Anime Animes that aren't well known 2!

[Rick Hunter]

:) Hello everyone some of you may remember me some of you may not. Anyway about 2 years ago >.> wow such a long time ago. I created two very interesting threads on Otakuboards. I've noticed one again the anime forum here is getting a slight bit stale with redundant topics but lets see if I can't at least generate some energy and creativity into the thread.

Alright here's the rules:

So lets see if we can somehow flurish some of that creative energy into creating some topics about Anime not seen on TV, as in the stuff not shown on Adult Swim, Toonami, WB, or Fox!

So everyone if you know a rare anime and have some info about it or questions lets hear them! Remember Rare Animes though, not dbz, tenchi, trigun, CB, or Gundam!!! I want something rare for a change!

Here's a list of Rare Animes has anyone ever heard of them?

Macross
Green Legend Ran
Genesis Climber Mosepeda
E.Y.E.S. of Mars
L.I.L.Y. Cat
Megazone 23 Part I, II, III (Recently went commerical)
Super Dimesional Calvier Southern Cross
Orguss
Shin Getta Robot
Iria Zeriam the Animation
Iczer One

I'll post up some more a lot of the ones currently listed were from the era know as the 80's something a lot of you probably weren't around for.....^_^

[Panda]

With the 20 Anniversary of Robotech happening this year I was wondering when the Robotech fans were going to come out of the woodwork! Well, I do recognize a few on your list, definitely old school anime. The thing I notice is how they are all related to Robotech.

The original Macross TV series is what was used by Harmony Gold to create the "Macross Saga", or first chapter, of Robotech. Southern Cross was converted into the second chapter which is "The Masters Saga". The third chapter called "The New Generation" being constructed with animation from Mospeada. If I am not mistaken, Megazone 23 and Orguss were used to make the ill-fated Robotech: The Movie.

I think Macross is definitely an anime all mecha fans must see. The Macross mecha design by Shoji Kawamori (who also worked on Escaflowne) and multi-generational storyline is just amazing. Thinking about the time it was released there is absolutely no way it would have aired on US television. Much too many taboo subject for a "cartoon". Characters dying, war, violence, alien love affairs, nudity...baby tossing! These would have been a real shocker to US audiences over 20 years ago!

Mospeada wouldn't have a chance of airing on broadcast TV in the states either. Similar reasons as that of Macross but add in cross-dressing rock star in place of baby tossing. Character design for Mospeada was done by Yoshitaka Amano who is probably most well know by the younger generations as being the designer for "Final Fantasy" and "Vampire Hunter D". The MOSPEADA, or Mobile Operation Soldier Protection Emergency Aviation Dive Armor, has to be the highlight of the series for me. There is something really cool about a motorcycle that could transform on the fly around you into a highly armed personal mecha!

I am going to have to give my anime collection a run through and see what interesting animes that aren't well know are in there that we could discuss in this thread. Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

[QuincyArcher]

This thread just reminded me of a bunch of old animes that i used to watch when i was growing up. back in the mid-late 80s my grandpa would tape animes that aired on Japanese TV back then and he would mail them to me here in America. stuff like:

Doraimon (i guess not all that rare)
Anpan-Man (still pretty popular with little kids in japan)
Ge Ge Ge (i'll bet no one has heard of that one)

there are a few others but i have no idea what the hell the names of them are. he would also send me tapes of really old-school dragonball, but everyone knows what that is nowadays.

[Dagger]

Every time this kind of thread comes up, I always make sure to mention [b]Shamanic Princess[/b]. It's a fantastic little OVA with better artwork and animation than most shows made today. It's also a lot darker than your usual mahou shoujo anime, and has plenty of story and style to spare. As for some other obscure anime...

[b]Maison Ikkoku[/b] is the only really good Rumiko Takahashi series I've seen. The humor is quirky and infectious; the characters are likeable and well developed. Plus, the plot actually moves forward, which is more than I can say for some of her other shows.

