The Galaxy Network

February 7...

2012-01-30T08:29:00.001-08:00

For our third anniversary, we've got two (TWO!!) big projects about to debut! I'm sure you can all guess what one of them is, but the other one may be a surprise...

How Can You Fight a War if You're Scared of Booze?

2012-01-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

Right now...just doing what I do best... being a nit-picky fanboy.

This site has been helping me a lot... show some love and give 'em some traffic!

http://macrocosmosnet.web.fc2.com/macross/line-movie.html

Next on Macross

2012-01-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

Just started working on the movie proper the other night...but I did the "Angel's Paints" translation about two or three years ago...

Anyway, here's the single.

Previously on Macross...

2012-01-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm still not sure about actually finishing the TV series novelization, as there are other Macross books I'd rather be working on, but here's a taste... As well as being the only section of the novels that presents material not in the show, it also rather eerily parallels the Macross fanfic novelization I started writing in the mid-nineties...well before I knew of this novel's existence. I have no idea what to make of that fact.

Anyway, enjoy. And if you DO want the rest of the novels, let me know.

And, err...HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Oh...and I should add that the rather generic title, "Before the Launch" is my own invention. The first part of the novel (covering this, as well as episodes one and two) is called "Macross, Launch!" and this chapter is simply listed as "1."

A Question

2011-12-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

I've been working more recently on the three-volume Macross TV novelization by Toshiki Inoue, and...well, I'm coming to the conclusion that it really just isn't worth it. Not that the books are really BAD, per se, just that they pretty much just retell the show and add nothing new to the mix.

And because of that, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just forget about them and move on to other, more interesting projects.

Which brings me to my question: What do YOU guys want? Would you like a "short story" (i.e. the first chapter of the novel) that gives a bit of background on the day of the Macross's launch? Or do you want a full three-volume version, regardless of how unenthralling it is?

Please let me know!

The Alpha and the Omega...

2011-11-22T10:54:00.001-08:00

In other words, the OP and the ED.

If you REALLY know your Macross, you'll realize that I'm holding back on one of the OPs...

Don't worry. It'll show up again soon.

...And Now a Word from Our Sponsers...

2011-11-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's Macross Extra #3...

Try not to feel TOO envious of the kids back in '82 who could easily get Zentradi language stamps and such.

Incidentally, I'm especially proud of this release, since it's the first file that I did (almost) completely by myself. Boinger ripped the DVD, sure, but I translated it and mad the subs completely from scratch.

What a good boy am I, eh what?

EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA!

2011-10-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

So here's Extra Number Two...

...and here's the deal:

When Macross was first broadcast, A lot of the animation for Episode 11 arrived late, necessitating this terrible version.

Seriously, if you want to see the Macross staff with their pants down, Episode 25 isn't the best place to go...just check out this one.

Luckily (for us), the full animation was finished soon after the original broadcast, and that's the way the episode has been shown ever since.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

2011-10-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah, there is a TENTH disc on the remastered set...and here's Part 1 (of 4).

And here's the explanation:

When Macross was first set to air, the TV network was planning an "anime hour." The first half was to be Macross. The second half was to be an anime version of the '70s tokusatsu series "Rainbowman."

Unfortunately, when the broadcast date arrived, the first episode of Rainbowman was still incomplete. However, the first two episodes of Macross were finished, so the network asked the Macross staff to create a 50-minute "Macross Special."

This is what they came up with...

BATCH SIX!!

2011-10-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the end of the TV series... though not the end of the full set. Expect the extras and bonuses to come over the next couple of months, along with (I hope) more books and albums.

But yeah... this is it for the rapid-fire batch releases for quite a while. Batches 7 and 8 will take QUITE a bit longer to do, alas.

BATCH FIVE!! (New Version)

2011-10-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Nearly there...nearly, nearly there...

BATCH FOUR!! (New Version)

2011-10-12T09:10:00.001-07:00

Sooner than anticipated, it's here...Batch Four. I'm hoping to have Batch Five up next week, with the long-awaited Batch Six the following week.

All the work is done...it's just a matter of uploading it all.

BATCH THREE!! (New Version) (and More)

2011-10-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

'Nuff said, here's the new version of Batch Three along with the corrected version of the book, Dreaming Prelude.

I'm sorry about the slow upload speed, but not TOO sorry, since it's giving me time to finish up other Galaxy Network-related projects...December should be fun!

BATCH TWO!! (New Version)

2011-09-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the revised versions, here's the next batch. I'll probably have a version of My Fair Minmay with all the typos corrected up soon.

BATCH ONE!! (New Version)

2011-09-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Okay...I was going to do this eventually...but hey, no time like the present, right? So here's BATCH ONE, with the terminology regularized and all the little mistakes that have been bugging me finally corrected.

I'll try to get Batch Two up this time next week...but it may take two weeks. I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, enjoy!

August Update

2011-08-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on the absolute final version of the SDFM subs, changing some of the fonts, regularizing the terminology (on which my thinking evolved during the process; for example, at the beginning, I used "U.N. Spacy" a lot, despite the fact that that term never appears in the show. In later episodes I used "UN Forces"), and correcting all the little mistakes that slipped by me the first time.

