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[Tashi]

I nominate..."B't X"

B't X (ビート・エックス, B't X?), pronounced "beat X", is a sci-fi mecha manga and anime series created by Japanese mangaka and writer Masami Kurumada. It ran for 16 volumes in manga and became an anime with 25 episodes, concluded with an 14 episode OVA (called B'T X Neo). The manga was released in America by Tokyopop. The anime was released in America by Westlake Entertainment. When B't X was released in America by Tokyopop, all of the sound effects in the manga were done in Japanese, just as in the original version and in most other Tokyopop Manga.

Wikipedia says it came out in 1996. You really can't tell by the animation. It reminds me of stuff from the 80's in my opinion.

 

[2DMention]

Retro anime is about all I can stomach these days. I feel so old.

That reminds me - I need to watch Golgo 13 on DVD one of these days.

 

[MickeyKnox]

My favorite as a little kid along with Tsubasa and Saint Seiya.

1975 Grendizer.

 

[Eeikod]

The Moomins

I understand there were at least two different series about this "scandinavian?" story, one was European but I'm pretty sure there were Japanese episodes too, and it became pretty popular over there. I cant erase from my memory some episodes, they scared the shit out of me :lol

 

[Regulus Tera]

http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2007-06/how-japan-sees-america.jpg

:lol

Spoiler

Oaxaca is on the wrong side of Mexico.

I nominate..."B't X"


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g33/lesterepal/btxbox.jpg



Wikipedia says it came out in 1996. You really can't tell by the animation. It reminds me of stuff from the 80's in my opinion.

I remember watching that and being very interested by the concept. Sadly, I could never give it more than a passing glance. The TV station that was supposed to show it kept changing its timeslot.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

nice thread man, and kudos for that list.



oh yes, captain Majid, the good ol' days :lol

also, one of my all time favorite TV productions I've ever seen:

Iga No Kabamaru.
it's only about 20-30 episodes, which are full of win.

Can't unsee penises.

 

[shoplifter]

In honor of this thread, I'm changing my avatar.

MAX 5000 ftmfw

 

[Lyte Edge]

This is an amazing thread. Brings back memories of when anime was good! ;_; Sure there's some stuff I like nowadays, but so much more stuff from (mostly) the 80s and early 90s remain my favorites:

-Ranma 1/2
-The Irresponsible Captain Tylor
-Riding Bean
-Bubblegum Crisis
-Project A-Ko
-Urusei Yatsura (although I never did see much of it and Viz put the manga on hiatus)
-Maison Ikkoku (the manga, didn't see the point of watching the same thing)
-The Dirty Pair (wish the TV series came Stateside)
-Dragon Half (too bad the manga never came out in English)
-Battle Angel Alita (the manga is still going!)
-Fist Of The Northstar
-Akira (never did read the comics)
-Outlanders (the manga; anime OVA kinda sucked)
-Caravan Kidd (manga)
-Dragonball Z(the little I saw; didn't watch it all until it made its late debut Stateside)

And so much more. I don't know what happened, but as I got older the "magic" just went away. Nowadays I really don't bother with too much on the anime side of things, but there is some awesome stuff like DETROIT METAL CITY that comes along every now and then.

On Ranma 1/2: I was a huge, huge, HUGE fan of this series. Although I had seen a few things (notably Akira), it was finding a few issues of my brother's Ranma comics way back in 1992 that really got me into anime and manga. I had no idea that Ranma had also been animated , and went absolutely NUTS when Viz released the first volume of the TV series and the Desperately Seeking Shampoo OAV back at the end of '92. To add to the insanity, Ranma 1/2 Hard Battle on SNES also came out at the same time from quickly-defunct DTMC. The game wasn't great but I still went crazy for it.

