Late 80s-mid 90s Anime Fans?

[Anadult]

Hi all. I finally got an idea for my first thread after finishing Bubblegum Crisis (1987-1991), one of the more well known retro animes long neglected on my to watch list. Upon at last watching it, it struck me how at home it felt. I was born in 1989 in a non-western country, and pretty much got weaned on late 80s/very early 90s anime though upon my parents immigrating the family shortly after, I actually grew up hooked on mostly 90s Canadian and some American cartoons (mostly Reboot, Beasties, Shadow Raiders). By the time anime took firmer roots in North America early in the 2000s, anime styles had shifted to a generally edgier, generally more sombre tone (Cowboy Bebop though it was made in the late 90s comes to mind as one of the early examples of this trend). Upon revisiting the animes of my earliest years then, I started noticing how animes back then tended to treat the same serious and dark subject matter in a much lighter tone. Dystopian worlds are mostly just lived in as opposed to rebelled against. Battles don't forget about comedy (The way characters tap dance around bullets peppering the ground under their feet being a visual representation of this). Bad guys even when they pose a threat are more egotistical, cartoon villains to be laughed at rather than genuinely feared. And forced to rein them in are the un-self-important protagonists who can look uncool and embarrass themselves just as much as anyone else. Soviet-style superpower still exists far into the future, and bio-mechanical creatures long before Eva manage to look both creepy and cool. Mix it with synthesized music, dated sound effects, and charmingly bad English dubbing and you've got the key ingredients of many of the late 80s-mid 90s anime I love and remember.

As a result of this musing on what anime means to me, I'm hoping to meet on here other people who share my nostalgia for older anime, and maybe eventually do a bit of worldbuilding and roleplaying/collaborative story writing or just casual character and story discussion with that distinct retro feel.

Though this is hardly a complete list, here is a sampling of some animes that symbolize for me the era.


Topping my favourites list is definitely Patlabor: The TV Series (1989-1990)

Dominion Tank Police (1988-89)

The Five Star Stories (1989)

Iria: Zeiram the Animation (1994) which is getting a bit edgier

Slam Dunk (1993-1996) which is virtually impossible to not know where I'm from though it is definitely pushing that late 80s/early90s feel. 

What do late 80s-mid 90s anime mean to you? And what are some that you know and love even if you're not born in that era? (I've left out children's animes of which there are a few I remember though you're most welcome to share those.)

[Azuresun]

I first discovered anime through the university club in 1999-2002, so I've got fond memories of a lot of 80's and 90's stuff.

Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory was the first mecha and the first action-focused anime I ever saw, and it legitimately blew my mind in terms of what animation could do both in terms of story and spectacular, high-intensity battles. And it had not one, but two of the best openings ever. MEN OF DESTINY!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoplnxPv-J0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l8zX6AGJeI

And this is pretty much the 80's in concentrated visual form. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyj68m_nNxY

[Oniya]

As a note, please be careful when linking videos of animes.  Many animes contain child characters, or characters that are/appear to be under 18.  A SFW video or still that contains these types of characters can be linked by using the

Code Select Expand

[url=link goes here]description goes here[/url]
formatting. 

[Anadult]

As a note, please be careful when linking videos of animes.  Many animes contain child characters, or characters that are/appear to be under 18.  A SFW video or still that contains these types of characters can be linked by using the

Code Select Expand

[url=link goes here]description goes here[/url]
formatting.

Ah, thanks. The worry had cross my mind. I'll do that with all videos hereon. And links have been corrected.

[Anadult]

@Azuresun

Ah, the university anime club, what I wish I had joined if not for pesky social phobia getting in the way back then. Mine was showing the hit animes of the late 2000s back in the day, but I understand that clubs of older times showed anime that were much more obscure, partly because of anime being less known in the west and VHS tapes being the only means by which anime could be owned and shared. I recall that an advertisement for my university's anime club was probably how I first came to look up a Miyazaki favourite, The Castle of Cagliostro.

0083 is a good choice. It surprised me that it was released in 1991-1992 since it was shown on Toonami probably into the 2000s. I do love how manly and unpretty the Albion pilots (and bridge crew) look in that group shot in the first intro, and the way Nina's vest and pants attire go with her poofy hair in the second.

