Robotech: New Generation Volume 2

And so after three arcs and eighty-five episodes the final battle at Reflex Point marks the end of the Robotech saga, at least for now. Scott Bernard and his friends encounter more interesting people and places on their journey while the Invid look on with increasing suspicion and trepidation as the determined human rebels approach what they hope will be the final battle against an alien threat.

Very much like the first half of the New Generation arc, these episodes are more enjoyable than the Masters one (although that isn’t saying much) but still not as hard-hitting as the initial Macross Saga episodes. This could be attributed to the fact that we’ve seen many of the issues and themes before in the previous two parts of the story so it doesn’t add much that’s new. In fact, there is a sense of weariness in many of the characters that might be shared by the viewer – their journey, and the war itself, feel like they’ve gone on for too long.

For many of these episodes there are a few aspects that offer some entertainment value, however. Because of their surroundings and circumstances Bernard and his gang have to show quite a lot of improvisation and ingenuity to repel the regular Invid mecha attacks and acquire enough protoculture fuel to keep their mecha in the air. There are numerous A Team-style incidents in which they employ decidedly primitive methods to battle the Invid and wriggle out of tight spots, with the clichéd voiceover dramatically declaring them ‘fearless freedom fighters’ when in truth they are just a friendly group of misfits scraping by.

There are too many supporting characters to list in full here, but we see a very broad picture emerging concerning the post-Invid invasion Earth. Sometimes the alien threat is merely a device to highlight very human problems and issues that are brought into sharper focus under the wartime conditions, and the central characters are as varied and engaging as ever.

Of course there’s the ever-present threat of the Invid’s ultimate plan, which steps up a gear with the Regis determined to turn her kind into the perfect life form for life on Earth (which just happens to be humanoid in appearance). This introduces two new characters on the Invid side in the form of Corg and Sera, who have contrasting personalities and attitudes, and take on a greater significance at the final battle at Reflex Point. The prospect of reinforcements makes Bernard all the more intent on forging ahead regardless of what everyone around him thinks; there is more examination into the morality of the war that is being fought but again it is something that Robotech has covered not once, but twice already.

In Summary

The end result is that these episodes are an entertaining way to spend your time but offer nothing that isn’t covered by countless other similar shows. It’s interesting to see the various characters and locations of our heroes’ journey but when the final battle comes around it feels more like a fizzle than a bang after taking so long to get there. Generally it’s wrapped up neatly enough with no more aliens lurking on the horizon but one or two details are left open, perhaps intentionally, which suggests some more Robotech in the future.

Final thoughts

Overall the best way to describe Robotech is ‘not bad’. A bit of a vague statement perhaps, but after the end of the Macross arc I found myself watching with only mild enthusiasm. The pervading fashions and plot devices of sci-fi anime of the 80s made the three separate parts mesh together into one narrative quite well: on the negative side it gave a deja-vu feeling and by the time I’d reached the final minutes of the New Generation not even the likeable cast could raise it out of the decidedly average.

These days no self-respecting TV Company would dare to splice together a show in the manner that Robotech was, and it’s quite telling that only one of the component series, Macross, has been fondly remembered among many fans. As drawn-out and formulaic as it turned out to be; the drama, warfare and even quirks such as the narration and corny Superman-style theme tune will give some nostalgic souls among us a mecha-strewn trip down memory lane.