ADV Films presents

Robotech #12: New Generation: Counter Strike (1985)

"You either break out of this rat's nest now or you're going to become sharecroppers on an Invid protoculture farm."- 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

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (Mild animated violence)
Run Time: 01h:12m:08s
Release Date: 2002-02-05
Genre: anime

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B+	B+	B+	B+	D

 

DVD Review

The second of four discs in the final story arc of Robotech continues the tale of a small band of freedom fighters out to destroy the heart of the Invid presence on Earth. Fairly episodic in nature, the six installments here give more background to many of the characters and introduce a new companion into the fold. This disc takes us to the halfway into the Mospeada-based segment of the series.In Eulogy, the fighters come upon a town full of soldiers who seem to be having too much of a good time with the Invid threat hanging over their heads. What they discover is the presence of a wartime hero, who has been keeping the town safe through his attacks on a nearby Invid stronghold. When Scott signs on for an assault, the rest of the team uncover the truth about this arrangement, one that will cause some internal friction if it isn't resolved quickly.If battling marauding invaders wasn't bad enough, Scott, Rand and Annie meet up with more primitive foes in The Genesis Pit. Here, the first hints at what the Invid are really up to begins to make itself known. In Enter Marlene, the past comes back to haunt Scott as the team makes a startling discovery, and the Invid take their own actions at putting an end to their human opponents by planting a spy in their midst. The final three episodes again unite crew members with people from their past, as the way across an imposing mountain range housing an Invid stronghold presents the team with another formidable challenge. The Secret Route, The Fortress and Sandstorms round out the episodes on this disc.The character development continues to expand, as memories from the past are intertwined with the present. Most of the crew gets some form of background presented, and the individual strengths in each's personalities creates the opportunity for conflict. We also get our first real introduction to the Invid, and their plans for the Earth. By the end of this disc we have traveled deep within the Invid world and caught our first real impressions of how difficult it will be to overcome them. The story continues to be interesting, and is strung together with each chapter closing before moving on to the next. Overall continuity remains intact, while on a somewhat different tangent than the two previous segments of the series. On the human side, the mecha in New Generation is not all that different from the Masters or Macross portions. The newest gear are morphing motorcycles which become battle armor, and an updated Veritech which looks different, but transforms just like the originals. The Invid on the other hand, are completely different from either the Zentraedi or Robotech Masters, with their scout, enforcer and shocktrooper mecha having a more crablike resemblence. I'm finding New Generation to be a bit more enjoyable than some of the earlier parts of Robotech, primarily due to the more casual dialogue, as it seems the voice actors are a lot more relaxed than before. There is still lots of action, and new things to discover with each installment.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B+

 

Image Transfer

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

Image Transfer Review: Faring better than some of the discs in the Macross portion of the show, the transfers here are pretty even throughout, still exhibiting the grain found throughout the show, but with strong color and only the occasional shift going on. Print defects are minor. Aside from the speckling due to the grain, this looks pretty good.

Image Transfer Grade: B+
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: English-only audio is on par with the rest of the series, limited in frequency bandwidth, a little heavy on the sibilance, and with a barely perceptable amount of background hiss. The odd bit of edginess in the dialogue here and there, but nothing persistent or overbearing. No real surprises 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 Princess Nine, 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: Since the box sets contain a third disc of goodies, chapter selections and trailers are the only extras here. Included this round are Princess Nine,Soul Hunter,A.D. Police, Those Who Hunt Elves, Dirty Pair Flash and Farscape..

Extras Grade: D
 

Final Comments

Disc twelve brings us halfway through the final story arc with another six episodes from the Mospeada-based New Generation segment. The face of the enemy becomes more exposed, as do the interpersonal relations between the human cast. Plenty of action, and lots of adventure are in store. The release is solid, and quality is on the better end of the scale for the series.

Jeff Ulmer 2002-01-30