3-05. Live Inn Plunder Operation/Curtain Call.

The group uses a concert as cover for a fuel heist!

Genesis Climber Mospeada: Live Inn Plunder Operation.

Original Air Date - Genesis Climber Mospeada: Oct. 30, 1983. Writer: Satoshi Namiki. Director: Yusaku Saotome.

Robotech: Curtain Call.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 31, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - MOSPEADA:

The group is running low on the HBT they need to fuel their mechs, but Yellow Belmont has a solution: a heist. The nearby town of Belnarda maintains its freedom by collaborating with the Inbit, the security officials guarding HBT inside a medieval fortress. Yellow makes arrangements to hold a concert in the town, while Stig, Ray, and Houquet bypass security to make away with the fuel.

The plan seems to be going off without a hitch, with them easily evading all the modern security. But while using a hidden passage to make their escape, they manage to set off one of the castle's old traps, sealing off the passage. Yellow extends the concert to buy time - but if Stig and the others can't find a way out, then none of them will be going anywhere!


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

The group is running low on the protoculture they need to fuel their mechs. Lancer has a solution: a heist. The nearby town of Norristown maintains its freedom by collaborating with the Inbit, the security officials guarding protoculture stores inside a medieval fortress. Lancer makes arrangements to hold a concert in the town, while Scott, Rand, and Rook bypass security to make away with the fuel.

The plan seems to be going off without a hitch, with them easily evading all the modern security. But while using a hidden passage to make their escape, they manage to set off one of the castle's old traps, sealing off the passage. Lancer extends the concert to buy time - but if Scott and the others can't find a way out, then none of them will be going anywhere!

Stig, Ray, and Houquet disable the security system.

CHARACTERS:

Ray is anxious about stealing the fuel, worried that it will draw attention. Even if the Inbit ignore them, the local authorities will be just as dangerous if they catch them. Once the job is done, he becomes cocky even before they've made good on their escape, which both Stig and Houquet call him out on.

Yellow continues the pop star masquerade, and we see just how popular "Yellow Belmont" is from the crowd that comes to the concert. Yes, Mint stirs up the crowd so that Yellow's manager can persuade the authorities to have a car ready for their escape... but she doesn't need to do much stirring, because the audience is already enthusiastic. We also see that Yellow's manager is fully aware of, and part of, his resistance activities.

None of this gets changed for Robotech, with the episode overall being one of the least altered of the entire Robotech series.

Advantage: None.


NARRATION:

Robotech begins with a recap of the previous episode, which is almost comical given that there's no actual connection between the two episodes. I say "almost," because the writers do use the recap to cannily slip in that Scott and his group are running low on fuel, which sets up the basic problem for this episode.

Advantage: None.

Yellow performs. The disguise is
a lot more convincing in Mospeada.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

HBT Becomes Protoculture: A simple and predictable change. Mospeada's HBT fuel source becomes "protoculture," Robotech's all-purpose MacGuffin. I find it a bit odd that protoculture has been established as a precious resource, and yet everything runs on it. Surely it would make more sense for most human technology (such as mundane vehicles) to run on gas or electric?

Yellow Belmont Is A More Convincing Woman Than Lancer: In Mospeada, Yellow Belmont's female voice is more convincing... probably because female voice actor Mine Matsuki dubs all of Belmont's dialogue when in costume. In Robotech, "Yellow Dancer" just uses the same "Lancer" voice. No matter how good he looks in that dress, surely someone would notice this lady's masculine baritone?

Jim's Cover vs. Lunk's: After hijacking the soda truck, Mospeada's Jim gets into the fortress by claiming that he's there to inspect the vending machines. After checking the truck and finding only crates of soft drinks, the guards wave him through. Robotech bizarrely changes Lunk's cover story, with him claiming that he's here to repair broken machines. The original version makes more sense with the visual context.

Knocking Out the Police Officer: Jim knocks out an officer to steal his police car as a getaway car. In Mospeada, we hear the officer first expressing confusion and then begging for Jim to "stop it" as the big man administers his beating. Robotech removes that dialogue, with only the sound of Lunk's fists being heard before the car is clear.

Advantage: Mospeada. But only by a hair. Really, the two versions are so close to identical as to make very little difference.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

The caper is done under the cover of Yellow's concert, which makes the music rather important. Fortunately, Robotech doesn't just do its usual and recycle Minmei songs. Instead, Yellow Dancer sings a couple of pretty decent pop numbers, with Look Up (The Sky Is Falling) being legitimately catchy.

The Mospeada version offers a better variety of music overall, making it more believable as a full concert. I'm also finding myself enjoying Mospeada's action music. Robotech uses its music well - but after 65 episodes, there's no way around those tracks having become ludicrously stale by this point.

Advantage: Mospeada.

Caught in a medieval trap.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - NONE:

Though I can't help but lightly mock Robotech for its overuse of "protoculture" (do they need it to operate the futuristic toilets too?), ultimately the two versions are as close to identical as the series has yet delivered. Mospeada benefits from a better variety of music for its concert and from incidental tracks that haven't received 65 episodes of play... but both variants offer the same overall viewing experience.


OTHER MUSINGS:

In my review of Survival Song Feeling, I said that the episode felt like filler. This episode cements that impression. If you skipped straight from Showdown Concert at High Noon to this, the series wouuld actually be structurally better.

Showdown Concert saw the group pick up more people and mechs. This episode addresses the issue of fuel that comes with that, while also building on Yellow Belmont's popularity as an entertainer. The intervening episode doesn't appear to have done anything but occupy space.

Live Inn Plunder Operation is my favorite Mospeada episode thus far. It's a lighthearted caper that, with its heist in a medieval fortress complete with a centuries-old trap, feels slightly beholden to Lupin III - which is no bad thing. The script is tidily constructed, with every member of the ensemble getting something to do. Mix in a good soundtrack (yes, even in the Robotech version), and this is a lot of fun to watch.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Survival Song Feeling/Survival
Next Episode: Support Girl Blues/Hard Times (not yet reviewed)

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3-04. Survival Song Feeling/Survival.

Stig and his group hide from Inbit forces.

Genesis Climber Mospeada: Survival Song Feeling.

Original Air Date - Genesis Climber Mospeada: Oct. 23, 1983. Writer: Ryo Yasumura. Director: Masayuki Kojima.

