The animated action sequence technique became more famous when Itano used it for the "dogfights" depicted in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime TV series from 1982. The Itano Circus is characterized by detailed, fluid shading of the mecha, the close-range acrobatic moves the dueling fighters make in combat, as well as twisting contrails left by fighters and missiles. It is also commonly used in specific reference to an attack where a mecha or spaceship launches a large swarm of guided missiles with meticulously animated spiraling smoke trails and erratic trajectories and its target is repeatedly dodging those missiles at a high speed.