[b]Oniisama E[/b] (also called Brother, Dear Brother) is relatively well known among shoujo-ai fans, but beyond that it receives little to no recognition. I was deeply impressed by its seamless plot, complex characters and elegant melodrama. Oniisama E really heightened my interest in other old-ish shoujo anime, such as Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers), Marmalade Boy and Kodomo no Omocha.

Seeing [b]Here is Greenwood[/b], another six episode OVA, got me interested in reading the super-long manga on which it was based. While it's just not long enough to include some of the best characters from the manga (such as Fujikake and Watanabe), the OVA's self-contained stories are entertaining and deviously funny. It also makes the perfect introduction to the premise and main characters of the manga.

Some other titles (both old and new)--

Legend of Galactic Heroes
Detective Academy Q
Turn A Gundam
Rose of Versailles
Ai no Kusabi
Master of Mosquiton OVA
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
Angel's Egg
Yugo

I'll try comment on at least a couple of these later. And nope, I definitely haven't heard of Ge Ge Ge. ^_^

~Dagger~

[SteelAngle Somi]

well if your answering qustions about animes i have one. its gundam i dont think its all that old but their was only like 3 or 4 episodes. i think it was called gundam 00810 or something close to that i really like it is was one of my favorit gundams. but it ended so quickly and the ending didn't make much sence eather. sooo whats up with that?

[EVA Unit 100]

[quote name='SteelAngle Somi']well if your answering qustions about animes i have one. its gundam i dont think its all that old but their was only like 3 or 4 episodes. i think it was called gundam 00810 or something close to that i really like it is was one of my favorit gundams. but it ended so quickly and the ending didn't make much sence eather. sooo whats up with that?[/quote]

Gundam 0080 aired on Toonami, and thus wouldn't count in this thread.

[PWNED]

I have a few fairly unknown animes at my house, One is called Neia under 7 which i am fairly sure was made by the same guy that made Haibane Renmei. My other one is an OaV called Taramoya Voyagers. The second one is impossible to find because it is very unheard of. And also Doraemon not being well known, I laugh at your foolish statement. Doraemon is one of the most merchandisable characters in Asia.
I also own Nadia: Secret of Blue Water but I have no idea of its not-well-known-ness. I'm not sure its that unknown.

[jedite]

So far, outside CN, I have watched some of Peace Maker Kurogane, and I have to say I love it because I'm a big fan of historical Japanese anime like Rurouni Kenshin. Also, I've watched some of X, a very dark and grim series.
Next, I have watched the 3 episode Mega Man OAV, I recommend this to any Mega Man fan.
Also, I've watched the entire series of Excel Saga, and I loved it. It's probably one of the wackiest and funniest animes out there.

Ranma 1/2 is another great comedy series along with some fighting. Highly recommend if you like a comedy series along with some fighting.

I've watched fansubs of Bleach, it's awesome. I've read the manga, but, IMO, the anime is better. The animation, music, and sound are great. One of the best shonen animes I've seen.

[XcXChezaXcX]

I mainly read and watch the more popular anime, but I do have one manga that I don't think is well known, Planet Ladder. It's a very good manga though, if anyone's interested. :D

[Rick Hunter]

[QUOTE=Panda]With the 20 Anniversary of Robotech happening this year I was wondering when the Robotech fans were going to come out of the woodwork! Well, I do recognize a few on your list, definitely old school anime. The thing I notice is how they are all related to Robotech.

I am going to have to give my anime collection a run through and see what interesting animes that aren't well know are in there that we could discuss in this thread. Thanks for the walk down memory lane![/QUOTE]

I've been around a lot longer then one would think, since around 2001-2002 back when TheOtaku was still considered O3 media....Also I'm glad someone actually picked up on the refrences to Robotech. Good...Good.

Also in regards to the Gundam Question.....which is actually funny because it was a short live project even by japanese terms. The Ova series Entitled: Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Only shown twice on american tv, and even less on Japanese television.

