[excel excel]

I just learned this today from a friend. According to Anime News Network...

Quote

Animation historian Jerry Beck reported on his blog on Sunday that American producer Carl Macek passed away due to a heart attack on Saturday. Macek and Beck had co-founded the anime importing company Streamline Pictures in 1988.

Macek is best known for producing Robotech, the 1985 redubbed and edited adaptation of three different anime series — Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. He also worked on the dubbing of many anime projects from Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years (redubbed and edited adaptation of Captain Harlock and Queen Millennia) to more recently, Bleach and Naruto. His other dubbing production credits include Vampire Hunter D, Robot Carnival, My Neighbor Totoro, and Aura Battler Dunbine. Although Streamline Pictures did not dub the 1988 film Akira, it did release the film in theaters and on video tape in the United States.

Outside anime, Macek wrote The Art of Heavy Metal (Animation for the Eighties), the 1981 book about the Canadian animated film Heavy Metal. That led to his co-writing credit on the Heavy Metal 2000 spinoff. He also developed the Lady Death film at ADV Films and wrote War Eagles, a novel based on an unproduced film treatment by Merian C. Cooper.

R.I.P.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-...cek-passes-away


Also if you are gonna post comments...I am letting it be known that any classless comments made on this thread will be taken seriously here. I am letting that be known. If this does happen you will be given a warning. If you wanna do it, go somewhere else but not on this ACen site.

[Kankokujin]

Wow. I know people die all the time but so many famous deaths in such short time nowadays. Makes me realize I'm getting old.

My opinion about Robotech still stands but this sad to hear indeed.

This post has been edited by Kankokujin: 19 April 2010 - 07:50 AM

[jsieczkar]

I had the chance to meet Carl Macek around a decade ago now, and he was truly a very nice man. By talking with him you could quickley find out that he as an actual fan, not just someon out to make a buck. While he is a very dividing figure more so in the past then now the American anime industry and the American fandom would not be what it is now with out him. Most of the people on this board would never have seen an anime, Anime Central would not be what it is or may not exist at all. There are only a handfull of Americans that have made truly historical impacts on the course of anime history, not just in America but world wide, Carl was one of those people.

[Voxx]

Wow I had no idea he did all of those things. Its suprising for me that he did those older anime series and still kept along with the newer ones from Macross to Bleach. Thats quite a long time.

How sad ;__;

[sentinel28a]

Damn shame. I never understood the Macek Hate; Robotech introduced me to anime, so I'll be forever grateful to him for that. Had he gotten his way, Robotech really would've been an epic saga that would be the American version of Gundam.

Robotech to Battletech, Battletech to most of my friends, Battletech to writing, writing to teaching career, Battletech to watching BGC at a sci-fi con inbetween games in 1989...wow. I owe the man a lot.

Ben Da Sad Irishman

[7nica]

wow......so this is the guy I owe 4 bringing anime into my life huh? It's sad that so many awesome people are passing away like this....but 4 the most part I thank this guy seriously. If he didn't bring them here then we'd probably wouldn't be fans of it now.

[excel excel]

I grew up watching Robotech as a kid. I remember coming home from school just to watch Robotech. Back when I had a VCR. I still have some of those episodes on VHS. Now if I only had a VCR. It was Robotech that got me into anime and Carl made that happen for me. He will be sorely missed. He was 58 years old. For me that's too soon.

[Kankokujin]

sentinel28a, on Apr 19 2010, 02:28 PM, said:

Damn shame. I never understood the Macek Hate; Robotech introduced me to anime, so I'll be forever grateful to him for that. Had he gotten his way, Robotech really would've been an epic saga that would be the American version of Gundam.

Robotech to Battletech, Battletech to most of my friends, Battletech to writing, writing to teaching career, Battletech to watching BGC at a sci-fi con inbetween games in 1989...wow. I owe the man a lot.

Ben Da Sad Irishman

Please don't tempt me to get started on that.

I wonder if the Robotech tour will still make it to Acen though.

[sentinel28a]

Kankokujin, on Apr 20 2010, 07:55 AM, said:

Please don't tempt me to get started on that.

By all means, get started on it! I'd honestly like to hear what you think.

Ben Da Mad Irishman
"I'm not tempting you! I'm not tempting you!"

[Kankokujin]

sentinel28a, on Apr 20 2010, 12:35 PM, said:

By all means, get started on it! I'd honestly like to hear what you think.

Ben Da Mad Irishman
"I'm not tempting you! I'm not tempting you!"

Sorry if this gets off topic and I hope this isn't considered classless.

Like you said, we owe a lot to Carl Macek and there's nothing wrong with being a Robotech fan. The problem is that most American fans have never known, or forgotten the original, untouched versions of Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. The original Macross itself has had many following series over the years that just seem to buried by the Robotech franchise. It also bothers me that you don't see any Japanese credits in Robotech either. I also remember reading lawsuit claims between the original Japanese creators and Harmony Gold and hence why newer Macross series' are so difficult to officially release in the states. I just thought by now people would be more willing to explore how it all started.

[sentinel28a]

Kankokujin, on Apr 20 2010, 05:50 PM, said:

Sorry if this gets off topic and I hope this isn't considered classless.

Like you said, we owe a lot to Carl Macek and there's nothing wrong with being a Robotech fan. The problem is that most American fans have never known, or forgotten the original, untouched versions of Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. The original Macross itself has had many following series over the years that just seem to buried by the Robotech franchise. It also bothers me that you don't see any Japanese credits in Robotech either. I also remember reading lawsuit claims between the original Japanese creators and Harmony Gold and hence why newer Macross series' are so difficult to officially release in the states. I just thought by now people would be more willing to explore how it all started.

I see what you're saying, but my counter would be: if Carl Macek hadn't combined Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada into the Frankenstein that is Robotech...would we even have heard of Macross, et al?

Ben Da Mad Irishman
"Don't make us keep Battle of the Planets as our entry drug"

[Matt]

He will be missed, and I thank him for the English dub of Dirty Pair: Project Eden (one of my favorite anime films).

[sentinel28a]

Matt, on Apr 22 2010, 02:55 AM, said:

He will be missed, and I thank him for the English dub of Dirty Pair: Project Eden (one of my favorite anime films).

No way! He did that too?

I don't like the Dirty Pair anime as much as the Warren manga, but they were still pretty good.

Ben Da Mad Irishman
"Kei + Yuri 4ever"

[Matt]

Yep, he directed the English language dub, anyway. I also liked the Akira dub, although I always think of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when I hear Kaneda's voice.