 |
| Minmay reunites with her cousin, Kaifun. |
Super Dimension Fortress Macross: China Town
Original Air Date - Macross: Jan. 23, 1983.
Written by: Ken'ichi Matsuzaki. Directed by: Noboru Ishiguro, Fumihiko Takayama.
Robotech: Homecoming
Original Air Date - Robotech: Mar. 22, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - MACROSS:
The Macross has returned to Earth. As the civilians organize a celebration for their return home, Capt. Global and his First Officer, Capt. Misa Hayase, fly to Alaska for a hearing that will decide the course for the future of the Earth/Zentradi conflict. Though Misa's father is the admiral running the meeting, Capt. Global does not anticipate a warm reception.
Meanwhile, Hikaru flies Minmay to Japan to reunite with her parents. They are overjoyed to find that she's alive - but when she announces her intention to return to the Macross to continue her entertainment career, they refuse to let her go.
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
The SDF-1 has returned to Earth. As the civilians organize a celebration for their return home, Capt. Gloval and his First Officer, Lt. Commander Lisa Hayes, fly to Alaska for a hearing that will decide the course for the future of the Earth/Zentraedi conflict. Though Lisa's father is the admiral running the meeting, Gloval does not anticipate a warm reception.
Meanwhile, Rick flies Lynn Minmei to Japan to reunite with her parents. They are overjoyed to find that she's alive - but when she announces her intention to return to the SDF-1 to continue her entertainment career, they refuse to let her go.
 |
| Minmay waves to her fans as Hikaru looks on. |
CHARACTERS:
While I'm no fan of either version of the character, Robotech seems to be trying to make Minmei look shallow and selfish. Early in the episode, her car is besieged by fans. Macross's Minmay sighs wearily about not being able to even casually drop in on her uncle, a complaint that's easy to empathize with. Meanwhile, Robotech's Minmei all but spits venom about the "mob," making her grin and wave in the next shot seem more than a little two-faced. If you're already showing an ostensibly sympathetic character on a bad day, then why alter the dialogue to make her even worse?
This is a significant episode for showcasing Misa's strained relationship with her father, with his willingness to risk civilian lives for a (probably imaginary) tactical advantage pushing her even further away from him. Capt. Global already seems to anticipate this result, arriving at the hearing already resigned. In Macross, he flat-out tells Misa to remember that these men aren't just military officers; they're politicians, too.
This episode also introduces Minmay's cousin: Lynn Kaifun in Macross, Lynn Kyle in Robotech... and excrement by any name will smell as rotten. He is an advocate for peace, which should make him admirable. But he's possessed of that type of personality that is so strident and aggressive that even many who agree with him will quickly wish for him to shut up and go away. He does act as a sort of mirror for Hikaru, however. Kaifun's attitude upon meeting him is very reminiscent of Hikaru's scorn toward Roy's military deeds in the first episode. In Robotech, Rick observes that "maybe (he's) grown up" over the last year, while Kaifun has all the punchable self-certainty of a pompous adolescent.
Advantage: Macross. It would be even, but for Robotech's determined sabotage to Minmei's character.
NARRATION:
The Macross narrator unnecessarily steps on one scene, while Misa delivers her report. As was true in Blue Wind, the narrator summarizes the report in Macross, while Robotech lets Lisa give her report directly before moving to the next scene.
That said, this is the only moment in which the Robotech narrator is more restrained than the Macross one. The entire rest of the episode has Mr. Narrator back to telling us what we're watching, while we're watching it. "Meanwhile, Gloval and Lisa are in Alaska." "Meanwhile, Rick and Minmei arrive in Japan." "Meanwhile, the sky is blue and the water is wet."
Stop. Talking. Please!!!
Advantage: Macross.
 |
| Roy and Claudia enjoy a moment - one that's considerably milder in Robotech. |
CUTS AND ALTERATIONS:
The Substitute Captain: In both versions, a military officer from Earth arrives to fill in during the captain's absence. In the Japanese language Macross, this replacement is generally professional in his demeanor. In Robotech, he's reframed as a clueless bureaucrat for the sake of a few cheap jokes. Oddly enough, a check of the ADV dub of Macross shows it following Robotech's lead in making this guest character as obnoxious as possible. Wasn't the entire point to creating an official dub to have it be faithful to the original?
The Celebration: Several individual shots are trimmed for time in the US show, and likely also in order to make the event look less Japanese. A dialogue alteration is also made. In Macross, the three Zentradi spies get drunk and decide they're taking the day off; in Robotech, they enjoy fruit punch.
