Pure TokyoScope Podcast 101: The Macross Movie 40th Anniversary Party!
Patrick Macias and Matt Alt bring you pop culture from Japan!
In this episode of the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast, authors Matt Alt (Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World) and Patrick Macias (Mondo Tokyo: Dispatches from a Secret Japan) welcome guest Rentao Rivera to the show to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? released in Japan in July, 1984.
Show Notes!
Renato Rivera Rusca is an Assistant Producer, Academic researcher, writer, and lecturer on topics ranging from Japanese popular culture, media and subculture.
Macross Movie Key Visual and Poster
(Click to watch complete film with English subs)
Original Theatrical Trailer
Macross - Clash of the Bionoids (1984) UNCUT
The Macross Summer ‘84 TV Special (Subtitled)
Macross Summer ‘84 Pinbadge
What is the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast? Well… Author and fellow Substack writer Matt Alt and I have been recording together for over a year now.
Our show is a mix of Japanese pop culture news and features and some of our best episodes to date have been:
New Book from the Author and Editor of TokyoScope Blog!
Mondo Tokyo - Dispatches From a Secret Japan
On Sale Now!
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I have the VHS that I believe was released in Japan while the film was still screening or shortly thereafter (purchased via Books Nippan with gift money I got from my high-school graduation in 1987), which cost like $110 USD at the time. The VHS opens with various trailers, from simple concept trailers prior to any new footage. to the proper final trailers), then the film begins with the scene of Exesdol and Bretai discussing their strange new foes, finally ends with the credits over black with "Angel's Paints" playing, and included the unaltered head-crushing and decapitation scenes.
On the subbed version in England, I also assumed it was a bootleg because my memory of Kiseki (spelling?) was that like Crunchyroll, they started as bootleggers but evolved to legit status.
So I found the tape on ebay, the seller wisely had a good shot of the back of the clamshell, and lo and behold, it says ‘licensed from L.A.Hero’ which was the company that created U.S. Renditions at Books Nippan. The owner of L.A.Hero went on to work for Bandai and was head of Bandai Visual USA…
That’s a very interesting data point. They had released Macross II, I wonder if they got the Macross movie as part of the deal but HG put the kabosh on an American release? Kevin Seymour would know but I think he passed away.
Oh Bandai, your ‘we gotta do this secretly find a patsy to front for us’ games never end. 😆