Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

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Seto Kaiba
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Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

https://macross.jp/b2b/?fbclid=IwAR0WLl ... NHQU3P_tMg

After Big West's victory in the European Union, it looks like Harmony Gold has decided to throw in the towel and team up with Big West to release Macross's sequels globally.
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Henyo
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

this is one of those too good to be true but ahs evidence that its the real deal...
whats the percentage of things going SNAFU and we go back to square one?
oh and i read on ANN that macross 7 is still HARD to license because of the music and Harmony Gold can't help much in that regard.

on a related note, this will probably help in getting SRW an actual western territories release yeah?
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Seto Kaiba
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

Yeah, it was a bolt from the blue for everyone.

Right now, with Robotech effectively dead and nothing on the horizon on HG's end... I would say the chances of things falling apart are near-zero. HG would be only too happy to abandon Robotech for the steadier income stream from global Macross distribution. They're not going to do anything to rock the boat.

Macross 7 will still be a pain to license because of the music rights, yeah, but hopefully not an insurmountable one anymore now that the show's nearly 20 years old. The whole problem was the rights cost too much back when the music was new.

As for SRW, I don't think that's any less of an insurmountable problem because of how much licensing would have to be involved in bringing something like that over with the rights to the component shows divided across many different licensees.
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False Prophet
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

Seto Kaiba wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:23 am Yeah, it was a bolt from the blue for everyone.

Right now, with Robotech effectively dead and nothing on the horizon on HG's end... I would say the chances of things falling apart are near-zero. HG would be only too happy to abandon Robotech for the steadier income stream from global Macross distribution. They're not going to do anything to rock the boat.

Macross 7 will still be a pain to license because of the music rights, yeah, but hopefully not an insurmountable one anymore now that the show's nearly 20 years old. The whole problem was the rights cost too much back when the music was new.

As for SRW, I don't think that's any less of an insurmountable problem because of how much licensing would have to be involved in bringing something like that over with the rights to the component shows divided across many different licensees.
I mean, it was not just Macross who had some kind of legal disputes in America, right? I could recall talking to one guy about a series that had appeared in SRW and could not be legally distributed commercially in America, but for the love of God I couldn't recall which series was it. It was not GoLion, as far as I remember. Either way, don't expect Bandai to jump through hoops to bring SRW properly to America. I think that something like ProjectXZone got an US release was the limit to their commitment.

And doesn't Flying Dog hold the right for Macross 7 music?

I wonder if the next Delta movie get a screening in the US? Or would a Blu-ray release the best we can hope for?
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Seto Kaiba
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

False Prophet wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:45 am I mean, it was not just Macross who had some kind of legal disputes in America, right? I could recall talking to one guy about a series that had appeared in SRW and could not be legally distributed commercially in America, but for the love of God I couldn't recall which series was it. It was not GoLion, as far as I remember. Either way, don't expect Bandai to jump through hoops to bring SRW properly to America. I think that something like ProjectXZone got an US release was the limit to their commitment.
To be honest, I'm not familiar enough with Super Robot Wars to comment.

I know that the sheer complexity of licensing so many disparate mecha titles poses unique challenges on its own in light of the less-than-uniform licensing practices here in the US.


False Prophet wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:45 am And doesn't Flying Dog hold the right for Macross 7 music?
On behalf of its parent company, Victor Entertainment, yes.

FlyingDog was a label created by Victor Entertainment specifically for animation-related music and video content.


False Prophet wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:45 am I wonder if the next Delta movie get a screening in the US? Or would a Blu-ray release the best we can hope for?
It takes a while to set up proper distribution channels, so I would assume the movie will end up on streaming and home video.
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

I demand Basara in 4k UDH glory! :mrgreen:
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

Hello hello, yes, I haven't posted in a long time, but seeing this news reminded me of Chris and the Gundamn crew's long, long crusade against Harmony Gold. So now that dawn has finally cracked on this issue, I thought I'd come back and raise my cup in toast to this happy occasion!
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

speedstriker wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:02 pm Hello hello, yes, I haven't posted in a long time, but seeing this news reminded me of Chris and the Gundamn crew's long, long crusade against Harmony Gold. So now that dawn has finally cracked on this issue, I thought I'd come back and raise my cup in toast to this happy occasion!
Welcome back! Our long international nightmare is over.
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

Seto Kaiba wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:26 pm It takes a while to set up proper distribution channels, so I would assume the movie will end up on streaming and home video.
That reminds me, what kind of Japanese anime movies got screening in the US these days? Any Gundam, Ghibli and Makoto Shinkai features?

I wonder what plan does the Japanese side currently have to push Macross in the US? Blu-rays releases? Soundtracks?
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

False Prophet wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:19 pmThat reminds me, what kind of Japanese anime movies got screening in the US these days? Any Gundam, Ghibli and Makoto Shinkai features?

