Planetes is a forgotten gem of a hard science fiction anime. The main characters are debris collectors who were formed after a bolt caused a tragedy on a passenger shuttle. It has very interesting characters, with looks into the cost of space exploration and corporations. The sad news is the license lapsed, so its not easy to find anymore.
Thanks for the list. I have only seen Steins;Gate, Psycho-Pass and Eva, and started on some of the others in the list. You sold me on Galactic Heroes. It's been some time since I watched it, but I always recommend Planetes. It's a "slice of life" sci-fi anime set on a station tasked with clearing debris and garbage in Earth's orbit.
I really like your picks - here are a few of mine: Appleseed Battle Angel Bodacious Space Pirates - a comedy, but with some fascinating politics and economics Crusher Joe Gasaraki - a mech story, but with some Ghost in the Shell-esque philosophizing Goku: Midnight Eye - epic, sexy cyberpunk Gunbuster - a story bigger than Lensman in six half-hour episodes (don't let the first episode fool you - it's beyond dark) Metropolis - Osamu Tezuka's epic remake Silent Mobius - Blade Runner meets Hellraiser Yokohama Shopping Log - a slice of life story about the end of the world All of these should be available on DVD
OAV series: -Gundam The Origin, -Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team (1996) -Gunbuster (OAV) -Macross Plus (1994) otherwise tv show: - Planetes -Gurren Lagann -Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (Girls' Last Tour) -Space Dandy -Nadia and the secret of blue water (more steampunk) -Patlabor -Now and Then, Here and There - Hakugei : Legend of the Moby Dick
While the 2018 ‘Die Neue These’ version of Legend of Galactic Heroes isn’t really bad, its production is obviously rather rushed, pacing, music and art style are a bit off. I prefer the gritty, slow-paced and realistic take of 1988 OVA, what a masterpiece that was. Funny enough old animes also tend to have higher budget, due to Japanese economy taking off at the time.
This is one of your best episodes, Daryl. Just so you know the algorithm doesn’t seem to be working. You never come up in my feed so I have to search for your channel.
Nice list, by which I mean I agree with it. 😄 Out of six shows I thought absolutely belonged here, you got five. The missing one is FROM THE NEW WORLD. Set in a society with much in common with our own, a group of friends grow up together, learning telekinesis. As they mature, they discover more and more about the nature of the world in which they live. I can't be less vague without major spoilers, but I will say the story ramps up in intensity and ends with some gut-punching revelations. (No, they don't find the Statue of Liberty.) This series is not as well-known as those on your list, but it deserves to be, and any fan of sci-fi will love it. Oh, and I also endorse PLANETES, a nice blend of realistic astronauts facing a *very* realistic problem, with wry commentary on Japanese corporate culture.
I'd give a shout out for Sword Art Online. It's about a total immersion VR games console that is hacked so the participants are locked into the VR world. The narrative switches between the fantasy MORPG and a slightly dystopian near future. Obviously huge in the VR community.
Well, I scored 8/10 in the viewed list. 10 is obviously a severely limiting scope, but I was surprised about the omission of anything from the Macross franchise. I would have been surprised if my personal favourite had made the cut, and that is shows from the Leiji-verse, Harlock being my favourite from that. The omission of the Yamato franchise was a surprise though… I'm a big fan of the Evangelion franchise. It is quite old, in respect to some of the other titles, but boy, was it thought provoking with most episodes leaving more questions and answers. … and poor old Osamu Tezuka, the father of anime, as he is often acknowledged, didn't get a look in with the likes of Astro Boy and others. Interestingly, my most vivid, and first significant Sci-Fi anime, didn't make the cut, was "Science Ninja Team, Gatchaman", which I watched on television in the early 70s. Of course, it was butchered by Sandy Frank, US animated sequences inserted, and marketed as "Battle of the Planets". I watched the original some 20 years later; much better! well, the two I haven't seen, are at least on my "to watch" list, so I'll get to them eventually, I hope.
With the 3D animation aside I decided to watch Knights of Sidonia. I was considering dropping it around the end of S1 bc it just felt like a mid Sci-fi series. Glad I kept watching it bc S2 and the movie was very good imo. The plot and characters/arcs became far more interesting. Checking out the rest on this list that I haven't already watched. Thanks for the recommendations.
Excellent list. Are you familiar with Samurai Seven? A futuristic dystopian version of Kurosawa's masterpiece. Maybe not as deep as your list, by it is a lot of fun.
