The "Magic" of Robotech Part II
Commentary:
Yes people, I never really did quit Robotech. Even though I said I would around... three times?
Cool! If you think that's wrong, then you also probably noticed I contradict myself at times! Ah, the wonders of the internet.
My last post, “The Magic of Robotech” has earned several accolades, such as ‘Close-minded Post of the Year’. So as a follow-up to that award-winning post, I decided to elaborate a teensy more on what made the original Robotech series ‘click’ with audiences. Go on... read it!
I recently discussed how the original Robotech series’ greatness was due to its anime roots. The three Japanese series that composed Robotech were all solid shows that shared similar themes of love, 80’s music and war. What clinched the deal for fans was the Macek Factor (an editing technique that went above and beyond straight English dubbing) that resulted in the series having a stronger and far more compelling narrative than was ever originally imagined.
The point of contention was when I insinuated that most Robotech works and spin-offs couldn’t deliver the same satisfaction or “magic” as the original Robotech experience.
For the record, the merchandise from the 90’s weren’t bad. Not all of them anyway. However, a lot of these productions went off into weird tangents that seemed at odds with the series. (RT II: Sentinels went off to be a really trippy version of Star Trek, Bill Spangler tried to inject cyberpunk elements to his comics, the novel introduced questionable romantic affiliations, etc.)
By the year 2000, an effort was made by the license holder to steer the franchise back into its so-called ‘Japanese/anime roots’ in order to bring back the “magic” back to the series. However, was the missing factor of past story-based merchandise simply a failure of style and cohesive direction, or does it go much deeper than that?
In 2000, tighter creative control was imposed by Harmony Gold to present the ‘one true canon’ to rule them all.
The new creative team had the talent, they had the resources (marketing pushes were made to tie-in with console game’s release dates) and most importantly, they had the will to make Robotech great again. So like young, foolhardy soldiers, they marched… right into a minefield. In terms of story-based merchandise, the past decade has yielded a scant set of comic books, two console games (both of which I can’t comment as I haven’t played them) and an animated feature.
So what went wrong with this brave new vision (as far as content, if you want me to be specific)?? Why is it that despite tying in much closer to the look and feel of the series, these products appeared even more trivial? Why do they seem like poor imitations of the real thing??
Pundits blamed waning nostalgia, some pointed to sagging sales in the comic industry, execs blamed failure of creative control, while others blamed the stars for failing to align right. I try to look past these what these so-called “experts” have stated, and look directly at what the “new and improved” Robotech stories had to offer… and thereby lacked – having a good story.
It’s tragic when good intentions backfire. In Harmony Gold’s quest to stay truer to its roots, it merely retained the superficial aspects of it. DESPITE WHAT IS OTHERWISE SAID. Read on.
The “magic” my dear reader(s), is not having the ability to show two hundred mecha on screen. Nor is it hiring artists like the great Amano to make your comic covers (These are just marketing gimmicks). No! Robotech’s greatness and most enduring success were because it told a compelling plot that over time, revealed an amazing amount of depth. Subtle nuances in situation and character development were what helped propel the original series well above its contemporaries.
Since the revamp in Y2K, Harmony Gold gave fans the idea that staying “true” to the original series meant creating stories that were never incongruous to the main animated series story arc. This approach was taken to the extreme when nearly every comic storyline (the only visible avenue of Harmony Gold’s storytelling prowess) tediously recounted worn out storylines that nobody cared about.
Wildstorm took over publishing Robotech comics. Despite having the opportunity to take Roy Fokker, Lynn Kyle (his character starred in Little White Dragon comic story), Max Sterling, Karl Riber (fiancé of Lisa Hayes) and Lancer (cross dressing freedom fighter) into exciting new directions, the Wildstorm comics merely proved that they were all just boring, homogenized goody-goodies.
Even though the movie tie-in comic Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles had a pretty high suck factor, there was one bright spot. T.R. Edwards, once a one-dimensional villain in the original Sentinels B&W comics, was reintroduced as having some semblance of ‘depth’ (giving motive behind his madness). But like everything in this franchise, Edwards proved to be another wasted opportunity, eventually transforming literally into a giant monster that spouted rubbish like “The Hunter is now the Hunted!” (a reference to his arch nemesis, Rick Hunter). So much for being subtle…
This self-imposed creative boundary stifled nearly every opportunity for great storytelling. A trend that sadly continues to this day with franchise’s first feature-animated film in twenty years - Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, where the first twenty minutes is set within the events and locations of an actual episode of the series!
