50 best OVA's in Anime
The OVA ("Original Video Animation") is a pretty uniquely Japanese phenomenon, where animators would make, sell, and completely control their own product, without the kind of compromises and censorship required for TV or theatrical release. And then sell direct to the consumer, on home-video formats.
The 80's VHS boom saw amateur or low-level animators making their own videos using whatever equipment they could scrounge together, borrow, or use at uni or after hours at work. And then selling the tapes themselves, direct to stores, via mail-order, at conventions, or direct to consumers, not unlike the "mixtape" phenomena of the 80s/90s/00s hiphop, or the "DIY" approach of punk rock in the 70s and 80s, with many of the artists creating OVAs being college students, or sometimes even high-school kids.
Some OVAs follow a 'Movie'-ish format; A single, uninterrupted story maybe 40 to 100 minutes long. Sometimes it's 4 to 12 TV-style 23min episodes of a single series. Or less often, just a collection of loosely-connected or unrelated shorts
So, while especially older OVAs are less polished than movies or TV, they're also often more innovative, unique, and raw. The low barrier to entry meant animators could just do whatever the individual, or a small team thought was cool, rather than what studio execs or TV producers thought would sell cinema tickets/ad spots. Which meant a lot of horror, bizarre, surreal imagery, and often a very personal, unique vision from the animators.
[Many OVAs are incorrectly catagorized by IMdB as "TV series/mini-series", (or even "Movies") instead of "video", because AFTER the original OVA release became popular, TV channels picked them up for broadcast (a few, like Fooly Cooly or Bubblegum Crisis, even made it onto Western broadcast TV). But (AFAIK) everything on this list was FIRST released on some home-video format; Usually VHS or DVD, but also sometimes Betamax, Laserdisc, etc]
==========================================
50 Best Anime TV Series, Pre-2001
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls566865122
Best Anime TV Series, Post-2000 list
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls566867873
Best Anime Movies list
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls566862986
The 80's VHS boom saw amateur or low-level animators making their own videos using whatever equipment they could scrounge together, borrow, or use at uni or after hours at work. And then selling the tapes themselves, direct to stores, via mail-order, at conventions, or direct to consumers, not unlike the "mixtape" phenomena of the 80s/90s/00s hiphop, or the "DIY" approach of punk rock in the 70s and 80s, with many of the artists creating OVAs being college students, or sometimes even high-school kids.
Some OVAs follow a 'Movie'-ish format; A single, uninterrupted story maybe 40 to 100 minutes long. Sometimes it's 4 to 12 TV-style 23min episodes of a single series. Or less often, just a collection of loosely-connected or unrelated shorts
So, while especially older OVAs are less polished than movies or TV, they're also often more innovative, unique, and raw. The low barrier to entry meant animators could just do whatever the individual, or a small team thought was cool, rather than what studio execs or TV producers thought would sell cinema tickets/ad spots. Which meant a lot of horror, bizarre, surreal imagery, and often a very personal, unique vision from the animators.
[Many OVAs are incorrectly catagorized by IMdB as "TV series/mini-series", (or even "Movies") instead of "video", because AFTER the original OVA release became popular, TV channels picked them up for broadcast (a few, like Fooly Cooly or Bubblegum Crisis, even made it onto Western broadcast TV). But (AFAIK) everything on this list was FIRST released on some home-video format; Usually VHS or DVD, but also sometimes Betamax, Laserdisc, etc]
==========================================
50 Best Anime TV Series, Pre-2001
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls566865122
Best Anime TV Series, Post-2000 list
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls566867873
Best Anime Movies list
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls566862986
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- CreatorKazuya TsurumakiStarsJun MizukiMayumi ShintaniIzumi KasagiMysterious things start happening when 12-year-old Naota meets a strange woman on a Vespa wielding a big guitar.I'm guessing most people with even a passing interest in anime are familiar with Fooly Cooly/FLCL. But if you HAVEN'T seen it, you've missed one of the most influential, unique, innovative, ridiculously cool pieces of independent animation ever made. Absolute 10/10 must-see.