Robotech: Survival.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 30, 1985. Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - MOSPEADA:

While Yellow Belmont waits in the group's camp, Stig and the others make a supply run to a nearby town. This does not go well, with them finding themselves on the run from Inbit forces. They make a detour into a forest to hide. No matter what they do, however, the Inbit keep finding them. And in the wild, the aliens aren't the only danger...


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

While Lancer waits in the group's camp, Scott and the others make a supply run to a nearby town. This does not go well, with them finding themselves on the run from Invid forces. They make a detour into a forest to hide. No matter what they do, however, the Invid keep finding them. And in the wild, the aliens aren't the only danger...

Ray and Houquet bicker. Since this is an '80s show,
that probably means they're in love.

CHARACTERS:

This episode offers a chance to see the newly formed group working as a team. Country boy Ray gets to show some competence, first in dealing with leeches and later in catching fish for the group to eat - though he gets lost in his enthusiasm for the latter activity that he nearly gets caught by the Inbit. Ray and Houquet spend much of the episode bickering, which by '80s TV rules means that they will end up becoming a couple, though some of their "fight/flirting" here points to real resentment from Ray. I guess we'll see if that last trait gets developed or forgotten.

Advantage: None.


NARRATION:

Robotech opens with a full recap, consisting of bits from the previous episode with the narrator introducing the new characters and letting us know that Scott and company found a Veritech fighter. The main body of the episode is very restrained in its narration, however, with no moments that irritated me, leaving this category a wash.

Advantage: None.

Ray figures out how the Inbit keep finding them.
Robotech adds voice over to spell it out for us.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

Scott Admits That He Was Wrong about "Breaking Through": The episode begins with the party surrounded by Inbit fighters. Stig urges the group to break through; Ray dismisses that as suicide and cuts to the side, with the others following. The scene is almost identical in Robotech - except that when Scott looks at the Invid blocking the path he had been urging, he admits that he was wrong in wanting to keep going.

Mint Asks Ray to Marry Her: While fleeing the Inbit, Mospeada's Mint laments that she doesn't want to die without being married and demands that Ray marry her (he refuses). Robotech has dialed back on her marriage obsession, so Annie merely wails that she's too young to die, with the subsequent exchange removed entirely.

Food vs. Protoculture Energy Cells: Jim's jeep is damaged during the escape. He tries to recover the spilled food stores that he got from the town before fleeing. That apparently is too mundane for Robotech, with Lunk instead trying to gather up "Protoculture Energy Cells."

Rook Snaps at Lunk: After evading the Inbit in Mospeada, the group hides in tall grass and wonders exactly how the aliens are managing to follow them. Robotech changes this, with Lunk asking about food and Rook snapping at him. This does introduce the idea of tension within the group a bit earlier, but at the cost of having the main characters actually think about the problem of how they're being tracked.

Internal Monologue When Rand Figures It Out: Ray hides in the trees as the Inbit pass. He begins charging his weapon, at which point the Inbit turn toward him. He swiftly turns the power off, and the aliens move on. Since Robotech doesn't fully trust its audience to follow along, Rand has an internal monologue spelling out his realization. I think my fingers may have gotten bruised from the aggressive handholding.

Rook Is Angrier Than Houquet: File this one under pointless changes. In Mospeada, Houquet wonders exactly why Ray is so reflexively nasty toward her. Robotech changes this so that Rook is every bit as rude to Rand as he is to her.

Advantage: None. A couple of changes that I like are canceled out by changes that I don't like.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

Both scores are well applied, but I think Robotech's is more effective. Surprisingly, the Robotech score works best not in the ending action scene, but in the moments that show the group hiding from and evading the Invid. Mospeada's incidental music is fine, and I appreciate the moments that play out with no music - but I think that Robotech wins this category this time.

Advantage: Robotech.

The Inbit relentlessly search for Stig's group.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - NONE:

Changes made to this episode are minor: an internal monologue to (over-) clarify one point, a slight change in the attitude of Robotech's Rook vs. Mospeada's Houquet, a bit of extra technobabble involving protoculture. It's basically the same viewing experience in either version.


OTHER MUSINGS:

Aside from a few decent character moments for Ray and Houquet, Survival Song Feeling is entirely unmemorable. There's some initial suspense in watching the group evade the Inbit... but that drains away fast, because there's only so many times you can watch the characters hide behind trees before the thrill is gone.

There just isn't much here. The group hides in the forest, Ray goes fishing, they evade the aliens and a couple of threats from nature, and then they share a meal. There's merit in seeing the newly formed group working together, but not enough to keep this from feeling like filler.

It's watchable enough. Overall, though, this occupies 22 minutes, it passes the time more or less adequately, and then it ends. I strongly suspect that if you accidentally skipped it while watching the series, you'd never even notice it was missing.


Overall Rating: 4/10.

Previous Episode: Showdown Concert at High Noon/Lonely Soldier Boy
Next Episode: Live Inn Plunder Operation/Curtain Call

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3-03. Showdown Concert at High Noon/Lonely Soldier Boy.

Former soldier Jim is targeted by a violent criminal gang!

Genesis Climber Mospeada: Showdown Concert at High Noon.

Original Air Date - Genesis Climber Mospeada: Oct. 16, 1983. Writer: Sukehiro Tomita. Director: Katsuhito Akiyama.

Robotech: Lonely Soldier Boy.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 29, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - MOSPEADA:

Stig, Ray, and Mint stop at a ramshackle shell of a town. The locals are under the thumb of a vicious criminal gang that hunts soldiers to turn them into the Inbit.

Their current target is Jim, who came to Earth years ago as part of the first liberation force. Jim has survived by keeping his head down and hiding his past. Somehow (never explained), the gang discovered his secret. They kidnap Jim's best friend, holding him hostage if Jim doesn't meet them for a showdown at the K. O. Corral (cue eyeroll).

Stig decides to help, and he receives some unexpected backup: Houquet, the young woman who came to their aid in the last town they visited; and Yellow Belmont, a popular singer who hides more than one secret...


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

Scott, Rand, and Annie stop at a ramshackle shell of a town that is plagued by ruffians who hate soldiers.

