The news that a 4K remastering project for "Macross 7," part of the popular anime series "Macross," has begun is generating a lot of buzz. "Macross 7" is a sequel produced in 1994, approximately 11 years after the first installment in the series, "Super Dimension Fortress Macross." "Listen to my song!" is a famous line that symbolizes the protagonist, Basara Nekki. Basara's passionate way of life, trying to end the war through song, left a strong impact. We spoke with director Tetsuro Amino, who worked on the anime, about the production process, and also with Mitsuhiro Shoji, the technical coordinator at Coupe, the company in charge of the remastering, about the 4K remastering.
◇The power of song was immense.
"Songs," "love triangles (romance)," and "transformable fighters (mecha)" are said to be the three main elements of the "Macross" series. "Macross 7" put one of these elements, "songs," to the forefront. The in-story band "FIRE BOMBER," led by Basara, was in charge of the theme song and other songs in the film, and they became huge hits. Director Amino prefaced his remarks by saying, "I've forgotten what it was like back then," but then recalled, "The power of the songs was immense."
"The songs weren't particularly groundbreaking even for their time. Older generations were familiar with them, while younger people might have found them fresh. They were easy to groove to. We had Shiro Sasaki from Victor work hard to create the songs. I thought it was natural for there to be songs since the band was the main focus, but having that many songs was unusual for the time. Basara was said to be someone who didn't think things through much, but that made it easy for me to play him. People often say that 'Macross' is about songs, love triangles, and mecha, but the love triangle aspect might be a bit questionable. I went all-in on Basara. For some reason, I'm the only man at events featuring the divas of 'Macross,' so it's unique. Maybe that was a good thing."
Director Amino aimed to create an anime that middle school students could enjoy.
"You know that thing called 'middle school syndrome'? When I think back to my own experience, it was when I was in my first or second year of middle school. I became interested in foreign films, and that influenced me. I felt like I'd failed if any film wasn't interesting to a middle schooler. Middle school syndrome is important. I want people to go through all sorts of experiences and use them to their advantage."
He says that the dubbing process is still the most memorable for him. Dubbing is the process of combining audio material with video.
"The recorder had a lot of tracks, but it was on tape. We had to rewind it, and it took a lot of time. We also had to synchronize the vocals. The sound engineers did a great job. I wasn't able to participate in the dubbing of the final episode of the TV series because I was swamped with work on the movie version, but it took about 24 hours."
While it's common now for anime to air for one season, back then, many anime series ran for a full year. In the 1990s, Director Amino worked on a year-long anime series almost every year.
"Macross 7 was a hit, and it was a great experience. It was fun. I was a bit selfish at times, but I still gained fans. It's an amazing series that has continued for 30 years. Lately, I've felt a little embarrassed telling younger Macross fans who aren't from the Macross 7 generation that 'I was in it too.' But now it's going to be in 4K, so I'll be able to say, 'Yeah, I was in it!' (laughs)."
◇The red of the Fire Valkyrie is even more beautiful
The 4K remastered Blu-ray disc (BD) box set, "Macross 7 Re.MASTER FIRE!! 4K ULTRA HD Blu-ray BOX," includes all 49 episodes of the TV series, three previously unaired episodes ("On Stage," "Which Do You Like?" and "The Strongest Women's Fleet"), the theatrical film "Macross 7 the Movie: The Galaxy Is Calling Me!", and all four episodes of the OVA (Original Video Animation) "Macross Dynamite 7."
The original 35mm negative film will be scanned and remastered in 4K. According to director Amino, "At the time, many TV series were produced using 16mm negatives. 'Macross 7' was produced using 35mm negatives, but it was delivered to the TV station in 16mm format." "Macross 7" was produced using high-quality 35mm negative film with the video (VHS) and laserdisc (LD) releases of the time in mind.
Shoji said, "The TV series has nearly 50 episodes, and there are also theatrical films and OVAs, so the sheer volume of material is incredible. The film is 30 years old, but it was in good condition. There were no scratches or deterioration due to age. That's why we were able to do it." After listening to Director Amino's opinions, Shoji solidified the direction of the remaster, saying, "The colors of the Fire Valkyrie were very striking. We tried to make sure those colors didn't change."
The Fire Valkyrie is striking with its vibrant red color, and director Amino said, "It was 30 years ago, so there are some things I don't know, but in my impression, it was originally close to the red I requested. A red Valkyrie is rare and unique, and I felt that the Fire Valkyrie had to stand out in the film."
Shoji explained his process, saying, "The Fire Valkyrie is a key color, and the color had to be the same in each episode. We made sure that viewers wouldn't feel any sense of incongruity."
"It's not simply a matter of showing things that exist but are hard to see; we also have to consider the director's intentions and choose not to show them. Film grain contains color noise. Removing that and bringing it closer to cel animation is a recent trend. The color noise contained in film grain muddies the colors, so removing it and bringing it closer to the clear colors of cel animation is the recent trend. It looks beautiful even to the digital generation. It's not that the grain is bad, but after talking with the director, we decided that it would be better without it this time, and that's how we remastered it. As a result, it looks like a modern anime. Macross 7 has a flashy and exciting feel to it, and I think you'll get hooked."
After seeing "Macross 7" revived for the modern era with the latest technology, director Amino said he felt, "It's become so clear! This is what modern anime should be like!"
"Film changes depending on the shooting process and development. The shooting material was cel animation, and the background was drawn on paper. I think the beauty of the cel animation comes through directly. Film has grain, which has its own merits, but I felt that this is what happens when you use cel animation as is."
Shoji expressed his confidence, saying, "This was made possible because technology has emerged that can reproduce the amount of information in the film and the colors of the cells. You can also clearly see the transmitted light. I think you will be able to experience a new 'Macross 7'." Director Amino added, "It's a new work! Don't watch it out of nostalgia! Look at the present! Just watch it without complaining! If you want to watch it out of nostalgia, you can just watch the video. It has a refined feel to it, and I would be happy if you could make new discoveries."
The 4K remastered Blu-ray box set is available for pre-order through Bandai Namco Filmworks' official shopping site "A-on STORE" and Bandai Namco Group's official shopping site "Premium Bandai". Orders are being accepted until June 30th, and if the target number of orders is reached, it will be released on October 16th, 2027. Additional specifications (included bonuses) will be added depending on the number of pre-orders. (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
