It's safe to say that most people who get into city pop are already into other aspects of Japanese culture, especially anime. Needless to say there's a lot of crossover between the Anime industry and the Japanese music scene, with many popular bands performing iconic intros, outros, and soundtrack pieces to our favorite animes. Of course that includes many city pop artists. If you are a City Pop fan, in particular, there are a few Animes out there that perfectly encapsulate the City Pop experience, from the aesthetic to the story, and of course, the soundtrack. One of those happens to be a childhood favorite of mine; Super Dimension Fortress Macross, or Robotech if you lived in America.
The show's story had been described as "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles", which is pretty accurate. The show chronicles the voyage of the titular battleship, Macross as it's lost in space on a journey to return to earth, all while fighting against the menace of the alien race of giants, The Zentradi. All the while following the story of a rookie pilot named Hikaru Ichijyo (or Rick Hunter if you prefer) stuck in a love triangle between Macross crew member, Misa Hayase, and pop-idol star Lynn Minmay. Not only did this classic show have an amazing soundtrack, but the music was literally woven into the central plot of the story. One of the running themes of the original show and other iterations in the series (particularly Macross II) is the significance of culture and how it can be shared through music, which as it parallels the history of the growth of city pop. On top of that,
(major spoilers for a 40-year-old show), the crew eventually uses the power of pop music to defeat the alien menace by
(I'm not kidding by the way), projecting a hologram of a Japanese idol (Minmay), sing to scramble the brains of the Zentradi pilots so that they're too confused/irritated to fight... Yeah, it's safe to say this Sci-Fi show was definitely more "Fiction" than "Science".
Despite its effect on the alien mind, Minmay's singing throughout the show is really good. If you're a fan of idol music, you'll fall in love with memorable anthems like "
Silver Moon-Red Moon", "
Runner", "
My Boyfriend's a Pilot", and of course, "
Do You Remember Love", which was featured in the Movie version of the TV series. Minmay happens to be voiced by real-life musician Mari Iijima, who launched her career by working on the anime as a voice actress and composer for the show. City Pop fans may recognize Ijima from her debut album, Rose, produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
In terms of aesthetics, Macross definitely goes for a retro-futuristic vibe, or maybe it just feels like it since the show is before my time. When the city shifts from the dramatic battles to the daily lives and romances of the cast, we get glimpses of the actual city they live in, both on Macross Island, and the city inside of the super-dimensional fortress (when it's not getting decimated from the ship transforming into a giant robot). There's nothing too distinct about it, as it's your typical futuristic depiction from the 80s, complete with robot soda machines, hologram game arcades, and loads of disjointed vague neon lights. These scenes look especially great in the movie version of Macross, with its improved animation budget.
The original Macross is a show that I'm currently rewatching now, and while certain things don't hold up, I still find it enjoyable. I think it's a show everyone should experience at least once, especially for the music alone, but I personally found the story pretty good as well. While I have my gripes on who Hikaru ultimately ends up with (which I'm sure every Macross fan has their own take), I found the way they handled romance between different characters throughout the show pretty compelling. You definitely won't be able to eat pineapples for a while (you'll get it once you get there). However, if you prefer not to sit through 36 episodes of janky early 80s animation, the movie version, entitled "Macross: Do You Remember Love?", is also an option. Complete with better animation, a condensed story, and an exclusive song number not found in the show. Let me know what you thought of the series. Did you prefer the tv show or the movie? Are you a Misa or a Minmay stan? And what other anime do you think fits the city pop aesthetic?
I think after having watched "Yamato" and "Gatchaman", "Macross" was the next epic anime that I caught as a kid. I saw it first in its "Robotech" incarnation and didn't think much of the music done Stateside (though I enjoyed the series), but then I caught the movie "Do You Remember Love?" and I was immediately entranced by how much more polished and condensed it was. Plus the music by Kentaro Haneda was amazing, especially with the added strings, the overarching new theme for the movie and of course, Iijima's "Ai wo Oboeteimasu ka". I used to listen to that soundtrack when I was pulling all-nighters.
ReplyDeleteGatchaman was another anime that defined my childhood. Specifically, the 1994 OVA. While I have as soft spot for Robotech, the movie is definitely the definitive way to experience Macross. And yea, Kentaro Haneda is a genius, I actually used one of his songs for a short film project a couple of years ago.
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