Interest Stacks

Classic Anime

AnimeSpoiler
byGosplan14
May 20 2022, 6:54 AM | Updated Jun 3, 2022 4:12 AM
Many of these known by proxy or heard about, but not that commonly actually watched beyond a few exceptions. Anime from the past millenium hides many gems that are worth watching.
Ashita no Joe
TV, 1970, 79 eps Me:- Author:10
A Boxing drama set in the 1960s. The excellent storytelling, Gigachad (As the meme says) characters and a great soundtrack make this a really enjoyable show to watch even if you're not into sports.

Beware of the 1970 audio-quality, but the animation is actually really satisfying despite the very old technology and low budgets they had at their disposal.
Lupin III
TV, 1971, 23 eps Me:- Author:9
The very 60s in feel first series of the episodic adventures of the master thief Lupin III and his comrades and a really good and often wacky comedy.

Part 1 ("Green Jacket") starts off mostly engaging in Dark Humor for the first few episodes until Hayao Miyazaki took over as director and made the tone shift significantly. Nevertheless, the quality is consistently very high through the entire season after the imo kinda poor first episode and the soundtrack is very underrated.
Getter Robo
TV, 1974, 51 eps Me:- Author:7
Peak 70s cheese "Super Robo" mecha anime and progenitor of many darker series of the Getter Robo franchise. Very enjoyable to watch as a "turn off your brain" show.
Lupin III: Part II
TV, 1977, 155 eps Me:- Author:8
Incredibly famous (especially in Italy) sequel to 1971's Lupin III, continuing the legacy of Miyazaki's animated Lupin III.

Due to being released in, well, 1977, it has an incredibly 70s feel to it and a famous jazzy soundtrack by Yuji Ohno.
Mirai Shounen Conan
TV, 1978, 26 eps Me:- Author:8
A Hayao Miyazaki TV-anime before his movie debut, adapting the 1970 novel "The Incredible Tide".

Despite being a kids' show, it is a very solid watch with an interesting plot and characters.
Kidou Senshi Gundam
TV, 1979, 43 eps Me:- Author:10
The very first Real Robo mecha show, directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, and the origin of a lengthy franchise.

Instead of fighting giant monsters in robots that can shoot fire from their chests, the two sides of the conflicts are humans following their own ideologies, material and personal interests as well as regular dramas as the show also shows how terrible war can be.

Despite the low-budget animation, it has a great story, great characters and a soundtrack full of bangers.

Watching the 1981-1983 movie trilogy instead of the 1979 show is also acceptable as the quality of those isn't that of the usual recap.
Versailles no Bara
TV, 1979, 40 eps Me:- Author:10
Primarily, this shojo masterpiece is a tale about late 18th century France and the events that transpired leading to historical events most people should have heard of in school, and it is simply an amazing portrayal thereof and the intrigue related to both politics and personal drama.

The artstyle and animation looks nice and 70s, the music is similarly good and the plot is a must watch even though I have a couple of major grievances with some of its decisions.
Soukou Kihei Votoms
TV, 1983, 52 eps Me:- Author:9
A real robo mechanime by Ryosuke Takahashi (yes, same name as the Initial D character) with an initial slower pace, but amazing storytelling of a mystery plot rivaled imo only by that of Attack on Titan's.

Great plot, iconic and very memorable characters, an underrated ending and a great early 80s smooth rock soundtrack are all elements of this great show.
Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer
Movie, 1984, 1 ep Me:- Author:10
A spin-off to the very lengthy very first romcom anime Urusei Yatsura (needing little knowledge thereof) and first philosophical masterpiece by Mamoru Oshii.

Not much else can be said about it beyond "go watch it"
Kidou Senshi Zeta Gundam
TV, 1985, 50 eps Me:- Author:9
Sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam, now 20% more dark and cynical (Due to Yoshiyuki Tomino's fragile mental health).

It improves on most aspects of the 1979 anime and features an amazing ending.
Kamui no Ken
Movie, 1985, 1 ep Me:- Author:8
A Shinobi drama movie featuring an epic adventure of proportions of Jojo Part 3's, an excellent soundtrack and being overall very solid and enjoyable to watch.

Note: Contains pretty stereotypical portrayals of native people.
Dream Hunter Rem
OVA, 1985, 4 eps Me:- Author:8
An off-the-rails fantasy/horror OVA featuring good plots, wacky villains and an enjoyable watching experience.

Note: The origins of this OVA are a Hentai that had the vast majority of explicit scenes removed
Tenshi no Tamago
OVA, 1985, 1 ep Me:- Author:9
Arthouse masterpiece by Mamoru Oshii, featuring thought provoking imagery.

Not much else can be said beyond that it's basically an anime for nerds/elitists.
Dirty Pair
TV, 1985, 24 eps Me:- Author:8
A mild Ecchi Sci-Fi/Comedy about a rather incompetent but very likeable hired guns, taking on various scenarios ripped straight from sci-fi literature, western pop culture and others.