The gang's current target is Lunk, a former bio-maintenance engineer for the Robotech Expeditionary Forces. He's been hiding his past, but somehow (never explained), the gang discovered his secret. They kidnap Lunk's best friend, holding him hostage if he doesn't meet them for a showdown outside of town.

Scott decides to help, and he receives some unexpected backup: Rook, the young woman who came to their aid in the last town they visited; and Yellow Dancer, a popular singer who hides more than one secret...

Stig, Ray, and Mint are all unimpressed with the town.

CHARACTERS:

Upon arriving in this dump of a town, Stig instantly blames the state of the place on the Inbit. Ray warns against blaming the aliens for everything, saying that the surrounding mess is mainly because of the humans who live here. This is a good note for both characters. Stig filters all he sees through the military conflict, while Ray - who has lived here all his life - knows that humans are capable of bad behavior with no need of outside intervention.

Advantage: Robotech.


NARRATION:

The Robotech narrator won't shut up. This gets particularly annoying when the writers decide that the themes and parallels are too subtle for us, with narration directly pointing out how Scott riding to the rescue of the kidnapped man is like a Western showdown. We go to commercial with the narrator further talking about how Scott is fighting against lawlessness and anarchy here. I'm still hungry, Mr. Narrator - can you spoon-feed me some more?

Advantage: Mospeada.

Yellow Belmont performs.
In Mospeada, the performance is better.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

Opening Song: The episode opens with Yellow Belmont/Yellow Dancer singing at the town bar. Mospeada has Yellow Belmont's song evoking images of Earth before the war, with apple trees and fields, creating a sharp contrast when the episode cuts to Stig and Ray arriving in the desert dump that is their reality. Robotech doesn't show the same images, instead recycling close-ups of the instruments the band is playing. Also, Robotech doesn't even try to match the lyrics to the lip movements, which becomes rather distracting.

Mint's Reaction to the Town vs. Annie's: Mint agrees that the town is no place she wants to settle down, stating that she doesn't want to get married here. Robotech continues to wisely de-emphasize the child character's marital obsession, with Annie wondering what the locals do for fun... earning an amusing rejoinder from Rand that they probably sit around and watch their floorboards warp.

The Gang Leader Interrupts: In Mospeada, the gang leader cuts off Yellow Belmont by belligerently demanding who gave the singer permission to perform, an early tipoff to the gang's control over the town. Robotech inexplicably changes this so that the gang leader is snarling about how Yellow Dancer's music "stinks."

The Club Manager Talks About the Gang: When Stig asks about the gang in Mospeada, the club manager tells him that they run the town and will kill anyone who disobeys them. Robotech makes the gang less threatening, with the club manager instead describing them as "riff-raff." Is the riff-raff up to shenanigans, by any chance?

Yellow Dancer Becomes "Lancer": The episode ends with Yellow Belmont overcoming Stig's objections to a woman joining them (as opposed to another woman and a little girl?) by demonstrating that "she" is actually a man in disguise. Robotech decides this isn't enough, with "Yellow Dancer" renaming himself "Lancer" on the grounds that it suits him better. Because men don't dance, or a lance is like a penis, or... whatever.

Advantage: Mospeada.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

For the first time, I find myself quite liking the Mospeada incidentals. The battle scene that takes up most of the second half is accompanied by a score that conveys the right level of excitement, while still being light enough to maintain the general tone. Also, the song by Mospeada's Yellow Belmont is better than the very '80s ballad crooned by Robotech's Yellow Dancer.

Advantage: Mospeada.

A skirmish with the Inbit. Because a biker gang
is hardly much of a challenge for our heroes.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - MOSPEADA:

After two straight episodes in which I preferred Robotech, Genesis Climber Mospeada finally ends up delivering the better version. Robotech doesn't change much, but its changes make the episode ever-so-slightly less effective. The gang comes across as less powerful and therefore less threatening, and the characters are just a hint flatter. The Robotech episode is still entertaining - but this time, Mospeada is simply better.


OTHER MUSINGS:

Showdown Concert at High Noon is an enjoyable outing. It moves quickly, and it shifts gears in the second half when the heroes, ready to face the gang, find themselves fighting the Inbit instead. As a story, though, this is pretty thin stuff - and yes, I wish it had been something other than a patented '80s "evil town" episode.

This installment is most notable for expanding the character roster: Houquet, the woman who rescued Stig and Ray, reappears and officially joins them; Yellow Belmont and Jim are added to the core group; and the Legioss fighter (which Robotech renames the Alpha) expands their hardware.

Jim is instantly likable, his character art emphasizing him as a "regular guy" and the animation making him noticeably more expressive than Stig and Rand. Yellow Belmont is the more intriguing character, and is clearly still hiding secrets even after the big reveal. Since I didn't actually get very far into "The New Generation" when I watched in the mid-'80s, I look forward to finding out more.

In the end, it's an engaging half hour, and it goes by quickly. I just wish the standalone story didn't feel like reheated A-Team leftovers.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Broken-Hearted Girl's March/The Lost City
Next Episode: Survival Song Feeling/Survival

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3-02. The Broken-Hearted Girl's March/The Lost City.

Stig, Ray, and child sidekick Mint are led into a trap!

Genesis Climber Mospeada: The Broken-Hearted Girl's March.

Original Air Date - Genesis Climber Mospeada: Oct. 9, 1983. Writer: Sukehiro Tomita. Director: Masayuki Kojima, Katsuhisa Yamada.

Robotech: The Lost City.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 28, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - MOSPEADA:

Stig and Ray draw close to a city, where they hope to find information about other survivors from the attack along with food and supplies. They are greeted by Ken, a young man who is in the process of exiling his (much) younger girlfriend Mint for being an "outsider," something Mint is refusing to accept.

When Ken realizes that Stig is a soldier, he eagerly offers to take him and Ray to "Lonely Land," the island across from the city where he indicates other soldiers have gone. He also tells Mint to come along, a sudden change of attitude that neither she nor the two new arrivals question.

To the surprise of not a single viewer over the age of five, this is a trap. Those surviving soldiers who did find their way to this city were taken to Lonely Land, only to find the Inbit lying in wait and the bridge withdrawn behind them. Now Stig and Ray are left to fight for their lives, a fight that isn't made any easier by the need to protect Mint!


