
(2013–2015) *
Titan Comics Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...
(2017–present)


Collectible card game

The first ''Robotech''
collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
was released in 2006 by Hero Factory, which had previously produced ''Robotech'' trading cards.


Music and soundtracks

Various ''Robotech'' soundtracks have been released on
records A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...
, cassettes, and
compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...
s since 1988. * ''Robotech'': BGM Collection, Vol.1 (1988) * ''Robotech'': Perfect Collection (1988) * ''Robotech'': Perfect Soundtrack Album (1996) * ''Robotech'': Battlecry Soundtrack (2002) * ''Robotech'': Invasion Soundtrack (2004) * ''Robotech'': 20th Anniversary Soundtrack (2005) * ''Robotech'': The Shadow Chronicles Soundtrack (2007) * ''Robotech'': 30th Anniversary Soundtrack (2015)


Novelizations

Since 1987, ''Robotech'' was adapted into novel form by " Jack McKinney", a pseudonym for the team of
James Luceno James Luceno (born 1947) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling author, best known for his novels and reference books connected with the ''Star Wars'' franchise and the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and (with Brian Daley under the shared pseudony ...
and
Brian Daley Brian Charles Daley (December 22, 1947 – February 11, 1996) was an American science fiction novelist. He also adapted for radio the ''Star Wars'' radio dramas and wrote all of its episodes. Biography Daley was born in Englewood, New Jersey ...
, a pair of writers who had been working with Macek since they had collaborated on the animated series ''
Galaxy Rangers ''The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers'' is an American animated space Western television series created by Robert Mandell and Gaylord Entertainment Company. It was broadcast in syndication between 1986 and 1989. The series combines sci-fi sto ...
''. Using fictitious epigraphs in the style of ''
Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
'', McKinney's novels fleshed out the chronology (including adapting the incomplete ''Sentinels'' source material) in far greater detail than the original animation. Many ''Robotech'' fans consider the McKinney series to be an unofficial canon of its own, despite notable divergences in the writing from Harmony Gold's current official animation-based canon. Despite no longer being considered core-continuity by Harmony Gold, the novels have been recently re-issued by
Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn, by Penguin Random House. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It ...
as Omnibus compilations.


Role-playing games

In 1986,
Palladium Books Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games (RPGs) perhaps best known for its popular, expansive '' Rifts'' series (1990–present). Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by current president and lead game designer Kevin ...
published a
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
based on the ''Robotech'' series, including several books covering the ''Sentinels'' portion of the storyline. The original ''Robotech'' RPG line went out of print as of June 30, 2001, but Harmony Gold and Palladium Books signed an agreement in 2007 to produce a new line of Robotech RPG books, beginning with a book covering and promoting the feature-length film ''The Shadow Chronicles''. The '' Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles Role-Playing Game'' sourcebook first book was released on March 21, 2008, followed by sourcebooks covering the Macross, Masters, and New Generation chapters of Robotech (redrafted to reflect the Harmony Gold canon). Other sourcebooks and supplements are reflected in the Palladium Books production pipeline. On April 18, 2013, Palladium started a campaign on the crowdfunding site
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
for a tabletop miniatures game based on the Robotech RPG called "Robotech: RPG Tactics". The miniatures are being produced by Ninja Division (combining sculpting talents from Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios), and will feature multi part plastic miniatures that can be posed during assembly. The campaign reached its goal in 3 hours, and was initially scheduled to release in December 2013, but delays have persisted into 2018. In May 2019, under licensing from Harmony Gold and Strange Machine Games, Battlefield Press International produced a game book for the new Savage Worlds Adventure Edition.


