MACROSS 7
STORY
Macross 7 is the sequel to the mecha series Macross, which was also known as Robotech in the US. The setting is 35 years after the original Macross (5 years after Macross Plus, another sequel), in which Lynn Minmay brought peace between humans and the alien Zentradi with her song.
Ace pilot Maximillian Jenius is the commander of the military aboard the colony ship Macross 7, a colonization ship which left Earth seven years ago to seek out colonizable planets in other solar systems. His wife, Zentradi ace pilot Milia, is the mayor of the city. Their relationship is a strained one as work and worries take their toll on them both, and by the time the anime starts, Max and Milia have become formally separated, though they try to hide this from the Macross 7 citizens.
Fourteen year old Mylene Flare Jenius is the youngest daughter of Max and Milia. Saddened by her parents' breakup, she rebels and joins the rock band Fire Bomber. The leader of Fire Bomber is keyboardist Ray Lovelock. Ray has also recruited Veffidas Feaze, the Zentradi drummer, and guitarist Nekki Basara, a fire-hearted, headstrong songwriter and singer who believes in the power of music to change the world. Mylene and Basara often go head to head on most issues involving the band and some outside of the band, but the group manages to stay together. Together as Fire Bomber, they seek to make a name for themselves...but some for different reasons than others.
But Macross 7 isn't just about rock bands and a colony ship. It becomes apparent that the ship is in danger from an alien race never seen before. Seeking a substance known as "spiritia," the aliens have their own plans for the citizens of Macross 7. Meanwhile, strange events are occuring in the streets of City 7. Who are these mysterious "vampires" that stalk the dark alleys? Why are citizens disappearing without a trace? In a galaxy in which a simple love song managed to end one war, can the power of music save the universe from an even greater threat?
Macross 7 consists of 49 TV episodes, an OVA "Macross 7 Dynamite" and a movie "The Galaxy is Calling Me," as well as several unaired episodes, add-on episodes, and drama CDs. The series received mixed reactions from many Macross fans and though it was popular in Japan, was not nearly as popular overseas. Macross 7 is often criticized as not being "real Macross" in its content and characterization, though characters from the original appear in it as main characters. There is much more humor and many more musical scenes in Macross 7 than there were in the original Macross, or even Macross Plus, another popular sequel. Yet Macross 7 follows the basic pattern of all Macross stories, which focuses on the power of music in changing human, and even non-human, hearts.
Macross 7 was aired on TV in Japan from October 1994 to September 1995. The story of Macross 7 is by Kawamori Shoji and Miyatake Kazutaka, and character design by is Mikimoto Haruhiko, all of whom worked on the original Macross. Most of the music is written by K. Inojo. All music is played and sung by band "Fire Bomber," which is made up of musicians from the real-life jrock band Hummingbird (more can be found about this band in the Hummingbird section).
The entire production staff of Macross 7 is (taken from The Macross Compendium and given first name-last name, with other series worked on in parentheses):
Project Planning: Yoshimasa Ohnishi (Macross, Orguss)
Story Concept/Supervisor: Shoji Kawamori (Macross)
Series Script Supervisor: Sukehiro Tomita (Macross, Sailor Moon, Yu*Yu*Hakusho), "Minto Hajime"
Original Character Design: Haruhiko Mikimoto (Macross, Orguss, Gundam 0080)
Animation Character Design/Animation Director: Ken-ichiroh Katsura (Hummingbird)
Animation Character Design (Movie Version): Makota Koga (Cutey Honey, D*N*A2)
Mechanical Design: Kazutaka Miyatake (Yamato, Macross, Dunbine), Shoji Kawamori (Macross, Cyber Formula, Gundam 0083)
Animation Mechanical Design: Meijo Maeda, Munehori Nawa, Hiroshi Ogawa
Mechanical Specifications: Masahiro Chiba, Shoji Kawamori
Color Coordination: Mitsuko Sekimoto
Music Director: Yasunori Honda
Sound Producer: Shiroh Sasaki
Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka (Rai, Giant Robo, Famu and Ihrlie)
Producer: Kaya Ohnishi (Big West), Ryou Iguchi (Mainichi Houzou)
Animation Production: Hero, Ashi [Reed] Production
Co-Director: Masami Shimoda (Yuu*Yuu*Hakusho, Miku)
Director: Tetsuro Amino (Arslaan, Iron Leaguer, I*r*i*a)
Presented by: Big West, Bandai Visual, Hero, Shogakukan, MBS Animation, Macross 7 Project
DYNAMITE 7
The OVA Macross Dynamite 7 takes place a year after the TV series in 2047. The war is over, and though Fire Bomber is more popular than ever, Basara is restless. Taking only his acoustic guitar with him, he boards a transport for the planet Zola, hoping to find a new group of people to share his music with. Meanwhile, Mylene Jenius, though still with Fire Bomber, has hired her own manager. And Gamlin Kizaki, still the loyal pilot, is once again torn between his loyalties to Mylene and to Basara...
FLEET OF THE STRONGEST WOMEN
Fleet of the Strongest Women is an unaired TV episode. Basically a filler episode, it introduces a rogue Zentradi warleader and her fleet, which the Macross 7 fleet stumbles across in the course of their travels. In this crisis, Max, Milia, and Dr. Chiba decide to try the old ways of defeating the enemy...with interesting results.
ENCORE!
Encore is the Macross 7 "special," consisting of two episode-length special stories. The first story is the "story" of Fire Bomber. In the form of a TV special aboard the fleet, several reporters reveal the reported "true story" about how Fire Bomber was formed. Special guests include manager Akiko.
Part II of Encore, "Who Do You Love?" is a humorous account of family dynamics within the Jenius household. Milia, convinced she is dying of a mysterious disease, performs a last minute duty that every mother would do: namely, finding Mylene a husband. Does Mylene love Gamlin, or...does she have feelings for Basara as well? The end of Encore features a rendition of Light the Light, sung by Milia herself.
THE GALAXY IS CALLING ME
"The Galaxy is Calling Me" is the Macross 7 movie. Also the length of a regular TV episode, it is set sometime in early 2046. While practicing with Dr. Chiba, the sound energy detector picks up a faint signal from elsewhere. Basara and company descend down to the frozen planet below, where they discover something strange...