The bad news is that all this involves some repositioning and retiming of some of the subs, but the first batch should be up soon. Episodes 35 and 36 will most likely not be released individually, but just as part of Batch 6. I'm not going to make a complete, full batch until we're done with DYRL and FB2012 as well, so it'll probably be around this time next year. A lot of it depends on how quickly I can do the DYRL novelization, though. It's a big book, with small print.

I'd also like to have the Misa novella finally finished by the end of September, but I can't promise anything...that book is exhausting and massively time-consuming (kind of like Misa herself. Although, also like Misa, if you spend the time working with it, it turns out to be great fun).

So yeah...batches soon.

Stop-Gap...

2011-08-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Big troubles and real life issues got in the way for the last few months, and they ain't stopping any time soon.

However, just to show we're not done, here's a little stop-gap release, "Jam Trip." It's like Macross Lounge.

Anyway, just wanted to note that the big batch torrent made by "anonymous" was done without my consent or knowledge. Te batches I already put up have been well-seeded since I uploaded them, and will continue to be so. As such, I'm a little annoyed by "Pineapple Salad" fansub's invitation to anyone to make a batch, and I hope their batch disappears quickly. (It also doesn't include any of what I consider the REAL meat and potatoes of this project: the books and drama albums.)

Anyway, we're not dead, and I'm still working on stuff whenever I have the energy.

I don't mind...

2011-08-03T06:01:00.000-07:00

...someone beating me to the bunch and releasing episodes 35 and 36, but making a batch, and leaving out the most important stuff is kind shitty.

The Most Frustrating Date Ever

2011-02-28T05:34:00.001-08:00

I understand you're upset that Minmay got pulled away from you, Hikaru...but dammit! Misa's waiting!!

Details here.

First Release of the New Year (and Belated Anniversary)

2011-02-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long wait, but here it is, EPISODE 33, the last Focker-centric episode (until Zero, that is).

This episode is also a little special for me, as it's the first episode on which I timed the subs as well as edited them. As most fansubbers can tell you, it's not really difficult work...just tedious. Still, I did it, and I'm proud of it.

Also, I meant to do a little write-up for our second birthday, last week...but days blended together, work got in the way, and I totally forgot about it until a few days ago.

At this point, the third year of Galaxy Network is shaping up pretty firmly, with a lot of projects coming out, some of them in the works for at least a couple of years.

First off, the Macross TV should be finished by April at the latest. I'm sorry this has taken so long...I really wanted it to be done late last year.

After that, we'll be releasing a few things concurrently. These include final revisions of the TV episodes. Nothing major, just a few little errors or changes of terminology that have bugged me for a while. Doing the series has been a learning process, and some of the terms I used when we first started (like "U.N. Spacy") don't really sit comfortably with me any more, and so I'd like to regularize everything. My hope is that, now that all the SDFM terms and names have been settled for me, it won't be a problem in future releases.

Next up will be the long-in-coming Misa Hayase: White Reminiscences novel. Let me be brutally honest about this: the translation is nowhere near being finished. My Fair Minmay was simplicity itself in comparison. But I feel like Misa herself is looking over my shoulder, nagging me to finish the book. And like Misa herself, the book is hard work, but totally worth the effort. I might put it up in installments, but I'd rather put the whole thing up in one big file.

Much easier than the Misa novel is the SDF Macross novelization trilogy. If all goes well, the chapters of these books will be replacing the TV series as our official "serialized" releases. I'll put up a chapter every two weeks if I can manage, but I might have to release them on a monthly schedule.

There are also three more SDF Macross TV albums to release, and those should be out this year as well.

Right now, I'm also trying to track down copies of the seven-volume film comics, so I can translate those. I'm assuming I'll find a set sooner or later.

There are also the extras from the DVD set, and a few other stray videos floating about that will make their way into our library.

But the really big project, which will probably take all year to complete, is that we're going to be tackling Macross Perfect Memory. This is THE reference source for the series, and while (thankfully!) most of the book is pictures, there are also many dense, dense, DENSE pages of text. Don't expect it to be finished soon.

So that's what's lined up for year three of the Galaxy Network. Looking further ahead, year four will be all about DYRL and Flashback 2012. And then everything can get put in one humongous batch which I hope will become the ultimate reference for the original series and its immediate spin-offs.

As for what's after that...well, I've got a few ideas, but nothing I want to talk about yet...

Final Release of 2010

2010-12-30T04:50:00.000-08:00

And here it is, the last release for 2010. Needless to say, I didn't get as much put out there as I wanted to this year...but still, only four more episodes to go and then the series is done. Som I guess that's something.

Anyway, enjoy.

GO HOME!

2010-12-16T07:07:00.000-08:00

Episode 31.

GO HOME! GO HOME! GO HOME! GO HOME!

BATCH NUMBER FIVE

2010-11-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

Here it is, finally... Five down, two to go...

(Two? Yes, two.)

