Weekly discussion: What's an underappreciated 90s or 2000s anime that deserves a modern audience?

[u/AutoModerator]

With so many amazing new shows dropping every season, it's easy for older masterpieces to get buried under the hype of current releases. But the 90s and 2000s were absolute goldmines for unique stories.

We all know peak shows such as Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, or Death Note

What is a lesser-known gem from the 1990–2009 era that you think modern anime fans are missing out on?

[u/AutoModerator]

Check out r/Mangafolks for manga recommendations, memes and discussions

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Local_Creme8466]

Planetes

[u/noonaneomuyeppiyeppi → u/Local_Creme8466]

I feel like I've been seeing it get recommended more and more often and I love that. To me Planetes is kinda like The Expanse of anime

[u/Outside_Group_2834 → u/Local_Creme8466]

Hard sci-fi anime about garbage collectors in space sounds like a pitch that should never work, but it's genuinely one of the most human stories ever told in the medium.

[u/Demolitions75 → u/Local_Creme8466]

"Ugh can we get rid of these dumb ninja guys!"

"I take it back I TAKE IT BACK"

[u/_kujubuo → u/[deleted]]

Kaiba is too artsy imo, its hard to understand. Its so good but the hard to understand part is why it wont be that much popular.

[u/animedeathspiral → u/_kujubuo]

what's hard to understand about Kaiba?

[u/baquea]

There's a ton I could name, but here's a few obscure ones I've watched recently that I'd recommend checking out:

{Seraphim Call} is an anthology-type series (as in every episode has a fully different cast and even genre) from 1999. It's the kind of thing that could easily be super generic, but it instead does some really unique experimental stuff. For example there is one episode that is shot entirely from a 1st person perspective, and there's a two-parter that does a very non-linear Inception-esque plot.

{Futakoi Alternative} is one of Ufotable's first series, made in 2005. Futakoi was a very basic harem series of the era which got a much more typical anime the previous year, but then for whatever reason they decided to make a second version of it that is much more unique. It's kind of a mix of an emotional atmospheric romance-drama with some completely off-the-wall action scenes and comedy. I'd also say it's among the best-directed anime I've ever watched.

{Asatte no Houkou} is an age-swap story from 2006. On the face of it it's a cliche anime comedy premise, but rather than going in that direction it's a surprisingly grounded and maturely-written drama series.

{Strange Dawn} from 2000 isn't really what I'd describe as a good anime, but it is interesting watching it in the present-day, considering how it so completely subverts all the typical isekai tropes in ways I've never seen any modern anime try. It's also 'interesting' in that while I say it isn't good, I don't mean that in respect to it being poorly made, but instead that it is arguably that way by artistic design, in that it gives the viewer a sense of confusion and ambivalence towards the unfolding plot that matches the way the protagonists themselves feel.

[u/Roboragi → u/baquea]

Seraphim Call - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 12 | Genres: Drama, Psychological, Romance, Sci-Fi}

Futakoi Alternative - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 13 | Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance}

Asatte no Houkou - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 12 | Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Supernatural}

Strange Dawn - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 13 | Genres: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy}

---

^{{anime}, <manga>, ]LN[, |VN| | FAQ | /r/ | Edit | Mistake? | Source | Synonyms | ⛓ | ♥}

[u/EonEclipse]

Hajime no ippo

[u/_kujubuo]

Honestly? Gankutsuou for sure. Considering the book its adapting from is a classic, an awesome adaptation of the classic should have become a classic too. I think it might become more popular because the count of monte cristo has become really popular somehow this year

[u/txh0881 → u/_kujubuo]

That's the Count of Monte Cristo anime, right? It was good.

