OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Metal Skin Panic MADOX-1

One of the first one-shot OVAs of the 80s was this early gem by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Aramaki. This was still at the dawn of what was considered "cyberpunk anime", so it doesn't totally fall into the same category as Bubblegum Crisis or Akira. It's more similar to Black Magic-M66, a high-octane sci-fi OVA inspired by American action films.

A new mecha-suit similar to the Hulkbuster called the MADOX is going through its final testing by the Japanese government but gets lost during a delivery that was seriously lacking in security. Young mechanic Kouji comes upon it and gets locked inside it. Normally, he'd just wait for help to get out, but he has to meet his girlfriend on top of a skyscraper before she leaves on a trip abroad. So, he bulldozes his way through downtown to make it on time, all while the MADOX keeps automatically causing more damage than Kouji intended. The mecha's sexy creator Elly is out to stop it, but her bitter rival Kilgore goes mad and tries to take the MADOX down by any means necessary, including using his supped-up urban mini-tank!

As one of the pioneering OVAs, Metal Skin Panic MADOX-1 is pretty standard by today's anime viewing experiences. It makes for an enjoyable single-episode feature for any moderate fan of anime, but its greatest strength is seeing some amazing mecha fights!