Here's a couple of more animes that I'm digging through in the list. Though the name Transformers is actually very much commerical and popular there are several series that had ill fated releases in america or never even made it to American shores and if they did they were completely rewritten they are:

Transformers: HeadMasters (American Version is a rewrite and reanimated version only two-three episodes long, while the japanese one is completely different and follows up the original transformers.)

Transformers: Master Force (First Episode was aired on American TV, as a special but eventually was canned. Basis for series was actually humans that dawned Transformers Armor. Optimus actually lived in this series at the end go figure.)

Transformers: Victory (The best Japanese Transformers series to date, was actually dubbed into english but never released for public can be found on bootleg.)

Transformers: Z also known as Transformers Zero also known as Transformers Zone (It's a one episode Ova special that was made in the late 90's that was to spawn a new generation of transformers shows in Japan but failed in trial testings.)

Here's a Beast war movie never released in America that's super hard to get in Japanese. Transformers: Beast Wars 2 the movie based ironically on a alternate sequal to Beast Wars the series in Japan. Beast Machines is not he sequal to beast wars in Japan ironically and we never have seen the japanese sequel of beast wars on american television.

Okay getting off transformers there's also the Ronin Warriors Ova's that I remember got a short lived release on Dvd in the US I don't remember the full title but it's extremely rare to find.

Here's a question for one of you old school anime/cartoon fans out there. There's this anime called I think it was M.A.S.K. it was about vehicles and these agents but I can't remember if that really was the name or not. They had flying cars, it's hard to describe more of it cause I was extremely young.

P.S. Old school anime fans IM me or start old School thread. I'm really into a lot of the older generation animes, and also the newer ones.

[Dagger]

[quote name='Daermon_Nashabe']I also own Nadia: Secret of Blue Water but I have no idea of its not-well-known-ness. I'm not sure its that unknown.[/quote]
In my experience, when people discuss Gainax, there are at least one or two series that mysteriously get left out of the equation (most notably Nadia and Petite Princess Yucie). Fans seem to forget that before Hideaki Anno made Evangelion and Kare Kano, he managed to put together a full-length series without the usual controversial ending. In fact, Nadia has one of the best endings I've ever seen. The original Gunbuster OVA also fits this description--yet unlike Nadia, it seems to be a big fan favorite, and so gets more recognition. But that's just the impression I've received.

Another ADV anime which doesn't get enough recognition is [b]Devil Lady[/b]. Despite its flaws, it's a mature and elegant horror anime with plenty of replay value. The ending is a bit over-the-top, but the tragedy of the heroine comes across well.

I listed [b]Ai no Kusabi[/b] before, but re-watching it has given me the urge to elaborate. This OVA is perhaps the quintessential yaoi masterpiece. Its animation is realistic and breath-takingly fluid. The darkness of the setting and the plot greatly enhance the story, and the characters are nicely developed by way of their tangled relationships. If it revolved around a straight couple, I imagine that many people would consider Ai no Kusabi to be a true classic.

~Dagger~

[r2vq]

Often I forget that Sonic the Hedgehog is Anime but I guess that doesn't count. >P

Although the titles I know of are more than likely heard of by frequenters of OB, I believe that the single episode of [B]Wind~ A Breath of Heart[/B] (an OVA from the shoujo game) deserves mentioning. Also, [B]Gokusen[/B] is good, but never gets the credit it deserves.

Is Macross really that rare? Or are we just talking about what anime dubbies don't know about? If Macross is rare, what about [B]Patlabor[/B]? Or does that not count since it was in English (I think I saw it on TV many many years back... but I don't remember...)

Oh, if you're looking for mecha... I recall an anime that nobody talks about anymore... [B]Dual: Parallel Universe Trouble[/B] (or something like that...) Not a classic in my opinion, but not mentioned often.

One that many have heard of but I haven't heard talk of recently is [B]Cooking Master Boy[/B]. That showed on the local Chinese network if I remember. This one showed after some Ultraman spinnoff where a kid got Ultraman's powers... (or something?) Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It's another kiddy anime...