According to an interview, Tommy Yune stated that the most important element of Robotech was the emotional growth, where the main character would overcome their personal shortcomings and learn some sense of responsibility.
It all makes sense now. No wonder the new Wildstorm comics all share that SAME GENERIC TEMPLATE. The story of Max, Roy, Lancer. Tommy may be right about this being one of the series' strengths, but in the end, Mr. Yune used it for all his stories and did nothing new or interesting to the formula.
"Some fans question why I put characters through such difficult situations in some stories; I feel that overcoming a seemingly insurmountable and emotional challenge is the best way to explore the inner soul of a person."
Wow! The most fundamental problem that Tommy doesn't get is that he creates characters that the audience doesn't give two shits about. Nobody gave a shit about Marcus Rush (from the movie). Or Max. Or Roy. (both from the comics). The tragedy that struck say... Marcus - the death of his wingman, and his acceptance of the Invid - you just don't feel it when watching the movie. It feels stilted, artificial, and all those fancy verbiage people use to describe something that's just not good.
Re-watching the original Robotech with an open mind reveals a rich and rewarding universe. Rewatching Shadow Chronicles only reaffirms one’s belief that the CG is outdated, protoculture makes female have larger racks, and that Mark Hamill dies after ten seconds of screen time. Now is depth.
Reread the Wildstorm comics (2000-2006), and you’ll learn that all your favorite characters are as soulless automatons going through the motions of "surmounting the odds". Whoa. This is your grand vision?
Accessibility has always been the series’ greatest challenge. And yet from this perspective, there is almost no creativity in telling a compelling (or even competent) story whatsoever. If every story is just going to piggyback on an existing arc in the name of being “truer to its anime roots”, why should anyone bother?
Is the direction of relying merely on spiffy imagery from comics and anime feature films enough to bring new blood into the fold? The answer is yes. But how long will they stay?
Bottomline:
A superficial franchise begets superficial fans. The jury is still out for the sequel Robotech: Shadow Rising. Can Tommy deliver us beyond his usual brand of "storytelling magic"?
Yes people, I never really did quit Robotech. Even though I said I would around... three times?
Cool! If you think that's wrong, then you also probably noticed I contradict myself at times! Ah, the wonders of the internet.
My last post, “The Magic of Robotech” has earned several accolades, such as ‘Close-minded Post of the Year’. So as a follow-up to that award-winning post, I decided to elaborate a teensy more on what made the original Robotech series ‘click’ with audiences. Go on... read it!
I recently discussed how the original Robotech series’ greatness was due to its anime roots. The three Japanese series that composed Robotech were all solid shows that shared similar themes of love, 80’s music and war. What clinched the deal for fans was the Macek Factor (an editing technique that went above and beyond straight English dubbing) that resulted in the series having a stronger and far more compelling narrative than was ever originally imagined.
The point of contention was when I insinuated that most Robotech works and spin-offs couldn’t deliver the same satisfaction or “magic” as the original Robotech experience.
For the record, the merchandise from the 90’s weren’t bad. Not all of them anyway. However, a lot of these productions went off into weird tangents that seemed at odds with the series. (RT II: Sentinels went off to be a really trippy version of Star Trek, Bill Spangler tried to inject cyberpunk elements to his comics, the novel introduced questionable romantic affiliations, etc.)
By the year 2000, an effort was made by the license holder to steer the franchise back into its so-called ‘Japanese/anime roots’ in order to bring back the “magic” back to the series. However, was the missing factor of past story-based merchandise simply a failure of style and cohesive direction, or does it go much deeper than that?
In 2000, tighter creative control was imposed by Harmony Gold to present the ‘one true canon’ to rule them all.
The Coen Brothers, they are not.
The new creative team had the talent, they had the resources (marketing pushes were made to tie-in with console game’s release dates) and most importantly, they had the will to make Robotech great again. So like young, foolhardy soldiers, they marched… right into a minefield. In terms of story-based merchandise, the past decade has yielded a scant set of comic books, two console games (both of which I can’t comment as I haven’t played them) and an animated feature.
