The Anime Informing #StarKnight: The Macross Franchise

Any Space Opera taking queues from Japan will not fail to acknowledge the Macross franchise. Starting in 1982 with Super Dimension Fortress Macross (which many of you known as the most popular part of Robotech), this is the #2 Real Robot franchise in Japan and has been since its debut (following the king that is Gundam). The consistent presence music as a power unto itself, the love triangles that drive the relationships, and their combination in the form of music that has now had inter-generational influence in anison and J-pop (and brought about the rise of Living Goddess Yoko Kanno).

It's also the franchise that brought us proper transformables as Real Robots, something Gundam wouldn't do for three years (Zeta Gundam), and brought us the GERWALK name and mecha design concept. It would also meld the Hero Ship vs. Evil Fleet of Yamato with Gundam's use of mecha to represent the strike craft's emergence in WW2 as a deciding force in combat; later entries would build upon this idea, as seen in Macross 7, Macross Frontier, and Macross Delta. If Gundam had a reputation of being grimdark and nihilistic, Macross would go the other way (despite some horrific events of its own), and that contributed to its enduring popularity.

It isn't purely pulp, but you can see the DNA in its episodes, especially in what tropes it uses and how; Macross is one of the current homes of the Flying Ace hero trope, and it shows when a Macross show gets into a Super Robot Wars game. While you won't see the most obvious elements in Reavers, you will see one right away and it's going to be a consistent presence; you don't name a major character "Gabriela Robin" and not do that. More obvious Macross influences come down the road.

And now, some Macross viewing for your pleasure: