Highlights
- Familiar with
Sailor Moon
but haven’t watched it? Dive into a world of action, fantasy, & slice-of-life. -
Yu Yu Hakusho
mixes action & deep issues seamlessly, perfect for a fun yet thought-provoking watch. -
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
delves deep into war, politics, & some unexpected character deaths.
These days, it seems like everyone has a favorite anime. From One Piece to Jujutsu Kaisen to things like Haikyuu! or Studio Ghibli films, anime is everywhere, and for good reason. It’s a storied art form unique to Japan that has evolved greatly while still upholding Japanese animation’s initial principles. Astro Boy had to fly before Saitama could punch. But what is it that makes an anime worth watching?
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Some people apply the term Anime to series and movies, but this list focuses on TV series instead. Though the likes of Vampire Hunter D and Akira are required watching when it comes to classic anime films, there’s more to see in these series — some of which lasted almost a decade. These anime exemplify what has become commonplace in the medium today: fusing engaging stories with commanding visuals and incredible characters.
9 Legend of the Galactic Heroes (Original)
A Space Opera For The Ages
Legend Of The Galactic Heroes (1988) Sci-FiDrama
Release Date January 8, 1988 Seasons 4 Studio K-Factory, Kitty Film Mitaka Studio Japanese Title Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Based On Novel Creator Yoshiki Tanaka Number of Episodes 110 Streaming Service(s) HIDIVE MyAnimeList Score 9.02 Expand
- Ran from 1988 – 1997 with 110 episodes produced by Kitty Films
- There have been multiple stage adaptations, movie compilations, including a musical, and several video games
- There is an Iserlohn Fortress Cafe in Tokyo that visitors can go to and enjoy foods inspired by the show, get commemorative glasses, and buy exclusive merchandise
There was a recent remake of this, but the original has undeniable panache with more unique character designs, a classical soundtrack, and epic space battles no one can forget. What’s more: the anime isn’t afraid to just outright kill off a major character — similar to shows such as Game of Thrones in the modern zeitgeist. But the show’s themes go much deeper than one might think.
The Gundam series also encapsulates conflict between multiple space-faring parties but in a more bombastic way. Legend of the Galactic Heroes more closely examines humans in the very real situation of war. How do they rationalize murder or handle the guilt and responsibility? The series ran for almost a decade, so there’s quite a bit of content for new viewers. Fun fact: it’s a bit of a miracle it’s as widely available today as it is. Fans had to order a VHS in the mail when the show originally debuted.
8 Yu Yu Hakusho
Get In Loser, We’re Going Spirit Hunting & Friend Making
Yu Yu Hakusho ActionSupernatural
Release Date October 10, 1992 Seasons 4 Studio Pierrot Based On Manga Creator Yoshihiro Togashi Number of Episodes 112 Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll , Hulu , Tubi MyAnimeList Score 8.46 Expand See at Hulu
- Ran from 1990 to 1994 originally with 112 episodes by Studio Pierrot
- The author Yoshihiro Togashi previously wrote an occult detective fiction manga that he credits with inspiring Yu Yu Hakusho
- Draws upon Buddhist mythology with themes of altruism, accountability, and working through problems despite weaknesses or difficulties
Yu Yu Hakusho is a quintessential slice-of-life meets fantasy action show. It follows newly dead(?) Yusuke Urameshi as he embarks on a journey as a newly minted Spirit Detective. He hunts down malevolent spirits with the help of former enemy Kuwabara, the demon Hiei, and Kurama who is technically a trickster fox spirit in the body of a human. Also Botan, a Japanese spirit of death, is there who functions almost like Charon from Greek mythology (complete with an oar). Prince Koenma (a.k.a. Junior), the ruler of the Spirit World is often around, as well.
Yusuke is meant to be a teenager in this, so expect the humor to match that. However, the story delves into deep interpersonal issues. For instance, Yusuke’s mom is a single parent and struggles with alcoholism. Hiei’s mother was forced to throw him off a cliff to save his sister. For kids! The endearing nature of the characters will suck new viewers in and the action scenes will keep them coming back for more.
