'Macross Plus' Is an Ultra-Romantic Classic That Refuses to Age

Macross Plus is as much a cultural touchstone in anime as Pan’s Labyrinth is to pop culture in the same way that you might not have watched the Guillermo del Toro flick, but “that guy with eyes on his hands” is nonetheless a core memory. Only replace it with an oversized mecha plotted in the heart of a once far-flung future. It’s a classic mecha landmark whose reputation precedes it—so much so that old heads and new-age fans alike name-drop it in the same breath as other cult classics hailing from the same bygone, golden age of anime we’ll never get back. The franchise’s legacy echoes today, albeit through secondhand references—most commonly via funky, out-of-context vaporwave AMVs that cast its dreamlike, cel-shaded imagery into something somehow both fantastical and half-remembered, like the answer to a trivia question to test your mecha street cred. Street cred—I’ll be the first to admit that I’m slowly working my way out of being caught lacking in the anime department. After spending nearly 30 years of my life being vaguely aware of Macross Plus while mostly taking everyone’s word that this anime, as old as I am, was a certified classic, I finally took a page from its hardheade