Okay, so I’ve completed list #1, which covers anime TV shows and multi-part OVAs. But before I move onto the next list, I thought I’d give you a taste of what the rest of the list would look like if I did a top 20.
#s 11-20:
11. Bubblegum Crisis OVA – Cyberpunk at its best. Part Blade Runner, part Streets of Fire, the ultraviolent 80s retro-future world of MegaTokyo and the Knight Sabers makes for hours of entertainment. The music and strong voice performances are also to be commended.
12. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Provocative and enriching, this series also kicks a lot of ass. Maybe a little technobabble heavy at times, though.
13. Giant Robo – A fast-paced, emotion-heavy, passionate epic and monument to Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s works. Director Yasuhiro Imagawa’s magnum opus, as far as I’m concerned.
14. Macross Plus – My favorite Macross work, this story of rivalry and love never fails to deliver, whether it’s on drama or action. Yoko Kanno’s score is brilliant.
15. FLCL – This OVA does more with six episodes than most programs with 26+. A fun and worthwhile watch that warns against growing up too fast.
16. Last Exile – Wonderfully immersive, and with a well-constructed world. It’s hard to beat those airship battles!
17. Space Battleship Yamato 2 – An alternate version of Farewell, this is more fleshed out and has a different ending.
18. Turn A Gundam – While suffering from a few pacing issues, this series is nevertheless beautiful and soulful, concentrating on the characters rather than the combat, and providing an interesting backdrop and unique mechanical designs. It’s my favorite non-UC Gundam work.
19. Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket – Of all the many Gundam productions over the years, this is one of the best written ones. Instead of being about ace pilots, psychics, giant battles, and masked men, this small little slice of the One Year War revolves around a boy’s youthful enthusiasm for a war he knows little about, a war he sees as a game. Instead of many meaningless deaths, the few deaths here mean everything.
20. Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team – Combining gritty grunt combat with a sweet (if somewhat hurried) love story. It loses focus at times, but remains strong where it makes its points. One of the finest Gundam productions. read more
