Macross 7 : Love Remembered

[wolfx]

I was in a hot shower humming Totsugeki Love Heart when it hit me. What if Hory Froating Head's next Macross series is a movie remake of Macross 7, just like how DYRL was a movie remake for the original SDF-1. They could make it so good that even A1 would approve.

Think about it. The sound force valks could be redesigned slightly so they look less circus-sy but more punky. The Proto-deviln will be re-designed to look less lame but more monstrous and evil, like the beings they are. The fleet will be depicted as a puny human fleet which is surviving by its fingernails against the apparently unlimited army of the protodeviln. Max barks out orders and survives battles through his sheer military genius (before Sound Force comes with their re-designed sound boosters).

Since its a movie, less filler - stuff. Show Mylene's love dilemma between Gamlin and Basara. Flower girl appears as a cameo. Have probably 3-4 major battles, where the final one is on that ice planet where they initiated operation star-gazer. Depict the Macross 7 fleet's desperation to survive the seeminly invincible enemy.

HOLA! A great epic macross movie. And new toylines!

[jenius]

Do the space whales get a cameo?

[JB0]

Do the space whales get a cameo?

376857[/snapback]

But of course!

[azrael]

This topic hasn't been done so I'll let it go..for now.

But DYRL-ing M7....let me ask this, what would you cut out/add-in to make it into a 2-hour mark?

Just to note, DYRL? cut out a bit and dropped the audience around Saturn and went from there, plus or minus. The producers dropped the post SWI-life. They squeezed Minmay into the cockpit with Hikaru at the same time the Zentradi captured their first humans. But they kept the same set of themes.

So that leads back to the question, how would you rearrange the 49-episode M7 series into a 2-hour movie, and keep all the essential themes, elements, etc.

[wolfx]

I'll get started the ball rolling with that Azrael.

Story starts with a battle already happening. The M7 fleet is under attack by unidentified variable craft. Battle 7 orders a scramble at DEFCON 1 and all valkyries are deployed. Diamond Force is launched into the heart of the enemy by the use of the linear catapults. (Hey, they never explained why Diamond Force gets catapults whereas the other VF-11s launch normally. )

Diamond Force does some major casualties behind enemy lines while things aren't looking good for the fleet. Max's military maneuvers ensure that the M7 fleet is still surviving despite overwhelming odds.

Basara sees the battle from the M7 dome while lazing around some grassy hill. Totsugeki Love Heart's electric guitar intro starts. Basara gets into the VF-19 and flies into the fray, and starts singing. Confusion ensues both from the macross fleet and the enemy fighters. Enemy fighters become disabled when listening to Basara's music becoming easy pickings for the fleet's VF-11Cs. In the meantime, Mylene and gang launch as well while (they already have their valks by the movie's start) causing more confusion in the enemy ranks. The one-eyed freak enemy ace (whose name i forgot) orders a retreat as he sees his army being wiped out easily by this new "Anima Spiritia" fellow.

And that's only the starting of the movie. IMHO the M7 series is quite easily compressed into a movie format that will be enjoyable to both macross fans and newcomers alike. Just gotta re-design some stuff, drop the filler-ry stuff, focus on the love triangle, make it still look like man-kind is doomed, have Max & Miria pwn things when things seem dire....and a climactic huge scale battle of epic proportions during Operation Stargazer.

Any other ideas?

[JB0]

I'll get started the ball rolling with that Azrael.

Story starts with a battle already happening. The M7 fleet is under attack by unidentified variable craft. Battle 7 orders a scramble at DEFCON 1 and all valkyries are deployed. Diamond Force is launched into the heart of the enemy by the use of the linear catapults. (Hey, they never explained why Diamond Force gets catapults whereas the other VF-11s launch normally. )

I thoughjt it was because Diamond Force was a sort of rapid response force. They were depoyed to the area that looked like it was going to need the most attention the fastest. Hence why they got better fighters and better pilots.

[wolfx]

I'll get started the ball rolling with that Azrael.