Episode 30

2010-11-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here we go with the next one... I gotta admit, I always found the discovery of the Supervision Army ship in this episode to be a deeply weird detour. It comes out of nowhere, and although it seems like it SHOULD be highly significant, it ends up going nowhere as well.

But really...when you've got baby-tossing and Super Valkyries and Max's stylish apron, who cares? It's still a great episode.

Sorry for the Delay...

2010-10-14T04:26:00.000-07:00

But we've got the next episode up now.

Time and energy have been at a premium lately, but we'll do our best to get the episodes out in a more timely fashion. I'm still hoping to finish SDFM TV by the end of the year...

We're Back!

2010-08-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

And two years have passed in the show. I've gotta admit, I get really pissed off at Hikaru starting with this episode...

Trial Upload...with Synths!

2010-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to put this one up for a while, and figured, since it's small, it's a good way to test how fast or slow my current connection is.

Now, as the translator, uploader, and "voice" for Galaxy Network, I feel I need to remain somewhat impartial and non-judgmental about the material contained herein; it just wouldn't do for me to say, "This is crap, hope you like it." That said...this album is simply not all that great. Synthesizer versions of Macross songs, clearly going for a Wendy Carlos sort of feel.

It doesn't come out sounding very good. But hey, if you want it, it's here.

Update

2010-07-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

Okay... I've moved; new job, new country, new life. The bad news is that I've been too busy to get a lot of Macross work done, and finding the time (and, more importantly, getting my groove back) has been tough. But we're NOT gone. Things are just moving a little slower, that's all.

Additionally, although my download speed appears to be improved, my upload speed appears to be drastically reduced, but I'm not sure about that that yet. Let me fiddle around with some things and do a trial (small) upload soon, and see how it goes. If the speed is compromised too much, then I'll simply ask one of my cohorts to do the uploading from now on...which again, may slow things down a bit in terms of getting the material from us to you.

Anyway, again, sorry for the delay. We'll resume full operations as soon as all the kinks are worked out, both from technical and labor standpoints.

And Here It Is...

2010-05-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

The moment you've all been waiting for. ENJOY!

And, um...because of real-life issues getting in the way, episode 28 won't be arriving for about two months. I apologize for the delay, and will explain more later.

Building to the Climax...

2010-04-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Mysteries are solved...secrets are revealed...and a lone Zentradi stands up to do what no other has done: CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT HIS BOYFRIEND IS A PILOT!

Really. It's all here.

KNIFE FIGHT!!

2010-04-09T03:24:00.000-07:00

And yeah, here it is.

Sorry, folks. No amount of remastering they care to throw at this episode will make it look like anything other than hastily-done crap.

BATCH NUMBER FOUR

2010-03-26T00:42:00.000-07:00

And here it is, y'all. Covering episodes 19 to 24, which are some of the overall best in the series. Things are winding up to the (first) big finale of the series. Great, great stuff.

And of course, we're now 2/3 of the way through the series. *whew* Has it really been more than a year since we started...?

Episode 24

2010-03-12T23:55:00.000-08:00

Now, THIS is a gorgeous episode. The character work is top-notch, the mecha is stunning (doesn't hurt that we get introduced to both the "Booby Duck" and Max's new sweet ride), and the script is among the best in the series. Great stuff, and it ALMOST makes up for the hideousness of episode 25...

Radio Free Minmay

2010-03-09T23:46:00.001-08:00

Some of you may have read this one before...I did the translation in installments during 2008 and into 2009, with a few touch-ups over the last couple of days.

Anyway, I figured it was time to upload it here, since it seems like it should take place sometime around episode 21-23 (based on the fact that Shao Pai Long has debuted (and won an award!?!) and yet Misa is still on board).

Of course, there's always the very real possibility that the scriptwriter (in this case, Sukehiro Tomita) wasn't too concerned about chronology, and you shouldn't be, either.

Anyway, without further ado: Miss DJ!!!

I Got Zip

2010-02-26T20:42:00.001-08:00

'Cause, really...I'm just looking forward to next episode. But this on e's still pretty good...see?

Daedalus Backfire

2010-02-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

We're sorry that the new one is a little late...real life issues got in the way, for both the sub-timer and for me.

But it's here now, so enjoy!

The Longest Birthday

2010-02-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

Well, as of today, it's been one year since we started Galaxy Network. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I'm sure it will continue to be so, so I want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who has come along for the ride, and especially everyone who has been seeding!

This year, we're going to (finally!) finish the SDF Macross TV series, along with a few more books, CDs, and even some comics thrown in (and yes, one of the comics is big, big, big).

After that, it'll be on to DYRL...but, depending on how long it takes and how busy our lives are, we may not see it until next year. Please hope for it to be released in the Fall, but expect it early next year.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone. Y'all rock!

Introduction Part 4

2010-02-06T01:18:00.000-08:00

I've been putting this one off for quite a while, but I really can't anymore, since it impacts a release that's coming up awfully soon, and so I'll tackle it now: an account of the Macross audio releases.

Even if you're only confining yourself to the original series (as I am here), the music and songs for Super Dimension Fortress Macross have been released and rereleased and repackaged and reshuffled so many times that untangling it all is a daunting prospect.

