I ended up with choosing just one title as masterpiece - Jarinko Chie - even though there were quite many titles close to that and also some titles without translation that could also fit my criteria otherwise
1. Kazoku Robinson Hyouryuuki: Fushigi na Shima no Flone The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island 家族ロビンソン漂流記ふしぎな島のフローネ [1981-I] Nippon Animation (Dropped 3/50) Tags: Historical Adventure, Drama, Slice of Life 10-year-old Flone is a very active, tomboyish sort of a girl. One day, her father receives a letter from his English friend who is now in Australia. In the letter, the friend asks her father to come down to Australia because of a serious shortage of doctors. The family decides to leave their old house in Bern. Now their drifting voyage has begun! Flone's fantastic adventures will teach children about the importance of family and the joys of living amidst nature's beauty. Another world masterpiece theater series. A long slow-paced SOL about getting to Australia, and it was not particularly interesting for me. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
2. Time Bokan Series: Yattodetaman Firebird タイムボカンシリーズ ヤットデタマン [1981-I] Tatsunoko Production (Dropped 0/52) Tags: Mecha Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Throughout history, the quest for power infected mankind. In the future..nothing much changes. The setting for this exciting, funny and intriguing series is the Kingdom of Fir antic, where two royal houses are locked in combat to determine who will become the future ruler of the Kingdom. To secure the throne, one of two must travel through the aeons of time to find the Firebird. Whoever brings it back to Fir antic will rule from the throne of this mysterious country. The story starts in the present.... Here, in the desolate office of the Ace Detective Agency, Detectives Paul Tuck and Tracy Headly are whiling away the time reading magazines, for want of something better to do. Suddenly, a girl appears before them. From her strange dress the pair can just deduce that the girl couldn't possibly be from their time. She begins to speak..."You are quite right. I am from another era. In time, you two will be married, and I will be born from your bloodline many generations hence". The girl's name is Princess Sara of the Kingdom of Fir antic. Paul and Tracy are amazed by the girl's telepathic powers, and even more amazed to be told that they are to be married. But there is more to come. Princess Sara is looking for the Firebird with the use of a Time Tunnel. Paul and Tracy decide that it is their duty to protect their descendent's future. They offer to help Sara on her quest for the Firebird, but Sara has no idea where it is to be found. The only clue she has is that Princess Miranda and her party have come to this time as well. Sara telepathically discovers the whereabouts of their time machine, and our heroes chase after Miranda, who possesses any and all information concerning the Firebird.... There's no English translation, so won't even bother. All those Time Bokan series look so much alike that they start to confuse. Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
3. Saikyou Robot Daiouja 最強ロボ ダイオージャ [1981-I] Sunrise (Dropped 3/50) Tags: Mecha Action, Sci-Fi This is the story of Mito Mitsukuni in mecha style. Prince of the Edon Star, Edward Mito begins a trip to the galaxy with his servant Baron Kalkus, Duke Skead and the ninja girl Shinobu. Under the false identity of Bocchan, Suke and Kaku they help the oppressed people and fight with the super robot Daioja. Mecha with a prince, his funny guards and ninja girl. As you see, made by Sunrise, and it's a stamp of quality for older anime. Comedy is really nice and guards help a lot. Just as in previous such Sunrise anime, Still lacks serious goal, not a masterpiece material still. Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
4. Mobile Suit Gundam I 劇場版 機動戦士ガンダム I 特別編 [1981-I] Sunrise (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mecha, Military, Space Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi In the future, with Earth's population rapidly increasing, humanity has developed giant orbiting space colonies gathered in clusters known as "Sides." As the elites on Earth force most of the populace into space, rebellion begins to brew. In the year Universal Century 0079, one of the colony clusters known as Side 3 declares itself the Principality of Zeon and launches a war of independence against the Earth Federation. Despite having only a fraction of the resources of the Federation, Zeon quickly gains the upper hand in the conflict through the use of giant humanoid robots called mobile suits. Chief among Zeon's mobile suit ace pilots is Char Aznable, a mysterious masked man known as the "Red Comet." When Char's squadron comes across the Federation developing its own prototype mobile suit called Gundam in the colony Side 7, his men launch a brutal attack. Amuro Ray, the son of the prototype's developer, gets in the Gundam and is able to fend off the Zeon attack. As Amuro soon finds himself directly in conflict with Char, he is forced to flee the colony on a Federation ship. Wow, what a horrible movie, liked it even less than series. It's depressing , without an ending and with an absolutely irritating cheeky brat murderer protagonist. Just wow. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
5. Sayonara Ginga Tetsudou 999: Andromeda Shuuchakueki Adieu Galaxy Express 999 さよなら銀河鉄道999 -アンドロメダ終着駅- [1981-I] Toei Animation (Finished 1/1) Tags: Space Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi Despite the destruction of the mechanization home world Andromeda, the machine empire is still swept across the galaxy and Earth has become a battleground. Having returned from his journey aboard the train Galaxy Express 999, Tetsurou Hoshino joins the resistance and fights alongside others who have retained their humanity. When the 999 returns to Earth, Tetsurou receives an enigmatic recorded message from his former traveling companion Maetel, telling him to board the train once more. Fighting his way to Megalopolis station, he makes it onto the train just as it departs. This time, however, Tetsurou is met with several mysteries: Maetel is nowhere to be seen, an ominous "Ghost Train" has appeared, and the ultimate destination of the 999 is unknown. Amid all this, Tetsurou finds himself confronted by the mysterious black knight Faust and soon discovers the machine empire's darkest secret. It's an epilogue to the series. Can't say I'm impressed. Train itself is barely seen, and with it the leftover humor is gone. Protagonist becomes a tough guerilla rather than a young boy. Nothing really touched me here, so the rating is corresponding. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