- CreatorShôji KawamoriStarsEdward MannixBryan CranstonMichael ForestTwo old friends/rivals find themselves rival test pilots in competing projects while a mutual old flame returns to them with her own secrets.Probably the highest-quality, most beautiful animation in any OVA
- 1992–19987 epsTV-PG7.9 (491)TV Mini SeriesStarsKappei YamaguchiMichelle NewmanEva KaminskyA super-hero organization battles a super-villain organization that is bent on destroying the world by using a recently discovered perfect source of energy named the Shizuma Drive, which powers the entire planet.A retro-stylized mech series, and an incredibly-polished homage to 60's 'Super-Robot' classics like Gigator/Tetsujin 28-Gou, or Astro-Boy/Mighty Atom.
It's difficult to even summarize this unique series; A beautifully-animated, genre-defying masterpiece, and mech series, for people who aren't interested in mech series. - StarsBeau BillingsleaKirk ThorntonJamieson PriceCreatures called the Oni have attacked the planet earth, so a scientist creates three mecha robots. The strongest of these robots is called Getter Robo, which three men pilot it, a martial artist, criminal leader and a monk.Much more your typical mech series than Giant Robo, but wild, impressive animation. I won't further bore people by explaining what "Sakuga" means- If you're not familiar, google it. But this series OOZES sakuga
- StarsSakiko TamagawaAkiko HiramatsuIssei MasamuneThis OVA which spawned a long-running TV series, 'You're Under Arrest' is personal favourite of mine.
Most anime is full of gimmicks; Shows set in the future, in space, where everyone has magical powers, AND pilot a 400ft robot... AND is also a pop idol. And I can appreciate that stuff... But there's something really nice, about a show that's just a simple police procedural, with NO real gimmicks at all.
Just a really simple, well-executed, charming buddy-cop series. - StarsHiromi TsuruMasaaki ÔkuraYûsaku YaraIn a dystopic pollution ridden future, the tank police fight for law and order and cause massive collateral destruction along the way.
- DirectorKatsuhiko NishijimaShigeru MorikawaStarsMiki ItôEmi ShinoharaMichie TomizawaA plucky, super-powered redhead finds herself saving her crybaby best friend from an amorous, bikini armor-clad classmate at their new school and aliens seeking to bring her home.Great, under-appreciated parody of just about every scifi/anime/superhero/pop culture trope, ever.
- CreatorToshimichi SuzukiStarsYoshiko SakakibaraKinuko ÔmoriMichie TomizawaA female mercenary team, armed with unique power armor suits, battle the forces of the corrupt mega-corporation, Genom in futuristic Tokyo.Very fun, cheesy, 80s cyberpunk sillyness. And that opening song is still one of the most memorable beginnings to an anime.
- CreatorKazuya TsurumakiStarsYukari FukuiMaaya SakamotoMiyuki SawashiroA young girl leaves her home to be a space pilot. She meets top pilot Lal'C during a space monster attack and joins the Solar Defense Force.
- StarsKirk ThorntonJulie MaddalenaSherry LynnThe adventures of the unlicensed but genius doctor Black Jack, who encounters extraordinary people and phenomena as he attends to unusual medical cases.
- DirectorHiroshi NagahamaStarsDaisuke KishioAi KobayashiTakashi MatsuyamaThe life of a split personality man who secretly sings for death metal.Hilarious, campy comedy about a Death Metal vocalist, who just wants to be Mariah Carey.
- DirectorTatsuo SatôMasaaki YuasaA young anthropomorphic cat goes on a psychedelic journey with his sister in order to save her soul.
- StarsShannon ConleyDan OlkRandy GlassA pilot must try to survive with his humanity when he is shanghaied into a mercenary jet fighter force.Amazing series, if you're an aviation nerd, like myself
- StarsMayumi TanakaAkio ÔtsukaMegumi HayashibaraA demon girl's quest to become human, with the help of an unwitting boy named Yakumo.
