Quintessential 90s Anime

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

I need 90s shows. Any will be fine, the only thing I require is NO political scif-fi/fantasy. I also don't mind if you try to talk me out of dropping one of the shows in the respective list.

90s stuff I've seen (* for favorites)

Watching
3x3 Eyes
Cardcaptors Sakura
Kodocha
Master Mosquiton 99
Neo-Ranga
Tekkaman Blade
Vampire Princess Miyu

Completed
Cowboy Bebop *
Dominion Tank Police
Escaflowne
Generator Gawl
Giant Robo
Ippatsu Kiki Musume
Kare Kano *
Martian Successor Nadesico *
G Gundam
Neon Genesis Evangelion *
Pokemon
Record of Lodoss War
Revolutionary Girl Utena *
Rurouni Kenshin
Serial Experiments Lain *
Soul Hunter
Trigun *
Yu Yu Hakusho

On-Hold
Berserk
Detective Conan
Great Teacher Onizuka
Irresponsible Captain Tylor
Key the Metal Idol
Kimagure Orange Road
Magic Knight Rayearth
Nadia, Secret of the Blue Water
Outlaw Star
Ranma 1/2
Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko
Turn A Gundam
Violinist of Hamelin

Dropped
Blue Seed
Dragonball
Initial D
Orphen
Gundam Wing
Oruchuban Ebichu

[jedinat]

Hana Yori Dango - though I myself dropped it, I know it's been quite...well thought of
Golden Boy - [see above comment]
Slayers - [see above]
Fushigi Yuugi - inexplicably popular; I personally find more enjoyment in grind pencil lead into my eyes... but, hey, I'm not everybody ^^
Saber Marionette J - I watched it, but I like to think I didn't enjoy it
AA! Megami-sama! - not too bad
Devilman Lady - i liked it but dunno if it's exactly quintessential
(not too sure what quintessential actually means, or what you want, in this case... so I'll stop with these)

[Autumn Demon]

hunter x hunter, must see.

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

Originally Posted by jedinat

Hana Yori Dango - though I myself dropped it, I know it's been quite...well thought of
Golden Boy - [see above comment]
Slayers - [see above]
Fushigi Yuugi - inexplicably popular; I personally find more enjoyment in grind pencil lead into my eyes... but, hey, I'm not everybody ^^
Saber Marionette J - I watched it, but I like to think I didn't enjoy it
AA! Megami-sama! - not too bad
Devilman Lady - i liked it but dunno if it's exactly quintessential
(not too sure what quintessential actually means, or what you want, in this case... so I'll stop with these)

I odn't know what it means either, just sounds cool. Also, could you maybe suggest shows you, uh, don't hate? Especially since you and I tend to have similar tastes >_<

[Kirarakim]

I don't see Now and Then Here and There on the list and it is definitely one of the best titles from the end of the 90's. Although I guess it is sort of sci-fi but well it is so much more than that too. It is more like a psychological war story.

[SeijiSensei]

How about Gunbuster, Diebuster, Excel Saga, and Video Girl Ai?

I don't know if you'd call either "buster" political. Excel certainly is political in the satirical sense, though not otherwise. Video Girl Ai is a fantasy romance.

[jedinat]

Originally Posted by Deus ex Digital Boy

Also, could you maybe suggest shows you, uh, don't hate? Especially since you and I tend to have similar tastes >_<

lol, well with those suggestions I was going with quintessential meaning anime rather representative of the '90s. (which doesn't make much sense to me either, but w/e lol) Those last two I'd personally recommend.

Escaflowne was at least quite enjoyable when I watched it many years ago. (barely remember it now; can't say how I'd receive it watching it today)
Brigadoon - slightly past the 90s, but feels like a 90s anime I guess; quirky series that entertained me when I was in an anime slump
I'll second Video Girl AI; it was at least much better than the manga (which didn't know when to stop)
Battle Angel Alita - short and fun for what it is
Night Walker - okay this one is really cheesy and arguably crappy, but I enjoyed it; it was just one of those shows where the cheese made it fun, while being short enough not to get old (and it really takes very little more than a girl being turned into a vampire to make me happy)

[KholdStare]

I strongly second Now and Then, Here and There.

[GreatTeacherKen]

Hmm I'd suggest finishing GTO and Tylor especially if you like the title characters. I'm not sure how far you are into Tylor, but the show IMO gets better as it goes along. Episode 23 in particular I think is brilliant though it'll be a huge spoiler to say why. However, I'll warn you beforehand that if you want an answer on whether Tylor's a genius or just lucky, you'll never get a definite one.

