Without Carl Macek, Video Games in the US (especially retro games) would dramatically be different

[Count_Zero]

So, Carl Macek, the guy who helped found Streamline Pictures, and who took Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Super Dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeda and wrapped it all up into a big package called Robotech, is dead. So, I kinda got to thinking about how he effected the video game industry, by popularizing anime in the US.

First things first. Before anime got started getting mainstream visibility in the US, Video Game Publishers here weren't willing to take a chance on an anime art style either in their games or on their box art. Just take a look at all the Sega games which had an anime art style on their boxes in Japan, that got changed to more traditional western fantasy art in the US. The Shining Force series for example, as well as the core Phantasy Star series, or even the US Box art for Breath of Fire and Valis. Anime becoming popular allowed video games to retain a more anime inspired art style. This is particularly notable with changes in the box art for the Street Fighter II series, and the Street Fighter Alpha/Zero series.

Additionally, because Macek was able to expose new audiences to anime in a less altered form than Speed Racer or Star Blazers (which had some significant edits), and help lay the ground work for anime to grow in popularity, then we were able to get games that were more directly related to anime, such as the Ranma 1/2 games, Earnest Evans, and even the Valis series (though, as I mentioned in the prior paragraph, the box art was altered to a more "Western" style). Certainly, if Anime hadn't gotten popular, the Shin Megami Tensei series (particularly the Persona games) would have never officially come to the United States.

What do you think? Am I over-stating his influence, or do I have it more or less correct?

[Gnash]

It was nice he introduced us to how awesome anime could be but I'm pissed off at him and Harmony Gold. It's because the rights for Robotech that none of the Macross stuff can come over. No anime, no games and no mangas. And that makes me really angry. Because they want to make money off something they don't actually "own" just because they bought the rights to distribute Macross as Robotech a long time ago. So now anything to do with Macross that comes out new in Japan never comes here.

[Areala]

I'll give credit where credit is due. Despite some of the "mistakes" that were made by his studios in re-editing, censoring and dubbing the titles he brought over, the shows he distributed often were the very first exposure that people, children especially and myself included, had to the Japanese style of animation. And while I may not agree with everything he did, there's no doubt that he was probably the person most singularly responsible for anime taking hold in the US. "Pioneer" would be appropriate, I think. You've got it right, Count_Zero, as far as I'm concerned.

*huggles*

Areala