From Wikipedia:Plain and simple, this OVA is a gem.
Macross Zero is set one year before the events of the original Macross series, depicting the final battles of the global unification war between the UN Spacy and the Anti-UN forces set in the South Pacific. Amidst the violence, a UN F-14 Tomcat navy pilot named Shin Kudo is attacked by a strange enemy aircraft that can transform into a robot/battroid. Crash landing on Mayan Island he learns that this remote island and its peaceful native inhabitants hold a great secret linking them to the alien space ship and would become the focus of the war, whether they like it or not. Shin then returns to his carrier fleet and joins Skull Squadron, who also operate brand new, transforming fighters, the type Zero Valkyrie. He trains and engages Anti-UN forces operating from converted ballsitic missile submarines as both sides fight to locate and control two alien artifacts, with the peaceful, agrarian Mayan caught in the middle.
The animation: Incredible. The 2d and 3d blend together seamlessly from start to finish.
The sound: Superb, from the characters' voices to the ambience in each and every jungle scene.
The music: Always meaningful and spot-on when matched against the mood of any given scene.
The characters: Your usual diverse bunch. The difference between these characters and those of the average anime is that the less important beings here all feel relevant and don't prolong/drag the story any longer than they have to (not that I would've minded. They're every bit as interesting as some of the main characters).
The story: Engaging throughout, and none of it felt rushed. Even the playful scenes held my interest.
Oh, and another thing: watch THORA's release. I cannot stress this enough. The video quality is pro. The subs are pro. The audio is pro. The fact that they only do 720p and up is pro. This shit is pro. Get it now!!!
(There are also a number of XDCC bots for your downloading pleasure, but I already gave you the link to the site, so go find them yourself, geez!)