Have you seen Rurouni Kenshin Tsuikohen (Trust and Betrayal) yet? If you haven't, try watching it. It's a very good insight into Kenshin's background although it is very different tonally and stylistically from the TV series.

It's a movie, but Perfect Blue is very good if you don't mind having your mind screwed with.

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

@seiji: Gunbuster = 80s Diebuster = 03-04 excel was technically half in '00 and Vid Girl Ai is... Akamatsu >_>

Brigadoon is something I've been meaning to check out, I'll try to find it. I've already seen Escaflowne, BTW (hated it). I REALLY want to see Alita but I haven't been able to find the goddamn thing anywhere (did once, but it was dubbed, and there's no way in hell I'm wathicng a 90s dub). I'll go with your word and at least try out nightwalker since I am not one to pass up on good cheese.

I've heard a million and one recommendations for NaTHaT. I've been ignoring them time and time again because I really dislike war shit, especially sappy anti-war crap, however, in the face of such an overwhelming number of recs, I'll at least test it out.

Seen trust and betrayal, not sure when they came out. Also, I saw Perfect Blue years back, I do intend to rewatch it.

[Ichihara Asako]

Hyper Police is my favourite 90s title. Though there are quite a lot of good ones, many already mentioned. Outlaw Star and GTO for sure. CCS is a favourite. Magic Knight Rayearth for oldschool CLAMP.

Trigun is another 'classic' like Outlaw Star. Both have been shown on various TV networks around the world over the past decade.

Tenchi Muyo (Ryo-Oki OVAs) was one of my favourite 90s shows too. Sorta the father of harem. I didn't like Tenchi in Tokyo or Tenchi GXP or Tenchi Universe though. Not a fan of alternative versions of stories.

Infinite Ryvius is another 90s classic, though it's a sci-fi with a degree of political themes, though not on the level of Gundam. Mostly just internal strife on the ship due to no real authority present. People often compare it to Lord of the Flies. Kids gone bad.

Could go on for ages really. But plenty of suggestions already, should hold you over for months.

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

@ ichihara, the only one you mentioned that I haven't seen at least some of is Hyper Police. Personally, I don't like Tenchi, as I don't like harems. I'm actually watching Infinite Ryvius already, I just didn't know it started in 99. So really, should only hold me over for about 8 hours XD

[KholdStare]

While there are anti-war messages in Now and There, Here and Then, it's entirely different from other anti-war series such as SaiKano. The message(s) are more general and allegorical, and you can pretty much apply them to anything you see fit.

[Zippicus]

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that isn't on your list is Sailor Moon. If you watch the subbed version rather than the bastardized English version it's actually pretty decent.

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

First ep of Nightwalkers was totally awesome. The show would be worth watching for the fucking amazing soundtrack alone, but it's also a ton of fun and extremely 90s, which is just what I wanted. It feels like Mnemosyne, only instead of copying the 90s it's actually from then.

[Kirarakim]

Originally Posted by Deus ex Digital Boy

@seiji: Gunbuster = 80s Diebuster = 03-04
I've heard a million and one recommendations for NaTHaT. I've been ignoring them time and time again because I really dislike war shit, especially sappy anti-war crap, however, in the face of such an overwhelming number of recs, I'll at least test it out.

NTHT does have an anti-war message but I find it more realistic than sappy. And it more has to do with how war and tragedy can change a person.

[Terrestrial Dream]

I suggest Macross Plus and 7, both great imo especially Plus, but 7's beginning is mediocre. There is also Gundam X, Turn A, and 08th MS Team, all three are the better Gundam from 90's.

Now all of these are pretty blurry for me so I can't say much but Slayers was a pretty fun show to watch, I thought the characters were great and fun. I also watched bit of Patlabor as a kid and it was a pretty fun show. I remember watching El Hazard and I think it is worthwhile to just check it out. I think Wild Knights Gulkeeva was also decent but can't remember much about it.

Also Slam Dunk is another great anime from 90s, while it is a shouen and a basketball anime, I think you will enjoy it also as I hate basketball and I loved the show.

And you can't find Alita? You mean you can't find it on the web or like a store? Anyway I remember that show, watched it at night when I was ten or nine alone and it scared me .

[Navel]

First, there would be all the Studio Ghibli movies from that period, of course
Omoide Poro-poro, Kurenai no Buta, Umi ga Kikoeru, Mimi wo Sumaseba, Mononoke Hime

Then, there's the best work from the Macross franchise, from the people that later on went and made Cowboy Bebop: Macross Plus OVA. It's different from all the other Macross anime, and the lackluster cover posters you may find browsing the internets don't do this anime justice.