6. Natsu e no Tobira 夏への扉 [1981-I] Madhouse (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shoujo Boys Love, Drama, Romance Marion is a young schoolboy who prides himself on his adherence to a philosophy he calls "rationalism". Because of his disdain for emotional display, he ignores anything remotely akin to affection. But when he's entangled in a romantic affair with an older courtesan, his rationalism is revealed to be little more than a cover for his own emotional immaturity. Learning to love, Marion blossoms under his older lover's care but unfortunately, Marion has yet to learn the true price of the affair. Sleazy weird shoujo-like romance though from the outlook of refined boy. It's not that I don't see value here... I see negative value here. Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
7. Sekai Meisaku Douwa: Hakuchou no Mizuumi 世界名作童話 白鳥の湖 [1981-I] Toei Animation (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama, Fantasy, Romance When Prince Siegfried spots a beautiful swan with a crown on its head, for some reason he feels compelled to follow it. He discovers that the swan is, in fact, a princess named Odette, who is under a wizard's curse that causes her to become a swan by day. The wizard, Rothbart, wants to keep Odette to himself, and the only thing that can break the spell on Odette is a man who truly loves her, with all his heart and soul... As an anniversary work, rather well animated, but at the same time pretty safe. Just a fairy tale with a bit of improvisation in the mids. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
8. Ojamanga Yamada-kun (Movie) おじゃまんが山田くん [1981-I] Kadokawa Shoten (Dropped 0/1) Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life None. Not found. Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
9. Arano no Sakebi Koe: Hoero, Buck The Call of the Wild 荒野の呼び声 吠えろバック [1981-I] Toei Animation (Finished 1/1) Tags: Adventure, Drama Based on the novel by Jack London. Buck, a half German Shepherd half Saint Bernard who's life is pretty peaceful and happy living with the Millers’ in California. However, one day he is tricked and sold off. He ends up in the snowy North where he has become a sled dog during the Gold Rush. His story takes many twists and turns and he has to fight for his own survival. Don't watch this anime unless you like dogs beaten to death constantly. Overall Rating: 1/10 |
|---|
10. Hashire Melos (1981) Run Melos 走れメロス [1981-I] Toei Animation (Finished 1/1) Tags: Adult Cast, Historical Drama Melos, a Greek country man gets arrested accused of conspiracy against the king. The king gives him three days to travel to his sister's wedding while Selinentius the sculptor and friend of Melos stays as a hostage. Will he get back in time before the king executes Selinentius instead of him? Well, it's horrible. The premise is pretty evident, but I hoped for at least some smart move by the end and got nothing. Happy ends just jumps out in contrast to everything happening before. I'm so pissed off. Overall Rating: 3/10 |
|---|
11. Kaitei Daisensou: Ai no 20,000 Miles 海底大戦争 愛の20,000マイル [1981-I] Tatsunoko Production (Finished 1/1) Tags: Action, Adventure All the nations of Earth are crumbling before the might of Darius, ruler of the Gabia Empire. Meanwhile, childhood friends Ben and Ricky are sailing on the oceans is search of the lost city of Atlantis. When their ship is sunk they are saved by Captain Nemo in his submarine Nautilus Anime tries to develop Verne's concept of captain Nemo with traditional opposition to despot and some musical. Resolution is too fast, nothing really special spotted. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
12. Dr. Slump: Arale-chan Dr.スランプ・アラレちゃん [1981-II] Toei Animation (Dropped 3/243) Tags: Shounen Comedy, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life Dr. Slump creates a little android girl, Arale, who is very stong, happy, and totally common senseless. They live in Penguin Village where the strangest things happen (e.g., the dawn is announced by a little pig wearing a basquee). Nice situational comedy with gags and fine characters. Humor quality is above average, actually, so it's at least easy to watch. Nothing revolutionary concept-wise, and themes are rather mild, so can not be of masterpiece level for me. Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
13. Hyakujuu-Ou GoLion Voltron: Defender of the Universe 百獣王ゴライオン [1981-II] Toei Animation (Dropped 3/52) Tags: Shounen Mecha Adventure, Sci-Fi Golion, a powerful sentient robot, abuses his great powers by attacking and killing creatures known as Deathblack Beastmen, boasting that no one could defeat him. A divine space being punishes Golion for his arrogance and abuse by seperating him into 5 different lion robots. In the year 1999, a group of 5 young men return to Earth after a space voyage, only to find it ravaged by nuclear war. After encountering the alien race known as the Galra, the 5 youths end up on the planet Altea, and learn that the 5 lion robots that Golion was split into are in hibernation in various parts of Altea. Somehow, they must reunite the lions and form Golion, the only hope for the human race. Official dub of old anime is a good enough indicator for simplistic kid titles, and it's exactly such case. Not a single element stands out. The distinguishing feature for me is an additional layer of esper-ish battles. Overall Rating: 2/10 |
|---|
