An ultimate Robotech cheese episode

“Broken Heart” offers classic damsel in distress rescue

Lynn Minmei cries in the arms of Rick Hunter.

Sometimes the simple and classic damsel in distress storyline can deliver the best escapism entertainment.

Episode 32 entitled “Broken Heart” of The Macross Saga of Robotech animated series from the 1980s delivers that in spades. In just under 26 minutes, you get to see a bad guy kidnap a damsel, who is ultimately saved by the good guy all in a science fiction environment.

So why am I using my blog to review an old animation episode originally created in Japan that first ran on television in North America 35 years ago?

In a world that is in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I thought I would change things up and try to type out something more entertaining. Due to the fact my audience looks for columns and stories from the sports world, I know this post will like get only 30 page views, but it is still good to switch things up every now and then.

Khyron is the villain that likes to be drunk with power.

Anyways, back to the episode review.

The “Broken Heart” episode can hold up well as a great standalone episode due to its classic storyline. Still, some groundwork needs to be laid.

In The Macross Saga of Robotech which runs in the fictional timeline of 1999 to 2014, the Earth defensive forces are at war with species of giant humanoid aliens called Zentraedi.

The “Broken Heart” episode occurs in 2013, which is a little over two years after main part of the war has ended. The Earth defensive forces were victorious, but most of the Earth was devastated in the main part of the war that saw incredible losses on both sides.

Admiral Henry J. Gloval is the cool Earth defence forces leader.

The survivors from Earth along with friendly aliens that switch sides are working on reconstruction. Still, there are alien survivors that aim to continue to make war, and they are led by a male named Khyron.

In the “Broken Heart” episode, Khyron kidnaps Lynn Minmei, who is an extremely popular pop music star from Earth. Khyron holds Minmei and her manager and cousin, Lynn Kyle, hostage.

Khyron wants to exchange his hostages for the powerful flagship of the Earth defense forces called SDF-1. The Earth defence forces have until noon the next day to meet his demands.

Khyron has Lynn Minmei in his grasp.

In the episode, Minmei and Kyle are ultimately saved by Rick Hunter, who is the ace pilot of the Earth defence forces.

In classic style fitting for the 1980s, the pilots of the Earth defensive forces fly around in fighter planes that look like F-14 Tomcats made famous in the motion picture movie Top Gun. The fighter planes, which are called Veritech fighters, can transform into robots, which is another classic 1980s fictional thing.

The Veritech fighters in robot mode stand as tall as the alien adversaries.

What makes the “Broken Heart” episode great is the fact Khyron is an outstanding bad guy character. There is no question he is the villain as his enjoyment of war, destruction and death just surpasses his love for alcohol. He is known to go into battle on an alcoholic rage, and there is a scene where he drinks heavily before going into the climactic battle in the “Broken Heart” episode.

Lynn Minmei is trapped in Khyron’s hand.

(*Believe it or not, the Robotech series was marketed to children in North America in the 1980s with a villain that had this sort of back story.*)

Khyron, who also has the trademark villain laugh, boasts in the episode about how much pleasure he would get if he crushed the life out of Minmei. However, he ensures Minmei and Kyle stay alive so they can be used for ransom demands.

Khyron’s place as the villain is further cemented in an exchange he has with Earth defense force leader Henry J. Gloval in a video conference.

(*Hey, they predicted in the 1980s there would be video conferences in the early 2010s, but no one carries mobile phones in the Robotech universe*).

Rick Hunter is the hero that is going to save the day.

Khyron starts the exchange with, “It is a great pleasure to interrupt you admiral Gloval.”

Gloval responds, “On the contrary, the disgust is all mine I assure you.”

Khyron gloats, “That makes me very happy.”

Of course, the Earth defence forces don’t give into Khyron’s demands, and they set out to rescue Minmei and Kyle. The Earth defence forces create a diversion by drawing Khyron into a trap.

Some of the aliens that have switched sides stage a fake battle where it appears they need to be rescued by attacking Earth defensive forces. Khyron goes to rescue them and gets caught in a trap that sees his forces take a massive ass kicking.

One of the good guy aliens, right, enjoys a cigarette.

On a side note, one of the good guy alien actors in the diversion is shown smoking a cigarette during a down moment. You would rare see that type of scene in any television or movie episode produced in the current day.

Anyways, the diversionary battle allows Rick Hunter to go in and rescue Minmei and Kyle from the guards that are holding them captive. Hunter and Minmei have had a past romance, and there is lots of dialogue throughout the episode that makes it clear that romance has occurred.

After Hunter returns Minmei and Kyle to Earth defence force headquarters, Kyle yells out at Hunter’s commanding officer, Lisa Hayes, that Hunter was absolutely reckless when he swooped in to make the rescue.

Rick Hunter flies in to save Lynn Minmei.

Hunter breaks up the verbal confrontation saying he didn’t make that rescue for Kyle and that his main focus was to save Minmei. Minmei proceeds to run crying into Hunter’s arms and they proceed to have a smooch session.

In most damsel in distress type rescue stories, this would be the part where all the good guys live happily ever after. The Robotech series was great for producing some good cheesy fun episodes like this one and other more serious episodes, where main characters actually die.

Hayes breaks up the smooch fest between Hunter and Minmei ordering Hunter to go mop up the trap battle, where Khyron’s forces were in retreat.

The bad guys go down to defeat.

Hunter and Minmei have a cute and cheesy parting scene where Hunter flies off into battle as the episode comes to an end.

