The 1980s were an incredible time for the anime industry. One of the most important anime studios ever, Studio Ghibli, was established, Osamu Tezuka began to produce experimental anime shorts again and the OVA market came into being. The amount of fantastic works of anime produced during this time is stunning and I’m always encouraging people to take a look at some of these series, OVAs and films. Therefore, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the 1980s anime that I love to recommend to people.
One of the very first articles that I wrote for this blog was an examination of World War II in anime and no examination of it would be complete without the 1983 anime film classic “Barefoot Gen”. Based on the semiautobiographical manga of the same name, the movie depicts the life of the titular Gen who lives in Hiroshima with his family. We get some time to see how they live before the bomb is dropped and it makes the film even more devastating to watch. However, while it can be a tough watch, the film does end on a hopeful note and the story itself is fascinating enough that I have no hesitation in recommending it.
Another favourite of mine from the era is Giant Gorg, an anime from 1984 which was directed by the brilliant Yoshikazu Yasuhiko which follows a boy who, with a group of characters, ends up exploring the mysterious New Austral Island. One of the most unique mecha anime that I’ve ever seen, the series is a superb watch which expertly develops the characters and story while also filling us with a great sense of wonder as we learn more and more about this island. This craftsmanship ends up with a series that still manages to enchant me today and it’s an easy recommendation, particularly for mecha fans.
Another anime from this era that I really enjoyed was Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. The third Gundam series in the Universal Century timeline, I personally consider it to be the most underrated Gundam TV series that I’ve seen. A lot of people have a great negativity towards the series due to increased comedy but I still think that the story that it tells is incredibly powerful with interesting, likable characters and some excellent animation. I still think back to many moments from ZZ with fondness and fully encourage you to check it out once you’ve finished watching Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.
While the Patlabor franchise is most popular for the feature film trilogy, I would also encourage checking out the seven episode OVA series that takes place before the events of the films. While I do consider the first episode to be a little slower than I’d care for, the rest of the episodes are surprisingly great which cover a variety of genres whilst developing the characters. I also have to commend the animation which is of a high quality even for an OVA.
I haven’t had the opportunity to watch anywhere near the amount of 1980s anime as I would like, since many of these don’t have physical releases in the West, but I strongly encourage you to check out the 1980s anime that I’ve mentioned while also looking for others that catch your attention. Let me know your thoughts on the 1980s anime that I love to recommend, which you’ve seen and, if you have, whether you liked them or disliked them, what other great 1980s anime you’ve seen and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!