- CreatorYoshiyuki TominoHajime YatateStarsRyô HorikawaAkio ÔtsukaRei SakumaAfter the One Year War, Peace was signed between Zeon and the Earth Federation. Three years later, however, some remaining forces of Zeon who never gave up steal the new Federation mobile suit Gundam Unit 2, capable of Nuclear Strike and use it as its primary weapon in their Operation Stardust. Can Federation rookie pilot Kou Uraki and his Gundam Unit 1 match up against Zeon's Anavel Gato, the Nightmare of Solomon, and still be able to stop Zeon before it's too late?
- CreatorKohta HiranoStarsKatie GrayCrispin FreemanVictoria HarwoodThe vampire Alucard, his master Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, and his newly sired ward Seras Victoria, try to protect England from a war-crazed SS-Major who seeks to start an eternal war with his vampire army.
- StarsDave MallowSteve KramerSaori HayamiThe WSO has learned that the Gravity Curtain has reached an unstable status and will explode within 66 hours, destroying all of Earth and human life itself. Each of the three factions controls a part of the mechanism responsible for the Gravity Curtain's operation. Knowing the danger of disabling the Gravity Curtain and combating the various factions, the WSO decides to send the Skull Force. The Skull Force is divided into two squadrons - one of which is the 2 member-only Death Caprice Squad, composed of Ken Kaidou and Ryou Magami, pilots of the Mazinger called Mazinkaizer SKL.
- DirectorYasuhiro AokiFutoshi HigashideToshiyuki KubookaStarsKevin ConroyJason MarsdenScott MenvilleA collection of key events mark Bruce Wayne's life as he journeys from beginner to Dark Knight.
- DirectorYasuo HasegawaYasunori IdeOsamu KamijôStarsHideyuki TanakaNaoko MatsuiMami KoyamaA superhuman outlaw courier and his female partner/manager are framed for the kidnapping of a millionaire's daughter.
- DirectorMamoru OshiiStarsMako HyôdôJinpachi NezuKeiichi NodaA mysterious young girl wanders a desolate, otherworldly landscape, carrying a large egg.
- StarsMiki ItôShunsuke KariyaKappei YamaguchiIn a distant future, a the young cyborg Gally is found on a scrapheap by the Cyberdoctor Daisuke Ido, who rebuilds her and becomes her surrogate father.
- DirectorHideki TakayamaStarsChristopher CourageRebel JoySonny WeilThe relative coexistence of the human world, demon world and beast world is soon to be disrupted by The Overfiend, an immensely powerful demon who'll be reborn after 3000 years to remake the world to his own liking.
- StarsLex LangMona MarshallSherry LynnKakugo and Harara are siblings trained to fight the monsters roaming in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. 21st century. To aid them, Kakugo and Harara were entrusted with "Fortified Armor Shells", exoskeletons forged from the souls of deceased warriors. After Harara succumbs to the evil within the armor, it is up to Kakugo to defeat his sibling.Weird as hell (literally), but deserves waaay more than 4.7/10. If you're a fan on bizarre, surreal (well-executed) animation, and/or horror, track this down.
- StarsKen'yû HoriuchiHikaru MidorikawaDean WeinThree aviation focused war stories of Axis participants.Very interesting to see a ww2 story (or, a collection of 3 ww2 stories), from the Japanese side. Especially since the creator/writer of the comic this was based on, Leiji Matsumoto, was the son of an Air Force Pilot.
- DirectorKazuyoshi KatayamaStarsMasako KatsukiYoshisada SakaguchiToshiko SawadaIn a vast futuristic city, built on the ashes of the third world war, a police officer and her cyborg partner fight terrorism.
- StarsMichael SinterniklaasRobby SharpeJohnny Yong BoschBased on characters designed by Katsuhiro Otomo, 3 bike racing teenagers born on the Moon uncover a terrible secret about the fate of their original homeworld earth and seek to uncover the truth from Eden, the organization that governs the moon colony.