Edit: Also, how could I forget the importance of electric guitars to music of the day. I once read in a YouTube comment that Japanese pop music lagged a few years behind American pop, which I suppose may be why some anime OSTs from that time sound even more dated than they really are.

And City Hunter, ahh, the anime where every character has an idealized 80s body. I have only had the fortune to watch one of its many series, and it was not even one of the better ones I think, but I mean to watch more of it for sure.

[Giantmutantcrab]

Neon Genesis Evangelion.

[Marumor]

Yoooo, Iria is so awesome! I saw part of it on TV (Sci-Fi channel) when I was really young, and it took me over fifteen years to find the name of it. Every so often, I would think about it and ask around if people knew of an anime with such-and-such and someone finally was able to clue me in.

I love old anime vibes, especially in sci-fi anime. There's a far more organic aesthetic to ships and stuff that lends itself well to space spoop and mystery. I'm failing to recall names at the moment, though, haha,




Boku Patalliro! (1982) Hilarious. Beautiful, gay men. James Bond references (Jack Bancoran, British MI6). A++ It never came to America, but some of the episodes have been fan-subbed. I love this anime and wish it was more available to western audiences. It's one of my all-time faves.

I can't post the MC since he's only 10ish.   :X  (Thanks, Oniya.)

Patalliro





Berserk (1997) Another favorite, even to this day. The animation leaves a little to be desired, but it's definitely not bad for its time. I love the hopeless, grimdark feel of it, and that, at least within the scope of the anime, magic is more of an enemy and an obstacle rather than a tool for humans.

I love Patalliro for all of its silliness, but few things have won my heart like Berserk did.



Slayers (1995) This one was one of my favorites growing up. Another silly one.





Bastard!! (1998) More late 90's, but still gold. It's not as serious as Berserk, even if it may look it at first glance. Dark Schneider definitely isn't the "un-self-important" type, but that reminds me of the following:



Sorcerer Hunters (1995) They're all named after food. The MC loves women, but not the two female leads that are on that D harder than Tenchi's harem.

[Oniya]

Sorcerer Hunters (1995) They're all named after food. The MC loves women, but not the two female leads that are on that D harder than Tenchi's harem.

That's not saying much.  The last arc of Tenchi I saw, he still wasn't getting any!

[Jag]

Anime for me has and always will be about the fighting.

Fist of the North Star (1984)
Saint Seiya (1986)
Dragon Ball (1986)
Ronin Warriors (1988)
Dragon Ball z (1989)
Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)

I just want to see people fight. >.<

The older shows have the best fight based storylines. I can't get into a lot of the newer fighting animes.

[Andol]

Got to always love that Fist of the North Star... the original Jojo... Sorry I just had to step in and say that.

[LunarSage]

Ranma 1/2 for the win.

I also really enjoyed the old Bubblegum Crisis.

Of course, Record of Lodoss War is an oldie but one of the best animes ever done in my opinion.

[Azuresun]

Got to always love that Fist of the North Star... the original Jojo... Sorry I just had to step in and say that.

This video has some interesting insights into the culture of the time, and the rise of brawny, macho-man heroes in 80's manga and anime.

[Anadult]

I can't post the MC since he's only 10ish.   :X  (Thanks, Oniya.)

Patalliro

With that, it's become a must watch. I've actually seen it posted somewhere before, but entirely forgot about it till now.

And about Iria, me too! Along with a bunch of other now obscure animes, one of them being Red Baron, which I remember actually being shown in Canada at some early probably Saturday hour. It was hard to catch anime back then because of changes in TV scheduling, and the way channels might not purchase more than a few episodes if the show proved unpopular. Escaflowne on Fox Kids around 2000 was an unfortunate victim of this despite attempts to cut the show in ways to make it more actiony.

This video has some interesting insights into the culture of the time, and the rise of brawny, macho-man heroes in 80's manga and anime.

Interesting and informative as well as entertaining, thanks! Nice to see Captain Tsubasa included as part of the 80s.