Kevin McKeever - 25 July 2017 02:43 PM

This leads me to what I said before:

Right now we can’t say much other than we want BOTH Shadow Rising and Academy to happen.

It’s good you are asking these questions. Remember the forums have been down for over 2 years and there is a information gap on where things were and where things actually are. I can not disclose everything but much is going on behind the scenes.

Kevin McKeever
ROBOTECH.com

Well, alrighty then. It seems that not much can be said any further so I’ll just end this on a friendly ‘if you say so’ and see what happens in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me and glad I could assist in some way of getting some form of clarification out for other users to read. :3

I admit I hadn’t kept up with Academy… but I found out about it it before it ended on KS and I went to pledge.. but it had already closed.

then I read where they had a plan B…. Not sure why, but I still hoped.. but I thought maybe this time.. and then nothing.

Why can’t they seem to finish anything they have great stories to tell.. Sentinels.. a story that still hasn’t been told.. then Shadow… another good start but nothing… now this.

I don’t understand… how can they have all these good ideas but can’t seem to get them started.

And are they even trying to get any of them going.. I haven’t heard anything… has anyone?

HG man.. I think your great, but you do need to see stuff through.

You’re preaching to the choir.

I have said similar things for years.

Still nothing new, but occasional comics.

Robotech: Shadow Rising - on indefinite hiatus
Robotech: Academy - canceled due to Kickstarter campaign not meeting goal
Robotech: Live Action Movie project - still in ‘development hell’.
Which has become the ‘800 lb. Gorilla in the room’.

Not to mention the ongoing legal fight over Macross in Japan.

And you would think they would want to finish something.

A lot of those were really good story lines… or at least was a good start.

Also in this day and age when streaming services and channels are wanting shows.. I would think this could be a pretty good sale.

an Exclusive show for Crunchy Roll or netflix or somebody… would probably want to back it…

and if you look at it… you could do

Sentinels (that’s one season at least launch with that)
Shadow Series (at least one season or keep it DVD release, and it could overlap with Sentinels if you wanted Sentinels for a second season, SDF-3 Being lost)
and Academy could be in the mix too.
and if luck is with HG.. a live action movie retelling of the Macross saga.

They could really hit an area that really hasn’t been hit in a long time.

Start with just the Sentinels.. and work up from there.. and I keep bring that up because it’s 1/4 done (story and design) and then the Shadow series is probably 1/8 done.

I know none of this is cheap, and it’s a lot easier to say.. but I think you could really have a shot here… this board houses the few that keep hope going.. most have moved on, but if they see ROBOTECH cross their screens.. they would be there.

I remember watching Shadow Chronicles.. I can’t tell you how excited I was, and it was good… I enjoyed it.. I think I watched it 3 times in like 4 days… I have 3 copies of it now.. (had to get the bluray)

HG you really have something special here.. and it has been sitting unused.. don’t let it slip through your fingers… I think most of us here would love to see you succeed.

If I would have seen the KS for Academy in time I would have given… 250 or so (get a Sentinel cel)  I have one now.. I have ‘THE ONE’ IMHO I have the wedding kiss (bought that one in the 90s).. but I would have loved another one.

Just to add more.. they could still get the contract for rights resolved… HG could still get rights to everything but in a limited fashion.. not own them for the west.. but allowed to use them, and release things they currently have and even be able to make more while at the same time Japan will retain the rights to sell to others in the west also.

The problem with the fight for the rights is strictly in Japan.

But that, and the Robotech LAM project, have become the biggest roadblocks to new productions.

Until those get resolved, who knows when we’ll see something new, besides comics.

on my list of wants the LAM is pretty low on the list.. not that I would hate on it or anything.. heck almost any Robotech would help..  but I wasn’t as pumped about that as I was Shadow…

It might be great (if it gets made) and that fantastic.. I would love it, but I worry when you get so much in there it could become just another cash in.

I am a Transformers fan.. while I don’t hate on the movies and even enjoy them to a degree.. just fun action.. but It bring some more life and options to the line.

Although I hate they canceled the last movie.. just because the last one was the ONLY one that really had a cliff hanger.. and they thought this would be a good time to end it.

As far as I know (correct me if I am wrong) the agreement between Harmony Gold and Tatsunoko Productions over Macross will expire in the next 4 to 5 years. If this ends to be 100% true then whatever Sony is doing they will be really tight on schedule time for the production of the Live Action.

I think that back in the day when Sony signed the deal with Harmony Gold they didn’t knew the license mess that the series represents from a bussiness standpoint, also the fact that Robotech isn’t near as profitable as it was 20 years ago, so the company has NO guarantee of recovering their money IF they go “green light” with LAM.