Features very good Main Characters, surprisingly excellent writing, ahead-of-its time politics, a great soundtrack, a very 80s atmosphere and collateral damage.
Maison Ikkoku
TV, 1986, 96 eps Me:- Author:10
A lengthy Slice of Life/Romcom anime featuring some of the most realistic and human characters in anime, an excellent soundtrack by Kenji Kawai, good writing and a satisfying conclusion.

Its only flaw are some of the filler episodes being weak.
Bubblegum Crisis
OVA, 1987, 8 eps Me:- Author:7
Good sci-fi anime OVA, mostly notable for its excellent soundtrack, and I'd recommend it even just for that alone.
City Hunter 2
TV, 1988, 63 eps Me:- Author:9
Dirty Pair but takes place in 1980s Japan instead of a sci-fi setting. More character-focused than the previous season.

Note: The main character often engages in played-for-laughs sexual harassment, so that can detract from viewing enjoyment, especially in episodes where it is featured heavily.
Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor
OVA, 1988, 7 eps Me:- Author:10
Character-focused Real Robo Mecha police/comedy/slice of life Anime by the excellent HEADGEAR writer team.

Compared to anime like Gundam, it is perhaps the most realistic Real Robo mecha, since Patlabor treats them as big utility vehicles instead of prototype weapons of war designed to be piloted by an ace to save Earth from [evil faction].

Excellent storytelling, characters, a great soundtrack by Kenji Kawai and surprisingly good comedy. It is also not afraid to touch on political topics.
Kikou Ryouhei Mellowlink
OVA, 1988, 12 eps Me:- Author:8
Set in the same universe as Armored Trooper VOTOMS, it is a well executed story of a renegade sniper specializing in destroying mechs.
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Gyakushuu no Char
Movie, 1988, 1 ep Me:- Author:9
The conclusion to the mainline story of Mobile Suit Gundam and its characters.
Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor the Movie
Movie, 1989, 1 ep Me:- Author:9
Mamoru Oshii movie featuring themes ahead of its time by about 20 years and much of the same positive features of the other Patlabor series and movies.
Kidou Senshi Gundam 0080: Pocket no Naka no Sensou
OVA, 1989, 6 eps Me:- Author:10
Featuring way less mobile suit action than the rest of Gundam, this Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) side story showcases best the effect war has on civilians and why it's absolutely awful.
Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor: On Television
TV, 1989, 47 eps Me:- Author:10
See the OVA series above.

Technically follows a different continuity than the OVA and the movies.
City Hunter: Bay City Wars
Movie, 1990, 1 ep Me:- Author:8
Excellent hollywoodesque action movie and a good entry to the City Hunter series.
Oniisama e...
TV, 1991, 39 eps Me:- Author:8
Character-driven school drama, written by the same mangaka as Rose of Versailles. Unfortunately inferior in plot, but makes up for it with excellent drama, characters, art-style and music.

Unfortunately, the ending suffered by being different than the manga's which I presume was caused by Japanese censorship laws.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
TV, 1992, 46 eps Me:- Author:8
An incredibly famous classic majou shojo/comedy anime, featuring likeable characters, gorgeous aesthetics (which unfortunately have become synonymous with "90s anime" artstyles), good music, good often wacky/childish comedy and features high amounts of recycles footage.
Musekinin Kanchou Tylor
TV, 1993, 26 eps Me:- Author:10
"What if Captain Picard was a fool?"

A brilliant Star-Trekesque parody of sci-fi, featuring excellent characters, good humor, a great story and music by Kenji Kawai.
Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor 2 the Movie
Movie, 1993, 1 ep Me:- Author:10
Mamoru Oshii movie and political thriller set in the Patlabor Universe, focusing on the new political reality of the 90s, the price of peace and things society takes for granted.

Features a fascinating story, excellent writing and cinematography, and as always, a fantastic soundtrack by Kenji Kawai.
Slam Dunk
TV, 1993, 101 eps Me:- Author:10
Hilarious sports/comedy anime about basketball.

Features likeable characters, great comedy and a pacing turning 1 IRL second into 5 in-anime minutes.

It's worth watching even if you don't care about Basketball.
Emblem Take 2
OVA, 1993, 2 eps Me:- Author:8
An OVA adaptation of a much longer (and as of yet untranslated) time-travel/action/drama/comedy manga. It's a very good take on a serious yakuza anime and if you enjoy crime stories, you will likely like this one a lot.

It has a very good plot, does what it wants to do very well and will leave you wanting more by the end of Episode 2.
Musekinin Kanchou Tylor OVA
OVA, 1994, 10 eps Me:- Author:8
Sequel to the Irresponsible Captain Tylor, featuring an excellent movie length-episode and several less-interesting side-stories.

Unfortunately, it also advanced the main story and was sequel-bait, which never happened.
Slayers
TV, 1995, 26 eps Me:- Author:8
An excellent fantasy/comedy anime based on one of the most famous Light Novel Series in Japan, originating as a D&D parody.