Story starts with a battle already happening. The M7 fleet is under attack by unidentified variable craft. Battle 7 orders a scramble at DEFCON 1 and all valkyries are deployed. Diamond Force is launched into the heart of the enemy by the use of the linear catapults. (Hey, they never explained why Diamond Force gets catapults whereas the other VF-11s launch normally. )

I thoughjt it was because Diamond Force was a sort of rapid response force. They were depoyed to the area that looked like it was going to need the most attention the fastest. Hence why they got better fighters and better pilots.

376980[/snapback]

I guessed as much, but they never really explained or showed their importance in the TV series. They just looked like ace-like normal cannon fodder protecting the fleet with better fighters and a squadron name.

That's why in the movie they must be made to look like a rapid response force or a deep striker force, causing chaos and confusion in the enemy in the midst of battle. An elite force just like how Skull Squadron was portrayed in SDF and DYRL?

[macplus]

GREAT IDEA!!!!, HOWEVER IT'LL BE INDEED VERY LONG, MAYBE A 4 EPISODE OVA

[JB0]

Spill some Coke in your shift key?

[maxjenius81]

I think this is a pretty cool idea. Ive always felt the core Macross 7 story wasn't that bad, but it was just simply far too long and probably would have been much better as a 39 or 26 eps series. So chopping it down to movie format would be nifty.

[Hikuro]

My honest opinion......good idea, I'd probably have the movie take place hmmmmmmmmmm maybe after Sound Force is recgonized or something.....but the valks would have to look very punkish and very well detailed, and if Shoji Kawamori was working on it, like all his movie variations it would indeed be very dark looking.

[Neova]

Actually a great idea but 2 M7 movies were already made: M7 - The Movie and M7 Dynamite.

It would be great if Kawamorie-San would "detail up" and maybe militarize the Sound Force so those valkyries would become more acceptable. Macross Zero like CGI and some big ass dogfights could make this awesome.

However, the tree hugging, final fantasy movie like Spiritia concepts would still keep the M7 haters from really liking it.

But M7's times has passed so its not going to happen. I would love to see Kawamorie-San and Big West get together and make a M:VFX/VFX2 movie and then a TV series!

Edited March 6, 2006 by Neova

[wolfx]

My honest opinion......good idea, I'd probably have the movie take place hmmmmmmmmmm maybe after Sound Force is recgonized or something.....but the valks would have to look very punkish and very well detailed, and if Shoji Kawamori was working on it, like all his movie variations it would indeed be very dark looking.

377050[/snapback]

I was thinking the same thing, except we have to portray Gamlin's jealousy/rivalry/annoyance with Basara, and that has to be portrayed before Basara becomes an official military sanctioned force. So there's a buildup of rivalry from when Basara was a civilian until he becomes a member of Sound Force. Gamlin's annoyance and irritation is further fueled by the establishment of Emerald Force as Diamond Force gets the backseat. (Poor Gamlin)

So i'd say timeline will be the same as the TV series, except all the middle filler stuff in between removed. There'll only be 3-4 major battles instead of the TV's "failed enemy attack of the week" episodes.

And Btw, Lord Geppernitch badly needs a makeover, especially his(her) final form. Probably a more bio-mechanical monstrosity ala Escaflowne movie version instead of a flash of light and voila.....Super-Geppernitch.

[azrael]

Actually a great idea but 2 M7 movies were already made: M7 - The Movie and M7 Dynamite.

Yes, but those 2 take place during and after the series, respectively.

Something to also think about is, take the major highlights from the series and then work from there. Now, you can introduce the Varauta army and Protodevlin as unknowns, or, bypass that and jump straight in. If we allow some minor changes, like the Escaflowne movie, then let's see. I'll just name what I thought were the important events.

1) Introduction of Fire Bomber.

2) Seperation of City 7. There's a bit of character development in this 10-episode arc, so it might be nice to include it, or at least the character development from this arc.

3) Sound Force. Now, where in their development is up in the air and something you can figure. Another idea from this is character development. Mylene begins to understand why Basara sings when she's out there now. Gamlin also begins to understand why they are needed and since Mylene is out there now, he sees what the power of song is doing.

4) Planet Rax. This is key for the Protodevlin origin and from some of them, to have a change of heart (ie. the Spiritia Farm may not be the best idea). You could move this to somewhere else, say when City 7 got seperated, but the key is, we got to know who the Protodevlin are.