7 Patlabor: The TV Series
A Mecha Procedural That’s More Than Worth A Watch
Patlabor: The TV Series Comedy Sci-FiMecha
Release Date October 11, 1989 Seasons 1 Studio Sunrise Japanese Title Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor: On Television Based On Manga Creator Masami Yuki Number of Episodes 47 MyAnimeList Score 7.68 Expand
- Aired from 1989 – 1990 with 47 episodes by Sunrise Studio
- Headgear, the group of writers and artists behind Patlabor, formed to ensure they kept full rights to any work created
- “Patlabor” is a portmanteau of the words “patrol” and “labor” to reference the humans and their mecha partners
Anime fans may be familiar with the Patlabor movies, but the series came first with a tone much lighter than the films. In fact, one might call it the Brooklyn 99 of sci-fi mecha anime in the late 80s/early 90s. There’s a nice mix of action, comedy, suspense, and world-building in every episode. But the stakes don’t feel that high, so viewers can relax as they watch it unlike some anime like Attack on Titan and Patlabor’s cohort Mobile Suit Gundam.
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Though the mecha scenes were great, the show morphed into a slice-of-life character study and feels like visiting old friends each time one revisits it. There have been sequels to the show outside of the films, novels, video games, and a live-action adaptation, as well.
6 Record Of Lodoss War
They Don’t Make Them Like This Anymore
Record Of Lodoss War FantasyAction
Release Date June 30, 1990 Seasons 1 Studio Madhouse Japanese Title Lodoss-tou Senki Based On Novel Creator Ryo Mizuno Number of Episodes 13 Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll , Funimation MyAnimeList Score 7.35 Expand
- Madhouse produced the original 13-episode OVA in 1990 with another 27-episode series coming in 1998 by AIC
- Originally created as a Sword and Sorcery D&D “replay” in 1986 in Comptiq magazine
- Many of the novels have not yet been translated into English despite how much fans laud them for their own prowess and intrigue
If ever there was a definitive Dungeons and Dragons anime, this might be it. The story follows Parn, a fledgling warrior, Deedlit the elf, and a ragtag band as they travel the world of Lodoss amidst a brewing war. Few works capture how gargantuan dragons can really be, but Record of Lodoss War is not afraid to throw them at the viewer — in many variations.
The animation style is classic and rich with lots of color and weight to the characters and settings. The world-building is just as rich with there being political machinations, mistaken identities, dragons who are aspects of gods and goddesses, etc. There are different races, as well, including Elf, Dwarf, Human, etc, and each race has tensions with themselves and the other races and kingdoms in Lodoss. Though it’s a shorter watch, viewers will no doubt feel completely immersed and long for more when done with the series.
5 Slayers (NEXT & TRY)
A Sleeper Hit That Still Hits
Slayers FantasyActionComedy
Release Date April 7, 1995 Seasons 5 Studio E&G Films, J.C. Staff Based On Light Novel Creator Hajime Kanzaka Number of Episodes 104 Streaming Service(s) Funimation MyAnimeList Score 7.73 (Season 1) Expand
- All original 3 seasons were animated by J.C. Staff with a total of 78 episodes from 1995 – 1997
- Other seasons entitled Slayers REVOLUTION and Slayers Evolution-R, respectively, only aired the first episodes in English
- Season 1 adapts light novels 1 and 3 while season 2 adapts volumes 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8. TRY does not draw from the printed stories at all
Step into the cavalier shoes of Lina Inverse, a wandering teenage sorceress who gets into many snafus and entanglements. The show is silly in tone, but features heavy concepts like the Lord of Nightmares, fragmented gods, and dragon relics. Think of it like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End but now instead of being low-key and ambivalent, Frieren is high-key and unhinged….and a real kleptomaniac.
D&D inspired anime is not common anymore, making this a must-watch for fans of new shows like Frieren or Delicious in Dungeon. The whimsy and intrigue of the plot blends well with the goofiness of Lina and her ragtag troupe of treasure hunters. Consider this the Space Dandy to Cowboy Bebop but in the fantasy genre.
4 The Visions Of Escaflowne
It’s All In The Cards…And The Mecha
The Vision of Escaflowne IsekaiAdventureRomance
Release Date April 2, 1996 Seasons 1 Studio Sunrise Japanese Title Tenkuu no Escaflowne Number of Episodes 26 Streaming Service(s) Funimation MyAnimeList Score 7.67 Expand
- Animated by Sunrise Studio with 26 episodes that aired originally in 1996 in Japan
- Originally, the series was supposed to be male-oriented with a sexy girl side character and dramatic fight scenes
- Yoko Kanno created the music for the series with some tracks rearranged by Inon Zur
Isekai anime is all over the place these days, so recommendations to watch an older one might feel odd. But The Vision of Escawflowne does isekai in a very unique way that makes it all at once a slice-of-life, coming-of-age, fantasy sci-fi mecha, and romance anime. The anime also has a film version that features stellar animation and art direction.