- StarsPeter MarinkerMilton JamesYôko AsagamiThe plot concerns a spiritual battle being waged within the capital of Tokyo during the turn of the 20th century. In 1908, Japan is undergoing an enormous process of industrial renovation due the influence of radical western ideals. Technology and politics shift the country's emphasis more and more away from the traditions of the past, with Tokyo being the main center of this radical movement. At the same time, Yasumasa Hirai, an Onmyoji of the Tsuchimikado Family, has been called from Kyoto to Tokyo in order to participate in a secret meeting concerning plans to turn Tokyo into the most commercial and blessed city in all of Japan. Opposing Hirai is Yasunori Kato, an evil Onmyoji whose only desire is the complete destruction of Tokyo. Yasumasa Hirai and Kato Yasunori meet and fight for the future of Tokyo and the Japanese Empire.
- DirectorHiroyuki KitakuboShirow MasamuneStarsYû MizushimaIchirô NagaiShinji OgawaA freelance reporter discovers that two killer androids are running loose and have a little girl for a kill target.
- DirectorAtsuko FukushimaHiroyuki KitakuboHiroyuki KitazumeStarsKôji MoritsuguYayoi MakiKeiko HanagataA collection of short stories, made by different animators with "robot" as the working title.
- CreatorYutaka IzubuchiMamoru OshiiAkemi TakadaStarsToshio FurukawaDaisuke GôriMîna TominagaThe adventures of a giant robot police force unit.
- DirectorTakeshi HirotaStarsNaomi UchiyamaJan AngusRenee ForesmanThere are some places a cop can never go, like high school. Blackmailed with the fate of her mother on death row, Saki Asamiya trades in her prison blues for a school-girl's uniform and discovers a pit of vipers festering in up-scale Takanoha High. The vicious Midzuchi sisters have the school in their grip, and they'll do anything to keep it that way. Saki, armed with a secret weapon that only looks like a toy, thinks differently.The Japanese "delinquent girl" genre is so goddam weird.
- StarsIssei FutamataBob SessionsWilliam RobertsIn a hell-torn Japan, where motorcycle gangs and violence overrun the country; one man named Violence Jack stands up to it all. He fights violence with violence.
- CreatorTôru FujisawaStarsIssei FutamataHideyuki HoriWakana YamazakiEikichi Onizuka and Ryuji Danma are members of infamous biker duo, the Oni Baku. When not out riding around, they can be found at school, trying to pick up young women. This is the story of the young Onizuka, who will later become the greatest teacher in Japan, and his partner Ryuji in their quest to lose their virginity and reach maturity. They are widely feared bosozoku, and are known for their tenacity and viciousness in a fight. However, this lifestyle does not exactly endear them to the opposite gender, so they decide to change their ways; this is easier said than done. The series is considered the prequel to GTO, showing Onizuka as a teenager before he became the world's greatest teacher.Predecessor to the legendary 'Great Teacher Onizuka' TV series, following Onizuka's years rise as a teenage delinquent.
- StarsCameron MitchellRei SakumaToni BarryThe year is 2016. The place is New Port City. The Tank Police are still waging a desperate war on crime, and their tactics are still highly questionable. Mayor Weatherby is trying to pass a bill banning certain weapons from the city, which makes her a target of the Dai Nippon Geiken Corporation, who are now manufacturing mobile weapons that even the Tank Police may not be able to stop. Dai Nippon Geiken is also connected with the murder of Leona Ozaki's former partner, Charon Ishira, making the battle all the more personal for the Tank Police's number one officer, who will stop at nothing to avenge her partner. But can she pay the high price revenge calls for?
- DirectorShin'ya SadamitsuStarsMîna TominagaKazuki YaoIchirô NagaiBrother-and-sister heirs to a planetary kingdom face danger as they embark on a journey of self-discovery.
