 |
| 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 Its first major blow came before it even began airing, when toy sponsor Popy rescinded its planned sponsorship.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)
Review Index
To receive new review updates, follow me:
On Twitter:
On Threads:
No comments:
Post a Comment