I bought everything Ranma-related Viz put out. Posters, calenders, t-shirts, you name it, I had it. Going on hunts for VHS releases I missed from time to time was difficult back then, too. Only a few stores carried anime, and very few had anime sections. I remember one time racing this couple to the anime section at Media Play to grab the last copy of the latest release. :lol Stopped buying the tapes eventually though. I think I have about 30-40 of them. Amazing to see people complaining about DVD prices; back then a VHS tape generally had 2-4 episodes (Ranma got TWO and was dubbed-only for a while) and cost between $30-$40.

After I moved to Japan in 2005, I stopped getting comics back home, and now that I have returned to the States, I'd like to get the rest of the Ranma volumes I missed, but I have no idea where I left off!

 

[thetechkid]

Shin Getter Robo was good.

 

[Mr Nash]

Don't forget Grave of the Fireflies. I also liked Tenchi Muyo.

 

[Lyte Edge]

Don't forget Grave of the Fireflies. I also liked Tenchi Muyo.

Forgot about Tenchi Muyo. And El-Hazzard too. The problem with those two series is that there were too many of them, plus the different versions between the OVAs and TV series. What a mess.

Oh/Ah! My Goddess and You're Under Arrest were great too. I missed out on the (somewhat) recent TV series.

I also liked Moldiver and Kishin Heidan (sp) back then. Would really like to get those on DVD at some point...don't even know if Kishin Heidan GOT a DVD release!

 

[shoplifter]

Holy shit - this thread got me looking, and..unbelievable. Media Blasters ACTUALLY released GoLion.

 

[jman2050]

Forgot about Tenchi Muyo. And El-Hazzard too. The problem with those two series is that there were too many of them, plus the different versions between the OVAs and TV series. What a mess.

Tenchi Muyo exists only as a completely awesome old-school 13 episode OAV series. Not sure what you mean there.

Spoiler

Damn you Universe, damn you GXP, and double damn you OAV3. I guess there's a reason they stopped after the second one. Tenchi in Tokyo is fine, because I really enjoyed it for some reason I can never understand

 

[Mr Nash]

Yeah, Tenchi Muyo had too many versions in the long run. I don't mind the TV series or Universe, even if they're variations on the same story line, but after that I had my fill of it. Still, I enjoyed those two parts of it. =)

 

[jman2050]

Yeah, Tenchi Muyo had too many versions in the long run. I don't mind the TV series or Universe, even if they're variations on the same story line, but after that I had my fill of it. Still, I enjoyed those two parts of it. =)

I think the thing that killed me the most was how completely awful OAV3 was.

 

[thetechkid]

After TV series or Universe the rest couldn't compare.

 

[rpmurphy]

The Moomins
I understand there were at least two different series about this "scandinavian?" story, one was European but I'm pretty sure there were Japanese episodes too, and it became pretty popular over there. I cant erase from my memory some episodes, they scared the shit out of me :lol

Did those episodes involve the Hattifatteners?

 

[MattKeil]

I 110% support this thread, and all of the recommendations in the OP (or at least the posts the OP made immediately following the OP) are well worth watching. I agree with many of the sentiments expressed in the thread that modern anime lacks that certain something that made so many anime special back in the '80s and early '90s. There's obviously great modern stuff in existence (FLCL, Kare Kano, Macross Plus, etc.), but the classics are the best for my money.

My top recommendation would be Urusei Yatsura, the grandmother of all anime romantic comedy, and still amazing and funny to this day. Without exception, the greatest ensemble comedy cast in any anime ever. The OVAs in particular are excellent, as is the second movie, but it helps to have some background in the series overall before watching them so you know who the characters are, as most of the comedy comes from their personalities and how they clash in unusual or absurd circumstances.

 

[MetatronM]

Not to derail this thread off its topic, but I feel like it's worth addressing this point (and I don't mean to single out this particular poster, they just happened to be the last to post this sentiment).

I 110% support this thread, and all of the recommendations in the OP (or at least the posts the OP made immediately following the OP) are well worth watching. I agree with many of the sentiments expressed in the thread that modern anime lacks that certain something that made so many anime special back in the '80s and early '90s. There's obviously great modern stuff in existence (FLCL, Kare Kano, Macross Plus, etc.), but the classics are the best for my money.