So let's start with the core of the discography. There are six official albums (not compilations) for the Macross TV series:

1. SDF Macross Music Edition (1982)

2. Macross Music Edition Vol. II (1983)

3. Macross Drama Edition Vol. III - Miss D.J. (1983)

4. Macross TV Drama Edition Vol. IV - Distantly Fading Memories (1983)

5. Macross Vol. V - Rhapsody in Love ~ Macross Love (1983)

6. Macross - Snow Falling in the Galaxy (1985)

The first two of these (which we've already put up) are the actual soundtracks for the show. Vols. III and IV tell stories (of a sort) about Minmay and Misa, respectively, and feature some new songs as well. The fifth album is a sprawling two-disc set; the first disc is "image music," pieces that were not in the show itself, but are meant to evoke it in a way; the second is an incredibly compressed retelling of the show that's probably incomprehensible to anyone who hasn't actually seen it. And the sixth album is, of course, the Christmas album that we put up late last year.

Now, as I mentioned, these albums have been repackaged, had tracks shuffled around, split apart, stuck together, every which way you can think of. Most of these rereleases are on the rare side, and so they're nothing anyone but the hardcore collector need concern him or herself with. But there's some stuff here that deserves some explanation.

First, Vols. I and II have remained pretty much unmolested, except for the Minmay songs getting released in various Macross song collections over the years. The instrumental music has also been collected once as a complete BGM collection.

Vol. V was split apart into two separate albums once, but that's not how you'll usually come across it.

Vols. III and IV have had the weirdest history. When they were first released on CD, these albums (and Snow Falling in the Galaxy) were divided not by track, but by side. So each CD had two tracks, representing side one and side two of each LP. This was rectified in later reissues into more traditional track listings (except for Snow Falling the Galaxy, which has never been reissued in any form). Both them also were issued at one point with tracks from Do You Remember Love (on Miss D.J.) and Rhapsody in Love (on Distantly Fading Memories) appended to each CD for no reason I can fathom.

Confused yet?

I have the 1995 reissues of each of the CDs (they get rereleased periodically, most recently in 2008), which are, I believe, the first CD versions to have them divided by track rather than by side.

The problem? Distantly Fading Memories works great divided into nine tracks, but I believe Miss D.J. "works" better as two long tracks. That's how I listen to it, that's how we put it in the Macross audio batch a year ago, and that's how we're going to release the translated version (unless there's a big hue and cry about it).

As for all the various re-issues and song collections, we're not going to bother with them. If you get the six albums above, you'll have all the music on the BGM collection, the song collections, and the "Special" albums that murk up the discography.

Moving on, there are two not-quite-official albums that we'd like to include in the Galaxy Network project: Synthesizer Fantasy and Jam Trip. These are parts of other series (if you dig hard enough, for example, you can find a Jam Trip album for Lupin III), and contain reworkings of Macross music. Both were incredibly obscure until they suddenly popped onto the net in the last year or so (Jam Trip didn't show up in time to be included in our debut Macross audio collection, unfortunately). As you might imagine, the first album is performed all on a state-of-the-art early-'80s keyboard. The second is...kind of a swing album, with a space-age-bachelor-pad feel to it. Currently, we're waiting to see if we can get our hands on a higher bitrate rip of Synthesizer Fantasy before we put it up again. Jam Trip will follow soon after.

The last album to be considered here, although it's not purely an SDFM TV album, is Macross The Complete, released in 1992. This three-disc set is not entirely comprehensive, but it does have a lot to offer. The first disc is SDFM soundtracks Vols. I and II, the second is the DYRL soundtrack plus karaoke versions of all the songs, and the third contains some (but by no means all) of the extra songs from Miss D.J., Distantly Fading Memories, and Snow Falling in the Galaxy, along with the REAL reason for buying the album: a couple dozen previously unreleased musical cues from both the TV show and DYRL. As such, I believe the third disc is the only truly essential one for us to release, but we won't do it anytime soon (if you absolutely can't wait, you can get it, you can always check out this post from a year ago).

Since Sunday is our one-year anniversary, I might put up a small something special, and perhaps a few details about what we'll be doing for the rest of 2010. Maybe.

Shao Pai Long!

2010-01-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

Is a very messiah!

But...let's be honest here...it looks like a really crappy movie, doesn't it?

She's Leaving Home...

2010-01-15T23:42:00.000-08:00

...Bye-bye.

And, um...how did the "Lolicon Three" manage to sneak a refrigerator and a piano onto their Reguld...?

KAKZAKIII!!!

2010-01-01T23:22:00.000-08:00

That's it, really. Just "KAKIZAKIIII!!!!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2009-12-24T00:28:00.000-08:00

And here it is...the dreaded Macross Christmas album.

Be sure to check the liner notes, since there's an original short story which at one point was considered as a plot for a Christmas episode (not the Christmas episode that came late in the series, but one set aboard the Macross).

