Yet Another DYRL Review

[yellowlightman]

So after taking a break from Macross fandom I decided to write up a review of DYRL for the world's most hated anime blog:

http://www.colonydrop.com/index.php/2009/0...ber-love?blog=1

There's some decent discussion in the comments, although I'm guessing most people here will complain that I didn't acknowledge it as the Best Film Ever Made.

[TheLoneWolf]

Ahh, as much as I like DYRL, I must say that it's very refreshing to read a critical review of it from someone who's taken off their rose-colored fanboy goggles. I agree with all of the criticisms listed, but I think the review came down a little too hard on DYRL's fragmented plot. Yes, the storyline is probably confusing to those who haven't seen SDF Macross, but I don't believe it was Kawamori's intent to rope in new fans with DYRL. I've always viewed DYRL as a gracious "Thank you" card to the existing Macross fanbase...and a cash grab.

[Freiflug88]

as cynical as old-school evangelist as I may be, I fully understand why many fans of Macross Frontier have absolutely no interest in earlier Macross productions, no matter how often they may be referenced throughout Frontier.

Are you referring to those annoying new-school anime fans that won't give any pre-90s anime because they think old anime looks hideous, Yellowlightman? I agree with your comments that DYRL's plot is flawed especially on its own if considered a standalone movie, but I know it can't be the flawed plot keeping new Macross Frontier uninterested in previous Macross works considering that no plot is flawless.

[Jasonc]

The story was quite easy to understand, even without watching Robotech or Macross. I'm going off of a group of friends that watched it about a year ago for the first time. The backstory is spelled out enough to get the idea of what is going on. As far as being fragmented, I can understand that. That subjective opinion has been voiced before. I guess it really depends on each individual.

I've always been under the belief too, that the movie was always a "thank you" to the fans, and just a supplement, not the be all, end all for that time segment of the Macross franchise. If you thought this movie was fragmented and whatnot, I hope you watched the classic Akira...now that's a mindf!@k, if I ever saw one.

[Einherjar]

I watched Clash of the Bionoids first without knowledge of the rest of it long ago and had no idea what the hell I just saw. It was a random movie I rented at the video store one weekend. Of course, that edit was a bad introduction to the series by itself. DYRL cleared everything up when I eventually got to it.

[Roy Focker]

Just started reading this review and found this line,

but also helped usher in overseas Japanimation fandom as one third of the masterpiece Robotech

Should I continue reading after that?

[Save]

DYRL SUMMER OF 84 just proves how old we all are, even though most of us didn't see it till almost 86.

We have finally earned the right to point our finger and the new anime generation and say "In my day......... blah blah blah blah blah".

[Kronnang Dunn]

The story was quite easy to understand, even without watching Robotech or Macross.

Same here. My first contact with Macross was through Robotech. I watched DYRL for the first time in 1998 and understood pretty much anything. By that time I already knew Macross was the original japanese series but I didn't know why DYRL was different. Actually I didn't care at all. All I cared for were the mecha and the action sequences. I was very surprised at the quality of the animation, which I found amazing for a 1984 anime film. I still think that DYRL is the best hand-made anime mecha film ever made...

The only other hand-made sci-fi anime film nearly as good released before DYRL must be Final Yamato (1983), but DYRL designs look waaay more advanced and sophisticated than any other hand-made anime film from the early 80s.

Edited August 8, 2009 by Kronnang Dunn

[Killer Robot]

I have to go with the review on this one, having seen DYRL before the TV series myself. It's a very pretty movie (and in 1995 or so looked even fresher than it does now), but that's about all it's got going for it. Some cool scenes strung together by a barely coherent plot, and characters that really don't have that much meat of their own. When you know the series it all snaps together wonderfully, but it's just not a movie that stands very well on its own feet. Which isn't really an indictment - it was made for fans of the show and is great for its chosen audience. It's just not something to come in to cold, any more than you should start watching SDFM at episode 28 even if it is starting a new story arc and giving some flashbacks.

[HannouHeiki]

Ahh, as much as I like DYRL, I must say that it's very refreshing to read a critical review of it from someone who's taken off their rose-colored fanboy goggles. I agree with all of the criticisms listed, but I think the review came down a little too hard on DYRL's fragmented plot. Yes, the storyline is probably confusing to those who haven't seen SDF Macross, but I don't believe it was Kawamori's intent to rope in new fans with DYRL. I've always viewed DYRL as a gracious "Thank you" card to the existing Macross fanbase...and a cash grab.

Yeah, I've also thought it as a "love letter to the fans."

[HannouHeiki]

DYRL SUMMER OF 84 just proves how old we all are, even though most of us didn't see it till almost 86.

We have finally earned the right to point our finger and the new anime generation and say "In my day......... blah blah blah blah blah".

Lol, I feel the same way when I try to tell a young-un what Gunbuster is.

[Bri]

DYRL is visually still very impressive. Both mechanical and character designs are unsurpassed. Still I can easily imagine why younger anime fans are put of by it. Animation wise in modern anime, 3d-rendering software allows for greater accuracy in perspective and computer aided coloring allows for a greater color palette and blending. The lack of these two make DYRL look dated.

DYRL has the problem that the characters don't conform to the post evangelion stereo types. Combine that with a hard to grasp plot and the lower exposure to mecha in general these days then the less then stellar responses from the young uns are easily explained.

Also: taken from real life altough translated for viewer convenience:

"What is Gunbuster?"