Features a great cast of characters, excellent comedy, and a nowadays-generic but well executed plot.
Magic Knight Rayearth II
TV, 1995, 29 eps Me:- Author:8
Sequel to 1994's Magic Knight Rayearth. A mecha/isekai shojo show by CLAMP, featuring much weirdness, a good plot and a fun atmosphere. Season 2 is imo vastly superior to Season 1.
Shinseiki Evangelion
TV, 1995, 26 eps Me:- Author:8
Ah yes, the show everyone has heard of. While heavily based on and borrowed elements from Yoshiyuki Tomino's works, it was influenced by a depressive period of Hideaki Anno's life and his distaste of the nascent Otaku culture, leading to an iconic experience when watching this show.

While I personally think it overrated nowadays, it is one of the shows you *must* watch.
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Dai 08 MS Shoutai
OVA, 1996, 12 eps Me:- Author:10
A side story to Mobile Suit Gundam (1979), the 8th MS Team is a character-driven story of how regular soldiers experience war and it is brilliantly executed.

Unfortunately, the quality declines slightly after the original's director death, but it still is probably my favorite Gundam show.
Kidou Shinseiki Gundam X
TV, 1996, 39 eps Me:- Author:9
Yet another Gundam show, this one takes place after a destructive war and focuses on one of the core aspects of the "Universal Century" timeline (MSG-Z-ZZ-CCA) to take it apart.

Besides that, it has a very good plot and interesting main characters, good music and manages to deliver a good ending despite its cancellation.
Slayers Next
TV, 1996, 26 eps Me:- Author:9
Season 2 of Slayers, it is the last one based on Hajime Kanzaka's Light Novels. It takes everything good about Season 1 and improves upon it, while adding some iconic characters and improving upon the artstyle/graphics.
Kidou Senkan Nadesico
TV, 1996, 26 eps Me:- Author:8
A mecha show parody, with a really unique story, fun characters, good music and artstyle.

Unfortunately, the ending is disappointing and the movie sequel is actually a sequel to a SEGA Saturn game that was a a sequel to this show.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
TV, 1997, 39 eps Me:- Author:8
Ikuhara's arthouse/comedy anime inspired heavily by Rose of Versailles, but in a fictional school setting. Very confusing and relies heavily on recycled footage to a heavy degree, but it is certainly worth watching.

The characters are very interesting and carry further meanings beyond their being, the humor can be pretty good and the music is iconic, along with a good artstyle.
Shinseiki Evangelion Movie: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni
Movie, 1997, 1 ep Me:- Author:9
The infamous sequel to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Much like the 1995 TV anime, it is a must watch.
Trigun
TV, 1998, 26 eps Me:- Author:7
A Wild West/Sci-Fi/Comedy blend with a likeable cast of characters and good humor. The story is heavily reliant on filler, but it works well. Unfortunately imo the final few episodes were kinda disappointing, but it is well worth a watch.
Cowboy Bebop
TV, 1998, 26 eps Me:- Author:8
There is no easy way to describe this anime, other than to say it is a truly unique blend spiced with good iconic characters, great music, some good humor and a strong vibe of coolness/smoothness to it.
Initial D First Stage
TV, 1998, 26 eps Me:- Author:8
An amazing and absolutely iconic racing anime, with a fantastic eurobeat soundtrack, a good if predictable main plot, fun side stories and live action cameos by the "King of Drifting".

The 3D CGI animation for the racing scenes holds up decently well and the rest of the artstyle is standard late 90s.
Serial Experiments Lain
TV, 1998, 13 eps Me:- Author:9
A fascinating arthouse anime with topics relevant to this day, a good soundtrack, great artstyle and a wild ride when experiencing the show for the first time.
Great Teacher Onizuka
TV, 1999, 43 eps Me:- Author:7
A former delinquent goes to become a school teacher in a classroom from hell. It is one of the most heavily inconsistent (yet very highly rated) anime I have ever seen, with amazing episodes being followed by incredible stinkers. The premise is pretty standard, but it is well executed and it has some pretty good characters, funny moments and Gundam references along some unsavory stuff.

Note: The anime is heavily ableistic (discrimination/stereotyping against disabled people) so episodes involving a certain character are almost always guaranteed to be mean spirited and uncomfortable to watch.

Note 2: There is some sexualization of minors, which is another uncomfortable thing about the show.
The Big O
TV, 1999, 26 eps Me:- Author:10
A unique noir-styled Super Robo anime with a western target audience, inspired by 70s aesthetics and the Batman Animated Series. Mixing 70s super robo style plots with a mystery driven one was a unique stylistic choice and it paid off to create one of the most fun shows I have watched.

The characters are great, the aesthetics are great and cool similarly to Cowboy Bebop, the music is great and the plot is very interesting and a tad confusing.
Initial D Second Stage
TV, 1999, 13 eps Me:- Author:7
A worthy sequel to Initial D, though probably somewhat weaker.

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