Anime from the 90s!

[WanderingKnight]

Wow, thanks for all the great suggestions.

james0246, that is an awesome list. I think I'll be basing myself on that for the most part!

And 4Tran, I kinda had the intention to watch Utena since I've heard a lot about it and never really got the chance to watch it. The art kinda turns me off at first sight, but that is easily surmountable with plowing through a couple of episodes. Then again, most shoujo art turns me off, even though, when done well, it's one of the most interesting genres out there. And as the fan of Simoun I am (and knowing you liked the series, too), I certainly would love to see its influences

@all the mech suggestions:

Probably as a consequence of so much idle time spent on mecha-based games (SRW and ACE), I have finally gotten over my general dislike of the mecha genre (I still believe it's plagued with terrible stuff, but most genres are anyways). Coupled with the fact that I'm actually enjoying Turn A Gundam, I was definitely hoping to get some mecha series into the mix. Thanks!

PS: Oh, and I would love to chew on LotGH, but it's just so massively long I'm kinda drawn away from it...

[npcomplete]

GTO - definitely. I rewatched it recently and am reminded of how great it is. Despite the aged production and references to older tech at the time, it doesn't feel at all like an old show.

[KimmyChan]

The Street Fighter series of movies are brilliant 90's anime nostalgia

[npcomplete]

Along those lines, I'd also recommed the Vampire Hunter/Darkstalers OVA series. Character designs just like the game with fantastic animation and action scenes.

Now going back to Street Fighter.. I don't recommend the SF2-V TV series though. It's one of the worst shows I've ever seen IMO. The 1999 SF Alpha OVA and the 2005 sequel SF Alpha 2 Movie are better.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

Wow, thanks for all the great suggestions.

james0246, that is an awesome list. I think I'll be basing myself on that for the most part!

That'd be the correct thing to do . james0246 touched on most of the gems of the '90s. Still, you might do well to be a bit judicious as the list a few questionable titles. For example, I don't know if Brain Power'd can be considered a good choice as it's largely considered to be one of Tomino's great failures (a lot of people would go so far as to say that the only thing worth watching about it is the OP ), and that Victory Gundam (my favorite Gundam TV show) is a very bad choice for anyone who's trying to build up some interest in mecha shows.

For some better choices in the mecha genre, Macross Plus (1995) is probably the most accessible mecha show for a Western audience as it's really quite similar to Top Gun (and it has some of Kanno Yoko's best work), and Giant Robo (1992), which is a bit flawed, but also has excellent visual style, and perhaps represents the pinnacle of cel-based animation (I've heard that each of the OVA episodes retailed for some 10000 yen).

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

And 4Tran, I kinda had the intention to watch Utena since I've heard a lot about it and never really got the chance to watch it. The art kinda turns me off at first sight, but that is easily surmountable with plowing through a couple of episodes.

Have you watched any Utena episodes yet, or are you just going off of screenshots?

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

PS: Oh, and I would love to chew on LotGH, but it's just so massively long I'm kinda drawn away from it...

I'm a lot less sold on Legend of Galactic Heroes than most of the show's fans, but it's definitely worth the investment in time to check out. The show is based on a novel series, so it's relatively easy to watch it in bite-sized chuncks to see if you like it. At least you don't have to wait the decade or so that the Japanese audience had to .

[james0246]

^I consider Brain Powerd to be something of a magnificent failure. Tomino reached well beyond his confort zone, and he tried to outdo everything that had come before (more specifically, he tried to outdo Evangelion, and even more specific, he tried to outdo himself), and while he crashed and burned (oh how he crashed and burned), the various components and makeup of the entire show are well worth the effort of exploring and discussing. The anime, consequently, becomes something of a study in just how much can go wrong when a good cast, good basic story, and good director try to hard. Also, now that I think about it, the show had a Yoko Kanno score...

(btw, it is always nice to meet a fellow Victory fan .)

Other shows similar to this (i.e. magnificent failures) that I listed were: Hakkenden, Please Save My Earth, Battle Atheletes, and Sentimental Journey (and probably a few others). These were shows constricted by cliches and silly storylines and sometimes characters, but through their (the actors, the directors, the animators, etc) sheer earnestness and sincerity, I can't help but like them, and consequently, recommend them. Though, I will agree, they are definetly not the best of the bunch .

That being said, I should have indicated somewhere on the list that I was trying to recommend underappreciated/underrated titles - the non-Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, DBZ, etc titles from the 90s (though, I did include the third season of Sailor Moon, if only because it was the first season that future Utena director Kunihiko Ikuhara could really cut lose and go a little crazy with the story, designs, and characters). In retrospect, I should have supplied a brief blurb as to why I liked each selesction...