The Flyby: As Macross's Hikaru leaves with Minmay, Max and Kakizaki do a flyby. This annoys Hikaru, particularly when the two tease him about his crush on Minmay. Robotech's Rick is cheerful about their company, and all the teasing has been removed.
Claudia and Roy: Claudia visits Roy's quarters. Macross shows a centerfold posted on the wall by his bed. When he notices Claudia, he grabs her and pulls her to the bed, where they kiss. Robotech carefully edits the scene to remove the centerfold, the grab, and the interracial kiss. There's still enough to confirm that the two are still in a relationship, but it's all basically neutered.
Entering China Town: Minor, but noticeable when viewing the two versions back to back. Several shots of Hikaru and Minmay entering China Town have been shortened or removed entirely for Robotech. Also, a few moving shots have been replaced with still frames, I'm guessing to get through it a bit faster. Got to make time for one more ad!
Rick Is Snarkier Than Hikaru: There is one change for the better, though it's a very small one. Minmay points out a tower that was the tallest in the world when it was built, proudly declaring that it's the same age as her. In Macross, Hikaru expresses surprise that it's that old; in Robotech, Rick snarks, "It looks it." The Robotech version is funnier, and his deliberately phrased snark emphasizes that he's already getting fed up with this trip and with her attitude toward him.
Minmay's Parents: During the argument, Macross's Minmay is shocked when her parents compare her new career as an entertainer to being a "comfort woman." In effect, they're calling her a prostitute. Needless to say, this has been replaced by milder dialogue in Robotech. However, this has a knock-on effect: Since the parents are less actively hostile, the tantrum by Robotech's Minmei once again makes her look worse than her Macross counterpart.
(Note: A reader has tipped me off that the "comfort women" line is a mistranslation in the subtitled version. Minmay's father more accurately compares her to an entertainer of troops. This changes the interaction from horrible to merely harsh... though I think the rest of the original point stands.)
Advantage: Macross.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
Both episodes use their incidental music well. Macross has Minmay's arrival at the celebration punctuated by an instrumental of My Boyfriend is a Pilot. Robotech sticks to its quieter tracks, which accompanies the character-centric action quite well. Neither one has any musical standout moments, and both versions do a good job of making sure the music complements the story without distracting from it.
Advantage: None.
 |
| The civilians celebrate their return to Earth. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE: MACROSS:
I prefer the Robotech title, Homecoming, to the Macross title, China Town.
...And that, a single scene's narration, and Rick's one-liner about the old tower are basically it for things I prefer in Robotech. This is the opposite of Blue Wind: As in that case, several small changes have been made. This time, however, the changes are firmly for the worse.
Most notably, the Robotech episode makes Minmei borderline unbearable. Worst is that this seems like it has to be deliberate. It's not like this episode represents a shining moment for Macross's Minmay - but at least her reactions seem human and relatable, and it is made clear how much pressure she's feeling. Meanwhile, Robotech's Minmei mostly just comes across as a brat. If I was Rick, my crush on her would die somewhere between her calling her fans a "mob" and her throwing a toddler's tantrum at her parents.
OTHER MUSINGS:
This episode sees a return to the series' previous animation standard. Character art has detail again, faces are expressive, and most movements are fluid. In short: The show looks good again.
The script is well-written, with both "A" and "B" plots emphasizing characters finding homecomings that are a lot less happy than expected. Both Misa and Minmay encounter unexpected resistance from their parents. Minmay's disappointment is a personal one; she is achieving her dream, at least on the ship, and her parents don't approve. Misa's disappointment is on a larger scale, with her father proving to be as dishonest and hypocritical as the rest of the bureaucrats. He even tries to get her to abandon her post to stay out of danger, a request that she firmly declines.
Not surprisingly, the political plot with the captain and Misa is the more interesting thread. It features many strong moments: The captain reminiscing about past misadventures during the Unification Wars; Misa bursting out laughing like a schoolgirl at his stories, her first real moment of levity since the escape; the images of the officials looming over them during the briefing, with the impersonal remove of being on video monitors as they twist the information to their own ends; and the captain's gloomy outlook being proved all too accurate.
This is a good episode - and in animation terms, it's a welcome return to the series' original form.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Previous Episode: Global Report/Gloval's Report
Next Episode: Kung Fu Dandy/Battle Cry
Review Index
To receive new review updates, follow me:
On Twitter:
On Threads:
No comments:
Post a Comment