It's easy to say that when you cherry pick the actual classics from an era and subsequently declare that era better. And let's face it, for the most part, this thread is picking the very very best of the best. At least I certainly haven't seen things like Mad Bull 34 or M.D. Geist or Harmagedon being recommended. :lol

But since Evangelion we've also had:

Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Escaflowne
Haibane Renmei
Wolf's Rain
Hunter X Hunter
One Piece
Rurouni Kenshin
Now and Then, Here and There
Kino's Journey
Serial Experiments Lain
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Monster
Samurai Champloo
Beck
Berserk
Fantastic Children
Paranoia Agent
Fullmetal Alchemist
Eureka seveN
Last Exile
Kaiba
Honey and Clover
Mushishi
Dennou Coil
Noein
Baccano!
RahXephon
Ergo Proxy
Nodame Cantabile
Gankutsuou
Windy Tales
Kemonozume
The Twelve Kingdoms
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
and so on and so forth. And that's only a sampling of TV shows. It's not even counting any number of excellent films and OVAs out there.


Really, times change, but there's always quality to be found. I really really like this thread, since it's a great chance to see some of the things you missed or suggest to others things they might have missed, but it is worth noting that there is a great deal of equally worthy stuff today for a wide variety of genres, and I think it does the shows recommended in this thread a disservice to overdo the rose-tinted nostalgia.

They're not great because "they made anime better back then." They're great because...well, they're great and stand the test of time. If they don't, then they can't really be considered classic and unmissable, right?




**I have NO intention of arguing individual shows' merits vs. one another nor starting any kind of "now vs. then" war. That wasn't the point of this post, so please don't do it.

 

[speedpop]

I agree with you MetatronM and it obviously wasn't an attack on MattKeil. Just because this thread is here does not mean that you cannot delve into the anime produced within the last decade or forget about the excellence that several series contained, such as the case that I linked the original anime recommendation thread that EviLore put up in the latter half of '07.

As is evident in the list I conjured up, each decade that passes becomes more flourished with quality anime. Granted there were many that I skipped either because I didn't get around to watching it or I didn't enjoy it, especially if you compare it to FnordChan's list. But things like that happens even now when we go through our Official Anime Season threads and decide which ones seem to be the best ones to watch.

 

[fausty]

Vampire Princess Miyu (1988) is a Japanese horror manga series by Narumi Kakinouchi and Toshiki Hirano, as well as an anime adaptation by the same creators. The anime was originally presented in a 4-episode OVA.

Excellent call... Loved this in my youth, and the OST is still one of my favorites.

 

[wRATH2x]

The Moomins

I understand there were at least two different series about this "scandinavian?" story, one was European but I'm pretty sure there were Japanese episodes too, and it became pretty popular over there. I cant erase from my memory some episodes, they scared the shit out of me :lol

Holy shit I remember that.

Loved it but it creeped the shit out of me sometimes.

 

[7Th]

The Moomins

I understand there were at least two different series about this "scandinavian?" story, one was European but I'm pretty sure there were Japanese episodes too, and it became pretty popular over there. I cant erase from my memory some episodes, they scared the shit out of me :lol

They had like four different Japanese series on this, actually. I remember it being pretty awesome, but I don't remember which was the one I watched. :lol

 

[CiSTM]

Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl (1989) - Created by Naoki Urasawa of Monster and 20th Century Boys fame, Yawara is a young girl who was taught judo by her grandfather who also happens to have been a world champion at the martial art. He is determined to see her gain a gold medal at the next Olympics, and whilst she doesn't enjoy doing it, she slowly begins to appreciate what she does more as she begins to understand why her grandfather loves judo. Along the way a sports reporter and cameraman team stumble upon Yawara in action against a would-be robber and are convinced that she is going to be the next big superstar, following her along the way to success.

