A five-episode OVA released over the space of almost two years (2002-2004), in release order, Macross Zero sits between 1997's Macross Dynamite 7 and 2008's Macross Frontier. Chronologically, its events occur before every other Macross series. Does its place in the narrative timeline make Zero a good place for newbie Macross fans to start their lengthy journey? Not really. Tonally it's very distinct, plus Zero was made to expand upon pre-established lore, though the concepts it explores remain very relevant for the later Frontier and Delta series.

While there doesn't tend to be strong continuity between any separate Macross franchise entries, often characters, or relatives of characters, from other shows often turn up. Case in point – one of Zero's main supporting characters is daring pilot Roy Focker, who will later be very prominent in SDF Macross' storyline. Of the two Nome sisters, youngest sibling Mao will later become grandmother of Sheryl Nome, one of Frontier's central trio. Frontier even features an episode where its characters act in a movie dramatization of Zero protagonist Shin Kudo's life story! The way that Macross' wobbly continuity works is that each entry is said to be an in-universe dramatization of past events, thereby explaining away any inconsistencies as dramatic license. You could imagine this presentation of Zero as starring Frontier's cast if you want. (You could also imagine Do You Remember Love starring Macross 7's cast as there's a similar callback episode there, with Mylene playing the role of Lynn Minmei…)

While Macross 7 and its spinoffs are incredibly goofy, comedic shows, Zero is a far more serious affair with minimal humor, more closely related to Macross Plus in tone. There are no gigantic green-skinned invading aliens here; instead the fast-paced, intricate VF-0 transforming mech battles are between human factions, with the Earth embroiled in civil war. Central protagonist Shin is traumatized by the loss of his family to enemy soldiers, while one of his enemies, Nora Polyansky has horrific scars on her torso, inflicted by Shin's allies, the supposed “good guys” of the UN military. Neither faction comes out of this conflict positively, and humanity's warlike nature is judged as wanting by a powerful external force during the explosive climax.

Unlike the sustained barrages of bright color common to the presentation of most other Macross series, Zero is steadfastly grounded by muted grey, brown, and green tones. It's much more of a gritty war drama, and even its transforming mechs are depicted in relatively mundane gunmetal silver, giving much more of a real-world vibe. An uncharitable assessment could label this aesthetic as “dull,” but I like that Zero has a visual identity separate from its peers.

Zero relies heavily on CGI, not just for its mech battles, but also for some backgrounds and scene transitions. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it looks horribly dated. In general, the aerial battles are spectacular and easy to follow – I doubt hand-drawn animation would have achieved the same effect. The muddy textures and low resolution of the CGI can make the overall presentation rather murky, unfortunately. The picture is presented in 16:9 DVD resolution at most, which blown up on my 4K TV doesn't look great, but this is a result of early 2000s digital animation production, before the advent of HD. I doubt Macross Zero will ever look any better than it currently does without the use of controversial AI upscaling, and we all saw what a horrifying effect that had on Interstella 5555.

At only five half-hour episodes, Zero's characters don't get anywhere near as much development as their other Macross fellows, which means Shin, Sara, and Mao don't leave as lasting an impression as Basara, Mylene, and Gamlin, or Alto, Sheryl, and Ranka. Shin's something of a blank slate – a young pilot who, as a child in 1999, witnessed the crash of the original Macross ship. His life's path was forever altered by the resulting war between the pro-globalist UN and anti-unification forces. We learn little of his emotions or guiding principles, and he only meets Sara and Mao through happenstance.

While love triangles are a Macross staple, the minimal triangle between Shin and the two girls is dwarfed in prominence by the relentless plot and action sequences. It doesn't help that Mao is apparently only eleven years old, and while it's clear she likes Shin, he (thankfully) doesn't show much interest. His conflicted relationship with the deeply religious Sara is far more interesting, though given the time constraints isn't given enough time to truly blossom. Sara's own conflicted motivations between her adherence to tradition and desire to spread her wings and experience the wider world are contrasted against her sister's intention to leave the island behind and embrace modernity. Kawamori makes some apposite comparisons between the seemingly idyllic life that the remaining Mayan Island villagers lead and the young people who leave for the city, never to return, captured by the conveniences of modern life. He doesn't make either choice seem obviously correct, but he does evoke a sense of real sadness, even horror, when the island's sanctity is irrevocably ruined by war.

Zero feels like Macross' equivalent to James Cameron's Avatar, in that it's about an outsider who becomes involved with an indigenous tribe and their obscure belief system. His presence seems to invite destruction, as military forces wish to strip the island of its archaeological treasures, razing the forest with firebombs, wrecking the lush jungle. Director Shōji Kawamori came to Zero soon after completing his ecologically-conscious drama Earth Maiden Arjuna (whose title character makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-her cameo on a TV screen), so comparisons with Western media like Avatar, and its predecessors Ferngully and Dances with Wolves, are apt.

Kawamori treats the fictional indigenous peoples' belief system with a mix of mysticism and (in-universe) scientific explanation. Sara and her people follow seemingly illogical rules, the breaking of which result in serious consequences. Their creation myth involving “bird men” and “fish men” of course dates back to the Protoculture, and ties directly into the all-action climax that comprises almost the entirety of the extremely intense final episode. That mythological aspect grants Zero some of its more fantastical aspects, akin to those in other Macross series. While not as prominent here, the power of song remains integral to the series' cosmology, with Sara, as priestess, manifesting mysterious powers conferred via song. There aren't any rock stars or pop idols in Zero, so the soundtrack isn't as instantly iconic as that of Macross 7 or Frontier.

This element of fantastical mysticism informs the extremely vague ending, which may induce some viewers to scream due to its ambiguity and lack of proper resolution. I had to go look up “Macross Zero ending explanation” discussion online, and found that there is no consensus among fans as to what the maddeningly unclear final scene means for everything. It does seem like a slap in the viewer's face for Kawamori to present an otherwise grounded, coherent story, only to completely crap out on the ending by cramming in poorly-explained, mystical deus ex machina nonsense.

Ending aside, I enjoyed Macross Zero a lot more than I was expecting to, considering its general reputation among Macross fans as boredom-inducing, or at least a lesser entry in the franchise. Although its tone is darker, and more serious, than most other Macross entries, it provides some fascinating worldbuilding and intense action that's worth experiencing. The music and romance aspects are greatly reduced, however, and for some, that's what Macross is supposed to be all about.