Macross 7

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Image:Macross7.JPG Macross 7 is the name of a Macross TV series and its eponymous ship, the Macross 7.

The Series

Macross 7 is an anime television series. It is a spin-off of the show The Super Dimension Fortress Macross that takes place many years after the events of the first series following a cast of mostly new characters. The show ran from October 16 1994 to September 24, 1995 at 11:00 AM, and 49 episodes were aired. Currently the series is not licensed for distribution in any English-speaking country. This is due to both licensing issues involving the music, and an ongoing dispute between Big West and Tatsunoko Productions/Harmony Gold over who controls the right to create and distribute derivatives of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross outside of Japan.

Macross 7 is best known for its music, and since the show began airing over a dozen albums have been released by the fictional band Fire Bomber that stars in the show. Macross 7 exists in the official Studio Nue chronology, with story concept by Shoji Kawamori and mechanical designs by Mr. Kawamori and Kazutaka Miyatake.

The story follows the band Fire Bomber, led by Basara Nekki. They inhabit the 37th colonial fleet's main spacecraft, Macross 7 (which the series gains its title from). The ship comes under attack from enemies call Protodeviln from the planet Varauta. Conventional warfare proves costly and ineffective against them, but - borrowing from the original series' roots - the power of Basara's music helps turn the tide of the conflict.

Macross 7 receives a mixed response from the audience, often for reasons including the series' early episodes' slow pacing and repetitiveness, as well as unusual mecha designs. At the same time, many applauded Macross 7 for its unique take on the Macross universe, the songs, and character developments.

Nevertheless, it is a commercial success, spawning its own manga, music albums, theatrical release, OVAs, and video games.

A theatrical episode, Macross 7: Ginga ga Ore wo Yondeiru! (Macross 7: The Galaxy's Calling Me!), was released in 1995. Several OVAs were also released, including Macross 7: Encore and later, Macross Dynamite 7.

The primary characters are:

The events of Macross 7 are directly related to the formation of "Sound Force" units, one of which (the Milky Dolls) is featured in the first Macross game for the Sony PlayStation, Macross Digital Mission VF-X.

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The Ship

Image:Raylovelock.JPG The ship Macross 7 is the seventh member of the New Macross class of deep space colonization ships. Other ships of the class include Macross Five and Macross Thirteen. It consists of two parts:

City 7: an enormous, egg-shaped spacecraft with a pressurized dome containing an entire city. It has a clam-like "lid" which can close over the dome to provide protection during attacks (known as "shell down"), and whose inner surface projects an image of an Earth-like sky. The city's mayor is Milia Fallyna Jenius. Smaller pods attached to the main city-ship contain additional city blocks, including the unregistered block Akusho, a district of crumbling, empty buildings in which Basara lives.
Battle 7: a battle carrier (similar to the Uraga class carrier), it can launch squadrons of variable fighters, including the elite Diamond Force, when attacked. It can also detach and transform into an approximately three-quarter-mile-high robot, equipped with a powerful Macross Cannon that can decimate an enemy battle fleet. The captain is Maximilian Jenius, with advice provided by Exsedol Folmo, whose (macronized) head is visible in the bridge.

Macross 7 is accompanied on its long journey by a large fleet, including armed escort craft and support vessels containing entertainment facilities (such as the resort ship Riviera, containing an artificial beach, the entertainment ship Hollywood, and the science ship Einstein). The latter are linked to the mothership by the "Milky Road", a web of guidance beams enabling smaller vessels to travel safely between the larger ships. All vessels are capable of faster-than-light travel ("space fold"), though Macross 7 requires up to four hours' charging before it is capable of folding.

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