Anime: Macross Zero 1x4v59

When I started watching this anime I couldn't understand why its rating was just 7.5 when it had Avatar (the hollywood movie) level graphics and a Neongenesis Evangelion level story. Its only in the last 10 mins I understood why. They sort of botched up the ending. Its not the worst, but it was a disappointment after all the beauty that preceded it.

The story is the idiocy of man. How so bloody bloody stupid he can be. How he is so short sighted that he cannot see even a little beyond the so very very obvious. Just like in real life its always a minority battling a huge force who just can't see the larger picture. And the simple question is, why can't we see love? Why? Why?

The Animation was so beautiful and realistic. Unlike regular mecha they don't make a big deal about it and concentrate on it like as if it were real. The coloring and detail is Studio Ghibli level. I guess that is the highest praise that I can give.

The sounds, the people, the background noises, the music, etc were all superb. It was like a big budget film.

Value and Enjoyment was high, I can confidently recommend it. Its only 2.5 hrs (tightly edited). And like me if you have been hunting for some hidden gems after having finished all the best anime, yes, this is one.

Cheers! :-).

All right, let’s get the weak points out of the way first: the story, on its own, is not particularly interesting. The premise of an aircraft pilot getting stranded on an island steeped in alien artifacts and natives following ancient traditions sounds very promising. But from the point of Shin’s rescue and eventual return, the story gets needlessly convoluted, with frequent scene and setting changes without making much actual progress. Eventually the OVA rushes to its climax, but it is an artificial and unforeshadowed climax so it feels like a cop-out, a way to make the OVA end with a bang.

Likewise, the characters initially introduced are interesting, especially the Nome sisters in their interactions and relating to Shin, but they fail to develop during the course of the OVA so they stagnate into stereotypes instead. Especially Sara, which should have become likeable by the end of the OVA in order for the ending to work, does nothing to escape her stereotype of an anti-progressive traditionalist tribe leader. The secondary characters introduced later into the OVA are also heavily typecast, and some of them are completely redundant other than acting as references to the rest of the Macross universe. One of the possible exceptions is professor Aries Turner; although her relation to several characters across the board seems slightly forced, she is one of the few characters, secondary or not, who reacts and adapts adequately to the events around her.

However, the whole point of this average story is that it is wrapped up in delicious eye candy. The various vistas of the tropical island are stunningly drawn, and the designs of the ancient culture presented are suitably alien and weathered at the same time, so their origin and effect is completely believable. The CG dogfights are seamlessly blended with the handdrawn graphics, which is an accomplishment difficult even nowadays. Macross Zero depicts a wide range of environments, from gentle ocean breezes to underwater ruins to aircraft warfare, but it manages to impress on every front.

The characters are also very nicely drawn and display a wide range of emotions, both with their facial expressions and with the help of the voice acting. The musical score also complements the scenery and action very well, with few exceptions (the tribal hymn verges on being slightly annoying).

Of course, the throwback references of this OVA to other parts of the Macross mythos adds to its value for those who have watched or plan to watch the series proper. Much of the OVA is dedicated to exploring the protoculture theory and its effect on human civilization, and the end result of a blend between advanced technology and ancient religion is presented very nicely in my opinion. There are also cameos and secondary roles to characters who appear elsewhere in the Macross universe, most notably Roy Focker, and this kind of fanservice adds to the value of the OVA.

Macross Zero can serve as a good starting point to explore the Macross saga, or it can be faced as a self-contained OVA of rediscovering a lost civilization. Whichever way one uses to approach it, it should be done to enjoy the amazing animation and CG scenes, rather than placing attention in its lacklustre story.

plot synopsis and review in my blog,
http://animouliasma.blogspot.com/2009/02/macross-zero.html

Well i will make one thing clear before you guys read on I have NOT seen any of the other macross series yet. This since i thiught i schould see it in chronological order story wise. Becouse of this i did'nt enjoy some parts as much but neither did I get dissepointed on others becouse of nostalgia.

Animation: What else is there to say than amazing. The animation holds very high class and coloring and movement animation is very well done. The CG very skillfully used and dosen't give you that acward feel like in "Vandread" or "Reideen" it aint stiff and it fits well with the overall drawing style and quality.

Sound: The music and dialog where very nice and so was the choice of voice actors for the characters. Not much to say really it was really vell done.

Story: Well here is what this anime lacks alot. The overall idea was good and got your attention enought to see it to the end. But somewhere in late third episode you lost intrest and only the beutiful fighing sceens and curiosity you got from the previus eps made you stay.

Characters: Too many, when you only got 5 eps. There where a lot of intresting chracters but when the series was over you only wanted to know more. All characters where to shallow.

Value/Enjoyment: Well i think a series valu lies i how much i enjoyed it. Even though it was way to short for both characters and story to really show theire strength it was really enjoyable due to the beutiful dogfight sceens.

