Macross Plus
マクロスプラス
What movie do I watch now, huh? Macross Plus? But Macross is a monstrous ball ... well, but it's not that bad, in fact it's really nice ... how cool !!!!
This is what myself and all another people I know thought after seeing the TV serie: but let's start from the beginning ...
Isamu Dayson is a fighter pilot who makes unconsciousness his reason for living, which is why he is transferred to the planet Eden to become the test driver of Valkyrie (fighters that can be transformed into robots). On the planet, the Ministry of Defense is about to replace the old fighters with models of the new generation, the YF-19, a very manageable aircraft that fantastically adapts to the needs of the pilot, and the YF-21, an aircraft similar to the previous one, but which uses brain waves to fly, making the aircraft behave as if it was an extension of the human's body.
Needless to say, Isamu is entrusted to the YF-19 team, and thus finds himself having to confront Gold Bornam, his ex-friend and ex-companion of raids on Eden. To complete this reunion is added Myung, an old flame of both, who arrived on the planet because manager of the famous virtual singer Sharon Apple. Through a series of flashbacks, it is revealed that the three were very close in the past, but an unspecified episode of violence on Myung has made their relationship crack. What ever happened?
In the second OAV, in which we can enjoy a good concert by Sharon Apple, it turns out that the virtual singer does not have perfect artificial intelligence, and therefore uses the voice and brain waves of Myung, which is still very tense for the meeting with his old friends. Meanwhile the relationship between Isamu and Gold degenerates to the point that the two, not caring about everything and everyone, fight each other using the valkyries they were testing.
Against all odds, it is Gold who wins, while Isamu, unconscious, is taken to the hospital and entrusted to the caring care of Myung. Isamu, however, is not the person to stay still in a bed. He manages to be led out, obviously secretly, by Myung, with whom he will start a dialogue of which I do not want to say anything so as not to reveal too much of the plot.
Let's now turn to this excellent film. I must say that although I started quite biased, now I must admit that I found myself in front of one of the best OAV series I've ever seen: the similarities with the old Macross series stop at Valkyrie, the presence of a singer and the incredible transformable spaceship that gives the series its title.
For the rest it is proposed as a story that immediately catches the viewer. Excellent character design of the semi-unknown Masayuki, completely different from that of Mikimoto (curator of the characters in the previous series), which is fantastically highlighted by an excellent color full of nuances and beautiful calculated shadows. Certainly to be taken into consideration are also the animations in computer graphics, which do not disfigure at all and which integrate perfectly with traditional animation (although not always).
But the honorable mention goes without a doubt to the splendid soundtrack, written by Yoko Kanno (also author of the splendid music by Escaflowne) and performed by the orchestra of the Israel Philharmonic, certainly one of the best I've ever heard, which is worth the purchase of the OAV and the Audio CD-ROM.
A final consideration: congratulations to Polygram for the italian dubbing (we are here at high levels!).