14. Tiger Mask Nisei タイガーマスク二世 [1981-II] Toei Animation (Dropped 3/33) Tags: Combat Sports Action, Drama, Sports Second season to the original Tiger Mask, with a different cast of characters. First season left a very bad impression. A glance at second season only proved that it's only a tiny bit better due to some additional characters introduction . Overall Rating: 3/10 |
|---|
15. Hello! Sandybell ハロー！サンディベル [1981-II] Toei Animation (Dropped 1/47) Tags: Shoujo Adventure, Romance Sandybell is a playful girl from Scotland. She is happy even if her mum died when she was little. Past secrets begin to reveal after Sandybell gets a white lily from a rich lady. After a tragic act Sandybell moves to London where she is trying to find clues to her past. Just one episode is translated, and no desire to go on, really. Story tries to look like world theater masterpiece series, but in fact it's just a rather simple shoujo with normal visuals. All the usual themes or rivalry and jealousy are present. Main heroine is a lot less charismatic than pretty much any child character of the forementioned series. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
16. Shin Taketori Monogatari: 1000-nen Joou Queen Millennia 新竹取物語１０００年女王 [19-I] Toei Animation (Dropped 3/42) Tags: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi The year is 1999. Amamori Hajime is just a normal, everyday elementary school student, trying to study and hanging out with his crazy pals. But then one day as his father is testing a piece of equipment he has been working on, something causes it to blow up, taking the house with it! Now orphaned, Hajime is taken in by his uncle, who is an astronomer. There at his uncle's observatory, he meets a girl he's seen before and developed somewhat of a crush on. He finds out her name is Yukino Yayoi, and her parents run a ramen shop in town. But even better than that, she's his uncle's assistant! What luck! But Yayoi isn't exactly what she seems. There is a reason she helps out Amamori-san at the observatory. She is the Millennial Queen (Sen-Nen Joou), specially chosen by her home planet, LaMetal, to go to Earth and help prepare for the possible annihilation of the planet. What will cause this disaster? LaMetal has an extremely elliptical orbit, which sends it very, very near Earth every 1000 years. When it gets close enough, the earth reacts, causing all sorts of natural disasters. Although she was chosen with the idea of protecting LaMetal in mind, her personal plan is to evacuate as many humans as she can to LaMetal, so if their planet is destroyed, they will survive. However, there is one person who strives to stop her plan, the head of the Millennial Theives. Why does he want to stop Yayoi? And how does he know about the Millennial Queen, anyway? Reusing the same boy and woman image from space express series over and over again seriously irritates. It's fresh to see these characters in ordinary life conditions, plus it's a plot focused story rather than episodic one like space express. At the same time the level of epicism drops significantly , and story moves very slowly with three episodes aren't enough even to retell synopsis. Even without humor series are easy to watch, but I hardly gain anything from separate episodes, so I'd prefer to watch the movie version later on . Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
17. Meiken Jolie Belle and Sebastian 名犬ジョリィ [1981-II] Visual 80 (Dropped 3/52) Tags: Historical, Pets Adventure After befriending a white Pyrenees dog he names Belle, Sebastian sets out on a journey to find the mother he knows is still alive. I remember at least three previously running anime about kid travelling with a dog, and usually looking for a parent as well. There's an English official dub, so from that alone you can tell that it's rather simple. Adventures and meeting different people are rather expected and nothing special to mention. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
18. Ai no Gakkou Cuore Monogatari 愛の学校 クオレ物語 [1981-I] Nippon Animation (Dropped 3/26) Tags: Historical, School Drama, Slice of Life Enrico Pocchini is a kind-hearted schoolboy with a strong sense of justice who lives in the Italian town of Torino. As a new term starts, he loses his beloved teacher, Miss Delacci, who is replaced by the stern Sr. Pelboni. Eventually, the boys in Enrico's class come to respect Sr. Pelboni, and learn about love, life and human kindness. Those weird noses... anyway, it's a very slow and boring slice with weird drawing Without humor I seriously can't know what's the targed audience of this show. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
19. Ohayou! Spank おはよう！スパンク [1981-II] TMS Entertainment (Dropped 1/63) Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life Morimura Aiko is a junior high school student who is short for her age. Her father went on a yacht ten years ago and his whereabouts remained in obscurity. Her mother, a designer for hats, left for Paris, leaving Aiko in the care of her uncle, Mr Fujinami. Aiko had a pet dog, Papi, but it died in a car accident. Around the same time, another dog, Spank, appears before her. Having gone through so many unfortunate events in her life, Spank's presence begins to brighten up Aiko's life and put a smile on her face. Only pilot is translated. Spank is hardly a dog as he walks on two legs most of the time, often dresses clothes etc. It's more like Doraemon who can't talk and thus needs to express emotions vigorously. Comedy part is ok, but nothing special. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
20. Wakakusa no Yon Shimai 若草の四姉妹 [1981-II] Toei Animation (Dropped 1/26) Tags: Historical Drama, Slice of Life In the United States, the Civil War has just broken out and Mr March, a physician and father of four daughters, went to the front. Madam March remains alone with her four daughters: the eldest Margaret (Meg), Josephine (Jo) budding writer, a real boy failed, Elisabeth (Beth), the timid passionate piano, and the latest addition, Amy, who loves to draw. The four girls will quickly get to know their neighbor Mr. Lawrence, which they had a little scared at first, but also to his grandson Laurie who at the age of Jo. Together, they go through many hardships, more or less happy, the furies of Aunt March, jealousies, the joys and the war in fabric background, hoping that their father will come back safe and sound.. There seems to be just one episode translated. And the reason is probably that the same story got a much better remake in 1987. This series has worse drawing even compared to full movie that came previously, and plot is mere retelling of the movie with more fillers. I'll wait for the real thing in 1987. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
