by the fans for the fans

Since Maverick_LSC was talking about how there are no Macross novels, and, when I gave him a link to them on amazon.co.jp, said (erroneously) that they were comic books, I figured I'd clear up some confusion here.

There are many, many Macross novels and comics.

The first Macross novel isn't really a novel, though. It's a series of linked short stories written in script format, called My Fair Minmay: Dreaming Prelude. It came out in early 1983, just as the series was getting near its conclusion. The stories are set between Minmay's 16th birthday (as seen in episode 8) and the return of Vermilion Team from the Zentradi (as seen in episode 12). The focus is on Minmay's career, although a lot of information about daily life on the Macross gets imparted as well. Jamis Merin [Jan Morris in Robotech] is a pretty major character in it as well, and is every bit the vindictive villainess you'd expect. What's really special about it is that each of the stories was written by a different member of the writing staff for the show, thus providing them a chance to give insights and details that couldn't be included in the series itself.

Next, later in 1983 (after the series had finished), the first 27 episodes of Macross were adapted into a trilogy of novels by Toshiki inoue, who is more closely associated with Kamen Rider. To be frank, they're not all that great. The first volume is rather expansive in its retelling, but by the last volume, the story is horrendously compressed (Volume I covers episodes 1~5, Volume II covers episodes 6~12, and Volume III covers episodes 13~27. each of the books is about 250 pages).

In early 1984, almost a year after the series finished but before "Do You Remember Love" was released, the novella Misa Hayase: White Reminiscences was released. Written by Hiroshi Ohnogi (who wrote a few episodes of the TV series and planned the postwar arc of the show), it starts with Misa at the Alaska Base and then flashes back to tell the story of her relationship with Riber, the death of her mother, and other things. It's (as you might expect) a sad book, but it's really good.

When "Do You Remember Love" was released, a novelization accompanied it. Written by Sukehiro Tomita (who wrote the screenplay for the movie), it's a big, chewy book, full of background information and all sorts of fun stuff.

The book "Macross Perfect Memory" also includes two short stories, one by Kenichi Matsuzaki (the script supervisor for the original series) talking about Admiral Hayase and Captain Global during the Unification Wars, and one by Shoji Kawamori about "the lost two years" between episodes 27 and 28.

Macross II has probably the best showing among the novels, with a five-volume series (written, again, by Sukehiro Tomita, who also wrote the screenplay for the OVA). The first two books cover the Macross II story, the next three are essentially a sequel story, going beyond the original six episodes.

Macross Plus, on the other hand, was MEANT to have a two-volume novelization, but the writer, Keiko Nobumoto (who also wrote the series itself) had such difficulty in writing the first book that she never wrote the second. That said, the first one is awesome, primarily covering material from seven years before the OVA and movie start, talking a lot about the colonization of Eden and intorducing us to Isamu, Myung, and Guld's families. Towards the end of the book, it catches up to the beginning of the series.

There are no Macross 7 novels (there is a short story, however, written by the ubiquitous Sukehiro Tomita), but there is a two-volume set for Macross Dynamite 7. They're intended for younger readers, and the illustrations are better than the storytelling.

Macross Zero likewise has no novelization, but Macross Frontier has a four-volume series, by Ukyou Kodachi. These are profusely expanded from the TV series, going into MUCH more detail about the world and the history of Frontier. They also contain plenty of new scenes, featuring older characters like Kim (former bridge bunny, now Captain of her own ship), and Aegis Focker (from the VF-X2 video game). And yes, in the novels, Alto and Sheryl DO INDEED sleep together.

As for comics, there are a few.

Macross II got a one-volume adaptation, which I believe was commissioned by Viz, primarily for the US market, but it was published first in Japanese. (At least, I remember reading something to that effect way back when.) It's adequate.

Macross 7 TRASH is the first long-running saga, an 8-volume series done by Haruhiko Mikimoto. His artwork, as always, is stunning, but the story is not great.

Macross Dynamite 7: Mylene Beat tells the story of what happens to Mylene during that OVA. It shares some scenes with the anime, but generally tells an entirely original story. It's pretty good.

Frontier has had four separate series series to its name. The first three all started around the same time as the show: there's the series adaptation (which recently finished its five-volume run), and two more comedic comics (both of which are pretty forgettable).

And then, last year, an entire Macross comic MAGAZINE was launched. It comes out irregularly, but contains tons of material. The flagship title is Haruhiko Mikimoto's Macross the First, which is a retelling of the TV series. It's spectacular. The other series are less interesting, depending on how into Macross you are. There's Macross 7th Chord, which tells the story of Max forming a new Sound Force seven years after the Macross 7 series wraps up. And there's Macross F: Secret Visions which tells side-stories set during the Frontier series. There are also other (mostly comedic) comics, and they've had two short stories so far: one about Alto, Michael, and Luca right before Macross F starts, and one about Alto's father meeting Isamu.

And of course, the magazine is still ongoing (issue 4 is due to be released next month) so there's a lot of material still to come.

Talk about being thorough. I would have believed you if you said that there were Macross novels.

SIGHUP wrote:

Talk about being thorough. I would have believed you if you said that there were Macross novels.

Well, I'd like to whet people's appetite for them as well...

A couple of book covers:


My Fair Minmay ~ Dreaming Prelude


Misa Hayase: White Reminiscences

SIGHUP wrote:

Talk about being thorough. I would have believed you if you said that there were Macross novels.

Well Gubaba is on a mission to translate these novels and we expect him to be finished them by about 2040...

zinjo wrote:

SIGHUP wrote:

Talk about being thorough. I would have believed you if you said that there were Macross novels.

Well Gubaba is on a mission to translate these novels and we expect him to be finished them by about 2040...

One down, one half-way complete...after that, ONLY SIXTEEN MORE TO GO!! YEE-HA, Y'ALL!!

WOW. NICE.

More covers: The Macross TV Version Trilogy (original printing) (except I don't have a high-quality pic of Volume I ):


Volume II


Volume III

1992 Reissue:


Volume I


Volume II


Volume III

If you look closely, you'll see that the covers are a triptych.

Also, each cover SAYS that the books are illustrated by Haruhiko Mikimoto, but they're really not. There are a few screenshots from the show included, but that's it.

(My Fair Minmay and White Reminiscences, on the other hand, ARE fully illustrated.)

GUBABA, WHERE YOU PUTTING YOUR TRANSLATIONS?

THERE IS A FAN OF BOTH WORLDS IN SPANISH FANDOM WHO TRANSLATED ALL NOVELS OF ROBOTECH PLUS OTHER WORKS INTO SPANISH. WILL PASS THIS LINK TO HIM.

Gubaba,

If at any point, do you want to have your work translated into spanish please let me know.