By most standards, Macross is considered to be a mecha franchise second only to Gundam. Much like the original Gundam series, Macross is a war drama. Aside from war and mecha battles, at its heart is the story of normal people caught up in great events. It has had various incarnations over the last two decades, though not as many as Gundam. Macross was made in the tradition of the 'real robot' genre that Gundam created, and it is probably best known for setting off the transforming mecha craze in the early 80's that many series used afterwards. Most people in the U.S. are more familiar with Macross in the form of 1985's Robotech, which edited and combined three separate anime series. In 2001, AnimEigo released a fully restored uncut version of the original series. Also available in the U.S. is the 1994 OVA series Macross Plus and the alternate universe 1992 OVA Macross II. The 1994 Macross 7 TV series and its sequels are not available in the U.S. The 2002 OVA series Macross Zero serves as a prequel to the original series, but has also not been released in the U.S. A new TV series, Macross Frontier, is currently airing in Japan.

     
     


Series Release Information
Series Name
Year
Format
Available in US?
Super Dimension Fortress Macross
1982
TV, 36 Yes
Macross: Do You Remember Love?
1984
Movie No
Macross: Flashback 2012
1986
Music Video No
Macross II: Lovers Again
1992
OVA, 6 Yes
Macross Plus
1994
OVA, 4 Yes
Macross 7
1994
TV, 49 No
Macross 7: The Galaxy's Calling Me!
1995
Short Movie No
Macross 7 Encore
1995
TV, 3 No
Macross Plus: Movie Edition
1995
Movie Yes
Macross Dynamite 7
1997
OVA, 4 No
Macross Zero
2002
OVA, 5 No
Macross Frontier
2008
TV, ?? No

Macross, characters, images and related items are copyrights Studio Nue, Big West and Satelight ©1982-2008. ©1985-2008 Harmony Gold U.S.A. ©2005-2008 ADV Films. Macross II and Macross Plus ©1995-2008 Manga Entertainment.