Since this album came out in 1985, it was released on vinyl before it came out CD. And the 1986 CD has the same annoying trait that the early CDs of some of the other Macross albums have: It's divided into two tracks - Side 1 and Side 2. That always bugged me with this album, since it has eight clearly discrete songs, so I took my CD, and used Max to convert it to WAV. From there, I loaded it into Audacity and split the tracks up. Then I converted the sundered tracks to AAC. If there's enough clamor, I'll put up the two-track version, but that's widely available elsewhere, so I don't expect a lot of uproar about it.

Anyway, Merry Christmas, everyone!

BATCH NUMBER THREE

2009-12-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

Here it is, containing episodes 13~18. We're now halfway through the series (well...a little further, really, but I'm talking about uploads).

As we get further on in the story, there will be more and more material coming. A few more books, some "drama albums," and maybe even some comics.

Next week, there's a little Christmas present coming everyone's way, in the form of "Snow Falling in the Galaxy," the Macross Christmas album, which includes some exclusive music, songs, dialogue, and an original short story by Sukehiro Tomita, who wrote a lot of the episodes of the Macross TV show, as well as being the scriptwriter for DYRL.

There may be one or two more releases before the year is over. Maybe.

Soundtrack Vol. II

2009-12-13T00:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, here it is.

After the first two soundtracks, though, the Macross discography gets confusing. I'm currently working on an essay about it which I hope will make sense, and make things a little clearer.

And yes, this one is the one with "My Boyfriend Is a Pilot" on it.

It's All Here...

2009-12-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

Watching today's episode again, I was newly impressed by just HOW DAMN GOOD this one is. Everything...character animation, mecha animation, writing, acting, directing...all of it is top-notch here.

Truly one of the greatest Macross episodes ever.

And, um, sorry it's late.

Macross Goes Gonzo

2009-11-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

It's still more linear and logical than any dream I've ever had, but still, the nightmare episode is better and more dreamlike than almost anything else I've ever seen (besides Rosemary's Baby, that is). So yeah. Enjoy!

Another Semi-Special Release

2009-11-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

If we were doing this completely chronologically, this would be a little late...but it actually seems a little soon, considering that none of Minmay's songs on this album have appeared in the show yet. Was this really released just after episode 10 aired...?

In Which the Pacifist Kicks a Bunch of People

2009-11-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

Sorry...we're a little bit late this week, due to an email mix-up, but we're here now, so enjoy!

The Most Hated Macross Character EVER!

2009-10-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's Kaifun. Bask in his glory!

Misa's dad's kind of a jerk, too, of course.

It's Minmay's Birthday!

2009-10-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

October 10, 2009 is Minmay's 16th birthday, so here's a little present:

My Fair Minmay ~ Dreaming Prelude

I was working on it up to the last minute, so I didn't have time to include any translation notes (and I really REALLY hope there aren't any mistakes in it...), but I'll probably put some up here later.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

The Story So Far...

2009-10-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

A spaceship crashed. Stuff blew up. And there's a hot girl involved somehow.

Find out more here.

Introduction Part 3

2009-10-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

When we first started this "blog," I had it in my head that it would be, well, a real blog, talking about various aspects of Macross, bits and pieces of behind-the-scenes chatter, and news if I could find it. My first post was going to be an introduction to the wide and sometimes confusing world of Macross. I was going to lay it all out, and make it clear for the Macross beginner, while also throwing in some fascinating revelations to keep the old-timers happy. It was going to be beautiful, the last word on Macross introductions.

And then I started actually trying to WRITE it.

It flew off into too many different directions. One version was just a list, one version got bogged down in a welter of names and fast-forward history. Several versions ended up talking too much about me, and not enough about Macross.

There was also the fact that I wanted to be coy about our ambitions at Galaxy Network, and not give too much of the game away up-front. At any rate, that was going to be Part 1 of the Introduction.

We've been doing the fansub thing (and they are fansubs, kind of...if you check our versions against either the AnimEigo or ADV releases, you'll definitely notice differences) for almost eight months now, and released the first thirteen episodes of Super Dimension Fortress Macross.

Talking about that show in its animated form was going to be Part 2, but I found that that section was rather unnecessary. Really, the show NEEDS no introduction, at least none by me. Other people have covered its story, its history, and its themes far better and more objectively than I can.

Which brings us to Part 3 of the Introduction, which I think really IS needed. And I may do a piss-poor job of it, but I couldn't think of anyone else I could comfortably ask to do it for me.

Part 3 is about Macross in book form.

This one is necessary because I've finally finished translating the first of these books, and it should be up and and available for download next week, just in time for Minmay's sixteenth birthday.

A lot of anime series have novelizations, and sometimes spin-off books which tell original stories, and these usually remain unavailable to the English-speaking fan; often, there aren't even any summaries for them, and so a lot of interesting material never makes it outside the Japanese fandom. The reasons for this shouldn't be too hard to grasp: translating a novel is a lot of work, and takes a long time, and generally only the most hardcore fans are interested.

I've been a big Macross fan for about twenty-five years now, and I've been reading Japanese at a relatively competent level for about ten, and it never even occured to me to explore the world of Macross novels until about two years ago, and it wasn't until last year that I started seriously considering the idea of translating them as part of the "Macross Collection" idea I'd been kicking around for a while.