Toys

Action figure An action figure is a poseable character (arts), character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are ...
s in the size of the three ''Robotech'' generations were initially released in 1985 by
Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designed ...
toy company, but then reissued in 1992 by Harmony Gold (Lunk and Corg were only released by Matchbox and Lynn Minmei was only released by Harmony Gold). Each included a weapon and helmet where appropriate. Matchbox also released figures of
Zentraedi The are a fictional, militaristic race of alien, humanoid giants and often the main antagonist in '' Macross'' media mix and its ''Robotech'' (1985) cartoon adaptation. It is transliterated as Zentradi, Zjentohlauedy, Zentrady, and Zentraedi ...
characters from the first generation. These figures were supposed to represent the size difference between the Humans and the giant Zentraedi forces, but to be correct these figures would have to have been made about tall. None of the larger figures came with weapons but the Armored Zentraedi came with a removable helmet. Also many toys depicting the vehicles and
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
from the series were released by Matchbox in 1985, Harmony Gold in 1992 and
Playmates Toys Playmates Toys Limited is a Hong Kong toy company. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1966 by Sam Chan as Playmates Industrial, manufacturing dolls for other companies. In 1975, Playmates began marketing their own line of pre-school toys, ...
in 1994 (under the
Exosquad ''Exosquad'' is an animated television series created by Universal Animation Studios, Universal Cartoon Studios for MCA TV's Universal Family Network broadcast syndication, syndicated programming block. The show is set in the beginning of the 22n ...
line). There were major differences in packaging, toy stickers and colors between the different releases. The vehicles were designed to be used only with the 3¾-inch figures. The SDF-1 Playset was only released under the Matchbox line in the 1980s and could be used with both the 3¾- and six-inch figures. Harmony Gold and Matchbox were unable to sell the 1/55 VF-1 Valkyrie toy originally sold in Japan by
Takatoku Toys was a Japanese toy company active during the 1970s and early 1980s. While responsible for many robots, action-figures and vehicles, they are today mainly known for making the original Macross toys. During the 1970s Takatoku made toys based on sh ...
due to
Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...
licensing it as
Jetfire Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the '' Transformers'' franchise. He is almost always depicted as an Autobot with flight capabilities and a jet or space shuttle as an alternate mode. In some continuities he is a former Dec ...
in the
Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, suc ...
toy line. Because of this, they settled with manufacturing a non-transformable Veritech Fighter that could fit any of the 3¾-inch action figures, as well as importing the transformable
super deformed Chibi, also known as super deformation, or S.D. is a style of caricature originating in Japan, and common in anime and manga where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby with stubby limbs, oversized heads, and m ...
Veritech Fighters (originally manufactured in Japan by
Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
as ''Macross'' VF-1 Valkyrie "Joke machines"). Since the late 1990s, there has been a resurgence of ''Robotech''-related toys. In 2001, Toynami released the ''Robotech Masterpiece Collection'' line, featuring replicas of the Veritech Fighters of ''The Macross Saga''. Since then, Toynami has become the exclusive toy manufacturer of the ''Robotech'' franchise—having covered mecha from ''The Macross Saga'', ''The New Generation'' and ''The Shadow Chronicles''.


