Macross Zero OVA Episode 03 (Anime)
マクロスゼロ OVA Ep. 03 (OAV)
Macross Zero OVA 03

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Mao’s song has caused the rocks to float, leading Mao to wonder why. She becomes aware of Shin watching her, then aware of her own nudity. This causes the rocks to fall. She angrily swims off to where her clothes are and gets dressed before returning to Shin, threatening him and demanding he not tell anyone what he’s seen. He promises he won’t, saying that no one would believe him, something Sara agrees with. Aries arrives with Edgar and some sensor equipment. She believes Sara has strange powers and Sara wants the research team off the island. However, Shin intervenes, saying that Sara’s powers are real and that she can make rocks fly and even fly herself. Aries believes that Shin is making fun of the proto-culture theory that her mentor, Professor Hasford, came to the island years earlier to develop.

This is all observed by Mao from a nearby tree. As Shin and Edgar walk to the beach (Edgar giving Shin grief at being alone with Sara, suspecting the two were doing something naughty), Mao sneaks up on them and tags Shin from behind. She laughs at his lack of skill in detecting someone approaching from the rear when he’s a pilot. A little later, she takes Shin on a boat to see her treasure, where they go diving, shin with a mask and snorkel, Mao with nothing. Shin is amazed at the various life he sees. However, he’s more amazed at Mao’s ability to swim with the penguins under the water and how she’s able to hold her breath for so long.

Back on the boat, Mao tells Shin they still haven’t seen her treasure, which is at a much deeper depth. After witnessing a school of flying fish come out of the water and soar in he air (and over the boat), Mao tells him they are the first children of Rooy Kanu and Rooy Waka (part of the Mayan legends about the creation of humanity and more). As Mao leads him down to her treasure, Sara returns to the place where the “holy relics” are. She sings to try to make things better, which is observed by Aries. Down in the ocean, Mao’s “treasure” (another alien artifact) begins to glow and a giant eye opens. Shin is shocked by this and loses his air. Mao kisses him, transferring air to him.

Instantly, Sara seems to sense this and shows signs of anger and jealousy and increase in power levels. The artifact’s glow turns red in response, though this doesn’t seem to be noticed by Mao, who’s just kissed Shin. As they return to the surface, Sara demands the hiding Aries come out. Aries video camera broke as a result of Sara’s anger, which she attributes to Aries power. Sara is not happy because since the white people came to the island, things have been getting worse. Back on the boat, Shin wonders if what he saw is what the military has been looking for. Mao comments that this is the first time it has glowed that brightly.

A squadron of Anti-U.N. fighters, lead by Ivanov, launches to attack the Asuka II battle group and take the alien bird-mecha artifact. Mao senses this and pleads with Shin to not allow the evil to take her treasure. Shin’s radio gives off an attack alert signal and Edgar takes their VF-0 in Gerwalk mode to where Shin is out on the ocean. Meanwhile, the Anti-U.N. squad reaches the battle group as night falls and attack, taking out a destroyer. Nora provides cover so that Ivanov can board the Asuka II and take the artifact. However, resistance is very heavy and while they cause damage to the Asuka II and her defenses, the U.N. Spacy have a few surprises for the Anti-U.N. folks, which ends up causing Ivanov to be ejected from the carrier by Focker’s VF-0.

Back at the island, Shin realizes that Mao’s treasure is being targeted by a small submarine for capture. Remembering the flying fish and that the VF-0 can operate in space as well as survive in the water for a few minutes, he has the craft dive into the water where they battle the small sub, ultimately defeating it and taking the piece that it held. They return to the island with the piece and land on the beach in Gerwalk mode, so that they can leave the stricken Mao with Sara, who’s not happy with what’s going on. Nutuk says only the power of Pukinuha can save Mao.

Nora receives word that the piece of alien artifact on Mayan has been taken by the U.N. Spacy, so she leads some of the Anti-U.N. forces to attack the island. This they do, with devastating results, killing islanders and destroying the village. Aries orders the research team to evacuate and to bring Mao with them since she is a precious sample. Meanwhile, Shin and Edgar return to the sky with the artifact piece to protect it. They make a valiant fight against Nora, but the added weight of the artifact causes their fighter to get shot up beyond repair and drop the artifact. She dives to catch it, only to discover Shin has sent the remains of his fighter into hers, forcing her to crash.

The U.N. Spacy make it safely off the island and return to the Asuka II, which while on fire is still afloat and under power. Mao is taken to the medical ward where she’s to be given a blood transfusion taken from the “birdman” since their blood types are the same. Meanwhile back on Mayan, Shin is hiding from patrolling Anti-U.N. troops. He’s found by an angry Sara, who attacks him with a machete. She accuses him of stealing the birdman’s head. He tells her he was trying to protect Mao’s treasure, not knowing what it was. Sara is angry, but afraid that if the birdman awakens, the world will be destroyed. It is this that Nora arrives to find with her fighter in Gerwalk mode (well, I think it was her fighter).

Thoughts/Review:

Ah. So episode 3 has the scene of Shin and Mao and the underwater “kiss” that Alto and Rakan reenacted during the movie scene in Macross Frontier episode 10. As before, it is cool seeing these things in context. I’m sure had I seen Macross Zero first, seeing this replayed in Macross Frontier would have made me squeal like a happy pig. ^_^

Speaking of underwater, the sequence of Mao showing Shin the undersea life was very beautifully done. Excellent CG work here and how an OVA should be done when it comes to art and animation. Watching the penguins under he water was just amazing as Mao swam with them. Of course, seeing Mao’s treasure (the alien artifact, known as the “Birdman”) was pretty wild too. More on that in a bit.

While war is a scary, terrible thing, the battles were again well executed. Having a night attack, while tactically sound, I’m thinking, also I’m sure saved on CG expenses (though I could be wrong). Still, the deadly beauty of the night battle made me think of Francis Scott Key’s poem “Defense of Fort McHenry,” which would be set to music and become “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Specifically, I thought of the first stanza’s line, “And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.” I realize I am likely just making no sense, but seeing the aircraft carrier Asuka II and her carrier group under attack made me think this way.

The writers have done a good job of table setting with the first two episodes so that by the time things start coming to a head here, it it really, really intense. I didn’t catch in episode 2 that the substance coming out of the alien artifact was blood. That this blood matched Sara’s blood type did not surprise me though. With the whole proto-culture element running through the series, it makes sense that the Mayans might be descendants of the aliens that obviously came to this island at some point.

Basically, this episode had a lot going for it (and those of you into sexual fanservice will no doubt be happy to hear Sara’s naked breasts are shown in detail).