- StarsTakeshi KusaoYûko MizutaniHideyuki TanakaSho and his friend Tetsurou stumble upon an odd alien artifact while walking through the woods. Then, the alien artifact breaks free of its metallic bonds and enters Sho's body, turning him into the Guyver. With this new power, Sho must do battle with the evil Chronos corporation and their genetically enhanced Zoanoids, who seek to get the Guyver back into their labs. No one close to Sho is safe from Chronos. He must fight.
- CreatorYoshiyuki TominoStarsHikaru MidorikawaAkiko YajimaToshihiko SekiGrand finale to the Gundam Wing television series.
- CreatorMichiharu KusunokiStarsKumiko Nishihara
- StarsPam LauerJessica CalvelloSaeko ShimazuJoin everyone's favorite space duo, Kei and Yuri in more awesome adventures in this thrilling OVA collection.
- Based on Phantasmagoria, a picture book, this is a reflective anime set in a fantasy and minimalist world. The series Consists of fifteen episodes, each five minutes in length.
- StarsAkio ÔtsukaYasunori MatsumotoMari YokôThe most dangerous area in New York City, the 34th precinct, is patrolled by the most brutal cop, Sleepy John Estes the Mad Bull.I love the idea that this is REALLY how the Japanese see New York, and American cops.
- DirectorYasuo HasegawaNoboru IshiguroIchirô ItanoStarsMasato KubotaMaria KawamuraMîna TominagaIn 1980s Tokyo, a young motorcycle enthusiast discovers that the transforming bike/mecha entrusted to him by his murdered friend holds the key to the true nature of his world.
- CreatorToshio OkadaStarsNoriko HidakaRei SakumaNorio WakamotoA young pilot, daughter of a deceased space captain, is selected to pilot a gigantic robot as a key point of Earth's defense during a space war.A lot of anime fans RAVE about Gunbuster, and I know it's history with Gainax and Anno, but... maybe I just heard TOO MUCH hype before seeing the show? But I prefer (it's sequel) Diebuster, tbh.
- DirectorHiroyuki YokoyamaStarsJim ClarkSandy ClubbChuck Denson Jr.Doress, a Japanese "black projects" organization, has been gathering psionics and making biological weapons to "make Japan superior". When one of the biological experiments, BAOH, escapes with a young girl, Doress will do anything to get the boy and girl back. For BAOH is a parasite living in its host's brain, altering the host into a living death machine in order to keep it alive. When Doress sends assassins after the boy and girl, BAOH "awakens" to its "Armed Defense Phenomenons", giving the boy acid-tipped claws, bio-regeneration, and super-strength. But Doress takes the girl, and BAOH must fight an army of commandos and a psionic to get her back.
- CreatorToshimichi SuzukiTony TakezakiStarsToshio FurukawaAdam HendersonBrad MoranzThree different, unique stories about an elite police force called the AD Police.
- StarsKazuki YaoDaran NorrisWendee LeeA dark lord is trying to destroy his foes, take over the world with his demonic armies and bed women along the way.
- DirectorSatoshi UrushiharaKinji YoshimotoStarsYôsuke AkimotoBryan BoundsAngel FisherTita Mu Koshigaya is a young woman who captains a ship, the Cha-Cha Maru, whose business is capturing exotic creatures in the 'sea of clouds' of the planet Ietta, and selling them to collectors and zoos. By chance, she saves Elysse Aldo Mordish, a young woman of her own age, from a rogue faction of Ietta's own military forces, led by the armored commander Guizel, who already killed Elysse's scientist father. As the military conducts a vicious chase for Elysse, it becomes apparent that she holds the key to a secret that could determine the fate of the entire planet's independence.Full of cheesy fan-service/gratuitious nudity, but also some very nice art, and i just love that 90's aesthetic.
- StarsHideki SasakiShûichi IkedaRumiko UkaiIn a near future, mankind has moved from a drained Earth to the Moon. Rebel acts of terrorism lead to conflicts with the Earth Federal Government. A mysterious entity called Dallos appears to restore hope.