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

Scott and Rand draw close to a city, where they hope to find information about other survivors from the attack along with food and supplies. They are greeted by Ken, a young man who is in the process of exiling Annie, a girl with a crush on him, for being an "outsider."

When Ken realizes that Scott is a soldier, he eagerly offers to take him and Ray to the island across from the city, where he indicates other soldiers have gone. He also tells Annie to come along, a sudden change of attitude that neither she nor the two new arrivals question.

To the surprise of not a single viewer over the age of five, this is a trap. The Invid are lying in wait, with the townspeople withdrawing the bridge behind them. Now Scott and Rand are left to fight for their lives, a fight that isn't made any easier by the need to protect Annie!

Robotech makes clear that Annie's crush on Ken is
unrequited. Mosepada is uncomfortably fuzzy about that.

CHARACTERS:

Maybe this is a case of modern attitudes interfering with older entertainment, but I found the portrayal of Mint in Mospeada to be a little disturbing. She is clearly drawn as and behaves like a very young girl, and yet she insists that Ken (drawn as a young adult) lied that he loved her and wanted to marry her. Um... okay, the implication there has me wanting to scrub out my brain with a wire brush, thanks.

The Robotech writers evidently agreed that this was a problem even at the time, as they do a fair bit of clean-up. It is made very clear that Annie (Mint's counterpart) has an entirely unrequited crush on Ken. He's still a terrible person, but at least the implied pedophilia has been (mostly) removed.

Even putting to one side the character's distasteful sexualization... Does the series really need a comedy child sidekick? I'll be very surprised if I end up liking either Mint or Annie, as such characters tend to mostly provoke annoyance from me.

Advantage: Robotech.


NARRATION:

Mospeada has no recap narration, instead opening on the introduction of Mint and the city where Stig and Ray will soon find themselves. Robotech accommodates viewers who may have missed the previous episode by giving a detailed recap.

The in-episode narration actually works well in building the sense of the trap closing around Scott, Rand, and Annie. Given how often I've criticized the narration, I think it's only fair to acknowledge that the steady, ominous description of the bridge they must cross to the isolated island is well-written and gives a lift to an already pretty good scene. The narration also takes the opportunity to nod at the previous series, with mentions of Zentraedi technology from The Macross Saga along with downed bioroids from The Masters.

Advantage: Robotech.

Stig confronts the leader of the collaborators.
Robotech's Scott ends up making a speech out of this.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

Annie's Crush: In the opening scene of Mospeada, Mint wails at being kicked out of the city because Ken promised to marry her. Robotech pares back on any hint of Ken having shown interest, with Annie's feelings portrayed as a child's crush. Even when she cries that Ken told her they'd get married, it sounds more like her making something up. Given that Mint/Annie is drawn as a child, I cannot overstate how much I approve of this change.

Annie Does Not Pull Up Her Shirt: Mospeada's Ray initially mistakes Mint for a young boy. She does not react well, pulling up her shirt to show her breasts. Robotech removes those shots, with Ray instead offending Annie by calling her "kid."

No Flashback for Rand: When Stig offers to show Ray how to transform his Mospeada vehicle, Ray briefly flashes back to the battle from the previous episode before turning him down. The scene plays out the same in Robotech, but the flashback has been removed.

Mint's Tantrum: After Ray stops Mint from running out into the open, she spends a couple of lines pretending that Ken's betrayal didn't hurt her before erupting into a tantrum, grabbing guns out of a pile of discards and shooting them randomly. Robotech removes the pause, cutting straight to the tantrum. In Mospeada, Ray wonders if she's always "getting dumped." Robotech instead has Rand snarking that he can't take Annie anywhere.

Mint's Disrobing: At the end of the episode's big battle, Mint is subject to a "comedy" disrobing, with Ray clocking the color of her underwear and with an extended shot of her trying to hold her shirt up around her. Robotech de-emphasizes all of this. Annie still has the back of her pants cut open, but Rand is too busy worrying about the killer alien robots to care about her underwear; and the end shot of her holding her clothes together is only on screen for about a second.

Words for the Collaborators: Stig keeps his disgust with the city's collaborators brief. After he restrains himself from giving the head townsperson the beating he so soundly deserves, he tells them that there are other people out there fighting before leaving. Then Ray gives his equally concise summation: "I don't want to fight either, but I don't want to do something dirty like selling people out to protect myself." This is all much clunkier in Robotech, with Scott giving a full monologue and Rand's parting words coming across as less pointed, in part because there's less contrast between his words and Scott's. Ah, well - I suppose there had to be one change for the worse.

Advantage: Robotech.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

Mospeada's score is reasonably well applied, even if I'm not yet feeling much direction from it. At least it doesn't call attention to itself the way the Robotech score does during the battle scene. By this point, Robotech's tracks are a little too familiar, and their application here ends up taking me out of the action instead of drawing me into it.

Advantage: Mospeada.

Mint bids farewell to the town.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - ROBOTECH:

This mainly comes down to my distaste at the treatment of Mint, from indicating that there may actually have been some sort of romantic relationship between her and Ken to lingering on her being disrobed for laughs. Robotech turns down the dial on this aspect, making Annie's fixation on Ken into a one-way crush and mostly cutting around the disrobing. Since the episode plot (which is good) is unchanged, that means that it's basically the same viewing experience minus the distasteful elements.


OTHER MUSINGS:

Even acknowledging my issues with Mint/Annie - particularly in Mospeada - I still found this to be an improvement on the first episode. The story is basic: The first half sets up the characters falling into the trap, with us receiving plenty of indication of this even as the characters remain clueless; the second half sees them fighting their way out. The sense of desperation among the townspeople is well portrayed, mostly through artwork showing their suspicious/guilty glares, and the final words from Stig and Ray are effective (though the same scene in Robotech is less so).

All told, it's a pretty good second episode, one that raises my hopes of enjoying the series. I just wish the show didn't feel the need to introduce a child sidekick... and I particularly wish that Mospeada didn't feel the need to sexualize her.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Prelude to the Offensive/The Invid Invasion
Next Episode: Showdown Concert at High Noon/Lonely Soldier Boy

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3-01. Prelude to the Offensive/The Invid Invasion.

Stig shares a happy moment with his fiancée on the eve of battle.

