Lynn Minmay
In addition to his innovative mecha design work, Kawamori also came up with innovative concepts in his character writing. In contrast to earlier mecha anime which focused on combatants, he wanted to portray a mecha conflict from the perspective of non-combatant civilians, which led to his creation of the fictional singer Lynn Minmay in "Macross". She went on to become the first virtual idol. Voiced by Mari Iijima, Minmay was the first fictional idol singer to garner major real-world success, with the theme song "Do You Remember Love?" (from the film "Macross: Do You Remember Love?") reaching number seven on the Oricon music charts in Japan. Kawamori later took the concept further in "Macross Plus" (1994) with the virtual idol Sharon Apple, an artificial intelligence (AI) computer program who takes the form of an intergalactic pop star. The same year, he created "Macross 7" (1994), which featured the virtual band Fire Bomber who became a commercial success and spawned multiple CDs released in Japan. The "Macross" franchise set the template for later virtual idols in the early 21st century, such as Hatsune Miku and Kizuna AI.