Video games

''Robotech'' spawned five video game licenses, of which the most recent three were released: * '' Robotech: Crystal Dreams'' was a cancelled release for the
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...
game system. It was initially being developed by
GameTek GameTek was an American video game publisher based in North Miami Beach, Florida known for publishing video game adaptations of game shows in the late 1980s and early 1990s. GameTek was a trade name for IJE, the owner of electronic publishing rig ...
, but in 1997
Ocean Software Ocean Software Ltd was a British software development company that became one of the biggest European video game developers and video game publisher, publishers of the 1980s and 1990s. The company was founded by David Ward and Jon Woods and wa ...
purchased the rights to the game and took over as both developer and publisher. The game would have taken place during the period between the SDF-1's destruction and the launch of the SDF-3. The game had a Zentraedi invasion during what was scripted in the series as a period of peace. * '' Robotech: Battlecry'' (2002) for the Microsoft
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
, Sony
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
, and Nintendo
Nintendo GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...
. The gameplay takes place in the Macross era, and features a storyline running exactly concurrent with that era's historical events. Multiplayer support is limited to one-on-one. Several of the voice actors from the original series, including Tony Oliver, Melanie MacQueen, Dan Woren, and Cam Clarke, reprised their original roles, or voiced new characters in this game. The game was a relative success, even though many fans complained of the over-cartoonified look of the game. * '' Robotech: The Macross Saga'' (2002) for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
, a side-
scrolling shooter In computer displays, filmmaking, television production, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display, vertically or horizontally. "Scrolling," as such, does not change the layout of the text ...
that resembles the Japanese
Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
game '' Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie''. * '' Robotech: Invasion'' (2004) for the Microsoft
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
and the Sony
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
. First-/third-person shooter. The gameplay covers the ''New Generation'' part of the story, with support for single player missions and multiplayer online matches. Features Cyclones, transformable body armor/motorcycles. As with ''Battlecry'', several of the original voice actors reprised their roles. Unlike ''Battlecry'', it is not backwards compatible with the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. * '' Robotech: The New Generation'' (2007) for
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s. A top-down
scrolling shooter In computer displays, filmmaking, television production, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display, vertically or horizontally. "Scrolling," as such, does not change the layout of the text ...
that covers the ''New Generation'' part of the story, leading up to the '' Shadow Chronicles''. The player can play as one of three characters (Scott, Rook and Rand), each with their own special weapons. The player also has the ability to change into "Battloid Mode" through the collection of Protoculture. ''Robotech: The New Generation'' features famous music from the TV series, as well as the most evil of all the villains. *''Robotech: The Macross Saga HD Edition'' (2021) for the
Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
. A remake of '' Robotech: The Macross Saga'' (2002) for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
with new 3D models, dynamic lighting, enhanced effects, and high-definition backgrounds. As of March 2021, this title has only been made available on the Nintendo eShop in the Australia region.


Reception of adaptation

''Robotech'' is often a polarizing subject amongst anime fans. Some critics look down upon the show for its extensive edits to the source material (Westernizing character names, editing for content and chiefly, forging a connection between previously unrelated series), while supporters of the adaptation have pointed out that the weaving of three unrelated series into a contiguous whole necessarily required reworking, and that it helped to maintain a slow but continuous rise in the consumption of anime in the US. Series writer/actor
Gregory Snegoff Gregory Snegoff (born June 22, 1955) is an American voice actor, writer and dialogue director who frequently works on English-language anime-dubs. He is also known by the names Greg Snegoff, Gregory Snow, and Greg Snow. Early life Snegoff is a ...
said in an interview on the now-defunct ''Shadow Chronicles News'' fansite that, "afterward, we received compliments from the Japanese who thought our dialogue and stories were better than the original," likely a reference to the creators of the latter two series, both of whom worked with the team on ''The Sentinels''. The producers of ''
Megazone 23 is a four-part Japanese cyberpunk original video animation created by Noboru Ishiguro, written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama and Emu Arii, and directed by Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai, and Shinji Aramaki. The series debuted in 1985. It ...
– Part 1'' were very happy with the original plans for '' Robotech: The Movie'' (where the incomplete film would have been added to the ''Robotech'' mythos to play part in ''The Sentinels'' storyline), and worked closely with Carl Macek to plan the new ending and animation. When the film reached a limited release, the new ending was released on a
LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
of ''Megazone 23'', with the title "Present For You." However, ''Animag'' magazine (issue 11) and ''
Animerica ''Animerica'' was a monthly magazine published by Viz Media containing news, feature articles, and reviews on manga, anime, and related media, as well as a section that serialized manga published by Viz. After an initial November 1992 preview is ...
'' magazine (issue 9, volume 4) reports that the staff of ''
Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the ...
'' at
Studio Nue Studio Nue, Inc. ( ja, スタジオぬえ) is a Japanese design studio formed in 1972 (as Crystal Art Studio) by Naoyuki Kato, Kenichi Matsuzaki, Kazutaka Miyatake, and Haruka Takachiho. Crystal Art Studio would change their name to Studio Nue i ...
and
Artland is a Japanese animation studio. It has produced numerous noted anime series, including the award-winning ''Mushishi'' and epic ''Legend of the Galactic Heroes''. It is also well known for producing the anime adaptation of '' Katekyō Hitman Re ...
, such as the original story creator and mecha designer
Shōji Kawamori is a Japanese anime creator and producer, screenwriter, visual artist, and mecha designer. He is best known for creating the ''Macross'' mecha anime franchise and the ''Diaclone'' toyline, which were in turn the basis for the ''Robotech'' and ...
and chief director
Noboru Ishiguro was a Japanese animator best known for directing the anime series ''Space Battleship Yamato II'', ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross'', ''Super Dimension Century Orguss'', ''Yōkai Ningen Bem, Humanoid Monster Bem'', ''Megazone 23, Megazone 23 ...
, expressed their concern over the ''Robotech'' adaptation, and surprise at its differences. In 2009, ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' ranked ''Robotech'' as the 34th-greatest animated show of all time in their Top 100 list. In a review of ''The Macross Saga'' for '' NEO'', David West considered it a landmark in Japanese animation and an essential watch for fans of the mecha genre. He considered its take on human issues such as love and death to be fresh and enduring, and although he found the animation to be not as up to date as the story, he considers the show impressive despite its age.


