Forum - View topicRare/ forgotten/ artsy or oldschool anime that you love...
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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I've been on the hunt recently for something off the beaten path, so to speak, anime-wise. I like my Berserk, and my Bebop, and my Spirited Away and Escaflowne like a lot of others, but I've been trying to dig around and find some old school forgotten gems, and am curious if others could post some of their "rare" animes to give me some other titles to search for, etc. (with some sort of description of what it is or why you like it so much...)--
For example, and I'm sure the label of "hard to find/ forgotten" is debatable, but I'll give it a shot-- Area 88 OVA- the one from the mid-80's. I recently watched this and loved it. Production value is really very good, the characters intereseting, and I found the jet-fighter scenes had a lot of "oomph" to them still. I doesn't pull any punches either, re:character development, and makes people make some hard decisions. YKK (Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou)-- a rare, if not very old, anime that I thought was unlike almost anything out there. Zen-like and quiet, with an attention to minute, everyday detail, I thought both OVAs were wonderful, cute, and thoughtful. I'm currently on the path to trying to watch some other shows too, like all these below- Venus Wars (sci-fi war movie set in the future on Venus, done in the late 80's by the creator of Gundam) Windaria (the uncut version- fantasy story) On the Mark (the Ghibli short done by Miyazaki, set to music- with some possible references to Nausicaa) Spirt of Wonder Robot Carnival (series of shorts done in the late 80''s also) Angel's Egg (artsy, very quiet, futuristic sci-fi film done by the creator of GITS, done in the early 80's) The Cockpit (three part OVA set during WWII, featuring Japanese and German protagonists.... based on Leiji Matsumoto stories) Etranger - hard to describe. A movie from the 80's (I believe), that uses the old Go Shogun show as a starting point. Actiony, with dreamscapes and what not. Darkside Blues -- futuristic, dystopian world, with a lot of mood. Spring and Chaos-- bio story (sadly, on a person whose name I've forgotten) done by the creator of Marcoss and Macross Plus and Arjuna, etc. Cat Soup-- supposedly just pure artsy phsychedelic madness etc etc Of course, I haven't really seen any of these, and would love to know some other opinions on these titles, and others like them. Does anyone else have other suggestions, or a more knowledgable opinion about some of the shows I've listed? Thanks. Last edited by Steve Berry on Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:25 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Weazul-chan
 Posts: 625 Location: Michigan |
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whee... love for Windaria! *has the dubedit US version on DVD and a fansubbed version on her computer*
one of the old skool anime movies I have much love for, even tho I haven't seen it in over a decade (okay, I'll be honest, it was probably more like two decades ago I last saw it), is Chirin no Suzu (released as Ringing Bell in the US). it's a story about a lively little lamb named Chirin whose mother gets killed by a wolf, seeking revenge the lamb goes off after the wolf. the wolf, amused by Chirin's guts, decides to raise him and train him to be a hunter to see if he CAN best a wolf. the ending had me bawling my eyes out. I'm tempted to say the dub wasn't highly edited, either, even tho it was an 80's release in the US, because I remember my mom talking about how it shouldn't be with the kids movies and most of the edited anime from that decade got watered down a LOT. also... I must mention Ushio & Tora - best described as Calvin & Hobbes on crack this series is hillarious, with a few serious moments to develop plot and characters, and some nice action scenes as well. unfortunately it ends just when it's getting good since it didn't do well in Japan. I'm just happy they got to the kamaitachi story, however, weaseldemons, whee!!! |
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Bosque
 Posts: 102 Location: Chile (castillian-talker) |
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 Robot Carnival is one of my favorite anime ever, you just have to watch it! It's one of those titles that wasn't very publicized and wasn't really made for the mainstream, pure art, take a look.
Another relatively rare and nice anime is Chikyuu ga Ugoita Hi (The Day The Earth Moved), it's a very touching film inspired by the earthquake that hited Hyogo prefecture in 1995. As Robot Carnival, no much publicity was made to promote it outside Japan. Hi no Tori, the anime based on Tezuka's manga. It was the anime that gave me the welcome to the anime world and i don't remember anything, just it was a nice anime. It's good to search for rare anime, there are lots of masterpieces hidden somewhere 
Ah, if you liked Robot Carnival and Memories, search for the less known of the trilogy, Manie Manie, anyway, it's the weakest, i just consider the third tale a masterpiece. ps: English is my second language, sorry for the errors. |
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Super Arrow
 Posts: 334 Location: Australia |
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I don't see the Venus Wars credits having Tomino's name anywhere in them.
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remember love
 Posts: 764 Location: Germany |
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I'm not sure this is totally forgotten but I remember it.
Iria: the zeirman animation Was shown on Sci-fi once and then is was on DVD but i haven't found the dvd for it which makes me sad because I don't by online after a few experiences. |
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areaseven
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 1486 Location: Makati, Philippines |
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It's Zeiram, NOT "zeirman." At least Bosque has a reason for his errors.
