I only like Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Macross II Lovers Again, and Macross Plus. I tried watching Macross 7 and Macross Delta, and I just couldn't get into them. Not really sure why. Just didn't hold my interest like the classics.

NGE also isnt really that long. It has the 26 episodes of the TV show and EoE, and then the 4 alternate movies. D&R is basically just a recap movie. Much less than something like Code Geass or Macross, and definitely much less than Gundam.

Maybe something like VOTOMS or Patlabor? What do you consider "big long fanchise? If 26 episodes + 5 movies is too much, you might be stuck with 12 episode seasonal shows and one-off movies...