It tells the story of Hitomi — an athletic high school girl whisked away to Gaea and caught up in a war among empires. As with most isekai plots, Hitomi has a special role to play in the story as she is from the “Mystic Moon” (Earth). The character designs are unique even by today’s standards, the fashion iconic, and the mecha fight scenes (and regular combat) will delight any fan of the genre. Despite featuring more “girly” elements, the series has had long tail success with many anime fans regardless of gender.
3 Super Dimension Fortress Macross
Get Ready To Cry In Space Y’all
Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982) MechaActionRomance
Release Date October 3, 1982 Seasons 1 Studio Tatsunoko Production Japanese Title Choujikuu Yousai Macross Number of Episodes 36 MyAnimeList Score 7.90 Expand
- Tatsunoko Production made the series in 1982 – 1983 with 36 episodes
- Credited with sparking the anime idol trope with the character Lynn Minmay and boosting the musical career of the voice actress Iijima Mari
- The series was an anime first and then had manga adaptations afterward
Super Dimension Fortress Macross (SDF Macross for short) is set in a time when humanity has just discovered other life in the universe. Long story short, humanity accidentally sparks galactic war, some humans get teleported very far from home, and they try to return to Earth. Unlike Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Macross doesn’t trade in big political drama; it gives the audience what they want: big mecha battles in space and melodramatic romance.
For an anime made in 1982, the story is compelling and engrossing as it grapples with how to hold onto one’s humanity in the face of war and lost hope on top of being a space opera. It can be extremely brutal at times — something that wasn’t common in animated storytelling at the time as animation had the veneer of being “for kids”. Due to its fearlessness and gripping animation, there have many spin-offs from the original Macross including Robotech. Fun fact: most of the series is now streamable on Disney+.
2 Sailor Moon
An Anime About Learning How To Stay Kind
Sailor Moon (1992) Magical GirlActionRomance
Release Date March 7, 1992 Seasons 5 Studio Toei Animation Japanese Title Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Based On Manga Creator Naoko Takeuchi Number of Episodes 200 Streaming Service(s) Hulu , YouTube MyAnimeList Score 7.73 (Season 1) Expand
- Produced by Toei Animation with 200 episodes and 3 TV specials from 1992 – 1997
- The creator, Takeuchi Naoko, is married to the creator of Yu Yu Hakusho
- There have been many adaptations to other mediums including stage plays, video games, card games, musicals, companion books, and even an ice skating show
Everyone is probably familiar with Sailor Moon, but many people haven’t actually sat down and watched the show in forever or maybe at all. Like Yu Yu Hakusho, Sailor Moon integrates action and fantasy sequences with slice-of-life stories about a middle school girl named Tsukino Usagi and her friends. Every character has different strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. The show uses its larger-than-life story to teach young adults about identity, interpersonal relationships, and how to deal with challenges they don’t understand.
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It’s a staple of the Magical Girl genre, features dozens of incredible 90s outfits and fashions, and plays with lots of ideas from astronomy and astrology to Greco-Roman mythology and traditional Japanese elemental themes. For Western viewers, they may delight in watching the version that hasn’t been heavily edited for television, discovering all new features of the show.
1 Rose Of Versailles
Romance In The Time Of Revolution (And A Case Of Gender Swap)
The Rose of Versailles DramaRomanceHistorical
Release Date October 10, 1979 Seasons 1 Studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha Japanese Title Versailles no Bara Based On Manga Creator Riyoko Ikeda Number of Episodes 40 MyAnimeList Score 8.33 Expand
- Produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha in 1979 – 1980 with 40 episodes
- Represented a shift from animation being for younger audiences to being for teens and young adults
- Though a political story, the plot also provides commentary on gender roles, playing with the binary gender experience in romance
Fans of the anime Revolutionary Girl Utena should take special note of this entry as the plot features a very similar aspect: a woman portraying a man. But the story itself could not be more different than that of the pink-haired prince who turns into a car. Set just before the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette features as a main character along with Lady Oscar. Her father raised her as a son to succeed him in his military role despite the fact that she was the youngest of six daughters.
Oscar acts as a medium by which the audience learns about how the government works in France at the time while Antoinette weathers an affair’s effects on her reputation. Without spoiling the ending, the anime takes a dramatic turn as the Revolution begins to intensify. The story also came about in response to the author’s own growing interest in the New Left in Japan. The political nature of the work and the author did not deter fans as there has been immense celebration of the anime with musicals, a live-action film, statues of the characters, and spin-offs, too. It sticks out as an unusual story even by today’s standards and is well worth a watch.
More Best Action Fantasy Anime Like The Ossan Newbie Adventurer
Fans of The Ossan Newbie Adventurer who are looking for something similar have plenty of options to choose from in the action and fantasy genres.
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Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