There are books for nearly every Macross series, but I'm going to confine myself here to the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross TV show.

There are five books and two short stories associated with the Macross TV series.

The novels are:

Dreaming Prelude~My Fair Minmay

Super Dimension Fortress Macross Vol. I

Super Dimension Fortress Macross Vol. II

Super Dimension Fortress Macross Vol. III

Misa Hayase: White Reminiscences

The short stories are "The Plundering Fleet" and "The Lost Two Years," both of which were published in Macross Perfect Memory.

All of them were published in 1983 and 1984, and all of them are readily, cheaply available on amazon.co.jp.

Macross Vols. I through III are, as you might imagine, the novelization of the TV show. Frankly, they're not very good. Written hastily, with few of the added touches and expanded scenes people expect from novelizations. The last volume in particular is horribly compressed: whereas the first volume tells the story of the first five episodes in 250 pages, the last rushes through episodes 13 to 27 in the same amount of space. A lot of the story gets left out.

But Dreaming Prelude and White Reminiscences are both much more interesting, and thy're what I've been devoting the bulk of my translating time to. Unlike the novelizations, they were written by the people who wrote the show itself, and thus are much more "official" than most other tie-in novels for, say, Star Wars or Star Trek.

Now, finding out about these books and acquiring them was easy enough, but there was a big problem that surfaced earlier this year: news of other SDFM novels which were used as a basis for a lot of the homages in Frontier.

I started searching for the novels and ended up creating a lot of drama that played out, for god and for ill, across various Macross-related forums, so I'm not going to go through it all again, but part of it is relevant here, and is the reason this introduction is necessary.

A well-repsected member of the Spanish-speaking Macross community talked about Macross books not listed on the Macross Compendium, and not to be found easily even in Japan. They included the Studio Nue Entertainment Bibles Vols. twelve through fifteen, and a series of novels and short stories written by Hiroshi Ohnogi (one of the SDFM writers).

This person (let's call him "Mr. S") claimed that he owned the Studio Nue books, and that there were "seven novels" by Ohnogi. When pressed, Mr. S said that there weren't actually seven books, but a bunch of serialized stories "printed in magazines like Animage and Out" between 1986 and 1988. When asked which issues had these stories, he said that theoretically, every issue from that time would have a snippet of the story. Even he didn't have all of them, but only a few. One of my partners asked if Mr. S could provide scans of those issues, but Mr. S said he didn't have a scanner. Requests for which issues he owned went unanswered.

Later, it turned out that quite a lot of Mr. S's information was untrue. He claimed that he hadn't lied, but had simply "misremembered" and had been misled by rumors on the 2chan message boards. He apologized to anyone who was misled by info that he also thought was true.

I kept thinking about these books that he said he owned. If he hadn't lied, but simply been mistaken, then what about these books and magazines that he said he owned? All of us have been misled by internet rumors at some point or another, but Mr. S said the Studio Nue books had been given to him in the mid-'90s by a good friend in Japan. How could that be a mistake or memory?

I can't find any documentation about them, in English or in Japanese. I've stopped looking for them, because I don't believe they exist. The man who started these rumors refuses to answer any specific questions about them.

One of the moderators on his site suggested politely to me Mr. S had apologized, and the matter was over and done with, since they wanted to move on and rebuild the trust of the community. I sympathizied, but I also wanted a clear yes or no. I laid out the problem of the Studio Nue books (and by extention, the magazines), and asked if that was also a "mistake."

The moderator's response (reprinted here with permission) was, "Probably. I don't really care either way, and I won't spend my time chasing after it. He told me he made a mistake, that's all I need to know. Life continues."

So, no confirmation of their existence or lack thereof.

The reason I bring this all up is not to rehash old trivia, or to drag Mr. S's name through the mud, but to forestall any requests for for these books. Yes, I plan to translate all the novels and short stories associated with Super Dimension Fortress Macross. But no, that doesn't include the "novels of Ohnogi" or the "Stuido Nue Entertainment Bible" short stories, because I don't believe they exist.

I felt real ambivalence about abandoning my search for them...because Mr. S made them sound REALLY good, and I'd like to read them. If by some chance these books DO exist, then by all means, get scans (or direct me to where to buy them) and I'll get them and translate them.

If you want to know more about them, you should be able easily to find out who Mr. S is, and ask him directly. I've explained the situation again and again, and I'm sick of it. This is absolutely the last time I'll address it at any length, and that's a promise.

So, next Saturday, barring any unforeseen setbacks, we'll proudly present Dreaming Prelude~My Fair Minmay.

Splashdown

2009-09-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Y'know, I always thought of Super Dimension Fortress Macross as being a trilogy of sorts. Of course, there's a huge break between episodes 27 and 28, but it always seemed like there was a slightly more subtle break here at Episode 13.

So, as far as I'm concerned, we've finished Part I of the story. Yippee.

BATCH NUMBER TWO

2009-09-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Containing episodes 7 to 12, which puts us exactly one-third of the way through the whole series. Get it here.