The “Broken Heart” episode works because the characters pull you into a classic storyline that is still satisfying when it gives you an ending you expect. The episode contains a few humourous one-liners that help keep it rolling too.

It is a great episode to pull you into the entire Robotech series. Of course if you do watch The Macross Saga in its entirety, you learn Hunter, Minmei and Hayes are in a love triangle storyline, and Hunter and Hayes ultimate end up together by the end of the series.

Lisa Hayes, right, breaks up the Lynn Minmei and Rick Hunter kiss.

Still for one episode, “Broken Heart” provides 26 minutes of fantastic escapism and fun. It is a great quick way to leave the troubles of the current world behind for a bit.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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COVID-19 pandemic times lead to rediscoveries

Visiting my Dad’s resting place in Regina.

    It has been great to have weekends again for an extended stretch.

    That has been one of the many rediscoveries I’ve come across during these coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic times.

    For the last 20 years, I really haven’t had regular weekends over a lengthy span of time due to making a career covering sports events. When massive shutdowns started to occur on March 11 and 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my weekends opened up.

    With all that noted, I miss covering sports events a great deal. The clock in my head keeps telling me the Saskatoon Hilltops should be well into their CJFL regular season.

I’ve enjoyed getting out to cut the grass during the pandemic.

    The 2020 CJFL season is one of many things that have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Even with local baseball and softball starting up in early July and the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association springing to action at the Wyant Group Raceway on Aug. 8, the last sports event I covered with a focus and intensity was the Saskatoon Contacts getting eliminated from the Saskatchewan Under-18 AAA Hockey League playoffs on March 12 at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Contacts fell 5-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors, who swept a best-of-five league semifinal series 3-0.

    Well over five months have passed since that game was played, and weekends have become actual weekends. There is anticipation when Friday arrives and a dread when Monday rolls around.

Yes, I own the DVDs to the “Disney” Star Wars trilogy.

    I haven’t had this many weekends in a row that have been actually weekends where you can have down time since the summer of 2000.

    During weekends, I will do things that need to be attended to at home like clearing snow or cutting the grass depending on what season it is. When the pandemic got real in Saskatoon, winter was still on in full force.

    It seemed like it didn’t start to get warm outside until the beginning of May, and it has been warm ever since.

    On weekends, I will do my workouts in my weight room in the basement. I’ve gotten used to watching movies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

I used the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl in Madden.

    I’ve actually found a new joy in just hanging on the homestead on Saturday nights.

    On Saturdays and Sundays, I can often be found playing a game or two of Madden 2008 on my PlayStation 2, or I can be seen venturing on a long bike trip through the city.

    For the first time in like five years, I’ve started and completed a regular season of Madden inside of a calendar year. I can’t remember when was the last time I finished a Madden season inside of six months.

    I used the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers just to be different and have fun. The Broncos ended up winning the Super Bowl over the Panthers 56-28.

    Besides creating storylines on Madden, I got to have a little fun in the statistics department.

The Denver Broncos raise the Super Bowl trophy in Madden.

    With the Panthers, I signed a younger computer generated quarterback with a 99 overall rating and receiver Calvin Johnston, who was nicknamed in real life “Megatron.”

    Johnston had a 98 overall rating when he was signed and was boosted up to a 99 overall rating by the end of the season. I had Johnson catch 83 passes for 2,398 yards and 23 touchdowns appearing in all 16 regular season games.

    I’ve re-watched a lot of Star Wars movies including all three that are part of the “Disney” trilogy.

    I rediscovered the 1980s animated television shows for Transformer, G.I. Joe and Robotech. I viewed the Transformers shows off old VCR tapes I own.

    I started out watching G.I. Joe and Robotech episodes on YouTube.

A pandemic DVD purchase. Can’t go wrong with 1980s G.I. Joe.

    I later bought a couple of DVD sets of G.I. Joe television shows from the 1980s at Hi-Tech Gametraders in Confederation Mall in Saskatoon.

    I totally endorse shopping at Hi-Tech Gametraders, which is a good local Saskatoon business.

    I found the complete Robotech series on DVD for sale online in the United States and purchased it and had it shipped to my place in Saskatoon.

    The DVD sets were pandemic buys, because I likely wouldn’t have bought them had the world gone on like it normally would.

    I finally made a road trip for the first time in the pandemic traveling to Regina on Aug. 19 and 20. I brought my mountain bike to Regina, and biked there for the first time in 10 years.

    In a cool twist, the mountain bike I road in Regina was the same one I won following the University of Regina Cougars women’s basketball team to U Sports nationals in Thunder Bay, Ont., in 1999.

Another pandemic DVD purchase. Robotech is still cool.

    I won the bike hitting a half-court shot during a halftime competition at the tournament’s championship game.

    I’ve only hit a half-court shot one other time in my life since.

    During my Regina stop, I visited the resting place of my late father, Dan Steinke.

    While it was great to finally hit the highway again, I’ve discovered during the pandemic that I have grown comfortable with being a home body.
    I haven’t been a home body since I was in Grade 9.

    Still, it does suck that the world hasn’t progressed in a normal fashion specifically in North America since early March. When the pandemic does end, I hope I can become active again covering the sports teams in the hockey and football world that I’ve covered over 24 years before the pandemic started.

    There are no guarantees that will happen as that depends on how events in the world play out the longer the pandemic goes.

In the pandemic, I plan to keep making the best with the cards dealt my way.

    With that noted, I am going to continue to rediscovering doing a few things I used to do in taking advantage of the cards that have been dealt to me in the present.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.