I was feeling rather proud and smug that i had watched them all until i saw legend of the galactic heroes....I guess 9 out of 10 aint bad. Lenght of that series is what's been keeping me away. That's alot of episodes. Since i absolutely loved everything else i guess i need a full slate. Which should i watch the new series or the original?
I think you've totally missed my absolute favorite anime series of all time. Trigun. It seems like a silly cowboy comedy but the series totally changes in tone the further you go. Its lighthearted nature makes it feel even heavier once it goes dark. It's a true good vs. evil story. The world building is fantastic as you wonder how the world works and you do get the answers. If you don't know anything about it, I recommend not researching any of it and just watch it. It's a true masterpiece
Cowboy Bebop ruined what could have been an epic series by staging almost every episode on a retro planet like earth, rather than off in futuristic space. It felt like I wasn't even watching a space sci fi genre. Space Dandy is far superior.
I watched all of these...I would add " From the New World " ( Shinsekai Yori ) to this list. More : Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu aka. Parasyte : The Maxim, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Something recent, pleasant surprise : Exception ( 8 ep. 3D but works & looks good , very original SF looks, good story )
One thing i don’t understand is why cyberpunk and space opera are seen as mutually exclusive. I think they should be asociated, robots would be far better space sailors.
YES!! I've seen them all and I heartily agree. Most of these were written for mature audiences, and generally avoid some of the absurd tropes of the anime genre (I have to say, I do not enjoy the fan service in Evangelion). Anyone into serious science fiction would get a lot from these. As others in the comments have said, From the New World is another top notch, deep, and compelling series, albeit only one season (it wraps up, don't worry).
I got into Anime years ago, when Akira and Legend of the Overfiend were released on video. Great stuff. I had the English dubbed version of Akira which I enjoyed very much, but I had an opportunity to watch the Japanese language version with direct translation sub titles and that was like a whole different film. This version, was rich and thoughtful, the characters interactions and the characters themselves had much more depth, nuance and scope. If you can handle subtitles and there's a choice, go for these in the original language.
Where the F is Macross on this list? If it wasn’t for Macross being bastardized as part of Robotech and end up as a Saturday morning cartoon in the 1980’s anime wouldn’t have Ben introduced to the English speaking world for several more years.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is by far the most overrated over-hyped anime ever. It has one of the weakest plots I've ever seen in anime. Neon Genesis Evangelion is the damn porta-potty of anime. There are many far better anime than Neon Genesis Evangelion. I am sick of fanboys touting it as the best anime when it couldn't be farther from the truth. The damn things a snooze fest. Can't believe you picked this turd of an anime for #1 when there are so many far more deserving anime.
Hell yes, no one ever talks about Steins;Gate, that sent me into a crisis when I first watched it. Easily one of the best anime ever.
2nd on my list under SAO
Fr
steins;Gate and GITS tied for #1 for me. I get conspiratorial when i take notice of how underappreciated they are
Planetes is a forgotten gem of a hard science fiction anime. The main characters are debris collectors who were formed after a bolt caused a tragedy on a passenger shuttle. It has very interesting characters, with looks into the cost of space exploration and corporations. The sad news is the license lapsed, so its not easy to find anymore.
Thanks for the list. I have only seen Steins;Gate, Psycho-Pass and Eva, and started on some of the others in the list. You sold me on Galactic Heroes.
It's been some time since I watched it, but I always recommend Planetes. It's a "slice of life" sci-fi anime set on a station tasked with clearing debris and garbage in Earth's orbit.
Yeah, planetes is really good.
Ive seen in the list lain, galactic heroes, psycho pass, cowboy bebop...
I should return to ergo prxy, left it in half.
Star Blazers, dang it! Nice list though.
I really like your picks - here are a few of mine:
Appleseed
Battle Angel
Bodacious Space Pirates - a comedy, but with some fascinating politics and economics
Crusher Joe
Gasaraki - a mech story, but with some Ghost in the Shell-esque philosophizing
Goku: Midnight Eye - epic, sexy cyberpunk
Gunbuster - a story bigger than Lensman in six half-hour episodes (don't let the first episode fool you - it's beyond dark)
Metropolis - Osamu Tezuka's epic remake
Silent Mobius - Blade Runner meets Hellraiser
Yokohama Shopping Log - a slice of life story about the end of the world
All of these should be available on DVD
Check our Mardock Scramble.
