Scan of a vintage Robotech artbook and episode guide from 1986. May be of interest to completionist Macross fans, but more likely just a fun kooky novelty. This is the roots of anime fandom in the west.

"This is the roots of anime fandom in the west" is a bold claim. Many would argue Astro Boy.

Base +5, legolas01 +7, jkezer +10, ZeSpectre -4

Well, I don't think you could possibly point to any single "source" of western anime fandom, it's an organic cultural phenomenon like any other. But I don't think western fans of Astro Boy in 1963 rushed out and bought more Japanese comics or eagerly waited for more Japanese animation... they would have had to wait almost two decades until the late 70s when cartoons like Candy Candy and Harlock Saga were being localized at a large scale. For kids watching Astro Boy, it was just another Saturday morning cartoon.

And that's partially true of Robotech as well, except that older folks like myself watched it (as well as other poorly localized anime) as kids, and as we grew up into the 90s and 2000s with a thirst for it, which coincided with the animation renaissance that happened to be taking place in Japan. So my point isn't that shows like Robotech are the root of the whole western relationship with anime, just that they got people hooked on it who are still hooked on it today and who have generated whole subcultures in the west as a result.

Base +6, ZeSpectre +4, shuwadorimin +3, Brandy Bogard +6, Psychotic Pastry +6

i have all 3 art books

Base +6

Even more would argue Space Battleship Yamato. Which was renamed Starblazers. That actually started the anime fandom in the west. And it predates Robotech by at least 10 years in coming on over.

Base +20, shuwadorimin +3

Starblazers premiered in late 1979, so it only predates Robotech by a little over 4 years. However, Robotech was created directly in its wake, so it's clear that it was direct result of Starblazers, and that it was filling a new place in the entertainment market that Starblazers, ahem, blazed.

And this only applies to the United States. There were other western countries in Europe and South American that were importing much more Japanese animation and incubating their own tween otaku subcultures earlier in the 70s.

Base +6, shuwadorimin +3, Brandy Bogard +6