21. Ougon Senshi Gold Lightan Golden Warrior: The Gold Lightan 黄金戦士ゴールド・ライタン [1981-II] Tatsunoko Production (Dropped 3/52) Tags: Mecha When a young boy called Hiro finds what appears to be a broken lighter in an empty field, it changes his life forever. This lighter is actually the Gold Lightan, a robot that fell to Earth from the Robot Dimension. When called upon to defend the Earth from Ivalda the Great's evil robots, Gold Lightan transforms into a giant super robot, known as the Golden Warrior. Gold Lightan joins forces with Hiro's and his gang, the One Pack Rangers to protect the Earth from the evil schemes of Ivalda the Great and his armored forces. Wow, mecha in the form of golden lighter... anyway. There are quite many funny yet shallow characters, but humor is totally inferior to similar older title Muteki Robo Trider G7 from Sunrise . Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
22. Mechakko Dotakon Mechanical Boy Dotakon めちゃっこドタコン [1981-II] Kokusai Eigasha (Dropped 3/28) Tags: Comedy, Sci-Fi Geeky genius Michiru has already got her Ph.D. in atomic physics (from California university) by the age of 11. But she still longs for a little brother, so she builds her own. Robot boy Dotakon is soon joined by their little robot sister, Chopiko, and the trio embarks on a series of fantastic adventures fueled by Michiru's inventions. Too much chaos happening, so really difficult to experience the raw version as no English translation exists. Most of so called humor here relies on weird antics and same weird inventions . Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
23. Jarinko Chie じゃりン子チエ [1981-II] Toho (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Drama Jarinko Chie is a movie directed by Takahata in 1981. Based on the very popular manga by Etsumi HARUKI, it is about ten year old Chie, "the most unfortunate girl in Japan", who manages her family diner while her unemployed yakuza father and her mother are separated. This sounds really depressing, but it's actually a very funny comedy. The story is set in Osaka, which has a totally different culture from Tokyo. After the success of the movie, a TV series was made, and Takahata worked as the chief director. Story has great characters and nice humor, thus it's really memorable. I enjoyed it partially, thus a masterpiece score. But all the themes and personalities are still rather simple (only Chie and her mother are more complex), so I can't enjoy it fully and can't give a higher score. But compared to its contemporaries, it's really great and a huge step forward for slice genre with some comedy relief. Overall Rating: 7/10 |
|---|
24. Helen Keller Monogatari: Ai to Hikari no Tenshi The Story of Hellen Keller: Angel of Love and Light ヘレン・ケラー物語 愛と光の天使 [1981-II] TV Asahi (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama Based on Hellen Keller's (1880-1968) autobiography. Just a biography of a person heavily deprived of senses. With 70 minutes it takes its time to tell the story, but in the end it's really just autobiography with a clear aim of being a tearjerker, not something I could enjoy . Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
25. Furiten-kun フリテンくん [1981-II] Knack Productions (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Slice of Life Based on the yonkoma manga by Ueda Masashi. It's just many sketches mashed together in a very loose manner. Without coherent story and translation it's just entertaining at best even with the tilt on adult humor. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
26. Lupin tai Holmes ルパン対ホームズ [1981-II] Toei Animation (Dropped 0/1) Tags: Mystery Based on a story by Maurice Leblanc. Not found (9 minute excert does not count). Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
27. Sugata Sanshirou Judo Story 姿三四郎 [1981-II] Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Finished 1/1) Tags: Martial Arts Action, Sports In the year 1882, Sanshirou comes to Tokyo seeking for a worthy martial arts teacher. There, he meets Yano - a judo master who single-handedly defeats 39 jujitsu practitioners. Extremely impressed by his skill, Sanshirou decides to become his disciple. Later, Sanshirou falls for Sayo Murai - a girl whose father is a martial arts instructor at the local police department; and he also has to face Higaki Gennosuke, a skilled jujitsu fighter and his greatest rival. Based on a novel by Tsuneo Tomita, which was adapted into a 1943 movie by young Akira Kurosawa. Another boring judo uber alles serious anime. The only good point for me here is that period is apparently very early 20th century with rickshaws still around. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
28. Sengoku Majin Goushougun Macron 1 戦国魔神ゴーショーグン [1981-III] Production Reed (Dropped 3/26) Tags: Action, Sci-Fi Mecha, Parody A meteor strikes the Earth and is found to emanate a powerful new energy called Beamler, which is used to power a battle robot, GoShogun, and a teleporting fortress, Good Thunder. The Docougar Crime Syndicate, lead by crime lord Neo Neros, try to steal the secret of the energy from the inventor of GoShogun, but he kills himself rather than let them acquire it. His son is targeted by Neo Neros next, but he is taken in by the crew aboard Good Thunder, who travel the world fighting NeoNeros's forces with GoShogun. There's a more or less adult cast, but it hardly matters with same as usual mecha themes. Did not spot parody tbh apart of the fact that one of enemy generals is a blonde bishounen with a red rose. Pretty average overall. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