So what went wrong with this brave new vision (as far as content, if you want me to be specific)?? Why is it that despite tying in much closer to the look and feel of the series, these products appeared even more trivial? Why do they seem like poor imitations of the real thing??
Pundits blamed waning nostalgia, some pointed to sagging sales in the comic industry, execs blamed failure of creative control, while others blamed the stars for failing to align right. I try to look past these what these so-called “experts” have stated, and look directly at what the “new and improved” Robotech stories had to offer… and thereby lacked – having a good story.
It’s tragic when good intentions backfire. In Harmony Gold’s quest to stay truer to its roots, it merely retained the superficial aspects of it. DESPITE WHAT IS OTHERWISE SAID. Read on.
The “magic” my dear reader(s), is not having the ability to show two hundred mecha on screen. Nor is it hiring artists like the great Amano to make your comic covers (These are just marketing gimmicks). No! Robotech’s greatness and most enduring success were because it told a compelling plot that over time, revealed an amazing amount of depth. Subtle nuances in situation and character development were what helped propel the original series well above its contemporaries.
Say what you want about the Wildstorm comics, they were the only place before the animated movie that showcased Tommy's "talents" as a story writer. I can't comment on the games, but come on, they're video games for Pete's sake.
So how exactly did Harmony Gold’s new direction fail?
Since the revamp in Y2K, Harmony Gold gave fans the idea that staying “true” to the original series meant creating stories that were never incongruous to the main animated series story arc. This approach was taken to the extreme when nearly every comic storyline (the only visible avenue of Harmony Gold’s storytelling prowess) tediously recounted worn out storylines that nobody cared about.
Wildstorm took over publishing Robotech comics. Despite having the opportunity to take Roy Fokker, Lynn Kyle (his character starred in Little White Dragon comic story), Max Sterling, Karl Riber (fiancé of Lisa Hayes) and Lancer (cross dressing freedom fighter) into exciting new directions, the Wildstorm comics merely proved that they were all just boring, homogenized goody-goodies.
Yeah, the new comics stayed true to the characters all right. They’re all freakin’ lame! I’ll take tortured Jonathan Wolfe, or the valiant Major Carpenter, or even scheming little Nova Satori (all pivotal characters from the 90’s comics) over the Wildstorm comic series' deadweights
Even though the movie tie-in comic Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles had a pretty high suck factor, there was one bright spot. T.R. Edwards, once a one-dimensional villain in the original Sentinels B&W comics, was reintroduced as having some semblance of ‘depth’ (giving motive behind his madness). But like everything in this franchise, Edwards proved to be another wasted opportunity, eventually transforming literally into a giant monster that spouted rubbish like “The Hunter is now the Hunted!” (a reference to his arch nemesis, Rick Hunter). So much for being subtle…
This self-imposed creative boundary stifled nearly every opportunity for great storytelling. A trend that sadly continues to this day with franchise’s first feature-animated film in twenty years - Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, where the first twenty minutes is set within the events and locations of an actual episode of the series!
Robotech’s world is so rich and diverse, and yet Harmony Gold limited themselves to the point of producing inferior storylines.
According to an interview, Tommy Yune stated that the most important element of Robotech was the emotional growth, where the main character would overcome their personal shortcomings and learn some sense of responsibility.
It all makes sense now. No wonder the new Wildstorm comics all share that SAME GENERIC TEMPLATE. The story of Max, Roy, Lancer. Tommy may be right about this being one of the series' strengths, but in the end, Mr. Yune used it for all his stories and did nothing new or interesting to the formula.
"Some fans question why I put characters through such difficult situations in some stories; I feel that overcoming a seemingly insurmountable and emotional challenge is the best way to explore the inner soul of a person."
Wow! The most fundamental problem that Tommy doesn't get is that he creates characters that the audience doesn't give two shits about. Nobody gave a shit about Marcus Rush (from the movie). Or Max. Or Roy. (both from the comics). The tragedy that struck say... Marcus - the death of his wingman, and his acceptance of the Invid - you just don't feel it when watching the movie. It feels stilted, artificial, and all those fancy verbiage people use to describe something that's just not good.
