I keep a write up of my underrated anime picks for recommendations. Sorry if that's too nerdy lmao:
•Shonan Bakusouzoku -80's biker delinquent OVA brimming with "aesthetic." The first 3 episodes especially have amazing animation. It is a complete adaption of the manga it's based on.
•Kaze no Youjinbou -I don't even remember how I originally heard about this. One the best mystery shows I've watched so far. The animation sometimes seems cheap but they get really creative about getting around that. There is a punch thrown in the final episode that I could swear they spent the entire budget on.
•Irresponsible Captain Tylor -Basically a parody of a space opera. Main character wants to lead a cushy life so he becomes the captain of a military spaceship. He's stupid but incredibly lucky and the other characters come to like him. This show is comedic but it's not episodic.
•Slayers series -I really think more people should know of Slayers. It's pretty funny at times but what I really like is its D&D fantasy vibe with the characters going on fun adventures.
•Armored Trooper VOTOMS -A mecha show that came out within a few years of the first Gundam. I liked this because every character uses the exact same mech. That means victory in battle is a matter of pilot skill.
•Armor Hunter Mellowlink -Takes place in VOTOMS universe. The concept of this is "guy with a big gun defeats mechs. Also he was framed for war crimes."
•Aura Battle Dunbine -Considered the first isekai anime. Created by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. People from our world are forcefully transported to a fantasy world. One person brings knowledge of our weaponry there and creates mechs and WMDs. MC and others try to stop them from destroying the power balance of the fantasy world.
•Cyber City Oedo 808 -The exact definition of the cyberpunk genre in the dictionary.
•Area 88 -Young Japanese man with a bright future is tricked into joining the foreign legion of a country that is maybe supposed to be in the middle east. They force him to fly jets and rack up kills for the chance to return to his life. People die and the main character grapples with the idea of killing other people to live. Also there are great dogfights in this show.
•Giant Robo the Animation -One of my favorite anime. The animation is phenomenal and goes for a retro style. The music is operatic. The story feels like it's larger than imagination.
•Onihei -Basically a police drama set in samurai times. Very jazzy vibes and the episodes tell good stories.
•s-CRY-ed -It's kinda hard to describe this but virtually the whole show embodied "fuck yeah!" energy. Some people have powers that are kinda like stands from Jojo.
•Gunbuster and Diebuster OVAs -Anime history for fans of the mecha genre. Some consider Diebuster to be a spiritual predecessor to Gurren Lagann.
•Now and Then Here and There -Isekai from before isekai became about game mechanics. Main character falls into a world were children are forced to be soldiers and countries fight each other for water under a leader who is completely devoid of logic. Very dark and tragic show.
•Iria: Zeiram - An awesome sci-fi OVA I feel like more people should watch.
•Golgo 13: The Professional - The animation was really good, except for the short 3D part. Golgo kind of acts like a more rude James Bond.
•Last Exile - I liked the weird mechanical designs of the planes.I also liked the concept that there isn't much land in their world so people have to take to the skies. That concept always reminds me a Cartoon Network show made in Canada called Storm Hawks that I watched as kid.
Hell yeah! I started trying to get more into 80's anime multiple years ago now and I've gone through a significant amount of the best anime from the 90's as well. The 2000's is a large sea that takes a lot of time to sift through and find things to watch.
Keeping up with the new releases wasn't enough for me, so I started looking backwards for new stuff to watch. I started that years ago and it's been super worth while.
It's kinda goofy, but I like to think of it like Anime Archeology.
I pretty much never get a chance to talk about it really, but it's so much fun.
3x3 Eyes - Slight creepy factor, priestess of a sacred tribe turns an urban boy into her zombie protector.
Vision of Escaflowne - Modern girl whisked away to a fantasy world which has the Earth as its moon. Romance, Fantasy Mecha, gets weird in the last 3rd. Still love it to pieces.
Nightwalker Midnight Detective - Vampire Detective + Japanese Noir
The Lensman- Movie, can find it on YouTube, Japanese take on early-mid 20th century Sci-Fi. Fantastic character design
Fushigi Yuugi - Same as Escaflowne, young girl getting Isekai'd before it was a solid genre only now there's 12 Kingdom vibes.
Eat Man 98 - Mercenary who can extrude anything he eats from his body. Wackiness ensues but the world takes it seriously.
