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80s anime was so stylish.
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There was so much money to burn, shit like Angel's Egg could get made. What a time for OVAs it was, i guess Netflix are the unconventional source of funding to bring out an anime series.
While I prefer the 80's style and do think they often tried harder, the comparison can be a bit iffy as so many of these comparisons are using OVA quality animation compared to TV series. Even in the 80's, lot of anime tv series looked like crap as well.
I think in the 90s when digital started being used more is when things got really bad, so much garbage, but they have come a long way since then and digital has greatly improved.
I think in the 90s when digital started being used more is when things got really bad, so much garbage, but they have come a long way since then and digital has greatly improved.
Akira is the film I always recommend to people who watch this new age anime. Not a fan of the art style and there needs to be more mecha anime.
Manga entertainment was massive to my peers and I during the early to mid 90's, ninja scroll was pretty good but nothing will top guyver for me.
Remember how shocked I was when they made an animated street fighter film, wasn't sure if it could be done justice but boy was I wrong. All characters incorporated with such a distinctive art style and even a small cameo from akuma.
Manga entertainment was massive to my peers and I during the early to mid 90's, ninja scroll was pretty good but nothing will top guyver for me.
Remember how shocked I was when they made an animated street fighter film, wasn't sure if it could be done justice but boy was I wrong. All characters incorporated with such a distinctive art style and even a small cameo from akuma.
Though a little late for this discussion (1998) I do have to give it up for one of my personal favorite Mecha shows which I feel still fits thematically with the anime we're discussing. Getter Robo Armageddon.
The english dub is a real winner as well. Including one of my favorite exchanges in all of media.
Man 1: "I understand we're desperate sir, but are you sure? I mean, we are talking about a dangerous murderer."
Man 2: "Not quite. The man he's accused of killing is back. Now we need him to finish the job."
The english dub is a real winner as well. Including one of my favorite exchanges in all of media.
Man 1: "I understand we're desperate sir, but are you sure? I mean, we are talking about a dangerous murderer."
Man 2: "Not quite. The man he's accused of killing is back. Now we need him to finish the job."
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I'm with you on that. I spent all of lastnight watching Angel Cop. The lines were hard, rough, but clear. The animation was very detailed.
I'm currently rewatching Trigun. Great anime.
i think this was from 1990 on the nose, but anyone old school and from the UK will be very familiar with this
It bears asking: was Urusei Yatsura given a complete release in Japan? There's no legitimate way to get the whole series, is there?
So good.
Where is this from? It is not Yoma Curse of the Undead, is it?
From top to bottom: Gunbuster, You're Under Arrest: The Movie, Cleopatra DC
It's Dagger of Kamui.
Akira is the film I always recommend to people who watch this new age anime. Not a fan of the art style and there needs to be more mecha anime.
Manga entertainment was massive to my peers and I during the early to mid 90's, ninja scroll was pretty good but nothing will top guyver for me.
Remember how shocked I was when they made an animated street fighter film, wasn't sure if it could be done justice but boy was I wrong. All characters incorporated with such a distinctive art style and even a small cameo from akuma.
The Dagger of Kamui.
It is not that known but it should be because it has some of the coolest visuals I have ever seen.
The 80s anime boom was great, but the 70s and the 90s were especially creative too - one of my favorite anime, Patlabor 2, is 1993 for example.
Generally, I tend to consider that anime was born in 1958 and died around 2004.
80s anime songs were indubitably superior to what we have now.
Nostalgy is hitting me hard here - especially for the Maison Ikkoku, KOR and City Hunter ones.
Oshii's Lupin movie died so we could have Tenshi no Tamago and the first Patlabor movie ;p
Generally, I tend to consider that anime was born in 1958 and died around 2004.
80s anime songs were indubitably superior to what we have now.
Nostalgy is hitting me hard here - especially for the Maison Ikkoku, KOR and City Hunter ones.
Angel's Egg (1985)
Oshii's Lupin movie died so we could have Tenshi no Tamago and the first Patlabor movie ;p
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Lupin was technically 70s
But yeah, if you want Japanese westaboo takes on 80s western culture, watch California Crisis and Cipher the Animation (and prepare to laugh your ass off)
If you want gory, edgy shit, I highly recommend Wicked City, and Megazone 23 part 2 (and Akira of course)
California Crisis has such a neat style. It's like someone's modern, nostalgia-soaked version of a hyperreal 80's anime, only it was actually made in the 80's. Shame it's not that good otherwise.
god, Space Adventure Cobra is still one of my all time favorite anime movies to watch. so good.
i dont have a lot to add to the topic except to say that i adore this era and consider it kind of the golden age of anime. we've certainly had our share of great titles in the interim between now and then, but there's something - perhaps born entirely and only of timing, nostalgia, and rose-tinted glasses - that's so /special/ about anime from this time period. a huge influence on me creatively, aesthetically, and personally. i crafted a homebrew tabletop RPG campaign based on Megazone 23 (starting off as a minor investigatory "one-shot" similar to a Call of Cthulhu session before surprising everyone once they discover the truth of their city and going full sci-fi action, Cyberpunk 2020 or Shadowrun style).
there were a few names in here ive never had the pleasure of seeing, so i look forward to spending my long weekend checking them out and revisiting some old friends.
