Macross Zero

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Macross Zero

マクロスゼロ
Genre	Adventure, Drama, Mecha, Military, Science Fiction
OVA
Directed by	Shoji Kawamori
Studio
No. of episodes	5
Released	December 21, 2002
Runtime

Macross Zero (マクロスゼロ, Macross Zero^?) is an anime prequel OVA to The Super Dimension Fortress Macross consisting of five episodes. It is set nine years after the fall of an alien spaceship on Earth and one year before Space War I, the first large-scale extraterrestrial war. The alien space ship, which would later be rebuilt and rechristened SDF-1 Macross, caused the formation of U.N. government and helped trigger the U.N. Wars. Amidst the violence, a U.N. F-14 pilot named Shin Kudo is attacked by strange enemy aircraft that can transform into robots. Crashing down, but surviving, 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. Roy Focker, a major character from the original Macross also makes an appearance in this series.

As of 2006, there are no plans to officially release the series in English due to legal concerns with Harmony Gold.

[edit] Characters

Shin Kudo (工藤シン, Kudō Shin^?): Japanese/American fighter pilot flying for the UN. Lost his parents early in the U.N. Wars.
Sara Nome: Priestess of Mayan Island. Highly skeptical of outsiders and the violence they bring with them.
Mao Nome: Sara's younger sister. Cheerful and outgoing, and longing to see the outside world.
Roy Focker: Famed U.N. ace and test pilot for the new and experimental variable fighter the VF-0.
D.D.Ivanov: Ace pilot flying for the Anti-U.N. forces. Roy Focker's former instructor turned rival. Flies the variable fighter the SV-51.
Nora Polyansky: Ivanov's wingmate. A ruthless and highly skilled warrior dedicated to the Anti-U.N. cause.

[edit] Trivia

The animation for Macross Zero is a combination of computer-generated imagery and cel animation.

The combat resembles a Warsaw Pact versus NATO war, with the UN forces flying F-14s and anti-UN forces flying MiG-29s, until the transforming variable fighters are introduced.

There is also a popular phrase used on the Internet referring to Macross Zero: "Macross Zero-style!" It has appeared in several images, such as being said by John Kerry, and an edited screenshot for shutting down Microsoft Windows.