Hm. Could Clamp series (like [B]RG Veda[/B]) or Tezuka's series like ([B]Kimba the White Lion[/B]) count?

Sorry for the bad grammar and annoying punctuation. XD I'm typing this as it's thunk.

-ArV

[Rick Hunter]

[QUOTE=r2vq]Often I forget that Sonic the Hedgehog is Anime but I guess that doesn't count.

Is Macross really that rare? Or are we just talking about what anime dubbies don't know about? If Macross is rare, what about [B]Patlabor[/B]? Or does that not count since it was in English (I think I saw it on TV many many years back... but I don't remember...)

[/QUOTE]

Well.....to answer the first question yeah there are certain sonic cartoons that were actually anime. Sonic the Hedgehog the movie, actually is an anime ironically done by ADV many years ago which I believe now is out of print been looking for it everywhere. Also Sonic X, which now can be seen on Fox Box is also an anime the other ones that were before those though were American made. Personally the american made on that aired on ABC for a short run was probably the best sonic series ever.

Second question, the answer to that is Macross not to be confused with the Robotech version (season 1) was extremely rare and still is to many mainstream anime fans it wasn't till recently that they release Macross with japanese subs "legally" in america. Also since we're on the subject of really rare animes, Macross the movie: Do You Remember Love is extremely rare to find on American shores it's only avaiable on bootleg dvd....with region zero and most of the time you have to go online to get that sort of stuff. Also there is Macross 7 that still has yet to see an american release over seas. So when I refer to Macross I mean it as of all the series as a whole being rare.

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]

Another ADV anime which doesn't get enough recognition is [b]Devil Lady[/b]. Despite its flaws, it's a mature and elegant horror anime with plenty of replay value. The ending is a bit over-the-top, but the tragedy of the heroine comes across well.
[/QUOTE]

It's ironic that you beat me to the punch I was going to say Devil Lady. I think the reason why it's so overlooked is actually just based on the mature themes involved. I think American's usually frown away from lesbian angles since we still live in a bubble when it comes to sex. Yeah the story wasn't the most solid and over the top at times though it was really intriguing.

And since were on that sorta dark anime themes here's an interesting title. Originally when I saw this title I thought it was done by an american made studio since Tod Mcfarnlene (sp?) the creator of Spawn did this comic but it's called Lady Death the movie. It's actually made by japanese studio and it's really entertaining the story at first is a bit......too much and any religious person wouldn't dare watch this. Too many references to the devil.

These next titles are rare, to American's but not Japanese people. Two over looked Gundam titles that I blame bandai for not releasing yet. Gundam Zeta and it's sequel Gundam ZZ (Double Zeta) probably the best Gundam series to date with a movie coming out in Japan this year. Gundam Zeta is the only direct sequel to the orignal Mobile Suit Gundam Series and also is the prequel to the events that happened in Char's CounterAttack. Most people that watch Char's CounterAttack are confused on what's going on reason being.....that.....Bandai has goofed big time and still not released Zeta instead they released Char's CounterAttack and still Gundam Zeta is nowhere in sight.

Lastly on today's chopping block is Gundam V. This is the last title in the universal century timeline. Once again Bandai is not concern with releasing this series. This series had mostly little kids in it but dealt with some seriously mature themes. I think Bandai really likes to screw the U.C. series....because they focused on all the alternate century timelines and release things that shouldn't have been released first. Prime Example Gundam F91.....a really terrible anime.......

Tommorrow I'm going to take a look into the past......the era known as the 70's where the animation quality was poor but the stories were great. By the way keep them coming and remember what may be rare to one person may not be rare to another so lets respect everyone.....and be respectful of people's post.

Gah...I'm sounding like a freaking mod again -.- ...

