I don't know what to tell you. For the most part I grew up watching Robotech and am Japanese born in Japan. So as an immigrant, it was my only connection on television back home to Japan. Obviously I'm one of the few people who was able to see and meet Carl Macek, the producer of the American adaptation of Robotech before he suddenly passed due to a heart attack. And for me, it seemed simple, there has been many iterations and derivatives of the Robotech franchise, but none met my needs.
I needed to see more and more of Rick Hunter and Lynn Minmay. I needed to see an adaptation of Macross with the beautiful Japanese language songs. Yes, because "Studio JVC Victor" did all that work creating the music for the franchise! In reality if Director James Wan has any exposure to Robotech, he'll understand the Asian audience and their adaptation of the franchise.
Being bi-lingual I've always had the advantage in watching Japanese cartoons both in English and Japanese. And the fact that they can go in and out of languages at times isn't a problem for me. But what about the Hollywood audience? Can English audiences accept a Japanese sound track to the movies?
Can Japanese actors be accepted in main roles in the Robotech movie?! That's the real question. With James Wan in talks with Sony according to multiple sources, the reach to actors and actresses are pretty deep. There are plenty of actors who can play the role of Rick Hunter (Hikaru Ichijo), but the key role is Lynn Minmay. She's a Chinese-Japanese character who becomes a singer and star in the series. Obviously the songs in the original format were Japanese. Which means Lynn Minmay would almost have to be a Japanese singer.
If they re-write the script replacing her with an American actress and character, the fans will abandon this film. Make no mistakes about it, Robotech fans are just as keen as Star Wars fans are. And Sony knows this, otherwise why jump at the chance for the movie?
James Wan might be a good pick for the director of the movie, but like many other bloggers out there, I must admit that "Shoji Kawamori", the director and mecha designer for Macross must be involved. Not only that, but it should also be mentioned that Shoji Kawamori also designed the original Optimus Prime in Transformers. Yes, the actual toy that we all played with as a kid was designed by the father of Macross.
James Wan and even Justin Lin would be good picks to direct the movie. Both proved their worth with Fast n Furious. However, the key to this movie will be the stars. Who will play who? Will Hikaru Ichijo be Japanese? American? Or will they completely mess it up with just the usual stars?
We want authentic Robotech adaptations. Without limits, we also want it to be a multi picture franchise. We want the best and brightest at the helm. And we need to shine better than the original series. I say we need those guys from Battle Star Galactica's reboot on board. We need JJ Abrams to sit down with them. Maybe we need George Lucas himself involved!
The list goes on and on with the demands we have as Robotech fans. We all know that the series was bigger than life. And Shoji Kawamori and the late Carl Macek had a vision for the series. The real question is can the executives over at Sony deliver?
All the writers and reporters are comparing this movie to Pacific Rim and Transformers. To me, that's a bad assessment. They need to compare Robotech to Twilight, Hunger Games, and Divergent. The reason is simple, the story plot and the characters are deep in Robotech. The love triangle and the death of main characters is also well known in the series. If they can't convey that, then the series will fail.
I'll keep writing as these articles come in. Obviously if you read my thoughts, you are a Robotech fan. And trust me, I am too. I own the Japanese Macross series. I own the American Robotech series. I own the books, and and I also have the Japanese Macross Do You Remember Love? DVD which I purchased in Yen!
To the executives and to James Wan who are researching. Be keen on the series. Buy some popcorn and sit down and watch the series a couple of times before you even start writing. Oh, and please give Shoji Kawamori a call? Have him on your team!
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