I have only watched 3 episodes and I'm already loving this show :lol 121 episodes to go City Hunter seems pretty good too but I'll watch Judo Girl first.

 

[Hitokage]

I have only watched 3 episodes and I'm already loving this show :lol

You have yet to see a certain nightmare-inducing character appear.

 

[bob_arctor]

This is just all sorts of awesome. I vaguely recalled watching a bit of it at a friends house when I was young and seeing it mentioned here inspired me to get the box set. Wow. Classic, classic stuff. There's something about it--aside from the obvious Blade Runner shouts--that just feels so authentic somehow. It eschews wackiness for a subdued mixture of charm, action and foreboding that makes everything believable.

 

[GCX]

The MoominsI understand there were at least two different series about this "scandinavian?" story, one was European but I'm pretty sure there were Japanese episodes too, and it became pretty popular over there. I cant erase from my memory some episodes, they scared the shit out of me :lol

I think there's about 80 episodes in the "main" anime series. It was a really quality children's show and even though every episode contained a single story line (with some exceptions), there was also an overall plot that covered the whole series. For a kid's anime this had some suprisingly scary and emotional stuff going on at times.

Then there's also about 20 episodes of some kind of reboot series (or maybe it's just Season 2 or something) made after the original series and while the animation looks exactly the same in both shows, the reboot is just horrible. I mean, the Moomins travel in time to Rome to meet Leonardo Da Vinci and beat some thieves that try to steal Mona Lisa? WTF? :lol


EDIT: Oh and then there's of course the movie adaption "Comet in Moominland" (1992) which is actually pretty cool film based on the original Moomin novel by Tove Jansson. It's a prequel to the anime series and there's some serious world destruction stuff going on.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

I don't know how much interest there would be among people here, but there are a pair of important archival releases available from Zakka Films and Digital Meme, with 63 shorts and full-length anime between the sets (eight on the Zakka release; fifty-five on the the 4-disc Digital Meme collection) from the '20s,'30s and '40s.

The Roots of Japanese Anime
trailer

Japanese Anime Classic Collection
trailer

 

[CiSTM]

I think there's about 80 episodes in the "main" anime series. It was a really quality children's show and even though every episode contained a single story line (with some exceptions), there was also an overall plot that covered the whole series. For a kid's anime this had some suprisingly scary and emotional stuff going on at times.

78 episodes to be exact The "orginal" series is called Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka and most of the episodes are based on Tove Jansson's novels. "Season 2" is called Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka: Bôken Nikki and it's 25 episodes long and is no longer based on Tove's novels... And yes secdon season is terrible But the first one is quality from start to end.

There is also numerous other Moomin shows out there but they are just plain awful

 

[Hazaro]

Watched these last night.

# Legend of Galactic Heroes: My Conquest is the Sea of Stars - Movie, 1988;
# Legend of Galactic Heroes: Overture to a New War - Movie, 1993;

Seems pretty interesting, so I guess I'll be sitting tight for 110 episodes :lol

 

[Steppenwolf]

Whats with Captain Future? 5 pages already and no mentioning.
That's like the only Anime series that i remember from my 80's childhood as being super popular. Totally loved it when i was still in Kindergarten.

 

[S. L.]

This is just all sorts of awesome. I vaguely recalled watching a bit of it at a friends house when I was young and seeing it mentioned here inspired me to get the box set. Wow. Classic, classic stuff. There's something about it--aside from the obvious Blade Runner shouts--that just feels so authentic somehow. It eschews wackiness for a subdued mixture of charm, action and foreboding that makes everything believable.

yes yes it is! <3

not to forget the fantastic soundtrack

 

[Exitus_pt]

didn`t notice anyone mentioning these so i just had to

anime san jushi
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1962

pygmalion
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=3481

mysterious cities of gold
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1006

anime san jushi is pretty much based on ALexandre Dumas`"The 3 musketeers", introducing some new ideas and giving the story some interesting twists. A must see, specially for those who enjoyed other shows Rose of Versailles and Le chevalier d`eon that take place in a similar setting.