29. Manga Mitokoumon まんが水戸黄門 [1981-III] Knack Animation (Dropped 3/46) Tags: Historical Mitokomon is the emperor's trusted man with a high sense of justice. He is sent to travel around the country in order to observe the quality of life in each province and run a check on the official's performances and report back to the empror. Along with him are sent two bodyguards, Kaiko (known for his extraordinary power) and Tsuke (known for his amazing swordsmanship). The three men, traveling unknown, face lots of adventure on their journey to bring justice to the citizens and eliminate corruption from the governing system. No translation, but it's not essential as anime is about travel and action. Just aimless adventures, really. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
30. Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow 機動戦士ガンダムⅡ 哀・戦士編 [1981-III] Sunrise (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mecha, Military, Space Action, Drama, Sci-Fi As the War continues, Amuro and the White Base crew must make their way toward the Earth Federation Headquarters, Jaburo. On their way they meet several new enemies and face off against impossible odds. They fight in Operation Odessa to relieve the Earth from the clutches of the Zeon forces. Lives are lost, new friendships are made, and discoveries at every corner. Amuro soon learns that he possesses the powers of the mysterious Newtypes. Direct continuation of first movie that I evaluated very low. Nothing has really changed now. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
31. Sirius no Densetsu The Sea Prince and the Fire Child シリウスの伝説 [1981-III] Sanrio (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama, Fantasy, Romance Gods once lived on earth, and two siblings, Oceanus - God of Water, and Hyperia - Goddess of Fire, lived in peace and dearly loved each other. However, the God of Wind, Algaroc, become jealous of the pair's happiness, and spread lies and deceit between them until their hatred for each other brought about war. Finally, Algaroc was imprisoned by the King of Gods, but after that time, the brother and sister still despised each other, so the Children of Fire and Water forever remained apart. But, then Prince Syrius of the Water and Princess Malta of the Fire meet and fall in love. The love of Syrius and Malta may not be enough to surpass their parents' hatred. Whether they can stay together forever may be impossible Disney imitation with rival parties love and some action, feels really weak. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
32. Ashita no Joe 2 (Movie) あしたのジョー２ [1981-III] Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Finished 1/1) Tags: Combat Sports Drama It has been six months since the tragic accident in Joe and Rikiishi's fight. Joe believes he has overcomed Rikiishi's death and decides to make a comeback. Joe does make a successful comeback by scoring 5 KO's by body blows. Joe is then given a shot at the national title as a means by the boxing commission to put him down. The champion, Tiger Ozaki makes use of Joe's habits and ends up making Joe's corner throw in the towel. Joe is afraid to throw punches at the face because of what happened to Rikiishi. Youko, Joe's love interest and the owner of the gym where Rikiishi trained at recruits a world ranked boxer from Venezuela, Carlos Rivera, to get Joe back on his feet and pursue his boxing career to the regional and world rank Well, hooligan romance is gone, and second movie is mostly about sport. I'd say it's loses quite some charm in comparison. Also, more drama lingers. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
33. Dr. Slump Movie 01: Arale-chan Hello! Fushigi Shima Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hello! Wonder Island Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん ハロー！不思議島 [1981-III] Toei Animation (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Comedy, Sci-Fi Professor Senbei finds a videotape of his deceased father providing instructions on how to create a love potion. The main ingredient is a tear of the evil Gyaasuka Daimao who lives at the Wonder Island. To retrieve it, Senbei takes Arale and Gatchan on a wacky adventure. Basically, just a longer than usual episode in the same direction as the series. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
34. Yuki Yuki: Snow Fairy ゆき [1981-III] Mushi Production (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mythology Adventure, Fantasy Up in Heaven, Yuki’s grandparents decide that, having turned thirteen years old, she must go down to Earth to a village that is torn by bandits and intervene to save its people. However, if she does not succeed within one year, she will become as insubstantial as the wind. Down in the village, Yuki is befriended by a group of orphans whose parents have been killed by the bandits and who now subsist by begging. Yuki amazes them by taming the wild horse Blizzard. She is instrumental in getting the orphans and farmers to stand up to first the warring bandits and then Goemon, the greedy lord that owns the region. Yuki must then face her greatest challenge when the displeased Demon God that lives in the volcano emerges to destroy those who live beneath. It reminded me the best anime of 60s in my opinion Taiyou no Ouji as it's again newcomer helping villagers and facing divine providence, but it does not live up to the predecessor's level, so can't rate it as high. Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
35. 21 Emon Uchuu e Irasshai! ２１エモン 宇宙へいらっしゃい！ [1981-III] Shin-Ei Animation (Finished 1/1) Tags: Space Comedy, Sci-Fi The story tells the adventures of the boy, 21 emon, engaged in the management of a hotel belonging to his family for years. In his problems, 21 emons is helped by the robot Gonsuke and the little alien Monga. Not translation. As I understood , Emon is 21st Emon in the dynasty of hotel keepers. Anime has mild humor, so it's primarily for kids. No surprise that Emon did cross-overs with Doraemon. The setting provides all kinds of possible alien guests, so humor is mostly based on encounters and cultural differences with them. Can't say I could enjoy it. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
