Megazone 23

The new anime release format that appeared in the mid-80s brought new opportunities for studios and various works began to be released on videotapes. Some of them were frankly terrible, but some became classics with a recognizable style and aesthetics. I bring to your attention works worth viewing.

This is a part of a series of stacks that are about artistic tendencies in anime (and that border the fine line between sophisticated and pretentious).

This stack is a work in progress.

Bibliography:
Broderick, Michael. “Superflat Eschatology: Renewal and Religion in anime.” Animation Studies: Animated Dialogues. 2007. 29-36.
Napier, Susan J. “Waiting for the End of the World: Apocalypctic Identity.” Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. 249-263.
Tanaka, Motoko. "Apocalypticism in Postwar Japanese Fiction." 2011. University of British Columbia, PhD thesis. 16-33.

Choujin Densetsu Urotsukidouji Movie should be included here, but is tagged as hentai on MAL, so otherwise this list couldn't be public.

Seires debuted in SRW Alpha Gaiden-SRW J

Every anime directed by Ichirou Itano. Also includes series he only partially directed (i.e. Patlabor ep. 6).

List of anime with attractive aesthetics and story for young and old. They stand out for having a western or remarkable visual aesthetic from the rest.

Featuring little to no dialogue and/or characters and the experience is carried by the music and/or visual atmosphere.

Part 1 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/311
Part 2 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/5128
Part 3 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/8036
Part 4 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/8173
Part 5 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9135
Part 6 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9240
Part 7 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9448
Part 8 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9461
Part 9 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/20874
Part 10 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/60874

The criteria here is simple: Anime released in 2001 or earlier, with under 25,000 MAL Members, and which I've rated a 6 or higher.

A rating of 6 counts for this second Obscurities list given the increased obscurity. A 6 is still an alright score. I've excluded anything that's particularly well-known, like Speed Racer or Voltron, despite both meeting my criteria.

It is perhaps worth noting that I rate things entirely on gut feeling. It's just, "I like that, that was good, it gets a 7.", that's the whole process. I can also find enjoyment in just about anything and there's very little that bothers me.

Ascend: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9611
Descend: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9816

Tags: Old, Obscure, Oldtaku, Retro, Underrated, Hidden Gems

These are the anime that appear in Super Robot Wars D for Game Boy Advance.

Anime I have seen in vaporwave/future funk videos or thumbnails


Nothing after 2005

Some of the best stand alone anime movies

Stunning animation. Attention & care put into the characters, places, animals, and every single detail of the world to the point that its aesthetic becomes instantly recognizable.
7-10★ materials.

Vaporwave is a music and visual aesthetic that emerged in the early 2010s and is characterized by its use of samples from 80s and 90s pop culture, creating a nostalgic and dreamlike atmosphere. While there is no specific genre of anime that is vaporwave, many anime series and films have been noted for using certain elements that have made them popular among vaporwave enthusiasts. Here is a list of essential vaporwave anime that you might enjoy:

The films contain at least some of the following elements that contribute to Vaporwave:

-Aesthetics and Neon
-Vintage CGI
-90s consumerism
-80s/90s business/corporate life and setting
-70s thru 90s Asian culture
-Liminal space and cinematography/ minimalism
-Light toned color palette (especially white, pink and cyan)
-Digital revolution and post-internet
-Funky/pop/electronic music/OST and subgenre of Chillwave
-Philosophical and sometimes depressing themes on existentialism
-Avant garde, mind-bending, surreal storyline/narration
-Subgenres of mallsoft, officesoft, futurefunk, virtual utopia, cyberpunk and more.

A list of anime Haruhiko Mikimoto provided character designs for. Ordered by franchise and release date.

anime within the cyberpunk genre or including various cyberpunk elements. suggested to me from various sources

Before the likes of Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon conquering the kids in the west, it was actually Akira that opened the door and made people realize that the cartoons coming from Japan weren't what you would expect from Disney or your TV channels.
A huge flood of VHS tapes came showing animations with mature themes, absurd plots, and enough graphic sex and violence to make parents freak out... what a glorious time!
They don't make cartoons like this anymore.

This is a comprehensive list with stuff from very good to very trashy, but all in the same spirit.
Some early 00's also included.

ps: I also recommend, but can't include here, the second Violence Jack movie, A Kite and Mezzo Forte.

Glorious 80's and 90's (Supernatural, Mystery and Horror)
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/30605

Anime featured in the Anime Vision Video Magazine, which was released on VHD videodisc throughout the mid 80s.

Anime Vision featured upcoming and current animation, usually OVAs, as well as alot of interviews and behind-the-scenes with artists, directors, voice actors and other crew. It was usually presented with skits and a relaxed pace, and is well-worth a watch if you can track them down. There are also some original pack-in shorts, seemingly cancelled series and even 80s fanart which you can't find anywhere else!


Currently up to end of issue 2 as that's all I've been able to find. There were a total of 20 issues.