Distribution

Following the original broadcast, the series enjoyed popularity on home video in VHS and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
formats from the following distributors: *
Family Home Entertainment Family Home Entertainment (FHE) was an American home video company founded in 1980 by Noel C. Bloom. It was a division of International Video Entertainment, which had its headquarters in Newbury Park, California. History The company was founde ...
(VHS,
LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
) (First six-tape run of ''The Macross Saga'' was heavily edited, with roughly 38 minutes of footage cut from each six-episode tape. The episode "Private Time" was almost entirely removed, with only a few minutes of the beginning and end being shown.) *
Palladium Books Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games (RPGs) perhaps best known for its popular, expansive '' Rifts'' series (1990–present). Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by current president and lead game designer Kevin ...
(VHS) *
Streamline Pictures Streamline Pictures was an American media company that was best known for its distribution of English-dubbed Japanese animation. History Founding Founded in Los Angeles, California, in late 1988, Streamline Pictures was one of the first No ...
(VHS,
LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
) *
ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gre ...
(DVD Region 1 – North America) (original broadcast version and first printing of the remastered version) *
A&E Networks A&E Networks (stylized as A+E NETWORKS) is an American multinational broadcasting company that is a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company through its General Entertainment Content division. The company o ...
Home Entertainment (DVD Region 1 – North America)TV Shows on DVD - ''Robotech: The Complete Original Series''
*
Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyro ...
(DVD Region 2 – UK) (first print of the remastered version) *
Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...
(DVD Region 4 – Australia) *
Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
(DVD Region 1 – USA) (''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'') (first print, later re-released by A&E Entertainment, but has reverted to Funimation in October 2019 following the announcement which also includes the ''Robotech'' series and ''Robotech II: The Sentinels'') *
Revelation Films Revelation Films is a British film and television production and distribution company delivering visual entertainment via cinema, television and digital platforms. Tony Carne founded Revelation Films in 1992 as a video and television production ...
(DVD Region 2 – UK) (''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' and ''Love Live Alive'') * Go Entertainment (DVD Region 2 – UK) (Region 2 version of A&E's box set) *
Beyond Home Entertainment Beyond International Limited is an international television and film production company with operations in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (), the company is involved in ...
(DVD Region 4 – Australia) (Region 4 version of A&E's Boxset) * Guangdong Qianhe Audio & Video (DVD Region 6 – China) (''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'')


References


External links


ROBOTECH.COM
- Harmony Gold's official Robotech website.
ROBOTECH Bibliography
- Comprehensive listings of books in and out of print.
ROBOTECH: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles
- Official site of the new comic series. * * {{Toonami Cartoon Network ADV Films * Mecha anime and manga Science fiction book series Toonami Transforming toy robots