36. Captain Movie キャプテン 劇場版 [1981-III] Eiken (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Team Sports The movie focuses on a game between Sumiya 2 and Aoba Gakuin. No translation. Watched it for some reason... probably just because could find it. But first Captain movie was so plain that there was not a single chance for success from the start. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
37. Kyoufu Densetsu Kaiki! Frankenstein The Monster Of Frankenstein 恐怖伝説 怪奇！フランケンシュタイン [1981-III] Toei Animation (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi Airing on TV Asahi in 1981, with a running time of 111 minutes, Frankenstein is a reasonably standard retelling of the classic book by Mary Shelley. In a foreboding castle scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein performs a hideous experiment which he hopes will bring the dead back to life. With the help of his assistant he is successful in reanimating a man recreated from parts gathered from corpses but the creature is unpredictable and horrifying. The doctor flees back to his home in Switzerland leaving his assistant in charge of destroying the monster. But Dr. Frankenstein soon finds that he cannot hide from his shameful secret forever as mysterious murders are committed around him forcing him to question if his creation really is dead and gone... As usual, anime does not stop at retelling the book, but tries to develop on it like the fact that Frankenstein befriends some people eventually which is hard to imagine in the book. All that is pretty stupid, as for me. Overall Rating: 3/10 |
|---|
38. Anime-ban Toukaidou Yotsuya Kaidan アニメ版 東海道・四谷怪談 [1981-III] Kansai Telecasting (Dropped 0/1) Tags: Historical Horror, Supernatural An adaptation of Yotsuya Kaidan, a classic Japanese horror story about a ghost getting revenge. Not found. Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
39. Urusei Yatsura うる星やつら [1981-IV] Pierrot, Studio Deen (Dropped 5/195) Tags: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi Not much is notable about the lecherous Ataru Moroboshi, but his extraordinary bad luck sticks out like the horns in an alien's head. When Earth is threatened by a fleet of alien invaders known as the Oni, Ataru is selected to represent humanity in a duel against one of them. It's a stroke of rare luck for Ataru that the duel is in fact a game of tag, and that his opponent is Lum, daughter of the Oni's leader, who places her personal dignity above victory—as Ataru finds out by seizing Lum's bikini top and with it, victory. However, misfortune kicks in again when Lum mistakes Ataru's promise to marry his girlfriend, Shinobu Miyake, as the desire to wed Lum herself, and decides she rather likes the idea. Wielding her influence as an alien princess, she moves in with him. Forced to deal with the consequences of his womanizing ways, Ataru must balance his crumbling relationship with Shinobu while keeping Lum happy, all the while flirting with every woman he meets. RomCom with elements of ecchi , love triangle squared as many new characters show up - that's definitely first of its kind! It's super easy to watch - good animation, warm colors, super easy to follow because of great directorship. On the grand scale I realize it's of episodic nature with almost 200 episodes in, there's nothing really to pursue or follow. I could rate it a bit higher, but the longer it goes, the less exciting it becomes. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
40. Uchuu Densetsu Ulysses 31 Ulysses 31 宇宙伝説ユリシーズ31 [1981-IV] Shin-Ei Animation (Dropped 3/26) Tags: Shounen Martial Arts Comedy, Slice of Life It is the thirty-first century. Ulysses killed the giant Cyclops when he rescued the children and his son, Telemachus. But the ancient gods of Olympus are angry and threaten a terrible revenge: Ulysses is sentenced to travel through the universe of Olympus with a frozen crew on a quest to find the Kingdom of Hades. Only when he has found the Kingdom of Hades will his crew be free of their curse and he will be able to return to Earth and to his beloved Penelope. You know that I always have doubts about officially dubbed old anime. And I definitely have questions when I see Greek mythology heroes flying in space on a space ship... as it puts a dent in the credibility and tries to teach something instead. Well, maybe this anime is not primitive as many dubbed contemporaries , but it's still really simplistic and childish. There are only three protagonists and a generic episode presents adventure on a new planet. I don't find it interesting at all, can't put even average score. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
41. Dash! Kappei ダッシュ勝平 [1981-IV] Tatsunoko Production, Tama Production (Dropped 20/65) Tags: Shounen Comedy, Sports, Ecchi Kappei is a dramatically short guy but he is a master in every sport. He lives as a guest in sweet Akane's house, and he's in love with her, but there's a strange rival, her dog Salomone (Italian name) who plans evil traps to encumber Kappei. But the dog has also another function: he explains all sport rules when a new sport is depicted. Kappei is fond of white female underwear, always trying to lift girl's skirts up. Wow, the moment I said that Urusei Yatsura is the first ecchi rom-com there's another genre representative at the very same time! It always fascinated me how the same thought often comes to different people at relatively the same time. Damn, it's so hilarious. Competing for a girl ... with a dog who wants to marry her! Unlike Yatsura, there are no restraints here, so it's pantsu-fest with all kind of crazy funny twists. Don't expect a development or something serious, but for entertainment it's just right. I try to measure my attitude at different episodes, and after first 12 episodes it was a firm 7. Then there was a micro tournament, then some sci-fi episodes, then it finally returned to SOL with some sci-fi elements. After 20 episodes decided to drop it as it stopped to please me - after all , it's really hard to keep going with dozens of episodes of episodic nature without loss of saturation. Sadly, can't keep the score of 7 as I could not even finish it myself. Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