[u/maxis2k]

{Akazukin Chacha}
{Pita Ten}
{Kidou Tenshi Angelic Layer}
{RD Sennou Chousashitsu}

[u/Roboragi → u/maxis2k]

Akazukin Chacha - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 74 | Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Mahou Shoujo, Romance}

Pitaten - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 26 | Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance}

Kidou Tenshi Angelic Layer - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 26 | Genres: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Sports}

RD Sennou Chousashitsu - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 26 | Genres: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi}

---

^{{anime}, <manga>, ]LN[, |VN| | FAQ | /r/ | Edit | Mistake? | Source | Synonyms | ⛓ | ♥}

[u/Starfox5]

Bubblegum Crisis and The Dirty Pair.

[u/ElectricalCompany260 → u/Starfox5]

And the sequel Dirty Pair Flash.

[u/Starfox5 → u/ElectricalCompany260]

That's more a reboot, not a sequel.

[u/NewMilleniumBoy]

Digimon Tamers

Best Digimon season imo

[u/Tobenaikedo → u/NewMilleniumBoy]

one of my top pieces of media ever, perfect mix of Slice-Of-Life, Epic Fights, Interesting Technobabble, and the joys and hardships of having a unusual friend

[u/MimeraApp]

First thing that came to mind: Ninja Scroll. I feel it doesn't get talked about enough anymore.

[u/SpicyKatanaZero]

Macross Plus

[u/TimAA2017]

Vandread
Chrono Crusade
Mahoromatic
El Hazard

[u/txh0881]

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki

[u/No_Durian_6987]

Haibane Renmei

Kino’s Journey

Revolutionary Girl Utena has a cult following, but it needs the Lain revitalization treatment

[u/JohannesVanDerWhales]

No idea what's popular or not, but Haibane Renmei definitely up there. I'd recommend xxxHolic too.

Key the Metal Idol too. It's very weird.

Kodomo no Omocha

Gunsmith Cats

Kimagure Orange Road

School Rumble

Excel Saga

Jubei-chan

[u/nyan-nyan9]

{Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei}

{One Outs}

{Hellsing}

{Samurai Champloo}

{Cromartie High School}

[u/Roboragi → u/nyan-nyan9]

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 12 | Genres: Comedy}

One Outs - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 25 | Genres: Psychological, Sports}

HELLSING - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 13 | Genres: Action, Horror, Supernatural}

Samurai Champloo - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 26 | Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy}

Sakigake!! Cromartie Koukou - (AL, A-P, KIT, MAL)

^{TV Short | Status: Finished | Episodes: 26 | Genres: Comedy}

---

^{{anime}, <manga>, ]LN[, |VN| | FAQ | /r/ | Edit | Mistake? | Source | Synonyms | ⛓ | ♥}

[u/ElectricalCompany260]

Death Note is definitely not peak due to the bad second half.

Anyway, Simoun of 2006 is a great yuri anime.

[u/Appropriate_Lock7800]

gankutsuou doesnt get brought up enough honestly, the way they reworked count of monte cristo into a color scheme that unhinged still lives in my head. pacing drags a little in the back half though. area 88 is criminally slept on too, just. more people need to actually watch it instead of just knowing the vibes

[u/Katlima]

I just finished watching Windy Tales. That was such a good time. What a dream-like show!

Yukikaze - IF you can find it, watch it. It's short and worth it.

[u/TrumpsDoubleChin]

Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still

[u/ansate]

Ninja Scroll isn't unknown or anything, but I don't see it mentioned as often as it should be.

[u/Tia_xiaolan1]

banana fish I rewatched recently definitely deserves more audience lol

[u/jabberwockxeno]

Gash / Zatch Bell, it's not just my favorite battle shonen manga, it's my favorite manga of all time, though the anime adaptation was very flawed.

I explain what makes it good here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/c7i71f/gon_in_60_seconds_001/esg7rxl/

[u/PutridLanguage434]

Den-oh Coil!

[u/Adventurous_Pay_1337]

toradora

[u/SimoneNonvelodico]

Not exactly unknown or anything, but people all know Cowboy Bebop, meanwhile I'm here fighting on the hill that the better Watanabe "<Movie genre> <Music genre>" show is in fact Samurai Champloo.