You know, I've been kind of holding off on news of upcoming releases (apart from new episodes of the series) out of...I don't know, maybe fear that that I wouldn't be able to get them done. I'm still a little worried, looking at the massive pile of material I'd like to get done for Macross.

But I think I can leak a little something here...as you know if you've looked at the timeline, Minmay's 16th birthday is coming up in a month, and we've got something of a surprise planned to celebrate it.

It's a book. And it's never been translated into English before.

Now, all I've got to do is finish translating it...only about sixty more pages to go...

Oh, and yes...today is September 11, 2009. Which, apart from the obvious anniversary, is also the date in "Do You Remember Love" when the humans and the Zentradi made peace. Isn't that interesting...?

The Big Escape

2009-08-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Oooh...the mysteries of Protoculture...

Whoosh, Whoosh!

2009-08-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend is a pilot!

MISA = FAIL

2009-07-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

At least in this episode...Y'know, I always wondered if this one didn't go through a lot of rewrites, considering that the "Blind Game" of the title takes up only about five minutes of the episode, if that.

Miss Macross Contest

2009-07-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

And (as you'll all find out later), Jamis Merin is plenty pissed.

Stupid Hikaru...

2009-07-04T06:26:00.000-07:00

can't even get the girl he likes a decent birthday present...

And We're Back!

2009-06-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here's Episode 7. I checked and re-checked the subs to make sure they were perfect, because I really don't want to go through another week-and-a-half batch nightmare again.

The subs are fine. So let's go for it!

Okay, Everyone...

2009-06-06T23:19:00.000-07:00

It was my hope that uploading the second version of the subs (with a little note to please help us seed the first Batch) would encourage people who had already downloaded the episodes to switch out the old subs, put in the new ones, and, well, help seed the Batch.

So far, although more than 70 people downloaded the sub files, no one's stepped up, and I'm doing all the seeding myself.

I really can't upload episode 7 until the Batch is seeded. At this rate, we'll all be waiting weeks for that to happen.

So please...if you've got the episodes and the new subs, make a folder, change the filenames, and seed. It'll make me happier, and it will get you more Macross faster.

Thanks.

BATCH NUMBER ONE

2009-06-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

Contains Episodes 01~06, with version two subs.

I went through them with a fine-toothed comb and fixed pretty much everything that's been bugging me.

Anyway, enjoy!

(And if you have the video and just want the new subs, check the previous post...but please, help seed! Thanks.)

Brand New Subs

2009-05-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well, we've got a batch coming, and we've corrected the subs for the release.

Get 'em here.

And PLEASE! Help us seed!

Thank you,

the mgt.

I Love the Daedalus...

2009-05-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

That is all, really.

SHIP-WIDE TRANSFORMATION!!!!

2009-05-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is it...the story's beginning to take off...

Tuna (and) Buns!

2009-04-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Two great tastes that go great together!

Hey, What's With the Old Lady?

2009-04-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Find out here!

Boy Meets Girl Meets Robot

2009-03-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

Episode 2 (A.K.A. Captain Global and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day) is here!

Macross Timeline and Master Index

2009-03-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

STORY TIMELINE

1999

July

Macross OP and ED (LINK)
SDF Macross - Before the Launch (LINK)
Macross Special (AKA SDFM Eps. 01 & 02) (LINK)
SDF Macross Ep. 01 - Booby Trap (LINK)

2009

February 7

Macross Special (AKA SDFM Eps. 01 & 02) (LINK)
SDF Macross Ep. 01 - Booby Trap (LINK)
SDF Macross Ep. 02 - Count Down (LINK)
SDF Macross Ep. 03 - Space Fold (LINK)

February

SDF Macross Ep. 04 - Lynn Minmay (LINK)

February - March

SDF Macross Ep. 05 - Transformation (LINK)

[April]*

SDF Macross Ep. 06 - Daedalus Attack (LINK)

October

SDF Macross Ep. 07 - Byebye Mars (LINK)

October 10

SDF Macross Ep. 08 - Longest Birthday (LINK)

My Fair Minmay~Dreaming Prelude (LINK)

October

SDF Macross Ep. 09 - Miss Macross (LINK)

October - November

SDF Macross Ep. 10 - Blind Game (LINK)

November

SDF Macross Ep. 11 - First Contact (LINK)
SDF Macross Ep. 11 - First Contact - Broadcast Version (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 12 - Big Escape (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 13 - Blue Wind (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 14 - Global Report (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 15 - China Town (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 16 - Kung-Fu Dandy (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 17 - Phantasm (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 18 - Pineapple Salad (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 19 - Burst Point (LINK)

December

SDF Macross Ep. 20 - Paradise Lost (LINK)

December 24

Snow Falling in the Galaxy / White Christmas (LINK)

2010

January

SDF Macross Ep. 21 - Micro Cosmos (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 22 - Love Concert (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 23 - Drop Out (LINK)

SDF Macross Vol. III (TV Drama Edition) Miss DJ (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 24 - Goodbye Girl (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 25 - Virgin Road (LINK)

February

SDF Macross Ep. 26 - Messenger (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 27 - Love Drifts Away (LINK)