[icexfire]

hmmm... i always thought sonic might of been related to anime in some way but it never crossed my mind before ...also cat soup is one that doesnt seem like anime at all and i dont think many people have heard of it..it is funny though ^_^ well see ya:)

[AzureWolf]

[FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Dagger also beat me to the punch. [B]Here is Greenwood[/B] always comes to mind when people mention underappreciated animes. I've only seen the first three episodes for the longest time, and I always wanted to see the rest, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon. I don't know if it's a good idea to even see it anymore and disrupt my old memories, what with me actually being in college and probably being more cynical when I see those kids' college lives, haha.

In addition, I've always had a soft spot for [B]Please Save My Earth[/B]. I think it was because of the whole neat psychic abilities stuff, and it was the first anime I saw where situations were less than black and white. The ending was also more than just black and white, and came as quite a surprise! This anime might be the reason I like Galerians (the game) so much, haha. ^^

r2vq, why would [B]Wind[/b] deserve mentioning? I hated that thing. It made no sense! Did you understand anything that went on in that OAV? It was pretty incoherent. When the characters start [SPOILER]having powers really drew the line[/SPOILER], and then the ending made absolutely no sense.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Rick Hunter]

[quote name='icexfire']hmmm... i always thought sonic might of been related to anime in some way but it never crossed my mind before ...also cat soup is one that doesnt seem like anime at all and i dont think many people have heard of it..it is funny though ^_^ well see ya:)[/quote]

I actually have a story behind Cat soup, but before I get to it I personally want to say it's a very interesting yet overlooked anime title which many actually don't even get what's going on in it. Back to the story aspect, I was one of the fortunate people that actually got to see Cat Soup at it's world premiere at the Big Apple Animefest in 2003 since the 2004 event got cancelled.

And now to continue the trend of animes that aren't well known, during the same time of the Anime Fest there was also another short ova release. This one was entitled Animation Runner Kuromi. It's actually one of the funnest animes I've seen in quite awhile and actually had a sequel that virtually got no attention.

Also if you liked Cat Soup there's another extremely weird yet intriguing anime out their based on the life of a manga artist/anime artist. The film in question is called Spring and Chaos....I will warn people though it's not for everyone.

[James]

[QUOTE=Rick Hunter]Well.....to answer the first question yeah there are certain sonic cartoons that were actually anime. Sonic the Hedgehog the movie, actually is an anime ironically done by ADV many years ago which I believe now is out of print been looking for it everywhere.


[/QUOTE]
[color=#811C3A]I have that movie on VHS. I'm not sure how worthwhile it is though. It's basically like one long TV episode and its quality is...questionable. The key thing that makes it somewhat cool is that, as far as I know, Sonic Team had some involvement with it.

But generally I'd say it's only worth owning if you really are an avid Sonic collector. Otherwise, it's not worth going to a lot of trouble for.[/color]

[Guest wolfsbaneforeve]

I totally agree with you James about the Sonic Movie . I think that true Sonic lovers should own the movie . I also think that you have very good concepts of things James. :wigout:

[Rick Hunter]

Well here's a couple more animes that actually are somewhat well know but not by theses titles.....and also some come from the 70s.

First on today's chopping block is Galaxy Express 999 and Adieu Galaxy Express 999 this is the classic story of a young boy growing into adult hood and features some familiar characters known as Harlock and Queen Esmeraldes. Highly recommend it if you can find the print of this as well which is really hard to find.

Another anime that actually is well know but the japanese version is rare to come by not to meantion virtually no-one has seen it in japanese is a show called Go-Liger aka what we american kids of the 80s would know as Voltron. The japanese version is so much different storyline wise.....and is actually quite intriguing....

Also in regards to the Sonic movie I don't remember it being that bad.....though as James said yeah you do have to be somewhat of a hardcore sonic fan....to enjoy it. Though I still say it's an interesting watch if you can indeed find it.

[Meggido]

Well because I live in Australia. I'm going to name the animes that are not rare here. This is because the majority of them never reach free to air or pay per view TV.