Genesis Climber Mospeada: Prelude to the Offensive.

Original Air Date - Genesis Climber Mospeada: Oct. 2, 1983. Writer: Sukehiro Tomita. Director: Tatsuya Kasahara, Katsuhisa Yamada.

Robotech: The Invid Invasion.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 27, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - MOSPEADA:

In the year 2050, an alien race known as the Inbit invaded Earth. Those humans who were able to escape fled, while the rest were left to live under their new alien masters. Attempts to reclaim Earth failed, and a generation of humans grew up knowing only the colony base on Mars as home.

More than thirty years after the initial invasion, the Mars Expeditionary Force is certain that they've learned from past failures. A new offensive launches to stop the Inbit, targeting the aliens' headquarters at Reflex Point in North America. The captain advises all pilots that in the event they are shot down but make it to Earth, they should converge on Reflex Point to complete the mission.

One of these pilots is Stig Bernard, who has just become engaged to Marlene, a bridge officer on the carrier leading the assault. The Inbit defenses are more formidable than expected, but Stig and his comrades are able to fight them off. During the final approach to Earth, however, the humans discover that something has happened to the atmosphere that makes it hotter than their shielding is designed for. Stig is able to compensate - but the large carrier cannot, nor is it able to pull out. Stig is left to watch helplessly as the ship, with Marlene aboard, is destroyed.

Now Stig is alone. He has no backup and no expectation of finding other survivors. His fighter is no longer usable, leaving him only with his Mospeada, a small motorcycle mech carried inside the fighter. He remains determined to reach Reflex Point to finish the mission - not only for Earth, but for the sake of his own vengeance!


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

In 2031, the Invid come to Earth, drawn by the call of the Flower of Life. The Army of the Southern Cross, depleted and exhausted by its war with the Robotech Masters, is unable to repel these new invaders, and Earth quickly falls.

Admiral Rick Hunter sends a contingent of ships to reclaim the Earth. They arrive in 2042, more than a decade after the invasion. Their target is Reflex Point in North America, which has become the headquarters of the Regess, the Invid queen.

Scott Bernard, a pilot attached to this mission, has just proposed to his girlfriend, bridge officer Marlene, when the attack begins. The Invid defenses prove more formidable than expected, and Scott and his comrades are barely able to fight back the first wave. In desperation to land before a second wave begins, the captain of the lead carrier enters Earth's atmosphere too quickly. Scott is left to watch helplessly as the ship, with Marlene aboard, is destroyed.

Now Scott is all alone. He has no backup and no expectations of finding other survivors. His fighter is no longer usable, leaving him only with his emergency vehicle, a small motorcycle mech carried inside the fighter. He remains determined to reach Reflex Point to finish the mission - not only for Earth, but for the sake of his own vengeance!

Stig finds a message inside Marlene's final gift to him.

CHARACTERS:

There's no two ways about this: Scott is a better name for the main character than Stig. This may be a case of "lost in translation," but to this American viewer, "Stig" sounds like the name you'd give to a comedy sidekick with an annoyingly high-pitched voice, not to the square-jawed hero of the piece.

There's no real difference in characterization, but I think Robotech does the better job of establishing a connection between Scott and the viewer. This is mainly due to something that's usually one of the American show's more annoying tendencies: internal voice-overs. When Scott crashes in a forest, he quickly decides that he doesn't much like Earth, observing how easy it would be for an enemy to hide among the trees. This feels correct for the character as presented, and it brings us closer to his point-of-view in a way that just isn't true in Mospeada.

Advantage: Robotech.


NARRATION:

Mospeada opens with some narration that quickly sketches in the backstory, with the main body of the episode playing out with no voice-over. Robotech changes the backstory to fit the overall narrative, with the Invid having been called by Zor's misguided final act and with the attempt to reclaim Earth coming from Admiral Rick Hunter's fleet. The narrator mostly stays out of the way for the rest of the episode, but internal monologues for Scott help to characterize him better than Mospeada's Stig. These end up tipping the advantage in this category to Robotech.

Advantage: Robotech.

Ray flees from the Inbit. Robotech adds a lot of quipping.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

The Attack Comes from Admiral Hunter: In Mospeada, the humans who fled Earth settled on Mars and have made previous unsuccessful attempts to drive the Inbit away. Robotech changes this substantially. The attack is the first attempt to fight against the Invid since the initial invasion, and the attackers come from Admiral Rick Hunter's fleet so that Macross characters can be name-dropped... because this is the same show, honest!

"Arty" Intercutting is Smoothed Out: When Stig and Marlene are introduced, Mospeada does a jarring, would-be arty cut from the fleet to Stig reaching for Marlene and back to the fleet again, only then finally cutting back to the rest of the scene. Robotech gets rid of the cutaway, leaving the characters' introduction to play out much more smoothly.

The Briefing: The ship's captain briefs Stig on the assignment, ordering that in the event of an emergency landing, Stig should make his way to Reflex Point. Robotech redubs this so that the captain is basically recapping what the narrator already has: That the Invid invaded Earth for its protoculture.

Marlene's Gift: Both versions have Marlene giving Stig/Scott a necklace with a message inside. In Mospeada, Marlene explicitly accepts Stig's marriage proposal while giving this gift, something the other crew members rib her about. In Robotech, this is removed so that Scott only realizes that his proposal was accepted when he later watches the message, after he's already lost her.

The Captain Enters Earth Atmosphere Too Quickly: The carrier is destroyed in Earth's atmosphere. In Mospeada, everything is going to plan, but the Inbit have somehow changed the atmosphere so that the heat is beyond the ship's tolerance. Robotech changes this so that it's the captain's fault, with him entering the atmosphere too quickly out of fear of another Invid wave. I have no idea why this was done, as it makes an otherwise competent officer suddenly seem like a panicked idiot while actually reducing the Invid's responsibility for the deaths of Marlene and Scott's shipmates.

The Captain's Orders: After surviving his first night on Earth, Stig recalls the captain's orders from the briefing scene. But since the captain didn't give those orders in Robotech, Scott instead has an audio-only flashback to a conversation we didn't witness, in which the captain gave basically the same orders. It's neither the first nor worst example in Robotech of a small change resulting in a more slapdash one, but it's worth mentioning.

