If Super Dimensional Fortress Macross' thematic mixture of military and singing, desperate story of survival, and wondrous use of established sci-fi and romantic tropes to craft a statement on war and culture were a shock to the anime sci-fi community back in 1982, then two years later Macross: Do You Remember Love? would be equally shocking for its unsurpassed visual spectacle, a crowning achievement of production and of anime's vision of space. Finally the animated deep space was worth talking about in the same sentence as foundational live action works like Star Wars, and not simply as an alternative or up-and-coming medium. Going back today it can seem somewhat quaint that it was once the pinnacle of animation, a milestone on which everything after would be based, but there are still many shots that can grip us with the same excitement people felt thirty years ago, shots that no discussion of anime history could rightfully ignore.
As an alternative timeline to the original Macross, we start in much the same place, reliving the early episodes of the show in breathtaking new detail, but by the time the pilot Hikaru and the (in this timeline well-established) singer Minmay go out together on a date, it becomes clear that the centerpiece of Do You Remember Love? is—true enough to the title—a love story. The love triangle between Minmay, Hikaru, and Commander Hayase Misa remains from the show, but with an intense kiss scene between Hikaru and Minmay catalyzing their romance, and a new scene with Hikaru and Misa trapped together on an ancient island and stumbling across a centuries-old love song, the titular “Do You Remember Love?”, this version of Macross is much more romantically intense, focusing on these three as individuals in love rather than archetypes representing the struggle between war and peace.
The unfortunate consequence, beyond an obvious lack of depth in the moral messages the movie imparts, is that the characters actually suffer too. Most of the romance revolves around melodrama and harem antics such as misunderstandings, one girl walking in at the wrong time, or heavy-handed declarations of love and jealousy, all of which make both Misa and especially Minmay seem shallow. It reduces them to their romantic feelings, to their desire to be with Hikaru, and in the process some of their competency and depth falls flat. Also while the theme of the opposing alien force being infected with human culture remains, the enemies are much more antagonistic, and much less capable of the kind of introspection that normally comes with culture. The political dealings of both the humans and the aliens are intricate and interesting, but their souls are gone.
Perhaps this is the better version to watch first. The stunning animation, and timeless shots such as Hikaru and Minmay standing in the shadow of a giant window into space or Minmay on the bridge of the spaceship Macross singing “Do You Remember Love”, are all enough to make the experience well worth an hour and a half, much more so than most of the sci-fi that comes out of Hollywood even to this day. But even if the transition back to SDF Macross would feel awkward, as if going well back in time, the characters will suffer less. They have so little personality in Do You Remember Love? that the show will quickly fill the void. We owe a debt to this movie, each and every time we watch a newer work and see the stars on screen. Watching it in retrospect, perhaps the shallowness of the script helps us to focus on that.