 

[rpmurphy]

How could I forget... Chibi Maruko-chan (1990)

Like Sazae-san, it's a culture-focused light comedy, but geared towards a younger and female audience. It gained a ton of popularity in the 90's. Part of the appeal is the many quirky characters in Maruko-chan's family and her schoolmates, but nonetheless one can relate to. And of course, the reminiscence of childhood innocence and imagination in everyday life is what made it a very watchable show for adults alike. And like many Japanese children's anime, it's difficult to find comparable TV shows here in the Western media.

 

[Deadly Monk]

Watching Ranma again right now with my girlfriend. It's a great show. I really miss hand drawn animation more now...

 

[Great Rumbler]

Orguss 02 (1993) - This is actually an OVA sequel to a prior series that was only released in Japan. Orguss 02 tells the story of a young boy who worked salvaging ancient mechs before being suddenly thrown into a war between his own country and its neighbor. The animation is slick, the characters interesting and well-done, and the story throws a few curve balls here and there to keep things going. The tone is serious throughout with lots of deaths, political intrigue, a betrayal or two, and few, if any, comic relief moments. Plus the OP and ED themes are both great.

 

[Kagari]

This thread has inspired me to go back and watch some old shows.

I think most new anime is horrible... there's something amazing about hand-painted cels.

 

[ntropy]

From Wiki (of course I forgot everything except the premise!):
The Apocalypse didn't come with a bang. Silently, the amnesia wind swept away all of mankind's knowledge. Thousands of years of human civilization vanished overnight as people forgot how to use the tools of modern civilization - who they were - how to speak - everything. Technology decayed as mankind was instantly reduced to level of cavemen.

Now, two years later, a young man explores a nation reduced to barbarism - America. Miraculously re-educated after the cataclysm, he is accompanied by a young woman - somehow spared the obliterating effects of the amnesia wind. Pursued by a relentless killing machine, they search for those responsible for stealing their memories.

Ranma 1/2 (1989) -

Oh my...—I think I'm gonna cry.

 

[Scribble]

How could I forget... Chibi Maruko-chan (1990)

Like Sazae-san, it's a culture-focused light comedy, but geared towards a younger and female audience. It gained a ton of popularity in the 90's. Part of the appeal is the many quirky characters in Maruko-chan's family and her schoolmates, but nonetheless one can relate to. And of course, the reminiscence of childhood innocence and imagination in everyday life is what made it a very watchable show for adults alike. And like many Japanese children's anime, it's difficult to find comparable TV shows here in the Western media.

I LOVE this show. Well, I've only seen the one movie that was subbed. Shows like this make me feel fuzzy and nostalgic. This is one of the things that anime does better than any other medium IMO. I would like to see a Western equivalent of this.

 

[GDGF]

This thread is just what I was looking for. Thanks.

This thread has inspired me to go back and watch some old shows.

I think most new anime is horrible... there's something amazing about hand-painted cels.

I love the old stuff. I haven't really been able to get into anything new in years. I actually want to draw manga again - but in a style similar to old shows from the late 70's and early 80's. That would be fun.

 

[Pachael]

Great list - you can clearly see the evolution of ideas through later series. Although in some sense, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Especially when it comes to wacky hijinx. I guess when you're in the business for so many years, the ideas tend to recycle themselves.

 

[mAcOdIn]

Did Captain Future ever air in America? I saw it when my parents lived in Germany but I don't recall it ever being on American television, that said hard for me to be in both America and Germany at the same time so it's possible I just missed it.

 

[hockeypuck]

Slam Dunk (1993) 101 episodes + 4 OVA - Sakuragi Hanamichi is a junior high punk used to getting into fights and being rejected by girls but upon entering high school he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko Akagi. He will do anything in order to win her heart including joining the school basketball team that is aiming to conquer the nation lead by Haruko's brother. The problem is that Sakuragi has never played basketball before and a freshman sensation is stealing the spotlight and Haruko's affection from him.