I love Robot Carnival as well!!
If I remember correctly, they're actually streaming it on Amazon Prime right now.... at least when i saw it it was about a month ago.
Goglo 13 was probably the first adult anime I watched. Incredible movie and visuals. Even though I watched it in the early 90s it's hard to believe it come out in 1983. I was 2 years old.... damn.
Oh do I love me some Golgo 13. It's a shame that we'll never get an English release of the entire manga series given how impossibly long its run. I do have both films, the more recent anime series and the curated 13 volume manga release that Viz put out years ago in my collection though.
Great thread. I made a similar one over at GAF some years back that has like 20 pages. Good times!
Also, I wanted to ask, why does modern-day animation feel....twitchy? It's as if things are running at low framerate. I noticed this more and more with the DC animated films and then recently Castlevania.
Also, I wanted to ask, why does modern-day animation feel....twitchy? It's as if things are running at low framerate. I noticed this more and more with the DC animated films and then recently Castlevania.
Think it pretty much is a case of less frames. I really notice it during action sequences in Castlevania. It gets kind of stop motion-y.
This is reminds me of something I've been meaning to talk about for a while; the ironic beauty and horror of how English localisations were handled in through late '70s to mid-late '90s, but especially the 80s and some titles in the early 00s (thanks a lot, 4Kids!).Angel's Egg (1985)
Many titles got really bad, bowdlerised, bargain-bin-tier dubs with lots of super condensed compilations of TV series or films or OVAs with strange changes and censorship (usually Jim Terry Productions, New World Pictures or Harmony Gold) or just completely awful scripts, acting and direction (usually the former too, plus some Hong Kong dubs, but there quite a few from Toei IIRC).
For reference, Jim Terry Productions' dub of the original Crusher Joe film.
There was an entire website dedicated to summarising and reviewing lots of stuff that were available on VHS and Beta.
For Angel's Egg, it got re-edited into an unconventional B-Movie called In The Aftermath, with it transitioning between scenes of the original and new live action shots with a new plot. You can read up on the full synopsis.
This was created by New World Pictures who were also responsible for the all-round disastrous Warriors of the Wind ('80s English dub of Nausicaa).
Robotech: The Movie, a localised version of MegaZone 23 Part 1, was probably the most interesting in terms of it's production; executives weren't happy with the dark and inconclusive ending, so Harmony Gold commisioned and boarded about 15 minutes worth of new animation from Studio AIC that, art and animation wise, totally blends in with the rest of the film.
MercuryFalcon covers it in greater detail (some spoilers for MegaZone 23 Part 1)
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This also got a totally bizarre English localisation, courtesy of Harmony Gold.
Birth (1984)
Awesome.
I'm tempted to go through ovas and make some gifs for this thread.
Kimagure Orange Road is a classic. It's a romantic comedy about a teenager with psychic powers who winds up in a love triangle, with plenty of zany hijinx and a moderate amount of angst to follow. It's not the absolute best romantic comedy anime of the era - Maison Ikkoku will always wear the crown there - but KOR is still top notch entertainment. There's a Blu-ray release due out in the US in the near future, so keep an eye out for that or some sort of HD streaming option to become available before too terribly long.
And, yes, that opening is stupidly amazing. Also, while the animation isn't all that exciting, the first Kimagure Orange Road ending theme is one of my favorite anime songs:
The finale of KOR on the OAV is really, really hard to watch.
Actress in the Mirror is even better, though.
When I go back and look at stuff from 1980-1984, it tends to look rather ugly. What you really want is 1985-1999 or so. Compress that to 1987 or so to 1994 if you're looking at just the sci-fi stuff.
Have you ever seen the Gaga Communications promo reel? The titles they were attempting to shop around were never dubbed by them, but based on their sales pitch you can see how it would have all gone horribly wrong. For example, here's their take on Bubblegum Crisis, "Futurescape":
Woo boy. Also, if you're a enthusiast of bad anime dubs and you've never seen Corn Pone Flicks' Bad American Dubbing series, you're missing out. All three are avaialble on Vimeo: Bad American Dubbing, Bad American Dubbing Too, and the classic B.A.D. III. Okay, so the gags are two decades old at this point, but they still take down a lot of god awful dubs in highly amusing fashion. If you only watch one, B.A.D. III is particularly magnificent to behold.
It's 90's, but Patlabor 2 is great, and I think back to this opening all the time:
Thank you! I never would have found Cleopatra DC on my own, haha
Wow that must be taken from the remaster. Puts my old Manga Corps single disc run image quality to shame.Iria: Zeiram the Animation (1994)
When talking about western-influenced anime, I can't believe I forgot Riding Bean, which takes place in the mean streets of Chicago and stars Bean Bandit, the most badass motherfucker ever with his crazy thick chin and headband made out of goddamn Kevlar. It's a fast-paced, energetic crime thriller that is a blast to watch with friends. I highly recommend it.
This would have been so good as a series. The OVA was a bit bland storywise but it could have been so good as a full series.
Iria: Zeiram the Animation (1994)
