[QUOTE] (too many episodes to watch, not enough time).[/QUOTE]
I understand that problem - people keep recommending me things to watch, but there aren't enough hours in the day to catch up, and still do all the stuff I need to do anyway. 
If you've got any time to spare watching any of them though - and I know that a 20+ episode TV series is a lot to manage - then I'd recommend Macross Plus. It's a 4-episode OAV series, of 40-minute episodes each, which means you can split them up or marathon them either way.
It was the first anime I ever bought, and still my favourite one. The music, story and characters are all pretty great and pretty well-realized for a 4-episode 'series', and it's quite a rollercoaster combo of action and emotional drama. There's a good combination of quiet dramatic moments of character reflection, that just make the action sequences that much more impressive when they come. The music is also fantastic too - Yoko Kanno FTW - and emphasises everything going on well. 
It doesn't have all the background of the universe crammed in, but with what I've given you in the OOC here you won't feel too lost, and it's enjoyable enough anyway. Plus, it'll really show you exactly how the mecha can move and fight in this 'verse too. 

And don't worry about rushing the characters or anything - I prefer my RP's to run kind of sedately anyway. I won't be starting until people get their characters up (including me...!) so take your time. Good to hear that you have some ideas though, and I look forward to seeing them. Same for you too, Cart!