Carl Macek, somebody I really only knew from the opening credits to Robotech, has died. He was somewhat of a object of hatred in hardcore anime fandom for his butchery of various unrelated anime series (Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA) into the Americanised Robotech, but as the linked to eulogy says:
Carl had his critics. But one thing is certain: the popularity of anime in the North America would not be where it is today without Macek’s groundbreaking work on Robotech and his efforts on behalf of Streamline Pictures.
Myself, I had no idea about any of this controversy when I first discovered Robotech on Superchannel, back in 1987? 1988?, early on Saturday mornings. Sandwiched between all the crappy American cartoons its quality stood out and it’s led to a lifelong interest in anime.