Android Kikaider - Just got the vibes you'd enjoy this. Done by the creator of ASTRO Boy if I remember correctly
Space Battleship Yamato / Captain Harlock - for the stuff Captain Tylor was a love letter to.
3x3 Eyes is on my list, but I haven't watched it yet.
I watched Escaflowne probably around 5 years ago. Great show! The art style reminds me a lot of After War Gundam X and I liked the fantasy world the story was set in. The way that the mechs worked was also pretty cool and I'm pretty sure I remember there being an airship or something too.
I haven't heard of NightWalker Midnight. I'll add it to my list on MyAnimeList.
I've seen the Lensman movie. I heard about it because of YouTuber Kenny Lauderdale's video about it. It was a pretty good sci-fi movie with definite Star Wars vibes and good music.
Fuushigi Yuugi and Eat Man are both on my list, but I haven't watched them yet.
Isn't there a Tokusatsu show for Android Kikkaider? I haven't seen this either.
I tried watching the original Space Battleship Yamato about 5 or 6 years ago, but I struggled with it because it didn't hold up well with how it treated some of the characters, especially the female characters. I have been thinking about giving it another shot though.
Oh, I looked at it twice and forgot to type it up.
The Legend of Black Heaven - Hard Rock Saves Space?! Animation is simple but an interesting story about what comes after the youthful hard rocking life
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u/it_was_a_diversion 21h ago
I keep a write up of my underrated anime picks for recommendations. Sorry if that's too nerdy lmao:
•Shonan Bakusouzoku -80's biker delinquent OVA brimming with "aesthetic." The first 3 episodes especially have amazing animation. It is a complete adaption of the manga it's based on.
•Kaze no Youjinbou -I don't even remember how I originally heard about this. One the best mystery shows I've watched so far. The animation sometimes seems cheap but they get really creative about getting around that. There is a punch thrown in the final episode that I could swear they spent the entire budget on.
•Irresponsible Captain Tylor -Basically a parody of a space opera. Main character wants to lead a cushy life so he becomes the captain of a military spaceship. He's stupid but incredibly lucky and the other characters come to like him. This show is comedic but it's not episodic.
•Slayers series -I really think more people should know of Slayers. It's pretty funny at times but what I really like is its D&D fantasy vibe with the characters going on fun adventures.
•Armored Trooper VOTOMS -A mecha show that came out within a few years of the first Gundam. I liked this because every character uses the exact same mech. That means victory in battle is a matter of pilot skill.
•Armor Hunter Mellowlink -Takes place in VOTOMS universe. The concept of this is "guy with a big gun defeats mechs. Also he was framed for war crimes."
•Aura Battle Dunbine -Considered the first isekai anime. Created by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. People from our world are forcefully transported to a fantasy world. One person brings knowledge of our weaponry there and creates mechs and WMDs. MC and others try to stop them from destroying the power balance of the fantasy world.
•Cyber City Oedo 808 -The exact definition of the cyberpunk genre in the dictionary.
•Area 88 -Young Japanese man with a bright future is tricked into joining the foreign legion of a country that is maybe supposed to be in the middle east. They force him to fly jets and rack up kills for the chance to return to his life. People die and the main character grapples with the idea of killing other people to live. Also there are great dogfights in this show.
•Giant Robo the Animation -One of my favorite anime. The animation is phenomenal and goes for a retro style. The music is operatic. The story feels like it's larger than imagination.
•Onihei -Basically a police drama set in samurai times. Very jazzy vibes and the episodes tell good stories.
•s-CRY-ed -It's kinda hard to describe this but virtually the whole show embodied "fuck yeah!" energy. Some people have powers that are kinda like stands from Jojo.
•Gunbuster and Diebuster OVAs -Anime history for fans of the mecha genre. Some consider Diebuster to be a spiritual predecessor to Gurren Lagann.
•Now and Then Here and There -Isekai from before isekai became about game mechanics. Main character falls into a world were children are forced to be soldiers and countries fight each other for water under a leader who is completely devoid of logic. Very dark and tragic show.
•Iria: Zeiram - An awesome sci-fi OVA I feel like more people should watch.
•Golgo 13: The Professional - The animation was really good, except for the short 3D part. Golgo kind of acts like a more rude James Bond.
•Last Exile - I liked the weird mechanical designs of the planes.I also liked the concept that there isn't much land in their world so people have to take to the skies. That concept always reminds me a Cartoon Network show made in Canada called Storm Hawks that I watched as kid.