Lodoss-tou Senki

Anime set during medieval times or with a medieval feel.

Classic 20th-century series and films that most old-school otaku have heard of and many older fans will cite as the reason they became a life-long weeb in the first place. Some have gotten sequels or modern reboots, while others have been relegated to the past and stand alone as fondly-remembered products of their time. If you want to take a journey through anime history, these shows are the place to start!

Additional info as requested by MAL staff:

Definition of classic: "A work of art of recognized and established value."

Criteria for this list: Were popular or well-known at some point during the 20th century, or were based on well-known source material of the time.

Retro high fantasy, medieval fantasy and DnD lookalikes. Isekai included. No hentai included.
For more retro high fantasy including stuff made in the 2000s, check this chart:
https://www.edison23.net/dir/ar/img/fantasy.jpg

Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/32825

Enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awgehIvCXs8

A non-curated roster of High Fantasy works.

High Fantasy is a subgenre of Fantasy focusing on entirely original worlds and histories, as opposed to Low Fantasy, where the magical and/or supernatural instead intrude upon the Earth that we know. Note that the term "High" does not mean this subgenre is of inherently greater quality than the other, though of course many have identified such a coincidental trend.

It is a common misconception that High Fantasy and Low Fantasy instead refer to the level to which magic and all it entails are integrated into the world, with those where said elements are abundant being "High" and if rare then "Low." This is, however, completely incorrect, as the distinction is actually in how removed the world is from our own.

There is, naturally, a spectrum between the subgenres, rather than a clear-cut line. Isekai, for instance, is somewhere in the middle, as though works of that genre typically involve a completely fictional setting, the real world is still relevant. For that reason, no Isekai appear on this list, thankfully.

Because of the popularity of what was mentioned above, High Fantasy is in something of a state of decline. Note that the majority of entries shown are from before the turn of the century. Care has been taken, however, to include more recent examples, few though there are.

Sequels, remakes, spinoffs and the like are omitted for brevity.

Anime made by the first generation of anime fans.

I’m coining the term Anime New Wave in reference to the French New Wave and the Japanese New Wave in film canon. Like both of these movements, the first generation of creatives to achieve any kind of mainstream success were establishing the medium themselves and were drawing inspiration from outside their art form, such as how Osamu Tezuka was inspired by the work of Fritz Lang or how Hayao Miyazaki’s adaptation of Lupin III was deeply entrenched in film noir and Golden Age Hollywood aesthetics. With the rise of an otaku culture punctuated by the first doujin anime and the development of Studio Gainax, anime began to have its ideas and themes codified into a replicable series of cinematic references. Dezaki’s beautiful use of intense lighting and postcard memories, Tomino’s frantic paneling and action set pieces, Takahata’s evocative pastoral landscapes and slow takes, the language of anime was being written one word at a time. In the late 80s we saw the rise of talented creators who speak that language as their first tongue, and the results were inimitable and immediate.

Some directors I am considering under the term include Hideaki Anno, Shinichiro Watanabe, Kunihiko Ikuhara, and Satoshi Kon, just so there’s a point of reference here. I’m trying not to include directors who are usually lumped in with others on this list but were actively working as primary creatives in the studio system in the 80s, such as Mamoru Oshii. Lastly, I’m trying to keep the list centered on the initial wave of anime created even though plenty of these creatives have gone on to work on other things, just so I don’t have it be too confusing to look at. Arbitrary, I know.

Feel free to post comments on my page if you have any suggestions.

Some anime OVAs dating back to this time, with not many movies included.

I initially created the stack for personal use, but decided to make it public. I hope it can be useful to someone.

Kick back with your choice of inebriant or lack thereof and have some fun watching action heroes battle it out with all sorts of weapons, explosives, superpowers and machines. OVAs aren't usually very long so you don't even need to commit. You don't need to think too much and don't take it so seriously. These shows are all about having a good time and maybe some laughs along the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIfu-FsxG00

"Don't say we didn't warn you."