The animes we do get are:

Neon Genesis
Bubblegum Crisis
DragonBall(original, Z and GT)
Pokemon
Sonic X
Yu-gi-Oh
Sailormoon

Well that's the extent of animes on TV. Anything else that I have seen have been borrowed from my friends or bought.

[PWNED]

[QUOTE=Meggido]Well because I live in Australia. I'm going to name the animes that are not rare here. This is because the majority of them never reach free to air or pay per view TV.

The animes we do get are:

Neon Genesis
Bubblegum Crisis
DragonBall(original, Z and GT)
Pokemon

Sonic X
Yu-gi-Oh
Sailormoon

Well that's the extent of animes on TV. Anything else that I have seen have been borrowed from my friends or bought.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, our Public and Cable anime selection is pretty pissy. Nearly all of the anime that is shown over here is kiddy crap or are shown on Cartoon Network. I have to attend Anime Conventions just to get my hands on decent anime and even then They cost me a preety penny. The only Anime shows on F2A tv are the kid ones which are shown on Cheez TV (Excellent Show that) or on rare occasions on SBS. It is an insult to anime fans everywhere.

[icexfire]

lol..ayori aoshi is one that came to my mind just now... be warned no one under 15 watch it^_^ my friend let me borrow it cause i had never seen it..i dont know if it is well known or not..just thought to give it a whirl...^_^ bleh i wanna read the other manga series of samuri deeper kyo and magic knights reyearth...^_^ and of course shutter box...i love them..wow sorry for being random people.

lets see... i dont think dual is that well known either.

[Rick Hunter]

Okay well, I've done the 70's and I've done even some stuff from the 60's. I'm trying to think of some more obscure ones that are out there....but at this time at night the only one that comes to mind is the only other macross series never released in the usa. That title would be called Macross 7 it's probably one of the only true series that has a direct linkage between the original Macross time line. Even creating a big argument over Nekki Basara being the "secret love child" of Lynn Minmei and Hikaru Ichijyo.

Another anime that comes to mind is a title that should of been released in the states and I'm actually quite suprised that this title still hasn't been picked up by major anime companies maybe because the series never got finished in Japan. The title of the show is called Flame of Recca it's got a popular cult following though unfortunatley the series was canned before a true finale....and the manga version of the story......which still eludes me to this day......actually ends that story. But Flame of Recca is worth picking up since it's overlooked by many.

[B]*Edit*[/B]It's just recently come to my attention after looking at animeondvd that Flame of Recca ironically has been picked up by an anime studio. Though I don't understand why they would pick up an incomplete anime.....

[Dagger]

Although I referred to [b]Turn A Gundam[/b] in my first post, the show deserves more than just a passing mention. I'm not a Gundam fan, but I'm really enjoying this series (and I feel a bit more qualified to comment on it, now that I've finally started to catch up with the episodes I haven't seen). Turn A's main flaw is its artwork--some of the character designs are great, and some are cartoonishly retro. At times the colors seem to be slightly off; certain characters appear to have bright orange skin, which is kind of distracting. ^_^;;

Fortunately, Turn A's actual animation is excellent. It has great characters and great action, and the story packs a punch. Seeing this has made me want to give other Gundam series a second chance.

[quote name='Rick Hunter][B]*Edit*[/B']It's just recently come to my attention after looking at animeondvd that Flame of Recca ironically has been picked up by an anime studio. Though I don't understand why they would pick up an incomplete anime.....[/quote]
Well, the genre to which it belongs is pretty popular, even though the series itself is obscure. I'm actually surprised that Flame of Recca hasn't gotten on TV, given its similarity to Yu Yu Hakusho.

~Dagger~

[Rick Hunter]

Okay since I'm pressed for time today, I'm going to make this little rant or post. Whatever you may call it people brief. A couple of rare animes that come to mind that I actually would suggest watching are: Devil Hunter Yohko, DevilHunter Yohko 5, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and this last title that use to be popular but is less talked about now Princess Mononoke Hime