episode run. However, by 1981, Wiz had gone out of business, and  the Macross seemed to be in permanent haitus. Big West, an  advertising agency looking to branch out into animation sponsorship,  approached Studio Nue about the project, and sponsored it. However,  they insisted on a leaner budget, not convinced that the show would  pan out as profitable. Big West pared the episode count to 23  episodes (meaning the show would have ended with the battle against  Bodolza). Even then, Big West found that the show was going to run  more expensive than they had bargained for, and to secure more  money, entered into a partnership with Tatsunoko Productions which  included international distribution (hence "Robotech" (1985)). When  Macross debuted in October, 1982, the stunning success convinced Big  West to green light an extension to 36 episodes, allowing the staff  to end with the "two years after" story arc.