Top Anime Of The 80's

Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy - 1981

The Gundam that started it all... Well, not really, but it is the condensed retelling of the first Mobile Suit Gundam TV series. While the TV show was cut short and suffered from budget cuts towards the end not allowing Yoshiyuki Tomino to tell the story he wanted, this movie trilogy is an improvement. With a more focused story and renewed focus on character development, this is where I’d recommend beginning your journey when jumping into the Universal Century timeline.

The Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Triogy contains all three Mobile Suit Gundam movies!

Fist Of The North Star – 1984

Road Warrior as an anime? Yes please! Post-Apocalyptic Savior Kenshiro, a successor to the ancient assassination art of Hokuto Shinken, wanders the lands of a post nuclear war world. The strong rule over the weak, and supplies are limited. Using his martial art skills, Kenshiro hopes to instill justice into a world that’s fallen apart. Shonen Jump’s most popular title of the 1980’s, and Kentaro Miura’s (Berserk) biggest influence, Fist of the North Star is still a show worth investing time into.

This Fist of the North Star The TV Series Complete Series collection contains all 152 episodes.

Space Adventure Cobra – 1982

Influenced by Star Wars and James Bond, Space Adventure Cobra is an amazing campy space western. Cobra, after a long hiatus from his interstellar exploits, returns to the endless reaches of space to discover the lost treasure of space pirate Captain Nelson. With lush animation, great action sequences, and a stellar soundtrack, Space Adventure Cobra is a show to revisit.

While supplies last, customers ordering this set will also receive an exclusive chipboard artbox sized to hold both Parts 1 and 2 of Space Adventure Cobra! Space Adventure Cobra Complete set includes Space Adventure Cobra The Original TV Series Part 1 and Space Adventure Cobra The Original TV Series Part 2.

Grave of the Fireflies – 1988

A story of survival so powerful it forced the late Roger Ebert to rethink the medium of animation and the stories that can be told with it. In the movie, director Isao Takahata follows the lives of two children who are forced into homelessness in Japan during World War II. Mixing beautiful aesthetic with the darkest sides of the war, Grave of the Fireflies solidified Studio Ghibli as one of the great animation studios.

Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind – 1984

Some may remember it under the name Warriors of the Wind, the terrible New World Pictures edit release in the 1980’s. However, Nausicaa was much more . Hayao Miyazaki’s second film, and first in which he adapted from his own work, made his audience focus on the toils of war and its effects on the environment. These themes would continue to shine throughout all of Miyazaki’s work and the success it had eventually gave birth to Studio Ghibli

Nausicaa contains a 12-pg Booklet with statements from the Producers and Director along with a more faithful transfer which keeps colors truer to the source material.

Robot Carnival – 1987

Robot Carnival is a collection of nine animated shorts that all use the theme of robots. Given the era’s rising stars of anime, the shorts were under no constraints and were each given a good budget to boot. In turn, we are given beautifully animated shorts with great stories. Most of the shorts do not include dialogue and it’s the animations that tell the story. Anyone looking for bite sized tales that they can quickly jump in and out of should look no further than Robot Carnival.

Robot Carnival is an anthology collection of nine short films, many done by animators before they got their feet wet in directing.

Akira - 1988

The landmark of Japanese Animation, Katsuhiro Omoto’s Akira is known as the film that brought Japanese Animation to the forefront of the Western world. Set in a dystopian future , Akira follows Shotaro Kaneda, the leader of a bike gang, who must find a way to save his friend Tetsuo Shima; who has gained telekinetic ability. To this day, all forms of media are still influenced by Akira. If you are new to anime and want to see what all the fuss is about, Akira remains the starting point for many future fans.

This 25th Anniversary Edition of Akira features both the original 1988 Streamline English dub and the 2001 Pioneer/Animaze English dub.

Dragon Ball – 1986

Inspired by the story Journey to the West, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball was the beginning of the juggernaut we know today as Dragon Ball Z. Goku’s childhood journey stretches across the world as he and Bulma search for the seven Dragon Balls. Which, once collected, can summon the dragon Shenron who will grant the user any one wish. Dragon Ball reveals the origins of many beloved characters of DBZ, making Dragon Ball a worthwhile visit to find out how Goku became the great warrior we know today.

This Dragon Ball Season 1 set contains episodes 1-31, including episodes 1-13, available uncut for the first time.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam – 1985

Taking place eight years after the events of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta follows Kamille Bidan, a young teenager who gets swept up in the fight between the Anti-Earth Union Group and the Titans. The Titans are an elite force of the Earth Federation whose sole purpose is to hunt down the remnants of Zeon and destroy anyone who is looking for equal rights. Having a much darker tone, Zeta Gundam is a great follow up to the original series and helped propel the Gundam franchise into the behemoth it is today.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Collection Blu-ray Bundle contains anime episodes 1-50 and includes Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam A New Translation Blu-Ray

Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer – 1984

Based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi, Beautiful Dreamer follows a group of students preparing for the Student Festival. As their preparations carry on they notice that the next day will never come and ideas of reality and dreams are turned upside down. Directed by the great Mamoru Oshii, Beautiful Dreamer was an original story written by Oshii without the consultation of Takahashi. Even though there was turmoil between these two during production, Oshii showed off his great filmmaking skills and provided Urusei Yatsura with a great story and introduction to the franchise.