Rand's Introduction is Intercut with Scott: In Mospeada, we cut from Stig riding into the desert to Ray's introductory scene, and we stay with Ray until Stig reaches him. Robotech snips away a bit of Rand's introduction, then cuts away from Rand back to Scott, I suspect to cover the additional trims made to the scene.

Rand Is Much Quippier Than Ray: When Mospeada's Ray flees the Inbit, he tries to shout back that he's not military, hoping that they'll break off the pursuit. Robotech's Rand instead makes a string of quips about how he's going to call his lawyer and sue for damages after they destroy his bike. Then he runs into Scott, who is similarly quippy (which doesn't even remotely fit his dour character) as he dispatches the aliens. It's one of the few scenes that I think works much better in the original version.

Advantage: Robotech. Though not every change is for the better, the overall episode is improved.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

This first episode just isn't enough for me to develop any kind of feel for Mospeada's score yet. There's nothing wrong with the way it's applied, but there also isn't any moment in which the music either stands out or is used in a subtle but effective way. The same is true for Robotech, which applies its usual cues in the usual way... but it does it well. The Robotech theme is trotted out when Scott transforms his Mospeada to battle some Invid. Unlike in other episodes where this theme has been a distraction, this is an appropriate use of "heroic" music, so the moment works.

Advantage: None.

Stig and Ray, alone in the wasteland.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - ROBOTECH:

Though I don't like the quipping that Robotech adds to the end battle, I'm still giving that version the advantage. It mainly comes down to the lead character. Those couple of internal voice overs help Scott to feel more relatable than Mospeada's Stig. I fully expect Mospeada to improve on this in future episodes - but Robotech does the better job of immediately connecting me to its new protagonist.


OTHER MUSINGS:

I can't claim to have had too strong a reaction to this episode in either version. It's a serviceable opener that establishes its lead and sets up the broad strokes of the story.

The art is generally good. I don't like the character art as well as in Macross, but I like it better than the character art for Southern Cross. The action sequences are well animated, and the Inbit designs do a good job of suggesting something alien while still being easily comprehensible.

Ultimately, that's about it for my initial response. The episode does everything that it needs to do. It's... fine. But particularly in its original version, I can't claim to thinking that it's anything more than that.


Overall Rating - Mospeada: 6/10.

Overall Rating - Robotech: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Genesis/Catastrophe
Next Episode: The Broken-Hearted Girl's March/The Lost City

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Some Thoughts on Robotech: The Masters.

Ending credits shot from Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross.

"The Masters Saga," adapted from Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, is widely seen as the weakest of Robotech's three chapters. I have yet to watch "The New Generation," so I'll withthold judgment for now. I will say that, while both "The Masters" and Southern Cross represent a clear step down from Macross, I still generally enjoyed both versions.


SOUTHERN CROSS: DOOMED FROM THE START:

Even cursory research into the background of Southern Cross shows that it was plagued with problems. Envisioned as a 52-episode series, it had exactly one stroke of luck: Gaining the "Super Dimension" title, which allowed the creators to position it as a successor to successful series, Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Super Dimension Century Orguss.

It ended up running a mere 23 episodes (with Robotech adding a 24th via clip show Dana's Story). Its first major blow came before it even began airing, when toy sponsor Popy rescinded its planned sponsorship. This meant that unlike other mech series, there was no accompanying toy line - and without that supplemental income, the ratings did not justify the show taking up a full year's airtime.

The series was cancelled with enough notice for the writers to create an ending - but the ending is more than a little abrupt, and the sudden rushed pacing of the final episodes stands in stark contrast to the rest of the series.

The series has a certain "action movie" energy to it.

AN ENERGETIC TALE THAT DOESN'T OVERSTAY ITS WELCOME:

There are advantages to the shortened episode count. While I enjoyed Southern Cross on its own terms, I don't think it could have sustained 52 episodes.

The characters are mostly shallow, more "types" than complex personalities. Only Jeanne, Andrzej, and Seifriet gain any real depth as the series moves on. As for the rest? Louis is "tech guy"; Charles is "the lady's man"; Bowie and Musica are the "earnest young lovers"; and so on. None of them are unlikable and none of them fail as characters within the confines of their types - but there really aren't a lot of layers. For a brisk 23 episodes, they're good enough company. Had the show managed its initially planned run, I suspect I'd have grown rather weary of them by Episode 30, never mind Episode 50.

Because the show only runs for 23 episodes, it never has a chance to wear out its welcome. It's fairly light in tone for the most part, with a brisk energy. Because it does end (albeit with a few dangling loose ends), there's none of the frustration that comes with an incomplete story. It's not the epic that Macross was, seeming more like the equivalent of a fun little action movie... but there is absolutely a place for fun action movies, so I don't feel inclined to complain about that.

The flowers in the ruins serve a very different purpose in Robotech.

SOUTHERN CROSS VS. ROBOTECH - "THE MASTERS":

Southern Cross saw a lot more changes for its Robotech version than Macross did. Because it's the middle piece of the series, the Robotech writers use elements of it as setup for the final Invid arc, with the Invid mentioned early and often throughout.

The most significant change is to the nature of the flowers in the ruins. In Southern Cross, the flowers are the Zor's source of energy. Robotech alters this, renaming the plant as "The Invid Flower of Life," a malevolent harbinger of an even worse alien invasion to come. Now the flowers are an infestation. The Masters don't want the plant, but rather the protoculture it is parasitically feeding on.

I think this works to the story's benefit, adding an extra layer of futility to this war. The Masters need the protoculture factory within the ruins of the SDF-1 - but that factory is already infested, with it entirely possible that its protoculture is unusable. Meanwhile, the humans are fighting and dying to fend off an invasion, not realizing that an even worse invasion is imminent. I think this adds something extra that was missing in Southern Cross.

Robotech also greatly improves the ending. Southern Cross's finale is rushed and unsatisfying. The story is concluded, but with a lot of loose ends. Robotech has the advantage of not actually ending here. What was a finale is transformed into groundwork for "The New Generation," with the final actions of this war directly leading to the next. This makes the loose ends less noticeable, because the full story is no longer intended to be resolved here.

Jeanne gets a reminder that war is deadly serious. Her
character arc is all but completely flattened out in Robotech.