OAV series:
-Gundam The Origin,
-Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team (1996)
-Gunbuster (OAV)
-Macross Plus (1994)
otherwise tv show:
- Planetes
-Gurren Lagann
-Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (Girls' Last Tour)
-Space Dandy
-Nadia and the secret of blue water (more steampunk)
-Patlabor
-Now and Then, Here and There
- Hakugei : Legend of the Moby Dick
Darrel, your videos are always top tier.
While the 2018 ‘Die Neue These’ version of Legend of Galactic Heroes isn’t really bad, its production is obviously rather rushed, pacing, music and art style are a bit off. I prefer the gritty, slow-paced and realistic take of 1988 OVA, what a masterpiece that was.
Funny enough old animes also tend to have higher budget, due to Japanese economy taking off at the time.
This is one of your best episodes, Daryl. Just so you know the algorithm doesn’t seem to be working. You never come up in my feed so I have to search for your channel.
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it! Hmmm the great algorithm doesn't seem to like me for some reason 🤔
@@Sci-FiOdyssey it’s so ironic cos you’ve got one of the best channels. But I smell a rat.
I agree with this list. My honorable mention would be Robotech aka Macross and the Macross Plus mini series
I’m new, and this is my 2nd video of yours to see. Sci-fi anime is my favorite. I’m subscribing now
Another shoutout for Stein's Gate! It seriously challenges the viewer. Thank you for this review!
Nice list. I've watched seven of the ten you listed.
dude!!!! I wasn´t expecting this, and your list rocks!!!
My additions would be:
-Bubblegum Crisis (dont let the name deter you)
-AD police files
Nice list, by which I mean I agree with it. 😄 Out of six shows I thought absolutely belonged here, you got five. The missing one is FROM THE NEW WORLD. Set in a society with much in common with our own, a group of friends grow up together, learning telekinesis. As they mature, they discover more and more about the nature of the world in which they live. I can't be less vague without major spoilers, but I will say the story ramps up in intensity and ends with some gut-punching revelations. (No, they don't find the Statue of Liberty.) This series is not as well-known as those on your list, but it deserves to be, and any fan of sci-fi will love it. Oh, and I also endorse PLANETES, a nice blend of realistic astronauts facing a *very* realistic problem, with wry commentary on Japanese corporate culture.
El Psy Kongroo
Afaik the lied in Elfenlied comes from the German for song and woukd be pronounced therfore "Elfenleed". Thanks for your content.
I'd give a shout out for Sword Art Online. It's about a total immersion VR games console that is hacked so the participants are locked into the VR world. The narrative switches between the fantasy MORPG and a slightly dystopian near future. Obviously huge in the VR community.
Just came upon your channel. This is one of your best episodes, though there are many. I appreciate everything you do. Thank you.
Omg I loved Ergo Proxy! :D Hella cerebral, and the animation was great. Lotta gnostic stuff in that series; really dug it. :)
Excellent list. Cheers.
Well, I scored 8/10 in the viewed list.
10 is obviously a severely limiting scope, but I was surprised about the omission of anything from the Macross franchise.
I would have been surprised if my personal favourite had made the cut, and that is shows from the Leiji-verse, Harlock being my favourite from that.
The omission of the Yamato franchise was a surprise though…
I'm a big fan of the Evangelion franchise. It is quite old, in respect to some of the other titles, but boy, was it thought provoking with most episodes leaving more questions and answers.
… and poor old Osamu Tezuka, the father of anime, as he is often acknowledged, didn't get a look in with the likes of Astro Boy and others.
Interestingly, my most vivid, and first significant Sci-Fi anime, didn't make the cut, was "Science Ninja Team, Gatchaman", which I watched on television in the early 70s. Of course, it was butchered by Sandy Frank, US animated sequences inserted, and marketed as "Battle of the Planets". I watched the original some 20 years later; much better!
well, the two I haven't seen, are at least on my "to watch" list, so I'll get to them eventually, I hope.
With the 3D animation aside I decided to watch Knights of Sidonia. I was considering dropping it around the end of S1 bc it just felt like a mid Sci-fi series. Glad I kept watching it bc S2 and the movie was very good imo. The plot and characters/arcs became far more interesting. Checking out the rest on this list that I haven't already watched. Thanks for the recommendations.
Pantheon is definitely worth checking out. It isn’t anime but still it’s one of the best sci fi series in recent times.
Im happy there are channels that talks about sci fi
Excellent list. Are you familiar with Samurai Seven? A futuristic dystopian version of Kurosawa's masterpiece. Maybe not as deep as your list, by it is a lot of fun.
