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| Return to duty: Britai is ordered to reclaim command of the operation to reclaim the Macross. |
Original Air Date - Macross: Mar. 6, 1983.
Written by: Ken'ichi Matsuzaki. Directed by: Noboru Ishiguro, Hiroshi Yoshida.
Original Air Date - Robotech: Mar. 29, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - MACROSS:
In the wake of the disaster caused by the Macross's experimental barrier system, the Canadian government has withdrawn its offer to accept the ship's civilians as refugees. Capt. Global is given an ultimatum: launch the ship into space at once, or face attack by Earth's own defense forces!
Meanwhile, Britai retakes command of the Zentradi fleet, adding a large number of reinforcements to their total numbers. He doesn't rush to action, however, instead waiting to hear the report of Loli, Warera, and Condi, who have returned from their time as spies among the humans with a range of interesting artifacts...
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
In the wake of the disaster caused by the SDF-1's experimental barrier system, Capt. Gloval is given an ultimatum: launch ship into space, complete with its civilian population, or face attack by Earth's own defense forces!
Meanwhile, Lord Breetai retakes command of the Zentraedi fleet, adding a large number of reinforcements to their total numbers. He doesn't rush to action, however, instead waiting to hear the report of Rico, Bron, and Kondo, who have returned from their time as spies among the humans with a range of interesting artifacts...
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| Capt. Global delivers bad news. Somehow, Kaifun manages to react like a halfway decent human being. |
CHARACTERS:
In Macross, there are additional layers to Britai's resumption of command. After he receives his orders from Lord Bodolzaa, he reunites with Exsedol and tells his old friend: "I understand exactly what his Excellency Bodolzaa intends." There's a sense that he's carefully choosing every word, and that his return to command is less a vote of confidence than a way to potentially dispose of him. All of this is sadly missing from Robotech, which just plays the scenes as straightforward.
Oh, and just because I'm a big believer in being fair to characters I dislike: This episode sees Minmay's cousin Kaifun having a moment of actual compassion. When a distraught Capt. Global makes his grim announcement to Macross's population, Kaifun actually consoles him (Robotech's Kyle gets an extra line as well). I actually like this, as it shows that Kaifun has a sliver of humanity underneath the layers of "jackass" that have defined him thus far.
Advantage: Macross.
NARRATION:
Once again, Macross uses narration to skim over a scene of characters making a report, in this case the three spies summarizing their findings for Britai. The narrator talks over them, only allowing a small section of the scene to play out. This eventually happens in Robotech, as well, but the narrator allows much more of the report to be given by the characters. As with other examples in the series, this just plays much more smoothly.
Advantage: Robotech.
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| The new veterans: Hikaru and Max discuss their new promotions as they enjoy one last Earth sunset. |
CUTS AND ALTERATIONS:
Return to Command: In Robotech, Breetai is entirely respectful to Lord Dolza as he's ordered to retake command, and the scene itself is entirely straightforward. The exchange plays differently in Macross. Britai is terse, outright demanding additional ships. His manner does not go unnoticed by Lord Bodolzaa, who observes that the officer's "speech has become impolite." A close-up shows Britai clenching his fist even as he assures his superior that he must be imagining it.
Macrossians: In Macross, a young boy and girl watch the supply trucks drive through the city, and they speculate that the rumors must be true that they won't be allowed to leave. As children who have spent more than a year on the ship, they aren't too bothered by this, deciding that they're "Macrossians" now. It's a nice little moment, one that's been sadly removed from Robotech.
The New Veterans: One of the better character moments sees Hikaru/Rick and Max going up on deck to enjoy a last sunset. In both versions, they discuss their changing situation, with both having received multiple rapid promotions. Macross makes the grim subtext clearer: Max is being given his own team, while Hikaru is being made squadron commander. With the deaths of so many of the more experienced pilots, the squadron dynamics have changed: Hikaru has replaced Roy; Max is replacing Hikaru; and these characters, who were rookies not all that long ago, are now the ship's veterans.
The UN's Plan: A bit of watering-down for the US kiddie audience. In Robotech, Capt. Gloval says that Earth government wants the ship to draw the aliens away from Earth. In Macross, he's more blunt, speculating that the government hopes that if the Zentradi destroy the ship, it will pave the way for peace talks. In Robotech, they're expendable; in Macross, they are a sacrificial offering.
Minmay's Song: The episode ends with Minmay singing over the final set of visuals. This works a lot better in Macross, with Mari Iijima's singing of My Beautiful Place a perfect complement to both the context and the visuals. Meanwhile, Robotech's Minmei just sings This Is My Time to Be a Star. Macross's Minmay sings a lament for a lost home; Robotech's Minmei might as well be singing that this works for her, since she's a bigger star on the ship than she would ever be on Earth.
Advantage: Macross.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
Both shows apply their incidental music well, so there is no clear advantage this time.
Advantage: None.
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| The Zentradi spies enjoy one last meal on the Macross before returning to the fleet. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE: MACROSS:
This is a transitional episode, but also one that puts a lot of emphasis on character moments. As such, it's little surprise that Macross, which has tended to show more layers and subtlety in its presentation of its characters, makes a stronger impression. The Robotech adaptation is fine as far as it goes, with a few good exchanges of its own... but it definitely feels shallower overall.
OTHER MUSINGS:
After a couple of episodes with big action and big emotional beats, Paradise Lost is a moment of quiet. It's an important episode, as it sees the ship finally forced to leave Earth again and returns Britai to command of the Zentradi fleet.
The focus is very much on the character interactions: The three spies are anything but delighted to return home, enjoying a last meal on the Macross before returning, then clinging to the treasures they've collected, trying to hold onto a way of life they preferred to their own. The captain all but breaks down over his failure to help the civilians under his care. Hikaru struggles to write a letter to Kakizaki's parents as he realizes that he's now in Roy's old position, whether he's ready to be or not. Minmay uses the influence of her stardom in just the right way at just the right time, seemingly without even thinking about it. Even Kaifun shows a hitherto-unglimpsed bit of decency. All of this gives the story added weight. The plot mechanics may be transitional, but each scene exists to reinforce the characters and increase our emotional investment in them.
Ther's also a nice touch with regard to Britai's ship. Earlier episodes saw Hikaru and Misa observing how poorly maintained the Zentradi ships were. In this episode, despite all the time that's passed since the humans' escape, Britai steps onto his bridge... and we see that all the damage Max inflicted remains unrepaired. Points to the artists and animators!
Overall Rating: 7/10.
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Next Episode: Micro Cosmos/A New Dawn
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