Gunbuster is a six-episode OVA series directed by Hideako Anno, and is basically what put Studio Gainax on the map. The series was made in the late eighties, and you can really tell. Despite its age and brevity, however, Gunbuster is still one of the greatest - if oft-overlooked - mecha anime today. Also, there's fanservice, if you're interested. So are there any other Dollars even remotely familiar with this series?

3.5 year old bump!

If you haven't heard of Gunbuster yet, watch it. It's 6 episodes long and despite its short length, it still manages to have the same amount of character development as a standard 12 episode series.
Again, despite it's length, its pacing isn't rushed: GunBuster knows how long it plans to be, and only gives you information needed to understand what's going on.

While it's set in a post modern setting, the world has joined together in their humanity to fight off the 'aliens' that use planets to breed colonies. While this is a pretty generic setup for a mecha anime, it should also be noted that the aliens and robot fights aren't necessarily what makes GunBuster special.
If anything, it's the character interactions, the resolve developed by these young pilots throughout the series, and the complex issues explored.
What helps make GunBuster so interesting is the fact that, given a certain amount of time in subspace, a multiplicative amount of that time has occurred on Earth. Missions can seem only as minutes, and yet months or years pass by on Earth and other space ships. It's these complex interactions and sense of loss and time that help set GunBuster apart from other anime of its time, which carries over into Evangelion.

Even if it's not that well known, if you have a spare 3 hours, give it a watch, you won't regret it.

I'd like to second my compatriots recommendation of this series. If anyone here is interested in anime's history this is a notable piece (and a quick watch as has been mentioned). Specifically fans of Studio Gainax, creators of Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL, and others, and its recent offshoot Studio Trigger, creators of Little Witch Academia, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and Kill la Kill, will find this series rewarding, as it was their foundational work along with 1988's film Royal Space Force Wings of Honneamise (also a great watch). Gunbuster's influence on many anime since its release is easy, and quite rewarding, to see.

Holy shit, there has been a Gunbuster thread this whole time, and I had no clue.

Is it as crazy as pretty much everything ealse gianax is involved with?