I wonder what plan does the Japanese side currently have to push Macross in the US? Blu-rays releases? Soundtracks?
Yes, all those types of things get screenings, plus big time shonen stuff like One Piece, Dragon Ball, My Hero Academia, etc. At the very least, I would expect streaming of Macross titles and Blu-ray releases. A lot of people are talking about music, kits and other merch, but I don't really have any expectations for those until something is announced.
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

I would not mind getting latest Macrosses well... without waving black flag with skull and crossbones or ordering insanely expensive DVD/BD/UDHs from Japan.
I have all legal Macross products on DVDs which i could get without orders from Japan, but that's it.
Looking forward to see how it deveops.
As for Robotech - live action movie could be a success seeing how big mecha are featured in Hollywood now, i think Pacific Rim was a great test for audiences and demonstration that mecha can fare well in movies if done right. That "done right" part is a main concern, hopefully they won't let Ryan Johnsson near Robotech movie...
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

considering the current situation of the world..whats the earliest release date possible? or will the fans have to wait till the last quarter of 2021 or early 2022...
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

Chris wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:51 pm Welcome back! Our long international nightmare is over.
Glad to be back and yeah, it was definitely a long time coming. I'm just glad you've kept the lights of my mecha hometown on during all these years.

pirx wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 7:53 am I would not mind getting latest Macrosses well... without waving black flag with skull and crossbones or ordering insanely expensive DVD/BD/UDHs from Japan.
I have all legal Macross products on DVDs which i could get without orders from Japan, but that's it.
Looking forward to see how it deveops.
As for Robotech - live action movie could be a success seeing how big mecha are featured in Hollywood now, i think Pacific Rim was a great test for audiences and demonstration that mecha can fare well in movies if done right. That "done right" part is a main concern, hopefully they won't let Ryan Johnsson near Robotech movie...
Blu-Ray releases of shows and movies is pretty much guaranteed at this point which means we'll finally be able to watch Macross Plus in glorious HD. On the other hand, I wonder whether this means we'll also see old Macross games like Macross 30 if and when they get a remaster. Chances seems slim though.
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

I hope we get all of the Macross Anime on Blu-ray/DVD, the manga and video games we might not get. Even with basically every Gundam animated property being released and imported, we still haven't got all of the side story manga and video games, though to be fair some of the video games are quite old and some of the manga is honestly quite obscure even in Japan( like how often do you hear people talking about For The Barrel, Top Gundam, Almarya, or Ocean Waves 0093?).
On the other hand Macross has considerably less expanded universe side material than Gundam, Plus the Macross Frontier manga was available legally in the US , and Europe did get Macross 7 Trash so it could happen...
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

Henyo wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 9:17 am considering the current situation of the world..whats the earliest release date possible? or will the fans have to wait till the last quarter of 2021 or early 2022...
The deal was just signed in March, and there are plenty of things we don't know yet, like who a streaming or home video partner would be (even though it's most likely Funimation). We don't know what series will be released in what order, or if there will be dubbing involved. It'll take time for all this to gear up, so I wouldn't expect anything this year. Also, next year is the 40th anniversary of the franchise, so it would be the ideal time to launch in western territories as part of a global marketing push by Big West.
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

here's something i just saw on an FB page..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8XXr9ounJw

this just makes those add more bullet to the peeps who think Harmony Gold blocks any Macross getting in another SRW game. as the other commenters in the FB page said, they have nothing to with the franchise. or do they? :?
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

Henyo wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 7:34 am here's something i just saw on an FB page..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8XXr9ounJw

this just makes those add more bullet to the peeps who think Harmony Gold blocks any Macross getting in another SRW game. as the other commenters in the FB page said, they have nothing to with the franchise. or do they? :?
In Japan? No, Harmony Gold has nothing to do with Macross's inclusion or exclusion from a SRW game. That's all licensing in Japan.

If the game were being developed for a global audience it might be a concern, but SRW games basically never are since the licensing is a complete and utter mess outside Japan.
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

^ Not counting Original Generations. V, X, and T got released outside of Japan, with English sub, before COVID cause everything to halt. Although I don't know how much oversea sale would be factor in Bannam's eyes.
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

So, Big West ii handling the distribution:

www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-04-2 ... va/.172019

The second Macross Delta movie seems like it will get a release here, and I suppose the older films will definitely follow that. The question is at what order? Will they bring in the original, 7, or Frontier here first?
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Re: Big West and HG strike deal! Macross is free!

I think it's likely that we'll get a mix of releases staggered throughout 2022 and beyond. Out of the gate, I think one of the earlier releases will be Macross Plus, which has a very devoted following in Western fandom both among casual anime fans and Macross fans. We've been stuck with having poor quality DVDs from the 90s all this time, so I can't imagine anyone not shelling out to get the OVA series and movie in HD on Blu-ray.
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