Best 90s Anime [Old School Anime]. Part one (Topic)

We continue our series on the best old anime. Last time we talked about the golden era of anime, when it gained popularity. And now the time has come when it developed, and the creators experimented in every possible way. Here is the best anime of the 90s that epitomizes the era.

Otaku no Video

Before the otaku culture became so widespread that many anime were made about it, fans enjoyed the Otaku no Video title.

This is a two-part OVA by Gainax. The show itself is an important contribution to the culture, as one of the first to introduce people to the otaku way of life, while remaining just an interesting anime.

Aa! Megami-sama!

This anime predates the 2005 television series. It tells about the goddess Verdandi and her sisters Urd and Skuld. By chance, Verdandi must fulfill the wish of the guy Keiichi. He thinks that this is a joke, and speaks in the same way as a joke so that this goddess will stay with him forever. As a result, she fulfills his request, and they begin to live together. However, the guy still has to experience the consequences of his desire. This romantic anime definitely takes its place on this list of the best anime of the nineties.

Princess Mononoke

Another masterpiece by Miyazaki and his studio. Asitaka was cursed with mystical leprosy, which forced him to become an exile of his settlement and go in search of a cure. On his journey, he meets Sen, a girl who lives with wolves. Together they become embroiled in a conflict between humans and the forest. The main character finds himself at a crossroads in which side to help.

As in many of Miyazaki's paintings, Princess Mononoke is a story about the importance of balance and that humanity, despite its progress, is still part of nature. Also in this anime, the director revealed the topic of discrimination against patients with leprosy in Japan.

Perfect Blue

Probably the most iconic and at the same time debut work by Satoshi Kon, in which he talked about persecution, paranoia and how a person can stop distinguishing between reality and fiction. Mima is an idal who decided to quit her singing career and go to the cinema. However, many of her fans found this offensive. Mima accidentally stumbles upon her own fan site, Mima's Room, which is blogging on her behalf. Mima takes this with interest, but soon she realizes that this person is following her, and she gradually starts to go crazy.

This anime of the 90s was also ahead of its time, as it raised the problem of the persecution of idals, which is so relevant today in the east.

Revolutionary Girl Utena

This is an adorable anime about a teenage girl Utena who decides to become a prince. She enters the Otori Academy and gets into a conflict over her fellow student Anti. Sword fighting, intrigue and lesbian romance mingle with each other in this wild and unpredictable anime that tackles some complex social issues. The European style visualization makes it even more distinctive.

Marmalade Boy

This is a light romantic comedy where a guy and a girl meet each other after their divorced parents get together with their new half. Yui and Miki quickly fall in love and support each other, but soon other people are trying to destroy their relationship.

Hunter x Hunter

Yes, many of you may not know about this, but this anime first came out in 1999. This version is pretty good too, but only if you haven't seen the 2011 version yet. Gon, the main character of the anime, takes inspiration from his father, who is a hunter. The hunter is a profession that is highly respected and makes a person rich enough. But more often than not, it requires a lot of skills. Gon's father leaves him with his sister to continue their own adventures, and Gon wants to become a hunter and find his father. But first he needs to pass a difficult test to become one.

Tenkuu no Escaflowne

A cheerful high school student Hitomi helps a young man who suddenly appeared in front of her with a sword to defeat the dragon. She is transported with him into his world, and discovers new mysterious abilities.

This mixture of fantasy, mech, romance and adventure is considered one of the most unique anime of the 90s. Anyone looking for a good old-fashioned story about a young heroine being transported to a magical world will have great fun with this classic.

Slayers

If D & D had an anime adaptation, it would be very similar to the Slayers. There are many evil dragons and vile bandits in this fantasy world, and the reward is brilliant [and sometimes magical] treasures. And this noisy and action-packed anime is run by the powerful magician Lin, who is not worth joking with.

Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water

One of the first films directed by Hideaki Anno, scripted by Hayao Miyazaki. The series is set in an alternate universe, where the girl Nadia wants to return to her home in Africa. Together with the inventor Jean, she finds herself on Captain Nemo's boat when he fights the forces of neo-Atlantis. This is an early work from studio Gainax and they spent a lot of money on production, but the final product is very impressive. It's an adventure story at heart with many traditional anime tropes, but it also touches on serious topics like colonialism and the cost of war.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

This franchise managed to become a cult by the 90s. The series follows the wars between Earth and its orbital colonies during the 2220s. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing recounts five pilots who are sent to Earth to prepare for Operation Meteor, a mission to take revenge on the Zodiac Organization. Each teenage pilot uses his own unique Gundam to defeat opponents and take away weapons from the United Globe Alliance and free the colonies.

Hana Yori Dango

Makino Tsukushi, a girl from a poor family, just wants to calmly get through her last two years in Eitoku Gakuen. But as soon as she declares herself, interceding for her friend, and rebuffs F4, everything changes. These are the four most popular, influential and wealthy guys in school. However, she accidentally falls in love with one of them.

The Big O

The Big O ended 90's anime and took on a style of its own. It took much of the anime tropes of the 1990s and refined them. Roger Smith is a "negotiator" in Paradise City, a metropolis that was struck by a mysterious wave of amnesia 40 years ago.

The action takes place in a neo-noir setting with a touch of fantasy. Roger is a detective at heart, using information as a weapon as he tries to get to the source of amnesia. The Sunrise animators have worked on Batman: The Animated Series and you can definitely see some of the show's unique visuals here.

Now and Then, Here and There

Xiu returns home when she spots a girl sitting on the chimney. He tried to talk to her, but she doesn't respond. After a while, he learns her name - Lala-Ru. When he finally comes into contact with her, time stops and people arrive in their world on robots who hunt for her. As a result, they both end up in another world completely devoid of water. It is dominated by militarism and dictatorship.

The government of this world is trying to launch a weapon of mass destruction that works on water, so it hunts for Lala-Rue, as she can dodge water.

Despite the fact that this is isekai, the title raises many moral issues related to war, chauvinism, and slave labor of children.

We will tell you about 15 more of the best anime of the 90s in the second part of the material.

The Topic of Article: Best 90s Anime [Old School Anime]. Part one.
Author: Jake Pinkman