Robotech (1985)

The one for viewers who want real story arcs. Robotech was stitched together from three separate Japanese series to reach the episode count American syndication demanded, opening with the Macross saga, and the result plays as a sweeping three-part space war across 85 episodes. Its romance and lasting consequences were rare for an afternoon cartoon. The seams between the three source shows do show, especially in the middle stretch, but the first part alone justifies the rewatch.