Needless to say, not everyone appreciated his efforts. Macek dryly notes that some consider his work "sacrilegious." The fervor among translation fanatics can hinge on the use of a single word, and, more than once, Macek's choices have raised the ire of purists. Over the years, he's received myriad responses - mostly positive, but not all; one such encounter came replete with the ominous "I know where you live, I know where your wife works" line favored by unimaginative psychopaths everywhere. B-movie clichés aside, Macek has kept a healthy attitude about the whole thing.

"At the height of it, I was dubbed the antichrist," Macek recalls. "I think some of it has to do with the fact that in the 80's, at the early stages of anime in the United States, not a lot of people knew about it. There's a certain power for hardcore fans in having knowledge of something that's relatively obscure but interesting - so when you demystify it, those people lose power...and they react. But I'm not doing this for the fanatics; it's for the average fan. The goal is to entertain people. If I can do that, and make you think at the same time, that's great. And if I have to sacrifice a word from someone else's vocabulary, I'm going to do it every time."

Still, Macek is quick to point out that most condemnation, if not all of it, comes from this side of the water. Unlike the vitriol of some American critics, the feedback he's received from Japanese audiences, including the creators of the original anime, have been unwaveringly supportive. In Japan, the release of the pre-Macek series was a complete and utter failure (as were later attempts at re-releasing the series after "Robotech" took off). A perfectly understandable reason why Macek would use it as the source material for a completely different show. (Why would anyone monkey with footage that was already popular?) If "Macross" could have been released as is, it would have been. But since it wasn't and couldn't, Japanese executives took an inventive approach, wagering that the product couldn't be made any worse. And the gambit paid off in the form of an international phenomenon. After Macek, their previously worthless product soared, enjoying global distribution and popularity. For an artist, producer, or distributor, the downside is very well near nonexistent. And Japanese fans were able to witness not only the transformation of what was once a flop into something sublime, but also, because of that transformation, the art form they'd loved for years gaining acceptance in the biggest market in the western world - a feat generally considered the pinnacle achievement of entertainment media.

But for all the praise and popularity, Macek isn't particularly obsessed with his own work. Before setting out to work on the re-release for ADV, he claims that he hadn't actually sat down and watched the series for over fifteen years. Instead, he's kept moving - starting his own business, writing and producing other projects, and designing toys. All the while, "Robotech's" popularity hasn't waned.

"I've been in the industry for many, many years, and I've done a lot of different things, so it's interesting to see what I'm remembered for," Macek muses. "I think 'Robotech' will ultimately be the most significant stuff I've done, in terms of popularity. But it's not the best thing I've ever done, nor is it the best thing I'll ever do."

So what can we expect on the new release? Well, Macek says that in addition to the standard re-release on DVD, ADV will also offer the disks in a series of boxed sets, each containing a bonus disk of extras.

"For example, on the first box set, the extras disk will have the first commercial release ever of 'Codename: Robotech,' a feature compilation of the first fourteen episodes that was given to TV stations in advance of the series," Macek reveals. "It's interesting because instead of the 'normal' narration, the series features personal narration by Henry Globus, the Captain of the SDF-1, and he gives a history of the 'Robotech' adventures. Not too many people have seen that. We're also adding some production models, some character sketches, and other extras."

So far, the buzz about the re-release has been impressive, and expected to grow as the release date nears. It appears that the world is about to experience "Robotech" fever all over again. So does Macek think that "Robotech" will ever go away? In a word, no:

"I was watching it again for the re-release, and it's solid. It's not time bound, the word choices were classic, it's not anachronistic in any way. A whole new generation of people can enjoy it."

For a comprehensive "Robotech" resource, visit Harmony Gold's www.robotech.com

Robotech © Harmony Gold USA.