I watched episodes 1 and 2 of Macross Plus with a sense of disappointment, it's quite a come down after the excellence of GITS and Blood:TLV.  It doesn't help that it appears at the start to be about people in space ships that turn into giant fighting robots. If I thought that's what all these cartoons were about I'd never watch any of them.

Anyway. Men fighting in flying robot suits isn't actually a plot. The movie "Top Gun", however, does supply a nice little template to use (it's the standard Cruise movie one actually). The main guy is a rough pilot that doesn't always follow the rules, he speeds around on a motor bike, there's a girl involved, he falls on hard times, he's got a rival, he's got issues. He's only slightly less annoying than Tom Cruise. I actually found myself rooting for his "enemy" who seems like a decent bloke to me.

There's also something odd going on with a musician singer with a huge stage show that's not actually real or something. This comes into play more in episode 2 and it's in that episode I managed to relax and start to enjoy it a little and by the end I can't wait to see parts 3 and 4!

How will the rivalry play out? Who made that call about the building that was about to burn? Does he love the blonde one he's playing around with or will be admit to liking the singer's "manager"? I actually do want to know.  I'll end this jumbled discussion with a quote that actually started me liking it. Although it's not all that funny.

Dyson (the main character) is riding recklessly along on his bike, with a girl on the back, eventually she screams:

"Stop, or you're going to kill us both you crazy bastard!"

He pauses a little and replies...

"Did you say go faster?"

They both laugh. Um, and I guess you have to be there. It's a nice moment.

Score: 3/5