Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? Ah, what a name and what a movie. This is what classic Japanese Animation is all about. Just the name itself conjures up nostalgic memories of yesterday, running home from fourth grade to catch the latest episode of Robotech, to attending my first Anime convention and realizing the true power of the unedited series as well as this incredible film which retells the story. The music, the characters, the animation and the story are the very things that attracted me to Japanese animation in the first place. And still, even after all of these years, SDFM:DYRL not only holds up, but is still a force to be reckoned with.This is due, in no small part, to the creative talent and storytelling capabilities of Shoji Kawamori. Although his filmography may be small, it is an example of quality over quantity. Kawamori's Macross series made giant transforming robots, singing pop-idol young starlets, heroic floppy haired boys, and melodramatic drama popular to thousands of fans across the globe. Who in their right mind never dreamed of someday flying a Valkyrie, or meeting a girl as spunky and hot as Lynn Minmay or as gorgeous and smart as Misa Hayase? Or who never wished that their hair were as cool as Max's blue locks or Hikaru's tangled mop? And who never wished for the experiences and friendships shared by the Defense Force as they battled the onslaught of the Zentradi forces? Without Kawamori, none of these questions would have ever even been possible. To me, this is like trying to imagine a childhood without Star Wars.SDFM:DYRL is at it's core, a story of an alien invasion. The Zentradi, a race of aliens created for only war are hell-bent on tracking down a lost ship, the Macross, which is the key to the universal power of Protoculture. Protoculture is the universal matter from which all things were created and it gives life to those who have it. The Zentradi track down this lost ship, which has landed on Earth. The humans of Earth learn, to a somewhat limited degree, the power of the Macross, and are able to escape with a few hundred survivors to the outer reaches of space, thus setting in motion the constant game of cat and mouse between the Zentradi and the humans. Although this story is quite basic on the surface, what really set Macross apart from the other giant-invading-robot movies/series was the investment the audience had in the characters.The animation itself is quite beautiful, although it may seem somewhat primitive by today's digital standards. It is, however, a great example of how Japanese animation differs from its Western counterparts. While Western animation, especially concerning studios such as Disney and Warner Bros., put more energy into creating smooth animated movement, the Japanese directors and artists have always been more interested in creating insanely detailed drawings. Some Japanese directors have claimed that Japanese animation is actually more of a mix between the detailed still drawings of manga and the fluidity of traditional Western animation, thus it is an art form in and of itself being neither comic book nor cartoon. Macross is a perfect example of this ideology. Although the animation may not be extremely fluid, what we are given are vastly detailed cityscapes, landscapes and space frontiers, as well as mechanical and character designs to die for.And how can I possibly even mention the word Macross without at least a brief mention of the music? Kentaro Haneda, who created the original music, made sure that the score and songs were as captivating as the film itself, as well as making sure every note of every song fit perfectly with what was being shown on screen. After all, with music playing such an intricate roll in the entire Macross saga, the music really needed to be top notch – and it was.SDFM:DYRL is a classic in every sense of the word. A movie that is just as good today as it was almost 20 years ago. Some films do not live up to the memories we have of them, and as we get older some films lose their power. SDFM:DYRL on the other hand, becomes a beacon of light to remind us of the reasons we fell in love with Japanese films in the first place.

This movie is produced after the Macross Robotech series. Its not scenes from the series its a whole new drawn movie. It has some of the story from the serie but a whole lot is different. Its much better drawn than the serie and it has more violent and romans in it. So did you like the series you will LOVE the movie: Macross Do You Remember Love. One of my all time high Anime and saying that though i have 120 anime DVDs means a lot.

I just got my copy of Superdimesion Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love in the mail from Singapore yesterday. Yep, I'm a purist: subtitled, not dubbed.I watched it last night, and there is one thing that stood out glaringly: If you are not familiar with Macross, whether in the original form or as Robotech, it would be damned near incoherent.Visually stunning and with great music, all the elements of greatness are here, but the plot leaves much to be desired, with virtually no exposition and only limited character development. Taken on its own, I'm afraid that this film can't stand up.For those who actually understand what's going on, it's a treat. The animation is top-notch, and the film moves quickly. However, it also glosses over many points which in another film would have been character development and major events. Plotwise, I felt that this film was lacking.The visuals cannot be overlooked, though. Easily, the film is the equal of many animated pieces that came later, brilliant and vibrant.And, of course *possible minor spoiler* it was worth it just to see Minmei get slapped.

The first time this film was made available in English, it was completely wrecked. If you ever see the familiar shape of the SDF-1 MACROSS on the cover of a video named ATTACK OF THE BIOROIDS, avoid it! It is of interest only to two groups-- those who are starved for any version of MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE and those who are (masochistically) looking for examples of how badly manga can get mangled....Thanks to the internet and advances in computer technology, MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE is available in English in a CD (not DVD) format.