It's the predecessor of Neon Genesis.

"*Puppy eyes*, Neon Genesis?"

*feels old*... well you must have heard of the Eva movies?

"Oh, that one with the big robots? Bleh, I dont like mecha, and the main character was lame, the emo thing is so cliche..."

"And it had those rip offs of Makoto and Nagato, seriously...why do they have to copy Kyoani?"

Ermm...

Edited August 8, 2009 by Bri

[Gubaba]

Just started reading this review and found this line,

but also helped usher in overseas Japanimation fandom as one third of the masterpiece Robotech

Should I continue reading after that?

That's where I stopped reading, too.

Does that make me closed-minded?

[treatment]

I, uhh, thought MW-forum actually has a dedicated forum-section for Reviews?

like, over at http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showforum=18

Edited August 9, 2009 by treatment

[Graham]

I'd only watched a couple of random SDFM TV episodes and no Robotech, before I watched DYRL in 1988. I didn't find DYRL confusing or difficult to follow at all. Still think it's one of the top 3 greatest anime movies of all time. Graham

[VF5SS]

DYRL is arguably more important to the franchise than the TV series. Especially in early VHS culture where getting 36 episodes worth of tapes was a hassle but one movie is easy to watch again and again.

[Renato]

DYRL is a film I get entranced in. It's one of those rare things that once you start watching, you cannot pull your eyes away. I love the art in it, the music, everything. But yes, the story is too complex, and the character development is next to nil, unfortunately.

It still pulls me back in with each viewing because I always find some tiny detail I missed the first 300 times I saw it. In fact, I was just talking to Yellowlightman about this the other day: there was actually a plot point that, in all the times I viewed the film, I never understood regarding Minmay which I finally, finally understood the last time I watched it, a few months ago. My wife is not into anime, sci-fi or anything so I had to explain stuff for hours after viewing, and it was tough. But hearing my own explanations helped me to complete the dots about the points I had missed.

You're certainly not a spoon-fed in this film, that's for sure. But it is, nevertheless, excellent.

[Renato]

I, uhh, thought MW-forum actually has a dedicated forum-section for Reviews?

like, over at http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showforum=18

The last post there was in 2007. Would you have read it if it had been posted there?

[HannouHeiki]

DYRL is a film I get entranced in. It's one of those rare things that once you start watching, you cannot pull your eyes away. I love the art in it, the music, everything. But yes, the story is too complex, and the character development is next to nil, unfortunately.

It still pulls me back in with each viewing because I always find some tiny detail I missed the first 300 times I saw it. In fact, I was just talking to Yellowlightman about this the other day: there was actually a plot point that, in all the times I viewed the film, I never understood regarding Minmay which I finally, finally understood the last time I watched it, a few months ago. My wife is not into anime, sci-fi or anything so I had to explain stuff for hours after viewing, and it was tough. But hearing my own explanations helped me to complete the dots about the points I had missed.

You're certainly not a spoon-fed in this film, that's for sure. But it is, nevertheless, excellent.

so what was the plot point, out of curiosity? I wonder if it might be something i might've missed as well..since I don't think I've quite watched it 300 times... (maybe 200....)

Btw, I have a wife who politely listens to

me explain my genre stuff as well lol.

Edited August 9, 2009 by OptimusX

[Renato]

I had never understood why Bodolzaa let Minmay back on the Macross, and then is surprised when he is informed that she had "gone missing".

Now I realize that they planned to use her to sing the song which he had found, with new added lyrics by the humans, and that would ultimately spell the end for the Meltran army. However, the lyrics were never completed (though, Misa would later break through with her translation of the lyric plate she found on the island), and Minmay "ran away". I had taken this to mean that she had run off the Zent ship by herself and somehow found her way back to the Macross, though that would be strange because the clear implication was that her presence in the press conference was meant to signify the aliens returning the hostages. In fact, that "ran away" and "missing" did not mean that she somehow left Zentradi captivity, but it actually meant that although she was supposed to sing anytime now, she had disappeared within the Macross. And apparently, only Hikaru could find her. And of course, only he would know she would run to the observation lounge thing.

Phew.

[taksraven]

I'd only watched a couple of random SDFM TV episodes and no Robotech, before I watched DYRL in 1988. I didn't find DYRL confusing or difficult to follow at all. Still think it's one of the top 3 greatest anime movies of all time. Graham

What are the other two in your top three, if you don't mind me asking?

Taksraven

[HannouHeiki]

I had never understood why Bodolzaa let Minmay back on the Macross, and then is surprised when he is informed that she had "gone missing".

Now I realize that they planned to use her to sing the song which he had found, with new added lyrics by the humans, and that would ultimately spell the end for the Meltran army. However, the lyrics were never completed (though, Misa would later break through with her translation of the lyric plate she found on the island), and Minmay "ran away". I had taken this to mean that she had run off the Zent ship by herself and somehow found her way back to the Macross, though that would be strange because the clear implication was that her presence in the press conference was meant to signify the aliens returning the hostages. In fact, that "ran away" and "missing" did not mean that she somehow left Zentradi captivity, but it actually meant that although she was supposed to sing anytime now, she had disappeared within the Macross. And apparently, only Hikaru could find her. And of course, only he would know she would run to the observation lounge thing.

Phew.

Lol, sometimes it helps to get that fresh perspective...sometimes interpretations get confined when you watch a movie 5-6 times a year for a decade and a half....