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Arkard
 Posts: 677 Location: Poland |
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Well I am kinda from the oldschool camp here in Poland. There are a few series I loved as a kid, but no one even knows they existed back then.. huh let me think.
Well there was this crazy show called Yattaman Every episode was basically the same. The 3 main bad guys (biggest bunch of losers ever) set up some phony store or something, gather money, build a giant goofy robot, set out to find a mysterious stone for their boss and then get their asses kicked by the 2 main heroes, who also pilot hilarious robots. Heh.. of course there was always an occasional flsh of breasts which to me was just crazy back then  It was really funny.
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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You're right, it isn't tomino (which was my mistake), it's Yoshikazu YASUHIKO, who did the character designs for Gundam, wrote and did the character designs for Venus Wars, and worked on Arion and Crusher Joe. He has one of those "character design styles" like Mikimoto, that was really key in the 80's. |
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LeoKnight25
 Posts: 319 Location: Puyallup, WA |
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There are quite a few obscure 80's anime titles that deserve more than they get:
-Cosmo Police Justy- Based on the manga by Tsuguo Okazaki, it's kinda like Locke the Superman in both character design and storyline. It follows Justy Kaizard, a powerful ESPer who becomes an intergalactic cop after his adopted sister, who is also an intergalactic cop, found him on a backwater planet and brought him back to the Cosmo Police organization. Character designs are very remniscent of Haruhiko Mikimoto, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and Yuki Hijiri (creator of Locke). The animation by Studio Pierrot is on par with their work on Area 88, and is flat out gorgeous. There was only one hour long OVA based on the manga. Released in 1985, character designs by Yuuichi Endo (animation director on Aura Battler Dunbine), direction and animation direction by Motsouke Takahashi and animated by Studio Pierrot. This needs a DVD release stateside. -Planet Salamander, Salamander Basic Saga: the Meditation of Paola, Salamander Advanced Saga: Gorfa's Ambition- This series of three hour long OVA's are based on the popular Gradius and Salamander (Lifeforce in the US) series of shooters by Konami and follows the same storyline as the games. The animation, again by Studio Pierrot, is a really nice late-80's style production and the character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto are gorgeous as well. Also of note is the cool Godzilla 1985 style opening, with a nice orchestral piece playing while the camera pans around the flames and the body of the planet creature Salamander. The first two were released in 1988 and the last one was released in 1989. -Koujiroh of Fuuma- This is based on the manga by Masami Kurumada (creator of Saint Seiya). It's a modern day tale of High School kids with superhuman abilities battling each other with wooden Bouken (kendo training swords). It follows Koujiroh, supposedly the last of the Fuuma Ninja Clan, who is hired to protect the White Phoenix Academy from it's rivals, the True Warrior School which is being backed by the Yasha Ninja Clan- sworn enemies of the Fuuma Clan. It's a lot like Saint Seiya with each character having different abilities based on things like the elements like ice or electricity, totems (like dragons and the such), strange weapons like feathers, or even disabilities like blindness. The strangest (and actually really kinda cool) part about it is like I said above, they use wooden Kendo swords to battle up. Some of the swords even have magical properties. The animation is good and the character designs by Shingo Araki and Michi Himeno (Saint Seiya) are closer to Kurumada's manga style than Saint Seiya and are really nice. The opening and ending songs have got a nice kinda Heavy Metal/grunge feel to it; while background music is a bit like Saint Seiya with lots of orchestral/rock mixed pieces with Trumpets and Guitars and the like. It's a fun series for fans of Saint Seiya or even fighting anime fans. There were two OVA series, Fuuma no Koujiroh: Yasha Hen and Fuuma no Kojiroh: Seiken Sensou, which were 6 episodes each and produced in 1989 through 1990 respectively and a movie, Fuuma no Koujiroh: Fuuma Hanran Hen which was produced in 1992. All 13 episodes are animated by Animate Film and released on video by CBS/Sony Group and Movic, Inc. -Red Photon Zillion- This one's based on a light gun Lazer tag style game made by Sega. The storyline follows the colonists of the planet Maris who are under attack by a savage warrior race called the Noza. A mysterious substance called Zillion is found and harnessed into three guns and seems to be the only thing able to stop the Noza, as conventional weapons have no effect. Three young people are trained by the government to wield these weapons and dubbed the White Nauts. They are the last hope for the planet and it's colonists. This is a very cool series in the style of Borgman and Tekkaman Blade with some really slick animation by Tatsunoko Pro., Top Dream and Production I.G. with character designs by Takayuki Gotoh (Here is Greenwood). The tv series is great as well as the final OVA which is almost completely inspired by Streets of Fire, with the White Nauts hanging up their guns and taking up guitars in a rock band with the female lead, Apple, as the lead singer (ala Diane Lane in Streets of Fire). Akai Koudan Zillion, 31 TV episodes produced in 1987 and Zillion Special: Kakiyakyoku Burning Night produced in 1988. All are released on LD in Japan by VAP. |
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Gauss
