"Robotech" (1985) TV series

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Robert V. Barron

Writers:

Gregory Snegoff (staff writer) &
Robert V. Barron (staff writer) ...

Seasons:

1

Genre:

Animation | Sci-Fi

Plot:

An alien ship crashes on Earth and the tech and secrets it bears lead Earth into three destructive interplanetary wars.

Plot Keywords:

Giant Robot | Robot | Spacecraft | Transforming Robot | Space War

Cast

Katy Amaizo	...	Claudia Grant (1 episode, 1985)
Jean-Claude Ballard	...	Narrator (1 episode, 1985)
Cam Clarke	...	Maximillion Sterling (1 episode, 1985)
Lara Cody	...	Kim Young, Jason (1 episode, 1985)
Greg Finley	...	Henry Gloval, Anatole Leonard (1 episode, 1985)
Rebecca Forstadt	...	Lynn Minmei (1 episode, 1985)
Ted Layman	...	Exedore (1 episode, 1985)
Wendee Lee	...	Vanessa Leeds (1 episode, 1985)
Michèle Lituac	...	Lisa Hayes (1 episode, 1985)
Iona Morris	...	Claudia Grant (1 episode, 1985)
Tony Oliver	...	Rick Hunter (1 episode, 1985)
Dan Woren	...	Roy Fokker (1 episode, 1985)

Also Known As:

Robotech (Argentina) [es]

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (1985) | Dolby Digital (2004 restoration)

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (DVD) | Canada:PG (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

Harmony Gold

Trivia:

The original 1985 series left viewers hanging with an unresolved ending that was not continued until the release of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2006) over 20 years later.

Movie Connections:

Edited from "Kikô sôseiki Mospeada" (1983)

Soundtrack:

Look Up! (The Sky is Falling)

My favorite TV show of all time.

I'm usually a purist with my anime, but I make no apologies for saying this- Robotech is my favorite TV show of all time, and my favorite anime.

I won't get into the whole discussion of whether the translation butchered the original Japanese creators' intentions or not; I stand in awe with what Carl Macek was able to do with 3 distinctly unrelated series, and feel that the whole Robotech mythos is more engaging and fun than the original series.

This is the only show that I have felt such an emotional attachment to, for so long. There is no rational explanation; my wife gave up trying to figure it out a long time ago...

Robotech spans 3 generations of people battling to save earth. It was one of the first American cartoon series to have a continuing storyline, to have character deaths (and births!). It showed racism, interracial relationships, the futility but necessity of war... all in 1/2 hour weekday installments right before school. Plus, it had the coolest mecha around.

I've heard rumors of a new Robotech 3000 series under development by the animators responsible for Beast Wars and the Voltron 3D show. I'm apprehensive but hopeful; I doubt any show can ever really hope to match (and mesh with) the standards set by the original series- identifying with characters may be a wee bit hard with CGI models. But, I hope that it renews interest about Robotech with the public. Perhaps then the snafus that have kept causing Robotech to disappear from store shelves will be overcome. (Anyone for a full DVD set?)