42. Taiyou no Kiba Dagram 太陽の牙ダグラム [1981-IV] Sunrise (Dropped 6/75) Tags: Shounen Mecha, Military Drama, Sci-Fi The story is centered around a small group of guerilla freedom fighters on a colonial planet named Deployer, who are known as the "Deployer 7", or "Sun Fang" team. In an unexpected coup, the elected Governor of Deployer becomes dictator and rules Deployer under martial law with the support of Earth's Federation. Fighting for independence from Earth's Federation influence, the freedom fighters begin a rebellion against the Federation's Combat Armors using a Combat Armor of their own: the Dougram. This is what Gundam should have been from the start. Also civil war with the use of battle suits, but now it has structure , team play and no irritating characters. And it's from my favorite studio of the 80s Sunrise. At the same time I'm not ready to watch it to the end and call it a masterpiece. There are many small reasons for it. Story is very slow to unfold. There are a lot of characters , but none of them really stand out as special. There are a lot of events happening in different places , and shifts between these events are rather harsh. Series needs higher quality resolution and normal softsubs to shine. In the end , I just don't feel involved enough to go further, but I'd gladly watch both movie versions that come in 1983. Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
43. Maicching Machiko-sensei Miss Machiko まいっちんぐマチコ先生 [1981-IV] Pierrot (Dropped 20/95) Tags: School Comedy, Ecchi Machiko Mai is the newest teacher at Asama Elementary; she's young, beautiful, and has the perfect proportions—traits that attract the attention of not only her students, but the rest of the perverted faculty as well. Whether it's luring her in and spraying up her skirt with a hose or leaps and bounds to grab her breasts, there's nothing that Machiko's first year students won't try to do. Regardless of her embarrassing plight, Machiko is always a good sport and tries her best to help out her students—at any cost to her dignity! Lol, just after perverted Kappei there's something even more flashy. Anyway, Kappei had more interesting characters and more ingenuity in it. At the same time Kappei had to focus on sports a lot and lost perversity as it went on. Machiko-sensei did not bother with complex concepts from the start, so it remains lighter and more pervy in comparison. It allows to watch it for a longer time, but makes it less memorable. After 10th episode it also starts to go astray with sci-fi and heartful episodes. I enjoyed both anime on comparable level, so the same score . Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
44. Wanwan Sanjuushi Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds ワンワン三銃士 [1981-IV] Nippon Animation (Dropped 3/26) Tags: Historical Adventure The story begins with the arrival of a brave young boy in Paris. His ambition is to join the glorious Imperial Guards, but fierce competition and the minimum age requirement hinder him from joining. The boy then challenges the well-known Three Musketeers in order to demonstrate his excellent skills with the sword. However, at the very moment the fight begins, a power-hungry group cuts in. Realizing their wicked intention, the boy D'artagnan and the Three Musketeers quickly cooperate and defeat them. This is the beginning of their friendship and commitment to fight conspiracy. Another officially dubbed old anime. I found it endlessly boring, probably because I know the story from so many sources already, and all the antics introduced for comedy relief irritate instead. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
45. Rokushin Gattai GodMars God Mars 六神合体ゴッドマーズ [1981-IV] Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Dropped 3/64) Tags: Mecha, Space Action, Sci-Fi In the year 1999, humanity begins to advance beyond the solar system. The planet Gishin, led by the Emperor Zule, which aims to conquer the galaxy, runs into conflict with Earth. He targets Earth for elimination and to do this, he sends a baby called Mars to live among humanity. Accompanying the baby is a giant robot named Gaia, which utilizes a new power source strong enough to destroy an entire planet. As planned, Mars is expected to grow up, where he will activate the bomb within Gaia to fulfill the mission of destroying the Earth. However, when Mars arrives on Earth his is adopted into a Japanese family and given the name Takeru. Seventeen years later, Takeru would grow up with a love for humanity and refuses to detonate the bomb as ordered by Zule. However, if Takeru was to die, the bomb within Gaia would explode destroying the earth. Takeru possesses psychic powers ( ESP ) and decides to join the Earth defense forces and becomes a member of the Crasher Squad (an elite space defense force) where he and his friends take a last stand against the Gishin's attack. The relationship of Takeru with his brother Maag, which fate would have it, pitted the two against each other in the war. Unknown to the Gishin five other robots were created in secrecy along side Gaia by Takeru's father and sent with Gaia to protect Takeru. Whenever Earth is in danger, Takeru is able to summon the five other robots to combine with Gaia form the giant robot Godmars. The five other robots are Sphinx, Uranus, Titan, Shin and Ra. ESP plus mecha is one of my most hated genre combination. Super simplistic, as usual . Overall Rating: 3/10 |
|---|
46. Ginga Senpuu Braiger Galactic Whirlwind Braiger 銀河旋風ブライガー [1981-IV] Toei Animation (Dropped 4/39) Tags: Mecha, Space Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi In the year 2111, the solar system has been colonized. The colonized moons and planets are lawless and the police are helpless. In order to battle the evil within the solar system, Isaac Godonov creates J9, made up of himself, Blaster Kid, Stephen Bowie, and Angel Omachi. They are a team that will handle any missions the police will not with their robot Braiger... for a price. Meanwhile, the Nubia section of Earth has a plan to destroy Jupiter to create 30 more planets for human colonization. But this plan will result in the destruction of Earth. Space crew travels around , takes up missions and fulfils it with the help of mecha. Since protagonists aren't developed well and story is of episodic nature, it fells more like half-baked reincarnation of Captain Harlock than something new. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
