Sci-fi anime?

[Tsukune101]

Anyone got a suggestion for a sci-fi anime that doesn't emphasize gundams?
I've seen enough of them in the gundam series so I'm looking for one that has air combat or stuffs similar.

[Ichihara Asako]

PlanetES is the best sci-fi anime ever. But it's not action, so may not be what you're after.

Soukou no Strain is a sadly neglected little gem from last year. Has some unique mech design and plenty of fighting.

Terra...e was also an excellent scifi, but again, not a lot of action.

Unfortunately there isn't much in the way of combat oriented scifi that doesn't involve mecha, the Stars chronicles were rather epic, but focused more on characters than action, much like Terra...e did. I honestly can't think of a single notable scifi off the top of my head that isn't either heavy mecha or heavy character driven drama.

Have you tried any Macross series? They tend to balance it quite well. Especially more air combat as far as Macross Zero and Macross Plus are concerned.

[andromeda0201]

For air combat, you may want to try Last Exile, Sentou Yousei Yukikaze and Area 88

Other than that, for series that don't really feature air combat but are still in the sci-fic genre, Terra e.., (seconded) excellent plot and characters
Noein - this has more talking, although some fights appear to be in the skies
Ergo Proxy

Also, Bounen no Xamdou, currently airing, has a very good plot.

[incube]

So you are not interested in mecha animes but still like to see some futuristic / sci fi animes?

Banner of Stars
Cowboy Beebop
Trigun

[Rawgers]

For Sci-Fi, I believe the best is Dennou Coil. It has a great story that amazes you with its awesome animation, and it also creeps you out with some of the topics talked about. Second favorite for me is Kaiba. It is just awesome with its unique animation and character development.

For air combat, I recomend some of the Macross series (Macross Plus, Zero, etc.). There are mechas, but most of the time the characters fight in jet form.

[Tsukune101]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! And girls!

[Telmah]

If combat isn't an issue, I'd suggest Serial Experiments Lain.

If you want some action scenes and still something good, I highly second Dennou Coil.

Finally, I'll suggest Voices of a Distant Star--it has mecha and space ships fighting but the focus is on the human element. It is a 20 minute ova--the most compelling 20 minutes story I've seen. I had to watch it three times to really understand.

[blewin]

if you don't mind the fight, you might wanna try Zegapain. There's a lot beneath the fighting surface that'd simply blow your mind away. But as the show is slow-paced, you need to watch at least till ep 4 to get some idea of the whole picture.

I'd also recommend Persona trinity soul, a mix of modern and sci-fic elements.

[0utf0xZer0]

I'd tend to recommend Crest of the Stars and it's sequel, Banner of the Stars.

I'm also a big fan of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, but that's a completely different kind of sci-fi.

[Navel]

Sentou Yousei Yukikaze for SciFi air combat, where this combat is actually a big part of the plot.
Last Exile for SciFi air combat but with a larger story and background, and where the air combat part is not the main thing.

And if air combat doesn't have to be involved, then there's a large variety of SciFi themed anime to chose from.

[-RK-]

Outlaw Star - Its got some ship-to-ship combat as well as person-to-person.
Vandread - This anime is very humorous but its got a serious side. I highly reccomend it.