At long last, Macross Plus fans can look forward to a new Blu-ray release of the cult-classic anime series. Better known as Robotech in the west, the anime series was sidelined for decades due to a legal feud between Bigwest and Studio Nue against Harmony Gold, the US company that licensed Macross in the ’80s.
After a lengthy period of negotiation between the parties involved ended with a new deal being reached in 2021, and at MCM Comic-Con London, Anime Limited announced plans to release a Macross Plus Ultimate Edition Blu-ray on September 30. This will be the first time that this series has ever been available on Blu-ray outside of Japan in the US.
This is a deluxe $190 edition that’ll be available exclusively through the Crunchyroll Store, and is packed with extra content. The box set includes the four-episode 1994 original video anime series in a sleek slipcase, a hardcover book chronicling the production of the series through staff interviews and concept art material, nine art cards, and an A4 poster. On the discs, you’ll find the movie and OVA versions of Macross Plus, English and Japanese dubs, an interview with chief director Shoji Kawamori, and more.
“In the year 2040, on the distant planet Eden, former childhood friends Isamu Dyson and Guld Bowman find themselves pitted against each other as test pilots of rival teams in a competition to decide the next generation of variable mecha fighters,” the plot synopsis for Macross Plus reads. “The two must also deal with their own unresolved history with mutual love interest, Myung Fang Lone, who has returned as the manager of Sharon Apple, the AI pop star and the galaxy’s biggest singing sensation. When Sharon’s advanced artificial intelligence gains consciousness, Isamu, Myung, and Guld must face their turbulent past and come together as Sharon Apple becomes self-aware and takes control of the Macross battle fortress itself.”
Another upcoming anime release coming to Blu-ray soon is Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. If you like ninjas, samurai, and all-out action enhanced by a spooky bit of horror, then this is a great show to grab following its successful debut last year.