47. Honey Honey no Suteki na Bouken Honey Honey's Wonderful Adventures ハニーハニーのすてきな冒険 [1981-IV] Kokusai Eigasha (Dropped 2/29) Tags: Shoujo Historical Adventure Glamorous Paris, entrancing Venice, romantic Rome and irresistible Vienna... These alluring cities of enchantment invite you to witness the story of a young girl who unexpectedly becomes entangled in daring adventures and rollicking romance. Vienna, 1907. Princess Flora, the one and only idol of the entire nation, is celebrating her birthday. Flora is young, beautiful, single and the object of all the men`s desire. A classical shoujo that even got an official dub... which for me equals deadly boring. Princess, castles, bishounens, villains, cute animal and a lot of sparks - all the cliché elements are present. Overall Rating: 3/10 |
|---|
48. Jarinko Chie (TV) じゃりン子チエ [1981-IV] Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Dropped 7/64) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Drama Jarinko Chie is a movie directed by Takahata in 1981. Based on the very popular manga by Etsumi HARUKI, it is about ten year old Chie, "the most unfortunate girl in Japan," who manages her family diner while her unemployed yakuza father and her mother are separated. This sounds really depressing, but it's actually a very funny comedy. The story is set in Osaka, which has a totally different culture from Tokyo. After the success of the movie, a TV series was made, and Takahata worked as the chief director. There's no translation, so it can't beat movie already. A lot of first episodes, like six at least, mostly retell the movie with some additional unneeded scenes like most of those scenes were cool while unfinished , and now everything is developed to contain a logical resolution or source, so it's more of a slice and less of a cool gig. I guess it's closer to manga now this way and I'd sure watch it to the end if there was translation. Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
49. Shin Dokonjou Gaeru 新・ど根性ガエル [1981-IV] Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Dropped 3/30) Tags: Shounen Comedy, Slice of Life Continuation of Dokonjougaeru series. Original had only some 20 translated episodes, and sequel has zero which determines the top score it can get from me. Feels a bit old-school now with two stories in each episode, but it still got its grip. Overall Rating: 6/10 |
|---|
50. Uchuu Senshi Baldios (Movie) 宇宙戦士バルディオス [1981-IV] Kokusai Eigasha (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mecha, Space Action, Sci-Fi This film supplied the ending to the cancelled Space Warrior Baldios television series. So TV series got cancelled and it was not just me who did not like the anime. Great anime if you want to see the Earth contaminated by a hundred of nuclear bombs. I tried to find something positive in the anime, and it's just horrible. Overall Rating: 4/10 |
|---|
51. Rennyo to Sono Haha Rennyo and His Mother 蓮如とその母 [1981-IV] (Dropped 0/1) Tags: Historical Rennyo was the key figure responsible for the restoration of Shin Buddhism in Japan, in particular the Honganji lineage, during a slump in its fortunes during the Middle Ages. According to legend, his motivation was a pivotal childhood incident at the age of just six when his mother summoned him and informed him of his destiny to revive the fortunes of the Honganji school to which he was the next in line. She then mysteriously disappeared from the temple. Taking her words to heart, from a background of great poverty and hardship, at the age of 16 he set out to spread the word across the land. Not found. Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
52. Manga Hana no Kakarichou まんが花の係長 [1981-IV] Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Dropped 0/1) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Slice of Life Based on the comedy manga by Sonoyama Shunji. Not found. Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
53. Manzai Taikouki マンザイ太閤記 [1981-IV] Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Dropped 0/1)  Tags: Seinen Historical Comedy None Not found. Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
54. Bokura Mangaka: Tokiwasou Monogatari ぼくらマンガ家 トキワ荘物語 [1981-IV] Toei Animation (Finished 1/1) Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life Tokiwa was the apartment complex where a group of stellar artists lived in 1953. Hiro Terada, Motoo Abiko and Hiroshi Fujimoto, Shotaro Ishinomori, and Fujio Akatsuka shared the trials and tribulations of being struggling young artists and writers with no money and no luck with editors or girls, with a spirit of insane youthful enthusiasm that enabled them to survive the lean years and emerge as stars of the manga firmament. There's no translation and the only quality available is 160x120 pixels which makes it physically painful to watch. It's pretty nice humor-wise, but not outstanding. Overall Rating: 5/10 |
|---|
55. Chiisana Love Letter: Mariko to Nemunoki no Kodomo-tachi 小さなラブレター まり子とねむの木の子供たち [1981-IV] TV Asahi (Dropped 0/1)  Tags: Music, School Drama A follow-up to the same studio's Helen Keller anime, A Little Love Letter kept the handicapped theme but focused on a wholly Japanese story. During the 1970s, actress Mariko Miyagi became heavily involved in the Silk Tree Academy (Nemunoki Gakuen), a rehabilitation center for disabled children. She appeared in several live-action films to promote the project, including The Silk Tree Ballad, Mariko-Mother, and Children Drawing Rainbows. This anime charts the 14-year period of Miyagi's stewardship of the academy and her relationships with several of the children. Divided into four seasonal chapters, the film uses highly realistic character designs based on the actual people involved and features storyboarding from the versatile Star Blazers-director Noboru Ishiguro. Not found. Overall Rating: 0/10 |
|---|
Post a Comment