5) Battle in Varauta System. Operation Stargazer can be omitted because it doesn't do much or you can rework it in, but in a 2-hour setting, I would leave it out. And we don't need to revisit a planet twice in 1 movie. And you can't forget the finale.

These are what I would consider the necessary things to pull out of the TV series. How you want to play with it, is up to you. Retell the story, but under a different perspective, like Escaflowne.

[Keith]

Considering the longer length, I think it needs to be a Gundam Trilogy styled affair (but with 100% new animation), though they can re-use dialogue if they wanted.

I also say throw Emilia in as a main character, and have a rivalry between her & Mylene. Also, full frontal Sivil Nudity at some point. Oh, and the flower girl would have to smack Gamlin at some point for getting in her way...

[jenius]

I feel like Tom Hanks' character in BIG. I just don't get it. A movie version of Macross7 ought to have a darker more foreboding feel. How can you accomplish that with a guy dancing through battles while piloting his mech with a guitar and never hurting anyone? There really aren't even that many deaths in the show either, the "vampires" normally just suck the "spiritia" out of their foes. No, I don't think this story would make a good movie at all.... UNLESS

You would have to do it as a kiddy-fied version! Do it super-deformed (Super-Deformed Fortress Macross SEVEN) and otherwise Pokemon it out. If you went for that feel you could certainly make it foreboding to children at times and you wouldn't even need to update the look of the Protodevlin. In this kiddy version you would start with a BOMBA! concert and then have them shoot out into Space a la Voltron when the Varatu appear. After their combined "SOUND ATTACK!" the Varatu would run away. After the mystery of where the bad guys came from and a few bad guy victories (where they suck the spirita out of a few characters) the magic Sound Force would go to their planet and subdue them with the "ULTIMATE SOUND ATTACK!" It would end with super-deformed Basara giving super-deformed Geppy a hug and credits would roll as he turned to the camera, gave a big thumbs up, and yelled "BOMBA!"

Now that, is how the Mac7 movie would work.

Edited March 6, 2006 by jenius

[Keith]

I still don't see how some of you can call 7 kiddy just because of the presence of bright colors....it's anime, of course there are bright colors! 7 got quite dark when it needed to be.

[jenius]

It featured a non-violent protagonist who danced around to evade the enemy. The only people who could continue to suspend their disbelief during that performance are children.

[wolfx]

It featured a non-violent protagonist who danced around to evade the enemy.  The only people who could continue to suspend their disbelief during that performance are children.

377099[/snapback]

And people don't seem to have a problem with Kira Yamato cuz he has beam riflezzzzzz.

Its not hard to believe that Basara is capable of feats of uber ace pilotness while singing. But granted the series made it look like Basara was avoiding turtles squirting water. Maybe if a few itano-circuses and Basara avoids them like Max, you wouldn't call it childish?

[Final Vegeta]

Maybe if a few itano-circuses and Basara avoids them like Max, you wouldn't call it childish?

Exactly. I too had the idea of a movie remake for M7. I think it should start with a battle where there is an enemy fighter chasing Basara inside the city, and they fly under bridges, smash buildings in tight turns, that kind of stuff, all while Basara sings. At the end the enemy regain consciousness; since this is a movie everything should be more powerful since the start, including Basara's songs.

After the first battle Battle 7 and City 7 are split. In Battle 7 there is Mylene (who gains her own Valkyrie at this point) and Gamlin (so that they could start building their relationship). In City 7 there is Basara and (obviously) Milia. One side learns something from the prisoner, the other from Lux planet. They have the first encounters with the Protodevilns, the reunite, Sound Force get soundboosters, and then I think there should be the final battle (with parts of Operation Stargazer in it).

Sospension of disbelief is not really a problem, even serious movies may have questionable plot points, but when everything is resolved with action (usually violent action) people no longer notice the buildup. For a Macross 7 movie, a slapstick style is fine; you don't need to kill people, or to get blood on screen, just show that when someone is hit he feels some kind of pain, while buildings don't get this exemption. FLCL was done this way and was still cool.

But first of all, redesign Protodevilns

FV