The nineties also brought the world Shinseiki Evangelion, which was a defining moment. Not many anime creators receive death threats like it happened that time. But you've seen Eva already.

Infinite Ryvius - is also a great anime of the period. It has that engaging style that makes people become emotionally involved by what they see, and it resembles so much a social experiment.

Shojo anime also had Hana Yori Dango, which is another one of those few love/romance anime that abound with introspection moments.

A must see from the ninties is Shoujo Kakumei Utena. It's surreal and brilliant. A coming of age anime full of symbols, having as a motif a twisted children tale, and with a rather open view on sexuality, amazingly from the creators of Sailor Moon which was nothing like that.

Berserk needs to be seen. A group of friends live and die as mercenaries, and experience how the human society is built, by stepping on the corpses of the dead. They know friendship and fear and trust, and the anime has some thoughts on what all of that means.

Perfect Blue, one of the few Satoshi Kon movies. This one is a thriller, seen from the perspective of the victim, a TV star idol. I won't say more because it would be a spoiler, and not a thriller anymore.

The nineties were also the year of the Crest/Banner of the Stars saga. The main draw of the series is the interaction between the lead characters: a he and a she. She is a Princess of a space empire set to conquer the human worlds, and he is the outcast son of one of the human planets that lost their freedom.

Like others said before, Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal, also known as Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuiokuhen, is one of the best anime of the period. No previous knowledge of Kenshin is needed, and it's even better that way.


GTO was the smart school comedy of the period, the funny moments disguise a coming of age anime with a main character that has an inspiring view on life.

FLCL (Furi Kuri) is the weird comedy of the period, and having the Gainax stamp you can't expect it to be void of more deep meanings. Very crazy, a must see by all means.

One of my favorites was The Big O. Do you know Batman ? It looks like Batman when you see the first episode. But when you reach episode 13 or so, you suddenly realize there's more to it than meets the eye. A "noir" anime, if a japanese animation can be called like that. Very well done, with some interesting directing, and a mysterious story.


Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku (Now and Then, Here and There), the one you keep avoiding. Let me tell you why it's called anti-war: because it shows what happens to people in a war. I like Gurren-Lagan as anyone else, but in a real world conflict, people suffer, they don't scream "pierce the heavens with your drill" and overcome one in a million chances a million times. It shows how misery affects people, how unfounded some of the war reasons are, how remote they are from what really matters, how people get transformed by this reality and instead of caring fathers they become rapists and murderers.

That should be enough.

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

I suggest Macross Plus and 7, both great imo especially Plus, but 7's beginning is mediocre. There is also Gundam X, Turn A, and 08th MS Team, all three are the better Gundam from 90's.

Now all of these are pretty blurry for me so I can't say much but Slayers was a pretty fun show to watch, I thought the characters were great and fun. I also watched bit of Patlabor as a kid and it was a pretty fun show. I remember watching El Hazard and I think it is worthwhile to just check it out. I think Wild Knights Gulkeeva was also decent but can't remember much about it.

Also Slam Dunk is another great anime from 90s, while it is a shouen and a basketball anime, I think you will enjoy it also as I hate basketball and I loved the show.

And you can't find Alita? You mean you can't find it on the web or like a store? Anyway I remember that show, watched it at night when I was ten or nine alone and it scared me .

I'm pretty much planning to watch anything with Macross or Gundam in the name eventually, so I'll prolly handle some of those. I've been unsure about Slayers, but since it's considered a classic and a new season is about to start, I'll try it.

Navel, lol, 90% of that was on my list... you read it? I did leave off big O because I didn't know it was 90s. Also, I dropped Crest thanks to it being too political.

It's funny that you use G-L as your comparison since G-L is one of my top 5 favorite anime of all time. It should really be noted that while I can appreciate a truly good plot, I consider it the least important element of anime.

[Navel]

G-L is also one of my favorite anime of all times. I was using it to say that NTHT is exactly the opposite, very heavy and with not many glimpses of hope.

Yes, I repeated quite a lot of those that you mentioned in your list, but I thought your topic title "Quintessential 90s Anime" might grab other people's attention and it wouldn't be bad for them to find a list like that. Besides, you had a few anime on hold, so I'm giving them some thumbs up.

Those are all the anime that I find really important from that period. There are a few more, but they're not on the same level. And most of them are already on your list too. Start the 80's ?!