ADV Films presents

Robotech #11: New Generation: The Next Wave (1985)

"What am I doing on this terrible planet?"- Scott Bernard (Greg Snow)

Stars: Greg Snow, Reba West, Jonathan Alexander, Drew Thomas
Other Stars: Deanna Morris, Thomas Wyner, Brittany Harlow, Donn Warner, Alex Roberts, Tony Oliver, A. Gregory, Noel McGrath, Sandra Snow
Director: Robert Barron, Ippei Kuri

Manufacturer: IFPI
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (Mild animated violence)
Run Time: 01h:37m:21s
Release Date: 2002-02-05
Genre: anime

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
A-	B	B	B	D

 

DVD Review

Disc eleven in Robotech moves us into the third and final story arc, with the introduction of the New Generation, based on the original Japanese Genesis Climber Mospeada anime, commonly referred to simply as Mospeada. As with Macross and Southern Cross, Mospeada has been altered to fit into the Robotech's continuity, and also to make it more acceptable for North American TV, by removing any nudity. This disc contains episodes 61 to 67, The Invid Invasion, The Lost City, Lonely Soldier Boy, Survival, Curtain Call, Hard Times and Paper Hero.After the final battle with the Robotech Masters, the Earth faced the invasion of another alien force, the Invid, who sensed the maturing protoculture, and subsequently devastated the planet, becoming a new occupying force. Human existence has been reverted to an anarchistic state, as the survivors live in the ruins of their former civilization. Law and order are nowhere to be found. On the orders of Admiral Rick Hunter, the Earth's space fleet, who had been on a mission to destroy the home world of the Robotech Masters, return to Earth to free it of the Invid presence. Their arrival is disastrous however, as an onslaught of Invid forces destroy most of the fleet, leaving few to land safely. The lone survivor, Scott Bernard, sets out on his mission to locate the heart of the Invid presence, Reflex Point, but soon encounters more Invid fighters on the surface. He meets up with Rand, an independent freedom fighter, and after a rocky start, the two continue the search. However, most of Earth's inhabitants aren't as eager to see military personnel arriving, having lived in relative peace and quiet, though lacking the freedoms they once enjoyed. This leads to some awkward situations, but sets up encounters with more of the team that will form the cast. With the switchover to a new source series, once again the cast gets a refresh, and the majority of the first few episodes is used to set up Earth's current state and assemble the players, including the outgoing young Annie LaBelle, who is more interested in finding a husband than aliens; Jim Austen, a brawny lad better known as Lunk Rook Bartley; and finally a famous singer named Yellow Dancer. I found the personalities in this latest segment a lot more likeable, with a wittier and more sarcastic sense of humor. The interpersonal relationships are also being established, and there is some good tension developed. While the character designs and particularly the mecha are fairly different from series to series, Robotech maintains continuity through the incidental music, which has been used throughout, but also gets expanded here. A solid beginning to the final chapter in the Robotech Saga.

Rating for Style: A-
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: If you have been following thes series, the video presentation here comes as no surprise, with a fair amount of digital-looking grain. Colors for the most part are strong, though do have a dated quality to them. Black levels are solid. There is some internal ringing against highly contrasted character outlines. Grain aside, this disc looks to be on the better end of the scale for the series.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: Inherently limited in frequency coverage, the soundtrack is fine otherwise, with only a minimal amount of edginess in a few places of dialogue. Sibilance doesn't seem to be an issue, and the script is easily understood. No dramatic improvement over previous discs in this department.

Audio Transfer Grade: B 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 30 cues and remote access
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring Legend of Crystania, Soul Hunter, A.D. Police, Those Who Hunt Elves, Dirty Pair Flash, Farscape
Packaging: Scanavo
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extras Review: Once again, chapter selections and trailers are the only extras here. Included this round are Legend of Crystania,Soul Hunter,A.D. Police, Those Who Hunt Elves, Dirty Pair Flash and Farscape.A new menu theme is introduced, which in turn introduces this segment's story, and we get new background music as well. The spine art changes to green for the New Generation, but otherwise is consistent with the previous discs in the Robotech series.

Extras Grade: D
 

Final Comments

The eleventh installment in the Robotech collection brings the first seven episodes of the final Mospeada segment of the show, which starts over again for the story of Earth's fight against the Invid invaders. Disc one of New Generation introduces our cast, and begins the last battle between humanity and the protoculture-seeking alien forces. Lots of action, and more personable characters make this more enjoyable, so far. Video and audio source quality is on par with past discs, and as has been the case to date, the boxed editions offer the only real extras.

Jeff Ulmer 2002-01-30