Darth Hauntruss
Wraith of the Sith
Was talking about this with some peeps. Even if you aren't a huge fan of anime or a casual watcher, there are some great and amazing science fiction, space opera and mecha anime out there I think are worth giving a shot. So here is my personal list of some to check out.
1. Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (Mecha/Science Fiction)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAUwdwGOh7E
Macross is a great starter for the Mecha Anime genre. The show has everything. Space fighter jets that transform into Robots, a giant ass flagship that transform into a robot and shoo big ass beams, an awesome cast of fighter pilots, flagship crew, conflicted heroes and alien conquerors. The show is pretty old. Its apart of the classic 1980s mecha generation. If you like snarky leads and excellent dogfights (just like the Rogue Sqaudron book series or classic Death Star run battle) then Macross is a great pick.
2. Crest of the Stars Saga (Space Opera/Science Fantasy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJEBcXIqNp0
Hot damn look at that Opening! A bit of warning Sekai no Monsho is a karking commitment of a show. It was originally a book series and is separated into three parts- 1. Crest of the Stars 2. Banner of the Stars 3. Fragment of the stars. And all three were animated into a series. The story revolves around the life of a young boy whose planet is conquered by a race of altered human beings designed for long space travel (they look more like space elves). But hell, this show has fleet battles, space politics, a great central romance and a kark ton of space opera-ing. More made up languages that would make Tolkien blush. Excellent Empire v Planets Independents politics and diplomatic out-manoeuvring. Ever inch of the in-universe lore has been fully fleshed out. Highly recommend it.
3. Legend of Galactic Heroes (Space Opera)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUf-8aXt9Hw
Holy jesus. HOLY JESUS. oh MAN. This show is probably the closest ever I have come to calling something an absolute "masterpiece". Where to begin. Well first like Crest of the Stars, its a HUGE commitment. It is the longest single contained animated video series (not a TV series, but a series of instalments) ever. 110 episodes of pure politics. And I mean PURE POLITICS. Some whole episodes are just two admiral sitting and chatting about the pros and cons of democracy - and it will actually make sense. I like to nickname this show Politics 101 In Space. Ever wanted to actual see more of the Galactic Empire- how it would actually function, how admiralty would work, how the bureaucracy plays out? LoGH has you covered. From the lowly pencil pushing bureaucrat, the scheming admiral looking to conquer the next tier, greedy politicians exploiting a patriotic war to further their elections (sound familiar?), young up and coming stars fighting ingrained nepotism to conquer the galaxy, a noble and humble admiral used as a puppet to sell a war, a corrupt democracy struggling to survive, an old empire about to changed by radical reform, not to mention kickass classical music soundtrack of Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Mozart and not to mention GLORIOUS GLORIOUS SPACE FLEET ENGAGEMENTS. Seriously, give this show a shot. (Also the Empire here is based off of Prussia, everyone has german names and the ships too, also it is called the Galactic Empire.)
4. Martian Successor Nadesico (Mecha/Science Fiction/Comedy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XphjF-fHZkM
Want something less politics and heavy? Nadesico's got you covered. Self-referential, 4th wall breaking and very stupid funny (with some shockingly cruel and violent serious scenes)- Nadesico is a slapstick and action mecha series with crazy alien villians and sweet robot action. Really its a good ride if you can handle japanese humour every once in a while and the references to older mecha shows. Not much else I can say about it, you'll just have to watch it.
5. Gunbuster (Mecha/Super Crazy Science Fiction)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLFCbAXA1I4
Gubuster is so badass, I had to show you this section from the movie. You can do either or really. But I recommend watching the TV show as it builds up the action later on and adds a certain weight to it. Its directed by a little known Japanese animator Hideaki Anno (who would go on to do Evangelion). It has great space fighting scenes and a colourful cast of characters. The art is amazing, the animation is in the good old hand drawn style. The voice acting is excellent. All in all a great show.
1. Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (Mecha/Science Fiction)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAUwdwGOh7E
Macross is a great starter for the Mecha Anime genre. The show has everything. Space fighter jets that transform into Robots, a giant ass flagship that transform into a robot and shoo big ass beams, an awesome cast of fighter pilots, flagship crew, conflicted heroes and alien conquerors. The show is pretty old. Its apart of the classic 1980s mecha generation. If you like snarky leads and excellent dogfights (just like the Rogue Sqaudron book series or classic Death Star run battle) then Macross is a great pick.
2. Crest of the Stars Saga (Space Opera/Science Fantasy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJEBcXIqNp0
Hot damn look at that Opening! A bit of warning Sekai no Monsho is a karking commitment of a show. It was originally a book series and is separated into three parts- 1. Crest of the Stars 2. Banner of the Stars 3. Fragment of the stars. And all three were animated into a series. The story revolves around the life of a young boy whose planet is conquered by a race of altered human beings designed for long space travel (they look more like space elves). But hell, this show has fleet battles, space politics, a great central romance and a kark ton of space opera-ing. More made up languages that would make Tolkien blush. Excellent Empire v Planets Independents politics and diplomatic out-manoeuvring. Ever inch of the in-universe lore has been fully fleshed out. Highly recommend it.
3. Legend of Galactic Heroes (Space Opera)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUf-8aXt9Hw
Holy jesus. HOLY JESUS. oh MAN. This show is probably the closest ever I have come to calling something an absolute "masterpiece". Where to begin. Well first like Crest of the Stars, its a HUGE commitment. It is the longest single contained animated video series (not a TV series, but a series of instalments) ever. 110 episodes of pure politics. And I mean PURE POLITICS. Some whole episodes are just two admiral sitting and chatting about the pros and cons of democracy - and it will actually make sense. I like to nickname this show Politics 101 In Space. Ever wanted to actual see more of the Galactic Empire- how it would actually function, how admiralty would work, how the bureaucracy plays out? LoGH has you covered. From the lowly pencil pushing bureaucrat, the scheming admiral looking to conquer the next tier, greedy politicians exploiting a patriotic war to further their elections (sound familiar?), young up and coming stars fighting ingrained nepotism to conquer the galaxy, a noble and humble admiral used as a puppet to sell a war, a corrupt democracy struggling to survive, an old empire about to changed by radical reform, not to mention kickass classical music soundtrack of Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Mozart and not to mention GLORIOUS GLORIOUS SPACE FLEET ENGAGEMENTS. Seriously, give this show a shot. (Also the Empire here is based off of Prussia, everyone has german names and the ships too, also it is called the Galactic Empire.)
4. Martian Successor Nadesico (Mecha/Science Fiction/Comedy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XphjF-fHZkM
Want something less politics and heavy? Nadesico's got you covered. Self-referential, 4th wall breaking and very stupid funny (with some shockingly cruel and violent serious scenes)- Nadesico is a slapstick and action mecha series with crazy alien villians and sweet robot action. Really its a good ride if you can handle japanese humour every once in a while and the references to older mecha shows. Not much else I can say about it, you'll just have to watch it.
5. Gunbuster (Mecha/Super Crazy Science Fiction)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLFCbAXA1I4
Gubuster is so badass, I had to show you this section from the movie. You can do either or really. But I recommend watching the TV show as it builds up the action later on and adds a certain weight to it. Its directed by a little known Japanese animator Hideaki Anno (who would go on to do Evangelion). It has great space fighting scenes and a colourful cast of characters. The art is amazing, the animation is in the good old hand drawn style. The voice acting is excellent. All in all a great show.
