Think of this as being like Top Gun, but… IN SPACE!!! (Actually, very little of the show takes place in space – it’s more like Top Gun with planes that ALSO TRANSFORM INTO ROBOTS!!!) Given this description, how can you not think this is awesome??
Macross Plus is a little bit odd in that it’s not really a series, but not really a movie either. Perhaps you would call it an OVA? Released on 2 DVDs and covering 4 episodes, it sort of straddles the line between a feature-length movie and a TV series. Be that as it may, it’s still an incredibly good show.
There is a much larger mythos surrounding the “Macross” name which I only understand in the most general sense. However, understanding that mythos isn’t really necessary to enjoy Macross Plus.
The basic premise is easy to understand: in the future, on a different planet, the military is testing two new prototype fighters. The two test pilots turn out to know each other – they grew up together – but there is some sort of bad memory between the two that causes them to be very competitive with one another. On top of that, there’s their love of the same woman – a love triangle which is also complicated by their shared past. 
Although set in a fictional future on a fictional planet, you could almost ignore the futuristic setting of the story and set it in the present day and it would still work just as well (though probably with less of the cool fight scenes and awesome special effects). Because of this, it’s the story itself which carries this show rather than the setting – and that speaks volumes about the quality of the story.
It’s because of the strong story that I highly recommend Macross Plus. It is a fantastic action movie in its own right, beautifully animated and highly entertaining, with a strong story and just the right amount of mystery and romance mixed in to make it appealing in the same way as many summer blockbuster movies. Unless you have an aversion to action films, you should give Macross Plus a try – it’s well worth it.