CHARACTERS:

When I reviewed "The Macross Saga" and its parent series, I found the most striking difference the altered focus. Super Dimension Fortress Macross focused on its characters and themes, while Robotech was was intent on plot. Themes and characters were simplified for "The Macross Saga," something that was extremely noticeable viewing the two versions side-by-side.

Southern Cross is a much simpler series, so most of its characters transition smoothly to Robotech. Marie, Nova, Bowie, Louis, and Sean are all but identical to their Southern Cross counterparts. Only two characters really suffer in the translation: Jeanne and Andrzej, both of whom are flattened from characters into mere "types" when they are transformed into Dana Sterling and Angelo.

Early episodes paint Jeanne as almost entirely irresponsible, and I'll admit that she aggravated me at the start. She was vain and frivolous, refusing to treat any situation seriously even after the start of the war. The first two episodes saw her repeatedly disobeying orders, only to be rewarded for it. Robotech dials this down. The first episode (not counting Dana's Story) is re-edited so that Dana is only arrested once, rather than Jeanne's twice, and so that she is following orders at the end rather than literally hijacking equipment to join the battle.

This makes Dana initially less irritating, but it also all but removes the main character's arc. Jeanne gets confronted with the seriousness of the situation in Episode Three. While her frivolous side never goes away, from that point she takes the war and the welfare of her people seriously... which is pretty much the starting point for Robotech's Dana Sterling. As a result, Dana becomes a static heroine, not particularly changing across the series, which also makes her seem more passive than Southern Cross's Jeanne.

But that's nothing compared to the series' treatment of her second-in-command! Southern Cross's Andrzej clashes with Jeanne early on, with it obvious that he finds her ill-suited to command. They share a quiet moment in Prelude, just before the squad's most dangerous early mission, after which she gains his respect. He remains willing to tell her when he disagrees with her, and he even pulls her up short when her emotions override her judgment. Still, from that point on, Andrzej is an ally.

Robotech's Angelo... Well, as I've said in several reviews, Angelo is an idiot. Andrzej's issues with Jeanne in Southern Cross are rooted in legitimate concerns about her command style, particularly her cavalier attitude toward orders. Angelo is a sneering sexist who seems to try to actively sabotage Dana on more than one occasion. Andrzej has a thoughtful side, recognizing Seifriet's inner torment and quietly criticizing Jeanne when anger leads to her going too far in tearing into him. Angelo is thoughtless, dismissively saying that the squad would be better off without Zor; if anything, he probably thinks Dana doesn't get angry enough!

The result is that one of Southern Cross's best characters is reduced to this series' answer to MASH's Frank Burns - a character who exists to be reliably wrong in every situation.

The Zor/The Robotech Masters plot against the humans.

OVERALL:

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross is a weaker series than Super Dimension Fortress Macross was. Many supporting characters are two dimensional, and the regulars enjoy impenetrable plot armor. Only a few regular characters die across the entire series, and all but one of those deaths happen in the final episode! Outside of that, everyone who dies is either a one-shot guest character or a glorified redshirt.

Even so, I found much to enjoy. Its tone is mostly light, which helps it to remain energetic. The writing is shallower than Macross, but the art and animation quality is a lot more consistent. And yes, the fact that it only lasts for 23 episodes means that it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Because it's a simpler series to start with, the Robotech version doesn't lose very much. Dana and Angelo are weaker, flatter characters than Jeanne and Andrzej, and the Robotech music cues interfere with the flow of some episodes. Still, the energetic tone remains intact, and certain plot elements created for Robotech make parts of the story more interesting. Critically, the ending works a lot better in Robotech, where it's used to pave the way for the next series, than it does in Southern Cross.

It's a flawed work in either version, and I'm not sure that Southern Cross would have been particularly improved had it gotten its originally intended 52 episodes. That said, if this really is as bad as Robotech gets, then that bodes well for the final arc.


Previous: The Macross Saga
Next: The New Generation (not yet reviewed)

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2-23. Genesis/Catastrophe.

The Zor stand at the cusp of victory.

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Genesis.

Original Air Date - Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Sept. 30, 1984. Writer: Jinzou Toriumi. Director: Yasuo Hasegawa.

Robotech: Catastrophe.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 24, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - SOUTHERN CROSS

The 15th Squadron escapes from the Zor trap, but Seifriet isn't with them. Realizing that he intends to kill the Zor leaders, particularly Dess, Jeanne puts Andrzej in charge and then goes after him.

The Zor have become desperate, the energy depletion among their forces harming their offensive. Dess orders the abandonment of any affected Zor so that they can focus on getting to the flower. Musica senses the oncoming threat to her sisters, and she and the other members of the 15th launch a rescue mission to save them.

All the while, the battle for Gloire rages on, with the outcome for the colony's human settlers looking increasingly grim...


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

The 15th Squadron escapes from the Masters' trap, but Zor isn't with them. Realizing that he intends to kill the Robotech Masters, Jeanne goes after him.

The Masters have become desperate, the energy depletion among their forces harming their offensive. The leaders order the abandonment of anyone affected so that they can focus on recovering the protoculture from Earth. Musica senses the oncoming threat to her sisters, and she and the other members of the 15th launch a rescue mission to save them.

All the while, the battle for Earth rages on, as the threat of the Invid grows ever closer...

Seifriet seeks revenge. In Robotech,
Zor's motives are a little more interesting.

CHARACTERS:

Southern Cross is sprinting to wrap up its storyline, which leaves little room for characterization. Jeanne and Seifriet get a couple of moments: Seifriet with his drive for vegneance, and Jeanne in rejecting the "eternal life" offered by the Zor flower. Claude Leon also gets a moment of dignity when he refuses to evacuate, but I'd honestly prefer he didn't. He's done nothing to warrant even a semi-heroic moment; given my druthers, I'd have him die while cowering beneath a desk with a growing brown stain on the seat of his trousers.

Robotech adds a bit more to the characterizations of Dana and Zor. With his memories restored, Zor is furious at the Masters for perverting the protoculture the original Zor had discovered, which is just a little more interesting than Seifriet living out a Charles Bronson fantasy. Robotech's writers also make use of Dana's half-Zentraedi background, with it being her alien blood that leads the Flower of Life to call to her.

Advantage: Robotech.