2011

October - November

SDF Macross Ep. 28 - My Album (LINK)

November

SDF Macross Ep. 29 - Lonely Song (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 30 - Viva Maria (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 31 - Satan's Dolls (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 32 - Broken Heart (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 33 - Rainy Night (LINK)

SDF Macross Ep. 34 - Private Time (LINK)

December

SDF Macross Ep. 35 - Romanesque (LINK)

2012
January

SDF Macross Ep. 36 - Farewell to Tenderness (LINK)

PRODUCTION TIMELINE

1982
October 3 - Macross OP and ED (LINK)

October 3 - Macross Special (AKA Eps. 01 - Booby Trap and 02 - Count Down) (LINK)

October 17 - SDF Macross Ep. 03 - Space Fold (LINK)

October 31 - SDF Macross Ep. 04 - Lynn Minmay (LINK)

November 7 - SDF Macross Ep. 05 - Transformation (LINK)

November 14 - SDF Macross Ep. 06 - Daedalus Attack (LINK)

November 23 - SDF Macross Ep. 07 - Byebye Mars (LINK)

November 28 - SDF Macross Ep. 08 - Longest Birthday (LINK)

December 5 - SDF Macross Ep. 09 - Miss Macross (LINK)

December 12 - SDF Macross Ep. 10 - Blind Game (LINK)

December 16 - SDF Macross Music Edition (OST Vol. I) (LINK)

December 19 - SDF Macross Ep. 11 - First Contact (LINK)
December 19 - SDF Macross Ep. 11 - First Contact (Broadcast Version) (LINK)

December 26 - SDF Macross Ep. 12 - Big Escape (LINK)

1983

January 9 - SDF Macross Ep. 13 - Blue Wind (LINK)

January 16 - SDF Macross Ep. 14 - Global Report (LINK)

January 23 - SDF Macross Ep. 15 - China Town (LINK)

January 30 - SDF Macross Ep. 16 - Kung-Fu Dandy (LINK)

February 13 - SDF Macross Ep. 17 - Phantasm (LINK)

February 20 - SDF Macross Ep. 18 - Pineapple Salad (LINK)

February 27 - SDF Macross Ep. 19 - Burst Point (LINK)

March 5 - SDF Macross Music Edition Vol. II (LINK)

March 6 - SDF Macross Ep. 20 - Paradise Lost (LINK)

March 13 - SDF Macross Ep. 21 - Micro Cosmos (LINK)

March 20 - SDF Macross Ep. 22 - Love Concert (LINK)

March 27 - SDF Macross Ep. 23 - Drop Out (LINK)

April 3 - SDF Macross Episode 24 - Goodbye Girl (LINK)

April 10 - SDF Macross Episode 25 - Virgin Road (LINK)

April 17 - SDF Macross Episode 26 - Messenger (LINK)

April 21 - SDF Macross Digital Trip 1800 (LINK)

April 24 - SDF Macross Episode 27 - Love Drifts Away (LINK)

April 30 - My Fair Minmay~Dreaming Prelude (LINK)

May 1 - SDF Macross Episode 28 - My Album (LINK)

May 8 - SDF Macross Episode 29 - Lonely Song (LINK)
May 15 - SDF Macross Episode 30 - Viva Maria (LINK)
May 22 - SDF Macross Episode 31 - Satan's Dolls (LINK)
May 29 - SDF Macross Episode 32 - Broken Heart (LINK)
June 5 - SDF Macross Episode 33 - Rainy Night (LINK)
June 12 - SDF Macross Episode 34 - Private Time (LINK)
June 19 - SDF Macross Episode 35 - Romanesque (LINK)

June 21 - SDF Macross Vol. III (TV Drama Edition) Miss DJ (LINK)
June 26 - SDF Macross Episode 36 - Farewell to Tenderness (LINK)
September 10 - SDF Macross - Before the Launch (LINK)
September - SDF Macross Jam Trip (LINK)

1984
June 5 - Do You Remember Love? (Single) (LINK)

1985

November 21 - SDF Macross - Snow Falling in the Galaxy (LINK)

OTHER

SDF Macross Music Edition (OST Vol. I) (LINK)

SDF Macross Music Edition Vol. II (LINK)

SDF Macross Digital Trip 1800 (LINK)
SDF Macross Jam Trip (LINK)
SDF Macross TV Commercials (LINK)

*All dates are as given in the Macross Chronicle Timeline. If the month isn't specified there, though, I'll go by the Macross Compendium Chronology, but put the date in brackets.

The Beginning...

2009-03-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's a (BOOBY) TRAP!!!

Macross Launching Day (Observed)

2009-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Although the actual launch was two weeks ago, for some reason, everyone is celebrating it today. And so will we.

I hope you enjoy long trips...

MACROSS, HASSHIN!!!

2009-02-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

It's February 7, 2009...which, according to the 1982 TV series Super Dimension Fortress Macross, is the day the earth gets attacked by aliens, and the gigantic space battle cruiser Macross, launches into space on its maiden voyage.

In honor of this, here's a taster of things to come...