[Knuckles]

I think almost all of the suggestions listed before are pretty good (especially from james0246 I would recommend 90% of that list) so I won't comment on them, however here are a few series that I would like to add:

1990 Daddy Long Legs
1991 Romance of the Three Kingdoms
1992 Hime-chan no Ribbon
1993 Black Jack OVA
1995 Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play
1997 Cooking Master Boy

[WanderingKnight]

For example, I don't know if Brain Power'd can be considered a good choice as it's largely considered to be one of Tomino's great failures

I actually got my hands on the whole series and watched a few episodes a couple of months ago. I couldn't really stand the first few. From having played SRW and ACE, I was already familiar with the bulk of the story--and even then I found it to be completely confusing, even for the first couple of episodes. From watching Turn A Gundam, I can see that this hasty, quirky, almost haphazard style of directing is mainly Tomino's style--but it was much more out of control in Brain Powerd. I actually like BP's story, but the anime was impossible for me to watch.

Also, now that I think about it, the show had a Yoko Kanno score...

That was my initial reason for watching it (kinda like the reason why I started watching Escaflowne and Turn A Gundam). The soundtrack is out of this world, and I consider some of the songs to be part of Kanno's best ever--but it was hardly helpful in my enjoyment of those first few episodes I watched. Brain Powerd was one of the few times I felt truly disappointed at an anime.

Have you watched any Utena episodes yet, or are you just going off of screenshots?

I've seen screenshots and watched a few random videos throughout my anime-watching lifetime, and while I can't say I've gotten back to it to analyze the style now, I clearly remember a strong dislike for it in the past.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

From watching Turn A Gundam, I can see that this hasty, quirky, almost haphazard style of directing is mainly Tomino's style--but it was much more out of control in Brain Powerd. I actually like BP's story, but the anime was impossible for me to watch.

That's quite correct. Tomino's handling of Turn A Gundam is him at his most restrained, and some of his other shows can be downright unwatchable because of his direction (*cough*WingofRean*cough*). Victory Gundam would be an example of him being at his less-than-friendly.

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

I've seen screenshots and watched a few random videos throughout my anime-watching lifetime, and while I can't say I've gotten back to it to analyze the style now, I clearly remember a strong dislike for it in the past.

I was asking because the art style works a lot better when it's watch as a whole episode. Utena uses a rather unique style for depicting the backgrounds, architecture, etc. The character designs work far better as a part of the style than as standalone art. This is probably one of the few cases where immersion is more effective than bite-sized samples. Of course, it helps a lot if you can handle lots of flowers and sparkles .

[qtipbrit]

Even by my limited knowledge of the 90's, I'd say jame's list is the star of the thread so far, with extra emphasis on Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

If you're still searching, I'd add Otomo Katsuhiro's Memories pieces and Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue, since they're strong thriller titles with a bit of the mindfuckery I'd think Evangelion fans would love. (The aforementioned Infinite Ryvius might also be somewhat similar)
The late 90's/early 00's Samurai X OVA is also a masterpiece you shouldn't miss.

And if you're going to venture into the Gundam universe(s)™, I'd say skip Wing and possibly F91 and Victory (if you want to get the "full UC experience")

In addition to Whisper of the Heart and Princess Mononoke, you might want to try Ghibli's less popular works, like Ocean Waves or Porco Rosso.

[Tier3]

second GTO

[Guardian Enzo]

I know I already suggested it, but I want to reiterate Outlaw Star. Not only is it criminally underrated and overshadowed by Cowboy Bebop, I really think you'd love it given your stated tastes.

[Lvrhina]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I know I already suggested it, but I want to reiterate Outlaw Star. Not only is it criminally underrated and overshadowed by Cowboy Bebop, I really think you'd love it given your stated tastes.

Mmmm, Aisha clanclan

[Sugar_Prayer]

To Heart is a very nice anime

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Lvrhina

Mmmm, Aisha clanclan

I was a Melfina boy myself. When it comes to 90's catgirls it's all about Nuku-Nuku.

[WanderingKnight]

Bump for great justice (and almost exactly a year after I created the thread! Damn, my mind must work in circles or something. I blame this goddamn winter).

Due to several circumstances, I couldn't see myself watching all the series I sought out to do. However, after a deep surge of nostalgia from rewatching Evangelion yet again, I've noticed that a couple of these series mentioned here have received the HD remastering treatment. I've already secured Kidou Senkan Nadeshiko and Utena in this new format; my questions are:

1) Does anyone know if there's been any substantial changes to original series in these remasterings?

2) Does anyone have a list of old remastered titles? I'd be willing to check stuff from the 80s, too, if it was visually upgraded from the old crappy VHS-to-fansub encodes.

[james0246]

^Despite the 2 titles you mentioned, I know Berserk, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Slayers are being re-released in their remastered editions. Princess Tutu is also getting some sort of re-release, but I think it might just be different box-art (etc).

The great Irresponsible Captain Tylor (TV and OVA) has been re-released in a remastered edition.

[NoLongerSane]

I know that Outlaw Star was remastered. I do not know the specifics of what was changed or added. Oh yeah, forgot about the Captain Taylor Series.