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Macross Plus The Movie (12A) + introduction

Anime's Human Machines

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A fresh approach to a long established franchise, Macross Plus The Movie features a love triangle, a deadly rivalry, a virtual idol singer and some of the most dazzling combat sequences ever animated.

It was created by Shoji Kawamori, who worked on the franchise from its inception, and designed one of its most famous elements: the giant robots that transform into supersonic fighter-jets part-controlled by the brainwaves of their humanoid pilots.

In the film, two such pilots are vying for the affections of one woman, Myung, who is the manager of the virtual reality performer Sharon Apple, the most successful teen idol in the known cosmos. As the boys take their rivalry to the sky Top Gun-style, an illegal computer chip inserted into Sharon causes her to become sentient and to break free from her managerial reins, putting Myung’s life in danger.

Japan 1995 Dir Shôji Kawamori 114 min

Screening in Japanese with English subtitles

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Japan-UK Season of Culture

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Watch: human shape and cityscape in Anime

 

Luís Azevedo (aka Beyond the Frame) looks at the way anime presents and builds cities on screen.

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