Plus really is a standard setter as far as what's understood to be possible with animation. The notion that cartoons are for children therefore cannot have room for mature storytelling is maybe not as prevalent as it once was but it's sill out there. That's putting aside for a moment the highly problematic idea that children's fiction must necessarily be immature. Anyone who still thinks so can be shown Macross Plus and have their mind changed.
There are two Pluses. The 4 part mini-series from 1994 and the movie edition which includes tighter plotting and 20 minutes of different footage. The result is the exact same story playing out in markedly different ways at about the same running time. While I have no preference, I've come across critical opinions stating that the movie is better than the mini. That might be down to the project having been originally conceived as a movie.
Reviews of Macross Plus will often reference the maturity of the series: the 'adult' narrative and the 'cinematic' quality of the animation. I have to say that the first few times I watched Plus, I was floored by how it seemed as if the scenes were, like, filmed rather than drawn. The use of focus to differentiate foreground and background is one example. The combination of traditional and computer-generated animation is so good that it manages to hold up nicely 19 years later.
Whenever I watch Plus, I find myself really digging the fictional world being portrayed. I want to see more of it. Aside from a cameo of the eponymous ship from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and a minor character singing a Minmei song at karaoke, there's not a lot of the parent series in Plus. What it does have are the transforming fighter-jets, pop music and a love triangle. These elements are realized differently though: The pop music is otherworldly and electronic (courtesy of composer Yoko Kanno), its singer an unpredictable and powerful artificial intelligence. The fighter jets are prototypes being tested against each other to see which will become the new mainstay for U.N. Spacy. All in all, I find myself relishing the glimpse of the milieu that follows on 3 decades after SDFM and wanting to inhabit it.
The love triangle in Plus, is so compelling it almost approaches that of the original Macross in terms of how good it is. Rather than a man choosing between two women, we have a woman caught between two men. Myung grew up with Isamu and Guld developing strong feelings for both of them. Plus' back-story involves a painful rupture in the friendship between these characters. When they meet again on Eden, old wounds are re-opened and emotions run high.
The love triangle actually fuels the main villain of the series: Sharon Apple. A holographic, AI pop star, Sharon's emotional programming is actually based on Myung herself. Sharon is mesmerizing and, like so many artificial intelligences in science fiction, a little crazy. The Zentraedi are a peripheral presence here. Outside of Guld being a human Zentraedi hybrid, we see Isamu briefly skirmish with some rogue Zentraedi in the opening moments of Part One.
The trinity of protagonists you get in Plus are each riddled with their own weaknesses. Guld is a hypocrite with severe anger issues, Isamu is a reckless, immature frat-boy and Myung can't face anything to save her own life. Most of the other characters come across well although we don't really get to know them as well as we would if this were a longer series.
As I said in the beginning, this series has a hold on me and I very much hope it never lets go!
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