A list of anime series that I'd recommend for inspirational viewing when running tabletop RPGs.

50 different series from 50 different years. While most of these are my favorites from year to year, I have included some I thought should get a bit more of a spotlight on. It actually took me a lot longer to put this list together than I thought it would, some years had a lot of good picks and it was hard to pick out either a favorite or one that should be highlighted.

Note there are a few years I have not seen a show from (a few years from the 70s) so I will add some from my PTW or that were impactful.

Created to help with challenges

EXAMPLE CHALLENGE: Watch an Alternative Version or Alternative Setting of an anime you've previously completed (listed as such under "Related Anime")


NOTE: Only the first released anime in a franchise will be added.

Finished scanning the first 5 pages of the 2022 Anime Watching Challenge. Adding more as time allows.


~~If you find this stack and wish to contribute please feel free to message me. Thank you!!~~

++++ 2nd Stack: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/17304
++++ 3rd Stack: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/23846

This is the second part of a collection of articles where I aim to explore the evolution of anime related music. This part of the list attempts to collect a list of most iconic performances on the "New Age" of anime music.

The term "New Age" used in this list refers to a phase after the "Anime Songs" phase. During this phase there started being more "tie-up songs" that that essentially were "tied" to the animated series in order to gain more exposure and market reach to the song itself. This was an interesting approach for many as it opened a new model on how to sell these products to the market.

The theme songs essentially dropped that strong connection to the series demonstrated by their lyrics and the emotion invoked by the song related to the series. Instead of that the song and the lyrics talk about the series or the characters with an indirect manner forming a supposed link between the performance and the series in question.

The supposed link consists of "the spirit" of the performance which refers to the indirect nature of the performance in relation to the series itself, and "the product" which refers to the stand alone nature of the performance itself as observed without the supposed connection to the initial series. The root of "the spirit" can be said originating from the earlier phase.

These types of theme songs were more common and popular after 1980s. The defining moment that can be said had influence on changing the theme songs away from this model is the popularity of the series "Urusei Yatsura" and how it used to promote a several "tie-up" songs that in contrast to "Anime Songs" by their nature don't necessarily have anything to do with the series, story or the characters as far as the direct approach goes.

I will write my thoughts on each of the entries on this list to further explain why I think the series and the theme songs included as a combined package have attained "iconic" status when it comes to the scene of "New Age" anime music in contrast to the "Anime Songs". I will also give a score related on how well "the spirit" and the "product" perform parallel to each other while complimenting the series as a whole. The series are ordered based on that score.

The term "iconic" in this list is defined by the popularity and how deeply established the spirit and the elements of the performance relating to the spirit establishing the product are in addition of them being supposedly intertwined with the series as a whole experience.

Related stacks:

Chapter 1 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/24451
Chapter 2 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/24454
Chapter 3 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/24455

Yes that series has a game/ is a game. As I collect anime games I want to help people find games for series they enjoy. No this is not related to mobile games, maybe I’ll do a stack for those in the future though🤔 These are tied to Console and PC systems, I won’t list specifics though but searching “[insert series] game” will help you find it. There will be multiple parts coming out!

Recommendations of different works from 70, 80 and 90s.

Anime series that covers all of its original source they're based on, with some notes.

Part 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/16812
Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/19939
Part 3: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/20122
Part 4: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/20258
Part 5: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/20709
Part 6: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/20940
Part 7: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/21451
Part 8: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/21523
Part 10: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/35847
Part 11: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/39870
Part 12: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/41719
Part 13: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/42460
Part 14: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/46685

Anime that feature the classic fantasy being known as the dwarf.

A collection of fantasy or otherwise speculative fiction works including fanciful worldbuilding, without the utilization of the "Game mechanics verse" trope or the "Person from our world is reincarnated here" setup. (I would have said "no Isekai" but I'm open to stranger Isekai like Escaflowne being on the list). Earthlike worlds (including purported futures/histories) are allowed if they have something fanciful and distinctive. Only one entry per series/franchise.