Robotech Art 1: From the Animated Series Robotech

Slick art from the series plus details of each episode and backstory of how they were made , produced , and distributed.

This is it, this is what jump started my interest in Anime. I lived in a small town as a kid, with very little access to anything cool, and no comic shops, not even a mall. My only exposure to anime was voltron, and robotech. Because I didn't know what they were, and we didn't have a vcr, I couldn't really follow them, only faint memories. Then I moved to the big city, and in the 9th grade someone brought this book to class. I borrowed it, and....well he didn't get that book back for a long time. That became my Robotech bible. Toward the end of the book it would give you just enough of a hint that there was so much more than Robotech, and from there on the rest is history. I consider myself very fortunate to have seen such an awesome book at such an early age, and since the video tapes were super scarce (block buster only had the 1st 3 video's). For Robotech it's great, it gives reviews of every single episode, the artwork is fantastic, the back has great character sketches and descriptions. Then a history of the series and how it was brought over to the U.S. I highly recommend this book to old and new fans alike. Buy it now, they don't make them anymore!

If you are looking for the definitive episode guide to Robotech as aired in the US by Harmony Gold, this is the book for you. IT has detailed synopses of all 85 episodes from the beginnning of the Macross saga, through the Southern Cross saga, to the end of the Invid Invasion saga. The art is mostly cels from the original Japanese version of the series. It also has a brief history of Anime releases in the US up to this point (around 1986). It is well worth the effort to obtain a copy. If you like Robotech in particular, or anime in general, this book is a treasurehouse of the genre.

This beautiful oversized art book showcases the incredibly talent and genius behind Robotech. It features a comprehensive episode guide as well as character and mecha profiles for each of Robotech's generations. The only place I think this books falls flat(why it doesn't get five stars) is the character biographies. Being a big fan of the show and the series of novels devoted to it, I can't help but feel that some of the characters were omitted. Granted, this book was published in 1986, and the novels hadn't been published yet, and some of those characters were created in those later novels..but what about Lang? Or Carpenter? Or Komodo? Or Dennis, Nova's one time love? The list goes on... Anyway, aside from those small flaws, this book is an excellent resource dedicated to a superb animated series, and worth tracking down if you are a Robotech fan.

While the book is called "Robotech _Art_ I", the meat of it is actually a 138-page episode guide, summarizing each of the 85 installments with crisp writing and ample detail. These summaries are set against well-reproduced original cels from the series (or, when necessary, promotional artwork or even screen-shots [see p. 95]). Also included are three chapters with character biographies set against animators' model sheets, some mecha designs, and a final chapter tracing "Robotech"s origins both as a shining example of Japan's "anime"... and as a case of US TV business expediency (the "show" is actually THREE Japanese programs, edited and rewritten to appear to be one huge saga). For this latter reason, anime purists will balk at the book, just as they dismiss the series as a bastardization. Nevertheless, if you like "Robotech", this book offers a nice memento, and a glimpse into its unique background. If you can find it, grab it