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| The Macross's experimental new barrier system goes awry... |
Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Burst Point
Original Air Date - Macross: Feb. 27, 1983.
Written by: Ken'ichi Matsuzaki. Directed by: Noboru Ishiguro.
Robotech: Bursting Point
Original Air Date - Robotech: Mar. 28, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - MACROSS:
Capt. Global has managed to persuade the independent government in Ontario, Canada to accept the civilian refugees. The Macross flies to Canada, with a sense of relief among the bridge crew that something finally managed to go right.
Their relief doesn't last. Fed up with a command not to attack the humans, Kamujin finally directly violates orders, launching a full-scale attack. Normally, Lap Lamiz would send Milia to intercept him. But, her confidence shaken after her defeat by Max, Milia has requested to be made a miclone spy so that she can find the human who bested her!
As Kamujin's ships attack in force, Capt. Global orders the ship's experimental new barrier to be activated - with devastating consquences!
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
Capt. Gloval has managed to persuade the independent government in Ontario, Canada to accept the civilian refugees. The SDF-1 flies to Canada, with a sense of relief among the bridge crew that something finally managed to go right.
Their relief doesn't last. Fed up with a command not to attack the humans, Khyron violates orders again, this time on a grand scale. He launches a full-scale attack on the humans. Normally, Commander Azonia would send Miriya to stop him. But, her confidence shaken after her defeat by Max, Miriya has requested to be made a miclone spy so that she can find the human who bested her and destroy him!
As Khyron's ships attack in force, Capt. Gloval orders the ship's experimenal new barrier to be activated - with devastating consquences!
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| Kamujin openly violates orders for the first time. In Robotech, Khyron violates orders for about the 78th time. |
CHARACTERS:
The main difference, as usual, between the two versions is in the characerization of Kamujin vs. Khyron. In Macross, this is a significant moment for Kamujin. Until now, he has skirted orders and pushed the boundaries of orders, but he's never actually violated them. This makes his blatant disobedience all the more striking. It shows how much his frustration has built over the past year, to the point that he's finally openly going rogue. In Robotech, this is merely the latest of myriad times that Khyron has ignored orders. "Khyron has disobeyed the commander again. It must be Wednesday."
In other threads, Hikaru is dealing with the aftermath of Roy's death. When he inherits Roy's fighter, he comments on the irony: Roy, who was killed despite never once being shot down, is gone; Hikaru, who is still alive despite being shot down repeatedly, has taken his place. Max and Kakizaki invite him to town to cheer him up - though Kakizaki mainly cheers himself up by ordering an enormous steak platter that he plans to eat all by himself (alas, he only gets a single bite before being called to duty).
Meanwhile, Minmay's cousin hijacks a press conference to demand an immediate end to the war. Which is all very well and good, but an end to hostilities requires agreement from both sides. Otherwise, "making peace" amounts to unconditional surrender, while hoping the Zentradi will be satisfied with merely enslaving the humans rather than breaking out their copy of To Serve Man.
In short, Kaifun/Kyle isn't just a jerk. He's a moron, too.
Advantage: Macross.
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| Minmay calls Hikaru at the worst possible time. |
MINMAY'S PHONE CALL:
This episode sees Hikaru taking a call from Minmay... and, for the first time ever, having absolutely no interest in it. This is a development I would normally cheer, and the scene in which it occurs is wonderfully staged and highly effective: She cheerfully blathers to him on the phone, totally oblivious to his emotional state, until he finally just hangs up.
It's a great scene. But I do feel a need to defend Minmay. Yes, at this moment, her bubbly attitude feels to Hikaru as if tiny knives are scraping across his skin. However, that's to do with his own emotional state. Minmay has no reason to believe that anything is wrong. In any other circumstance, he would be delighted that she called him. She just happened to pick the exact wrong moment on the exact wrong day.
Don't get me wrong, I'm never going to like the character of Minmay. But in this instance, she does absolutely nothing wrong - and that's true in both versions of the episode.
Advantage: None.
NARRATION:
Both episodes' narrators provide only the standard recap before getting out of the way of the plot. The Robotech narrator needs to try this more often.
Advantage: None.
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| Claudia remembers and grieves for Roy - but most of this is cut from Robotech. |
CUTS AND ALTERATIONS:
Claudia's Grief Gets Trimmed for Time: Macross intercuts Hikaru and Claudia, both remembering Roy and silently grieving for him. Robotech cuts the shots of Claudia to almost nothing, de-emphasizing her grief in favor of Rick's, even though her loss was arguably the greater.
Awkward Dialogue: For whatever reason, Robotech's early scenes feature a lot of dialogue that just sounds... off. Capt. Gloval overexplains himself on the bridge. Rick's conversation with Lisa is punctuated by a few too many clichés. Neither of these is a new problem for the show. In this episode, though, it's particularly noticeable, whether because the early part is so character focused or simply because there's too much awkward dialogue in a short space of time. Thankfully, this improves as the show goes on, but it bears note just the same.
Misa Chews Out Hikaru, while Lisa Agrees with Rick: During the battle, Macross's Hikaru complains that if the attack continues, then they'll all be wiped out. Misa (quite rightly) reprimands him, snapping that Roy never would have made such a statement during a battle. Robotech's Lisa just blandly agrees that the situation looks bad.
The Captain's Phone Call: The end of the battle is followed by the Canadian authorities contacting the ship. In Macross, Capt. Global declines the call, already anticipating the bad news. In Robotech, Gloval starts to take the call on the bridge, then has it routed to his quarters.
Advantage: Macross.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
Macross gets points for giving Minmay another pretty good new song, while Robotech's Minmei continues to have a total repertoire of three pieces ranging from mediocre to ear-stabbing. However, the second half of the episode is extremely action heavy. An action emphasis tends to favor Robotech's more energetic score, and the Robotech cues are particularly well used here.
Advantage: Robotech.
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| Max and Kakizaki try to cheer Hikaru up. Their down time gets interrupted, of course. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE: MACROSS:
This is another episode in which both versions are substantially the same, and it's a very good installment in either version. However, while changes are few, they are consistently for the worse, and Robotech's dialogue is noticeably clunky, leaving Macross with just a bit more emotional weight.
OTHER MUSINGS:
It's no surprise that the captain fails in his goal of resettling the civilians... but there are surprises in exactly how that failure occurs. Meanwhile, the character material is pitched at a surprisingly adult level, even in the ostensibly more kid-friendly Robotech.
Much of the first half is taken up by the grief shared by Hikaru and Claudia. I was struck by the shots in the Macross episode that showed them both in the same café, mere feet apart, both looking out the window and thinking of Roy. They never speak, but those first shots visually connect them even as the context does. Then Misa arrives, sees both of them, and decides to talk to Hikaru - again, showing their growing relationship without having to spell it out.
The Robotech version loses a point for awkward dialogue and for changes that I think weaken the effectiveness of certain moments. It's still very good - but it's definitely the lesser of the two versions.
Overall Rating - Macross: 9/10.
Overall Rating - Robotech: 8/10.
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