 Posts: 519 Location: Finland |
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If the Manga is anything to go by, Venus Wars is not worth it. Cat Soup is kinda psychedelic but I didn't find it particularly original. I've seen many European animations in a similar vein. For somebody unfamiliar with artsy European animation it might still be interesting. Other stuff you could check are: Millennium Actress is not particularly old school but I suspect it would be the kind of Anime you enjoy. It is a literal chase through Japanese movie history. Very interesting way of narrating events. Five Star Stories might be interesting. Gorgeous mecha designs but at just one OAV the story is a somewhat too condensed version of a long-running manga. Plastic Little is worth a look, if only for the "infamous" scene in the middle. That they manage to pull off something like that is largely due to the surprising charm of the series. I think the charm comes from the director knowing the limits of the story and not trying to turn it into something edgy or artsy. Just, ahem, clean fun. I could also throw in the Good Morning Call OAV but it's not really worth it unless you have read some of the manga (and liked it). It will be too confusing otherwise and it is clearly aimed at readers who want to see how the characters come across when animated (much of the fun lies in their exaggerated facial expressions). |
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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I'm actually interested in teh anime because I love the manga so much. The art style is very sketchy, but I always thought the gritty depiction of war and politics, where no one is really evil, and everyone is sort of swept up in the machinery of it all was very interesting. I also thought the art style was very dynamic, and had a real sense of movement to it. That doesn't mean the anime is any good though. What didn't you like about the Venus Wars manga? I'm also looking into Grey- Digital Target. I loved this manga as a teenager, and could never afford the OVa/movie back in teh late 80's/early 90's. And as for Justy, that's another early Viz title that I loved. Collected all of it too. I didn't know there was even an anime for it. Very cool!! |
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LeoKnight25
Posts: 319 Location: Puyallup, WA |
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Grey's one that I forgot. That was a really cool anime and the manga was great too. I'm sure Viz has lost the license to Grey: Digital Target by now but I'd love to see a DVD release. I remember seeing ads for the import video in the back of the first set of Nausicaa issues from Viz before the movie got a domestic release in '96 or '97. $120 for the VHS tape back in like 1988...*whew*  that was a lotta money. Especially for one 80 minute video. Anyways, the Justy anime was off the hook. I've still got an old VHS fansub copy of it in good shape still no less. I've watched it a ton of times...hehe. Another one that needs a good DVD release is Dancougar. I wonder if CPM still has the license to it....
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Gauss
Posts: 519 Location: Finland |
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[quote="Steve Berry"][quote="Gauss"]
I'll admit I lost interest after the first volume so the story might have improved later on. But to me it didn't seem particularly original, I just felt it was too much like comics about war aimed at kids and adolescents that I have read too many times in my youth. The art was of a kind I just don't like. It basically reminded me of the drawings found in dime a dozen European adventure comics from the 70's and 80's. I prefer cleaner art in any case. |
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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[quote="Gauss"][quote="Steve Berry"]
Fair enough. The art style is anything but clean-- reminds me more of story boards for a movie-- dynamic, sketchy, and minimalist, with little in the way of backgrounds. As for the plot, the set up is like most war stories that young teens read, for sure-- not much that's original there. The story improves, and the sort of bleak, honest, gritty depiction of the war for both civilians and soldiers alike is well done. But yeah, still all that young teen love stuff going on, so I feel you there. I'm having a hard time finding Grey and Cosmo Police Justy. ..... Must look more! Oh, and I finally watched On Your Mark yesterday, and eh-- it was ok. The music is very 90's J-Pop, IMO, but yes, the animation is very good, and somehow they do pack a lot of emotion and interest into 6 and 1/2 minutes, but even so-- I guess it's really hard to make much out of that amount of time. It was good and all, just not something I'd repeatedly watch. |
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Aaron White
Old Regular
Posts: 1365 Location: Birmingham, Alabama |
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Cat Soup is based on manga by a woman who did a lot of work for Garo, the alternative manga mag; a little of her work has been reprinted in anthologies like Comics Underground Japan and Sake Jock. As I recall Cat Soup is actually a very quietly surreal film, rather low-key, so if you're expecting in-your-face madcap surrealism you may be disappointed, but if you're ready for something a bit less flashy it's splendid.
Ai City is one I'm hoping will hit DVD; it was just a crazy SF action film with some zany imagery; androids with numbers on their foreheads that display their power level or something. I dunno if it holds up, but I enjoyed it. Phoenix 2772 by Tezuka was fun; I thought it might be a philosophical tale like what I'd read of the manga, but it was pure lighthearted action, and a hoot. |
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