The Super Dimension Fortress Macross

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross is a TV series that aired in Japan from 1982-1983. It is the inaugural entry in the Macross franchise that has spanned four decades. The series is directed by Noboru Ishiguro, featuring mechanical designs by Shoji Kawamori and Kazutaka Miyatake, character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto and a score by Kentaroh Haneda. Set in 2009, humanity celebrates the restoration of a crashed alien starship redubbed Macross and is pulled into an interstellar war with the alien Zentradi. The story focuses on Hikaru Ichijyo, a civilian pilot who gets caught in the fighting and becomes a soldier piloting the transforming Valkyrie. The success of Macross led to multiple sequels, starting with the theatrical adaptation The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? in 1984. In 1985, Harmony Gold released Robotech, an edited adaptation that combined Macross and the unrelated Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada into one series. Harmony Gold later sub-licensed uncut releases of Macross to AnimEigo and ADV Films. Due to Harmony Gold, the series is not currently streaming in North America and has been out of print on physical media for nearly two decades.