Macross Zero
| Macross Zero | |
 DVD 1 cover | |
| マクロス ゼロ (Makurosu Zero) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure, Mecha, Military science fiction |
| Created by | |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Shōji Kawamori |
| Written by | Hiroshi Ōnogi |
| Music by | Kuniaki Haishima |
| Studio | Satelight |
| Licensed by |
|
| Released | December 21, 2002 – October 22, 2004 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes (each) |
| Episodes | 5 |
Macross Zero (マクロス ゼロ, Makurosu Zero) is an
Premise
Macross Zero is set in 2008 A.D., one year before the events of the original Macross series, depicting the final battles of the U.N. Wars
Characters
- Shin Kudo (工藤 シン, Kudō Shin): Japanese-American fighter pilot flying for the UN. Lost his parents early in the U.N. Wars. Voiced by Kenichi Suzumura.
- Sara Nome: Priestess of Mayan Island. Highly skeptical of outsiders and the violence they bring with them. Voiced by Sanae Kobayashi.
- Mao Nome: Sara's younger sister. Cheerful and outgoing, and longing to see the outside world. Also has a very obvious crush on Shin. Voiced by Yuuka Nanri.
- Roy Föcker: Famed UN ace and test pilot for the new and experimental variable fighter, the VF-0. Voiced by Akira Kamiya.
- Edgar LaSalle: Shynn's Radar Intercept Officer and best friend. Voiced by Sousuke Komori.
- D.D. Ivanov: Ace pilot flying for the Anti-UN forces. variable fighter. Voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo.
- Nora Polyansky: Ivanov's wingmate. A ruthless and highly skilled warrior dedicated to the Anti-UN cause. Voiced by Minami Takayama.
- Aries Turner: A 26-year-old government researcher known for her genius-level intelligence. She studies and gives top secret seminars about the Protoculture research being undertaken by the U.N. She has known Roy Föcker in the past, before the events that will take place in the South Pacific Ocean one year before Space War I. Voiced by Naomi Shindō.
- Nutouk: The Mayan Island tribal chief. Voiced by Tamio Ōki.
- Dr. Hasford: The Anti-UN scientist who theories that intelligent life on Earth might have originated off world from the Protoculture, a race of ancient aliens. Voiced by Nachi Nozawa.
- The Bird-Human: Code named by the U.N. Spacy scientists as A.F.O.S. (Artifact From Outer Space), the Bird-Human is a powerful semi-sentient alien biomecha which was left on Earth by the true creators of humanity, the Protoculture. The mecha was created to check the evolution of humankind and was programmed to destroy it in case it became belligerent like the previous creation of the Protoculture, the Zentradi.
Production
The OVA was released in 2002 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Macross franchise in Japan. New mechanical designs inspired by those of the first Macross series were developed by Shoji Kawamori and Junya Ishikagi, while mecha and sci-fi illustrator Hidetaka Tenjin worked as an animation artist for the CGI mecha action sequences. A Blu-ray box was released on August 22, 2008, which added Sheryl Nome's earrings in a shot at the Nome beach house, to better connect the series with Macross Frontier.
Episodes
| EP# | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "The Ocean, The Wind, And..." "Umi to Kaze to" (海と風と) | December 21, 2002 |
| 02 | "The Star Of The Surface" "Chijō no Hoshi" (地上の星) | May 23, 2003 |
| 03 | "Blue And Desperate Battle" "Aoki Shitō" (蒼き死闘) | November 28, 2003 |
| 04 | "Jungle" "Mitsurin" (密林) | May 28, 2004 |
| 05 | "Bird-Human" "Tori no Hito" (鳥の人) | October 22, 2004 |
Soundtrack
Composed by
Two volumes of the soundtrack were released in Japan by Victor Entertainment.
International release
Due to a current legal dispute over the distribution rights of the Macross franchise, involving Studio Nue and Big West against Harmony Gold, much of the Macross merchandise post 1999, including Macross Zero, have not received an international release.[2]
OVA series notes
Mao Nome's reminiscences have become part of the pre-Space War legendarium of the expanding Human and Zentradi exploration of the Galaxy. The events of the movie paint the story in the style of Tales of the South Pacific, romantic and beautiful in the time before the Zentradi nearly annihilated all life on Earth during one of the most cataclysmic battles of the War. The people of the galaxy know this story as 'Bird-Human'.[3]
During the third
Later episodes explicitly state that Macross Frontier singer Sheryl Nome is the granddaughter of Dr. Mao Nome, and showed a photograph of a much older but still recognizable Mao with glasses, clearly now a venerable survivor of Space War I.
All That VF - Macross 25th Anniversary Air Show (Zero Edition)
Coinciding with both the 25th anniversary of Macross and the Blu-ray releases of volume one of Macross Frontier and Macross Zero box set, the official website of Macross Frontier posted two newly animated short films featuring Air Show style demonstrations for both series. People who purchased the first pressings of either Macross Zero or Macross Frontier received a unique code to enter into the website and therefore able to watch the short film of the respective anime.[4][5]
The music track for this clip was an excerpt from an orchestral track of Macross Frontier titled "Vital Force" composed by Yoko Kanno.
References
- ^ U.N. Wars Official Information
- ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (2015-09-24). "Why You Haven't Seen Any New Macross in the West for Nearly 15 Years". Kotaku. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
- ^ a b Macross Frontier Episode 10
- ^ "'Promo for Macross All That VF Anime Short Streamed". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ "マクロス』25周年記念キャペーン スペシャル映像「ALL THAT VF」制作決定＆PV配信開始". Saishin Anime Jōhō. Archived from the original on 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
External links
Official sites:
- Official Macross website (in Japanese)
- Official Macross Zero website (in Japanese)
- Bandai Visual's Macross Zero website (in Japanese)
Other sites:
- Macross Zero (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Macross Zero at IMDb
- Macross Zero at Macross Compendium
- Macross Zero at Macross Mecha Manual
- Macross Zero at Mecha and Anime Headquarters