NARRATION:

Normally, I would give the advantage to the version without narration. This episode is the exception. Southern Cross's finale is a rushed mess. It never slows down... but that actually becomes a problem given all the information it throws out between explosions.

The Robotech narration helps to slow things down a bit, organizing what we've learned in between scenes and forcing more of a shape onto the story. In most episodes, I get annoyed when the narrator insists on taking us from one scene to the next. Here, that same tendency helps to keep things feeling focused.

Advantage: Robotech.

The Zor flower tries to tempt Jeanne. In Robotech, the
Invid Flower of Life calls out to Dana's Zentraedi blood.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

Bioroid Sluggishness vs. Corridors: The episode opens with the 15th fleeing from enemy bioroids. In Southern Cross, Louis notices that the bioroids are sluggish, a reference to the dwindling Zor energy supplies. In Robotech, Louis just says something about how the corridors all look the same.

Jeanne Puts Andrzej in Charge: Once Jeanne gets her squad safely to a potential exit, she goes back for Seifriet. Southern Cross sees her pausing to specifically put Andrzej in charge. Robotech's Dana seems to give no thought to this and just rushes off. I'm not sure this works either way, since Marie, Lt. Brown, and Nova all outrank Angelo. Still, at least Southern Cross pauses to consider the issue.

Angelo Declares, "I'm in Charge!": Because unlike Andrzej, Angelo is an idiot. As a wise man once said, "Any man who must say I am the king is no true king."

Seifriet Warns Jeanne They Are Unlikely to Survive: In Southern Cross, when Jeanne joins Seifriet, he sternly tells her not to expect to survive a confrontation with the Zor leaders. Robotech's exchange is the reverse of this: When Zor tries to warn Dana, she tells him that she intends to make sure that he survives.

Anatole Orders "No Prisoners!": Southern Cross's Claude Leon has, by this point, realized that he's engaging in a battle that's unlikely to end well. Robotech's Anatole Leonard is delusional enough to think that his sparse and outgunned forces are in any position to have to worry about taking prisoners.

Zor's Motives Run Deeper than Seifriet's: Seifriet, a human who was brainwashed by the Zor, simply wants to kill his tormenters. Zor's motivations in Robotech are more interesting (if a bit convoluted). He's a clone of the original Zor, who created the Zentraedi as soldiers and who also created protoculture. When he confronts the Masters, they are certain that he will not be willing to destroy the greatest creation of his civilization. Zor cries that the Masters are not his people, that his civilization is already dead. Though this exposition is rushed, it's still more interesting than what Southern Cross offers.

Dana's Vision: When Jeanne touches the canister holding the flower, she has a vision. The flower attempts to lure her into serving it the way the Zor do, something she angrily rejects. Robotech uses Dana's background (finally!) to improve upon this. The protoculture is now calling to her Zentraedi side when it presents her with an image of a triumverate of Danas. She rejects that, insisting that she is "a human being!" The subsequent interaction, with a little girl and two obscured figures, is transformed into Dana touching her sister's consciousness while the voices of her parents warn her of the Invid. The very literal accounting of each vision means that some atmosphere is lost - but I find that the more interesting story material makes up for it.

Zor Accuses the Masters of Misusing the Protoculture: Southern Cross's Seifriet continues pursuing revenge for his brainwashing. Robotech's Zor presents this as a matter of justice: "Your misuse of the protoculture shall not go unpunished!"

Zor Attempts to Stop the Invid Invasion: In the closing minutes of Southern Cross, Seifriet attempts to stop the destruction of Gloire's capital city and end the war. Robotech adjusts this so that Zor's goal is to destroy the protoculture so that the Invid will have no reason to invade.

Epilogue: Both versions feature a brief epilogue. Southern Cross plays its closing theme over images of the survivors with the petals of the Zor flowers falling over all of them. The visual and tonal implication is that this marks the end of the conflict. Robotech changes the context entirely. Now, a horrified Dana watches as the flowers are spread everywhere. Far from indicating peace, the narrator informs us that Zor's actions backfired, trasnforming Earth into a "fertile garden, awaiting cultivation" - the catastrophe of the Robotech episode's title.

Advantage: Robotech. Most of the changes for the worse are small, while most of the more significant changes make the story more interesting.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

Southern Cross has two effective musical moments. During Jeanne's vision, the flowers sing to her, which heightens the surreal atmosphere; and the end credits song plays over the final images, seeming to promise an end to the conflict. Robotech uses its tracks well, and its "ominous" music takes the same ending images and makes them a harbinger of doom - but Robotech also completely flattens the atmosphere of the mid-episode vision, leaving me giving this category to Southern Cross

Advantage: Southern Cross.

Zor civilians, left abandoned by their leaders.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - ROBOTECH:

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross was originally intended to run almost twice as long as it did. Weak ratings, combined with circumstances that kept it from getting its own toy line, led to an early cancellation. The writers were forced to throw together an ending in a hurry... and I'm afraid it shows.

The experience of watching Southern Cross's Genesis could be summarized as: infodumps, explosions, and more infodumps. It's not necessarily hard to follow, but it feels like at least four episodes' worth of material was crammed rather artlessly into a single installment.

The Robotech episode still provides a lot of information, specifically about the origins of protoculture. But the narrator helps it to feel more organized and better paced, which makes it more enjoyable overall.

The war ends... though in Robotech, it's
made clear that a new war is on its way.

OTHER MUSINGS:

I'll save my overall thoughts on Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Robotech: The Masters for my overview. Genesis was, overall, a disappointing series finale. It's easy enough to understand why - the show was canceled, and the writers were left to scramble. But just because I understand why this final episode isn't very good, that doesn't change that it's mostly unsatisfying.

The Robotech version, Catastrophe, has a huge advantage over Southern Cross: Namely, that it isn't the finale. It's still densely packed; but since its role is as much to set up the next arc as to close out this one, it comes across as less of a jumble. Both endings feel inconclusive - but in Robotech's case, that isn't really a problem. After all, there are still 25 episodes left to go.


Overall Rating - Southern Cross: 5/10.

Overall Rating - Robotech: 7/10.

Southern Cross/The Masters Overview

Previous Episode: Catastrophe/The Invid Connection
Next Episode: Prelude to the Offensive/The Invid Invasion

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