Thanks, I'll definitely check that one out.
Thanks for the video... Sidonai went sooo sideways after the first arc, such a pity...
bro when did sci-fi/anime nerds get so handsome?
Amazing video !!!
Yes legend of the galactic heroes! In every time and every place, the deeds of men remains the same!
I was feeling rather proud and smug that i had watched them all until i saw legend of the galactic heroes....I guess 9 out of 10 aint bad. Lenght of that series is what's been keeping me away. That's alot of episodes. Since i absolutely loved everything else i guess i need a full slate. Which should i watch the new series or the original?
Ergo Proxy and Psycho-Pass are two of my favorites.
so glad that evanescence made their anime debut in ergo proxy!
I think you've totally missed my absolute favorite anime series of all time. Trigun. It seems like a silly cowboy comedy but the series totally changes in tone the further you go. Its lighthearted nature makes it feel even heavier once it goes dark. It's a true good vs. evil story. The world building is fantastic as you wonder how the world works and you do get the answers. If you don't know anything about it, I recommend not researching any of it and just watch it. It's a true masterpiece
Mardock Scramble (CyberPunk), Appleseed (CyberPunk), Steam Boy (SteamPunk) and Violet Evergarden (SteamPunk) are worth checking out.
Cowboy Bebop ruined what could have been an epic series by staging almost every episode on a retro planet like earth, rather than off in futuristic space. It felt like I wasn't even watching a space sci fi genre. Space Dandy is far superior.
I watched all of these...I would add " From the New World " ( Shinsekai Yori ) to this list.
More : Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu aka. Parasyte : The Maxim, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Something recent, pleasant surprise : Exception ( 8 ep. 3D but works & looks good , very original SF looks, good story )
Only three of these I have not seen, and now I have added them to the list. Best of the ones I have seen is _Steins;Gate._
Btw, I would add _Dr Stone_ among the best. It counts as scifi.
Surprised you didn't mention Planetes.
One thing i don’t understand is why cyberpunk and space opera are seen as mutually exclusive.
I think they should be asociated, robots would be far better space sailors.
Ghost in the shell solid state society movie fkin slaps.
Major Motoko Kusanagi is my spirit animal.
Samesies
I find lack of both Armored Trooper VOTOMS and Fang of the Sun Dougram disturbing.
It's pronounced Elfen "leed" it's german for song.
Thanks... noted.
Man steins gate is great and u will not regret watching it
I see we have a similar taste for the anime...
YES!! I've seen them all and I heartily agree. Most of these were written for mature audiences, and generally avoid some of the absurd tropes of the anime genre (I have to say, I do not enjoy the fan service in Evangelion). Anyone into serious science fiction would get a lot from these. As others in the comments have said, From the New World is another top notch, deep, and compelling series, albeit only one season (it wraps up, don't worry).
I got into Anime years ago, when Akira and Legend of the Overfiend were released on video.
Great stuff.
I had the English dubbed version of Akira which I enjoyed very much, but I had an opportunity to watch the Japanese language version with direct translation sub titles and that was like a whole different film. This version, was rich and thoughtful, the characters interactions and the characters themselves had much more depth, nuance and scope.
If you can handle subtitles and there's a choice, go for these in the original language.
Too many to watch! Saved for reference later
What happened to your level four alien video? I tried re-watching it and it says you took it down.
Had some issues with it so need to do a bit of editing and get it reuploaded. Hopefully this will be soon-ish 😬
What about anime like full metal alchemist and Dr. Stone
I would love this list if I didn't watch all of it already 😭
Texhnolyze
any let's go
number 9 is pronounced elfen leed because its german translates to elf song
Magnetic rose
Where is YAMATO/ STAR BLAZERS???
Where the F is Macross on this list?
If it wasn’t for Macross being bastardized as part of Robotech and end up as a Saturday morning cartoon in the 1980’s anime wouldn’t have Ben introduced to the English speaking world for several more years.
No Death Note?
Cowboy Bebop is not science fiction, no matter how badly people want it to be. It's just not.
It is.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is by far the most overrated over-hyped anime ever. It has one of the weakest plots I've ever seen in anime. Neon Genesis Evangelion is the damn porta-potty of anime. There are many far better anime than Neon Genesis Evangelion. I am sick of fanboys touting it as the best anime when it couldn't be farther from the truth. The damn things a snooze fest. Can't believe you picked this turd of an anime for #1 when there are so many far more deserving anime.
No shinsekai yori 😂 dude just watches popular anime only