Re-watching the original Robotech with an open mind reveals a rich and rewarding universe. Rewatching Shadow Chronicles only reaffirms one’s belief that the CG is outdated, protoculture makes female have larger racks, and that Mark Hamill dies after ten seconds of screen time. Now is depth.
Reread the Wildstorm comics (2000-2006), and you’ll learn that all your favorite characters are as soulless automatons going through the motions of "surmounting the odds". Whoa. This is your grand vision?
Accessibility has always been the series’ greatest challenge. And yet from this perspective, there is almost no creativity in telling a compelling (or even competent) story whatsoever. If every story is just going to piggyback on an existing arc in the name of being “truer to its anime roots”, why should anyone bother?
Is the direction of relying merely on spiffy imagery from comics and anime feature films enough to bring new blood into the fold? The answer is yes. But how long will they stay?
Bottomline:
A superficial franchise begets superficial fans. The jury is still out for the sequel Robotech: Shadow Rising. Can Tommy deliver us beyond his usual brand of "storytelling magic"?
Truth is nothing can compare to the original robotech series, and nothing new can deliver what it did, not even the TSC sequel or the live action movie. A good example would be all the movies today that are remakes of classics. Some turn out okay, but none can manage to surpass the originals, and its the same with Robotech.
(Comment this)
I think the main issue stems from the fact that that the current people behind the scenes lack much experience in creating anything original. You mentioned before how Tommy wears a ton of hats, and not only is that true, but it also became apparent through the development of RSC that many of those hats weren't worn before.
And its not a bad thing to have someone take on new responsiblities, but when they do it with little or no guidance from someone who has the , that's a recipe for bad things.
I think one of the main issues is that Harmony Gold is a small company and won't pay for people who've been there, done that. They're cheap, and by having one person take on almost everything, it's going to show in the quality of the product.
Yes, there does come along someone without a lot of experience who does show a tremendous amount of talent, but that's extremely rare. And usually after that person has worked for peanuts, they become big names and move on to bigger and better things.
I don't know how much Frank Agrama poured into RSC, but if feels like it he put in a little more, he's be getting a higher return. (Comment this)
Whether you believe that is good or evil is really up to you. But I usually do it for the stuff I don't have like the old 90's Invid War comics.
Funnily enough, I did get nearly all the Robotech Wildstorm comics. I was a new fan in 2004, and didn’t know jack about the franchise and its politics for the past twenty odd years. Most of the Wildstorm comics looked great, but ultimately didn’t leave any deeper impression on me. That’s why I started this post…
What would make a good Robotech experience? An animated film that actually respects the canon and rich backstory. A film that doesn’t trample over it just to make way for one man's vision of New Generation... I mean Robotech. Sorry.
(Comment this)
Lack of creating anything original? Are you telling me that From the Stars basically ripped off the Robotech Graphic Novel? That Love & War’s fill-in-the-gap Macross retread? That Invasion is a glorified fanfic about a two second flashback? (F**k Prelude)
No. They were stories that reflected the inner soul. So yeah, Roy was a ladies man in the series, but according to Tommy, an all-around dork.
Anyway, I heard it said that Tommy made a ton of mistakes during the production of Shadow Chronicles.
And besides that, it’s also clearly mentioned in the Robotech China interview that Tommy asks fans for “help”. Help in proof-reading material from the RPG and artbook, even laying out the goddamn artbook (A large percentage of the articles written on the artbook was by fans). All for zero the cost. "Thank you, come again!"
I hate Tommy's lack of sincerity! I hate how he tries to claim credit for everything the fans clearly do.
The fans come in with the impression that they are making a difference, but all Harmony Gold ends up doing is exploiting them for their own gain! Meanwhile in the exclusive Officer’s Forum in Robotech, all those jerks’re laughing their asses saying “Free labor!” and “Free advertising!”
You think I'm despicable? If you knew half the thing Tommy does behind that wide grin of his. It sickens me. It's all a show.
Frank Agrama? I don’t know much about the man, but I would’ve thought he'd have more to say after test screenings of Shadow Chronicles (prior to Cannes showing in 2005/06) I can only assume, he is still giving Tommy all the power to Shadow Rising, and Frank's just going to go 'oooh' and 'aaaah' about the project.
(Comment this)