EDIT: Great thread, keep up the good work.

I just thought this deserved a bump. Great series, took the sport pretty seriously for an anime and had just the right amount of humor mixed in. The final episodes made for one of the most satisfying endings I've seen. I remember watching this dubbed on VHS in the mid-90s as a kid. IIRC, this particular series took all of Asia by storm back then.

 

[GDGF]

I just thought this deserved a bump. Great series, took the sport pretty seriously for an anime and had just the right amount of humor mixed in. The final episodes made for one of the most satisfying endings I've seen. I remember watching this dubbed on VHS in the mid-90s as a kid. IIRC, this particular series took all of Asia by storm back then.

True Story: So back in 1997 I was lucky enough to do a little ESL teaching for Tokyo Denki University (as the college I was attending had some kind of sister program going on with them - they sent students to the USA and we tought them english and did a little mentorship work and what have you) Anyway, one of the students (I believe his name was Takafume Hori or something like that) was a huge fan of Slam Dunk and he wanted desperately to play a game of basketball against me (as I'm a 6'5'' tall black dude) anyway, I didn't have the heart to tell him I absolutely suck at basketball, and he soundly trounced me at the game. I think he thought that I threw it, but no, I just sucked.

 

[ChryZ]

Did Captain Future ever air in America? I saw it when my parents lived in Germany but I don't recall it ever being on American television, that said hard for me to be in both America and Germany at the same time so it's possible I just missed it.

I'm pretty sure, that outside of Japan, it was only aired in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, etc). I'd love to see the original Japanese cut, since it seems that the Euro release was heavily edited and censored. No DVD or LD box set though

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

But since Evangelion we've also had:

Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Escaflowne
Haibane Renmei
Wolf's Rain
Hunter X Hunter
One Piece
Rurouni Kenshin
Now and Then, Here and There
Kino's Journey
Serial Experiments Lain
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Monster
Samurai Champloo
Beck
Berserk
Fantastic Children
Paranoia Agent
Fullmetal Alchemist
Eureka seveN
Last Exile
Kaiba
Honey and Clover
Mushishi
Dennou Coil
Noein
Baccano!
RahXephon
Ergo Proxy
Nodame Cantabile
Gankutsuou
Windy Tales
Kemonozume
The Twelve Kingdoms
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Honestly not sure if this is a complimentary list or a negative one. I like every single anime listed in the OP. But of this list.......Kenshin was kinda sorta ok. Cowboy Bebop was awesome. Now and Then, Here and There was quite good....but the rest....there are some real stinkers on that list.

Actually, you know what. Different times, different sensibilities and all that. I accept that the modern trends just aren't for me and there is no need to hate on other's taste. I'm sure the post-EVA people think my taste is just as bad as I think their's is.

 

[CiSTM]

I just thought this deserved a bump. Great series, took the sport pretty seriously for an anime and had just the right amount of humor mixed in. The final episodes made for one of the most satisfying endings I've seen..

The ending always bugged me :lol They made it in to the Shohoku but did they win or lose ? @_@

EDIT: Well actually I do know that they

Spoiler

won

!

 

[Kagari]

Picked up seasons 2-4 of Yu Yu Hakusho at Best Buy on the cheap yesterday, since I only ever saw the very beginning of the series and have wanted to finish it for some time... Really enjoying it so far :O Being able to marathon a series is a great thing.

I might go back and see if I can pick up a few other older series, but the selection at this one is fairly limited.

 

[Technosteve]

Triton of the Sea

I watched this show mid 80's as a child, i don't think it was broadcast in the states but pretty much the rest of the world grew up on this stuff. Re-watching this show brought back alot of memories. They don't make anime like this any more =(

 

[Ganondorfo]

GATCHAMAN GATCHAMAN GATCHAMAN

ALSO

MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR if anyone knows it.