For example Ghost in the Shell is well known worldwide (or at least more than Robotech for the average joe) yet the people behind the Live Action had to put Scarlet as the main character or otherwise the producers wouldn’t move a finger. So if Sony doesn’t do something similar (like Bruce Willis as Ben Dixon) that film will be the corporate recreation of Kyron parking his last ship over New Macross City at Episode 36 :/

Hell not a single product reached the atention and sucess of the original series, Sentinel II could have been interesting (well, IT WAS, the story ended up being well developed) but with the rise of the Yen aka production costs and some stupid desitions made by the co-producer company behind that series, HG had no other option but to cancel the project.

What I don’t understand is why they never went after Sentinels (made the 60 episodes that got left) instead of wasting money in Shaddow Chronicles (meh plot / cheap sexualization of female characters / horrible soundtrack) and Love Live Alive (a resume / uber-copypaste of the last season with some minimal new animation aka meh).

I also heard the big thing that slammed Robotech II was as the Yen was going up the Sales of Robotech toys were not where Matchbox wanted them.. and they started to to want to pull money out.  The drop in the Yen helped them to make the choice to shorten the season.. but I think it was Matchbox wanting out that really put the nail in it… HG didn’t have the funds to do it without them… or some type of investment.

I also read on SC that was one reason why Rick and Lisa look so far from their original look was to distance them from being a part of the Macross lic.  Which might have something to do with them doing SC instead of Robotech II.

And I know the rights is a big subject but HG could still get the rights they need to keep robotech going.. and not have complete rights over Macross… they could just get permission to use Macross, and get full rights on the other two.. which would allow Macross to be released by someone else… there could be lots of solutions.. but looking at Robotech II they were moving away from the Classic Macross anyway… this wouldn’t even mean they couldn’t make or have Robotech toys.. even with Macross.. it would just mean there could be Macross toys as well, and don’t think just because there has been disagreements between them doesn’t mean they won’t come together and work it out when it is time to renew.

The changes to the Dollar to Yen ratio, and Matchbox’s decision to discontinue the toy line, have long been stated as the reason for the cancellation of Robotech II: The Sentinels.

Megalord1 - 18 July 2018 11:36 PM

You’re preaching to the choir.

I have said similar things for years.

Still nothing new, but occasional comics.

Robotech: Shadow Rising - on indefinite hiatus

Which atleast if HG don’t have funds to animate RTSR as an animated movie, atleast turned it into a web comic or new comic miniseries to conclude the ongoing classic Robotech (RT: Macross Saga, RT: Robotech Masters, RT: New Generation, RT II: Sentinels, RT: Love Live Alive, RT: Shadow Chronicles). Heck, a new line of canonical Robotech novel series specifically catering RTSC to RTSR would sufficed.

Robotech: Academy - canceled due to Kickstarter campaign not meeting goal

Or HG could easily re-hired the Waltrips or Titan comics to reboot RT II: Sentinels in the form of RT: Academy comic series. Just sayin’.

Robotech: Live Action Movie project - still in ‘development hell’.

The RT old timers are basically will believed in RT LAM once we seen it. If not, its just that, wet dream at most.

Which has become the ‘800 lb. Gorilla in the room’.

You get that right!

Not to mention the ongoing legal fight over Macross in Japan.

There’s no more legal tussle in Japan. Legal tussle is now happening in US stateside with Tatsunoko vs HG legal teams. Tatsunoko and Big West already come to terms in Tokyo Court. With the rights to SDF Macross, SDC Southern Cross & GC Mospeada set to expire in 2021, we should see how HG and Tatsunoko negotiated either to let ‘em rights expired and remain with Tatsunoko, OR HG and Tatsunoko renewed the rights yest again with business as usual.

Kevin McKeever - 25 March 2015 02:47 PM

Our next three conventions are…

Anime Boston April 3-5th
C2E2 April 24-26th
Shanghai Comic Convention May 16-17th

Hope to see some of you there.

Kevin McKeever
ROBOTECH.com

Does it annoy anybody else that it’s obvious all our complaints are being read, but nothing is being done about any of them?

LawgSkrak - 18 December 2018 09:31 AM

Kevin McKeever - 25 March 2015 02:47 PM

Our next three conventions are…

Anime Boston April 3-5th
C2E2 April 24-26th
Shanghai Comic Convention May 16-17th

Hope to see some of you there.

Kevin McKeever
ROBOTECH.com

Does it annoy anybody else that it’s obvious all our complaints are being read, but nothing is being done about any of them?

Everybody knows. None of this is new. They’ve been doing all these exact same things for 17 years.