by the fans for the fans

I'm completely new to Robotech and know very little about it. Actually up until a few hours ago, I had no idea there was even a cartoon in the U.S. I thought it was Japan only. Anyway, being a fan of Transformers and having children that like them as well, I stumbled across the world of Robotech while shopping for Christmas presents at Amazon. I watched the first episode (Boobytrap) and get the feeling that this is a show that I need to watch. I've been trying to keep myself from being spoiled, but there are several different collections of the series available and it's difficult to discern which one is the best for people completely new to the series without giving the plot away. I was leaning toward the "Complete Set" that looks to be the latest release of the series, but it seems there may be some content missing. So, with that said here are my questions:

- What is the best version for someone completely new to series to watch? I'm primarily concerned with story and would also prefer the audio in English.
- Although story is probably the most important, I'm curious what version has the best video and audio quality. Are there any remastered versions on BluRay or HD streaming/download.
- Is the show appropriate for young children?

HI AND WELCOME TO THE ROBOTECH FORUM.

FOR THE COMPLETE SET OF THE T.V. SERIES AND EXTRAS, GET THIS
www.amazon.com/Robotech-Complete-Set-Mar...-1&keywords=robotech

AT 37 DLRS NOT BAD.
IT IS COMPLETE AND AS PER VIDEO AND AUDIO, IF YOU DID NOT SEE IT IN 1985, YOU NOT MISSING A THING.

APPROPIATE FOR KIDS? I SAW IT WHEN I WAS IN JR. HIGH. MY KIDS SEEN IT AT AN EARLIER AGE THROUGH MY VHS COLLECTION.


WOULD WAIT FOR BLACK FRIDAY AND SEE WHAT DEALS COME OUT.

Okay. Thanks for the help.

It does tackle more life issues than a typical cartoon. Whereas He-Man and Transformers were essentially half hour toy commercials, Robotech tells an ongoing story of human drama set against the backdrop of an alien war. There are real choices and consequences that the characters make along the way. It is handled in a mature fashion, and I would say is appropriate for all ages.

I have the Protoculture Collection:
www.amazon.com/Robotech-Protoculture-Col...elrod/dp/B000B5IOY8/

I think it's awesome, complete, and...well, if you want higher-def, blu-ray, I don't think that exists, but they do sell digital versions.

There are scenes (in the Protoculture Collection version, at least) that do show some gore and nudity...but it's not gratuitous, and as said by others, handled in a mature fashion. I suppose it depends on how prudish you are ;-P

I was just like you my friend. I discovered Robotech last summer and bought the complete set and haven't been disappointed with my purchase. I too like Transformers, but just found Robotech way more appealing. The story is amazing. I wondered, "When are they going to make a movie of this?" And within a week I found out Sony had bought rights for the movie. It's an amazing series, amazing community, it's simply just awesome.

GREW UP WITH TRANSFORMERS AS WELL. THEY ARE MAKING A DARKER VERSION FOR ADULTS. IM VERY INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THAT TURNS OUT.

Thanks for all the replies. I wanted to give my thoughts and impressions so far. I finished season one and thought it was really good. The story is a lot more coherent than I thought it was going to be. The show was definitely ahead of it's time. In fact I would say that only recently (as in the last 5 years or so) have shows started reach the level of season one. That's not to say that it's perfect or doesn't have flaws, but the character development and issues covered are definitely at least as good as something like Avatar The Last Airbender.

My complaints - There were a few semi-nude shots. It isn't super revealing, but I think parents should at least know it's there. Also, Minmei...

Now I've started season 2 and I feel like it might be about to pick up, but so far hasn't started off as good as the first season.

MEMO1DOMINION wrote: GREW UP WITH TRANSFORMERS AS WELL. THEY ARE MAKING A DARKER VERSION FOR ADULTS. IM VERY INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THAT TURNS OUT.

Oh really? Please share, I'd like to hear more about this.

kaSparta wrote: My complaints - There were a few semi-nude shots. It isn't super revealing, but I think parents should at least know it's there. Also, Minmei...I understand the role she played in the show, but her music was played way too much. I do think she has a good story arc considering the circumstances.

Yep, those were not in the original (TV) airing, but seem to be in all subsequent releases.

I'm one of those people (a.k.a. heretics) that does not care for any of Minmei's songs. But I listen to death metal, so what do I know?

kaSparta wrote: Now I've started season 2 and I feel like it might be about to pick up, but so far hasn't started off as good as the first season. I don't like that they haven't explained what happened to everyone. Right now I'm under the impression that everyone from season 1 is dead, which doesn't make sense because Dana (I'm not sure I've got the names right) shows a picture of her parents (Max and the Zentroti girl) who I thought survived in season 1.

Only a few of the main characters from Macross end up dead; Max and Miriya are not among them. What happened -- and it's only mentioned off-hand until later -- is that Rick, Lisa, Max, Miriya, Breetai, Exedore, and a few others head off to the Robotech Masters' home planet to either fight or diplomacy their way out of another invasion. As Southern Cross/Masters Saga shows, they arrive too late, for the Masters are already on their way to Earth.

As is revealed in subsequent sources in some more depth (some of the comics, certainly the novels though they are non-canon), Dana and her sister Maia are left behind because the expedition to the Masters' homeworld was thought too dangerous for non-combatants. Dana was placed in the care of Rolf Emerson (along with Bowie Grant, the son of Vince & Jean Grant who are major characters in Shadow Chronicles), and Maia ends up on Liberty Space Station (the converted Robotech Factory from the later episodes of Macross Saga).

IMHO, the biggest failing of the original Robotech series is that the transitional periods between the sagas aren't just poorly covered (a necessity given the source material), but that the voice overs -- a constant feature of the Robotech series -- fail so dramatically to include just enough info to avoid these sorts of feelings of "incompleteness." Some of these details (such as Maia's existence) were obviously not created yet, so that's fine, but things like who Dana and Bowie are related to and the overall Expeditionary Fleet mission -- all things that *were* created to some small degree, at least, by that time -- just feel wrong because they are hardly mentioned at all.

I realize some of this is because of a rushed production schedule, too, but it is what it is, I guess.

Start w/ Boobytrap, and Enjoy...Listen to the Soundtrack and Enjoy...Ask Questions here and as Resident Guru, I and my cohorts will answer proudly and happily....AND ENJOY (Did I forget to say that?! )