If it had been 12-13 eps instead the charcters would have had a chance to develop more and would have been abel to contribute to the story, making it into a perfect 10.
"But there are no if's in history."

I watched this with very, very high hopes. I *love* Macross, but by the end of this series, I was more than a little disappointed.

Animation: 10
For my money (if this were ever licensed over here), this OAV series has the best animation of anything I have ever seen. The animated sequences are drawn and coloured with wonderous skill, but they pale in comparison to the phenomenal CG sequences. The first time I saw the rendered VF-0, I sat open mouthed as a chill ran down my spine. Simply stunning. The flight/dogfight sequences are done with such speed and movement that you almost feel as if you're in a chase plane.

Far and away, this is the strength of the series.

Sound: 8
As the Macross stories have progressed, music has played a larger and larger role, to the point of becoming almost the focus of things, like in Macross 7. The music here is very good, but not quite up to what I feel is the standard Macross has set for itself over the years. The songs of the original series and film have become anime classics, the songs in Zero are merely well constructed but almost overblown.

Sound effects and dialog are both handled very well, especially in the flight sequences.

Story: 5
This is one of the places Macross Zero really fell apart for me. SDF Macross is memorable and well-loved in large part because of two things, story and characters. The story here starts off well, giving backstory to things referred to in other Macross tales, the Protoculture and their arrival on earth. The telling of the creation myth as local legend is a fantastic idea, and is well-executed. Once we reach the meat of the series, the story seems to take a back seat to CG fighters and nifty song sequences. There are vague hints and allusions at the motivations of most of the characters, but in the end it seems like they just stumble along, looking pretty and blowing things up.

Characters: 3
As I mentioned, characters are one of the driving things in the well-loved Macross stories. Here they all leave me wanting more. No one really seems to grow in any rational way. Relationships become convoluted, and untangle themselves for no explicable reason. Even the return of Roy Focker is a bad idea, to my mind. Any attempt to create either romantic or life/death tension with him is a complete waste of time: He lives to be in SDF Macross and is dating Claudia in said series. We get a hint of his history between leaving the flying circus and the start of SDF Macross, but even that leaves you wanting to know more.

Too many people, not enough time to make use of them.

Value: 6
This is a tough category for me to judge. It's only 5 episodes, and it does do some neat things early on. Those parts are very nice to a Macross fan, but perhaps not that cool to a newcomer to the myhtos. The end, as a Macross fan, is a total waste.

Enjoyment: 7
Perhaps the toughest thing for me to judge. At the end of part 1, I would have sworn this was the best thing on earth. Maybe even at the end of part 2. Part 3 kept going decently, but impressed me less. Parts 4 and 5 just left me shaking my head in dismay at the waste of a perfectly good storyline and franchise.

That said, being able to pick what I watch, the early parts will be something I'll love to go back and watch, if only for the eye candy.

Well i won't name myself a big Macross fan but i like macross series and I just loved Macross Plus OAVs

Animation: Simply said THE BEST ANIMATED OAV series so far (like once was Macross Plus). The level of animation extends those of most modern anime movie releases. Characters are animated very well, background are nice and very corolfull and CG ... agh ... CGs are stunning ... the best CGs i've seen in anime. In most of recent animes (mostly TV series but in OAVs too) CG just sux. 0% of details, overuse of motion blur and ugly cell shading. None of this are in Macross 0. Animation is sharp and clear, no frigin' cell shading and very good light effects

Sound: As everyone know Macross series are all about mechas and music. I consider Macross Plus OST as one of the best anime sound tracks of all time.Yoko Kanno just rules! Haishima Kuniaki composer of this series did a good job, it's not as good as Keikos soundtrack but it's very good OST. IHMO main theme, Arkan, sang in french is a 'lil piece of art.

Story: Macross Zero as the name suggest takes place before Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and shows beginnings of VF project. Story plot is quite good but nothing special. IHMO it's too simular to Macross Plus, but i will give it +1 point for quite rare in anime tropical setting

Character: nothing special, good but nothing special. We have here: yong pilot Shin, veteran fighter Focker, Sara priestess of anctient forgotten religion,and her little rebelious sister Mao.
Nothing (or maybe noone) orginal :(

Value: Hmmm... It's "must see" and not only for macross fans but in general for all of anime fans.
One of two gratest OAV series in 2003/2004 (second is Tenchi Muyo OAV 3:-)

Enjoyment: I must say this ... dog fights keeps you deep in your chair as your jaw hits the floor. Just too perfect. Big step forward since Macross Plus. Can't decribe it ... you gotta see it for yourself :)

This is by the far the best anime I have ever seen.

It uses 3D Animation to really bring to life the VF-0 and it even answers questions like exactly how the Veritech Fighters transform.

Let me put it this way.. The file I had didn't play the sound and I still watched it! IT WAS THAT GOOD!

This will make you VERY critical of other anime series!