Mecha, Anime
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Missing Gundam, Macross, GiTS, Patlabor or Mazinger? Mecha, Franchises.
Missing LoGH and other space opera? HERE.
No movies? IN THE MOVIES LIST.
The Goddamned List
Edit
| Image | Title | Year | Studio | Director | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aura Battler Dunbine | 1983 | Sunrise | Tomino, Yoshiyuki | 49 eps. + 3 eps. | |
| Betterman | 1999 | Sunrise (Studio 7) | Yonetani, Yoshitomo | 26 eps. | |
| Blue Gender | 1999 | AIC | Takahashi, Ryosuke | 26 eps. + 1 film (The Warrior) | |
| Bubblegum Crisis | 1987 | AIC | Obari, Masami (et al) | 8 OVAs + 3 OVAs (Bubblegum Crash) | |
| Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 | 1998 | AIC | Hayashi, Hiroki | 26 eps. | |
| Casshern Sins | 2009 | Madhouse | Yamauchi, Shigeyasu | 24 eps. | A reimagining of the classic Casshern. Follows Casshern as he tries to remember his past and the reason the world is such a shithole. Androids and other human-sized robots. |
| Code Geass | 2006 | Sunrise | Taniguchi, Goro | 25 eps. + 25 eps. (R2) | Japan has been conquered by the Britannian Empire, and its name has been changed to Area 11. The story follows Lelouch, the disinherited son of the Emperor of Britannia, as he fights to liberate A11 through a terrorist group and a mysterious power in order to create a better world for his blind and wheelchair-bound loli sister. LOTS of plot twists. Some of them are ridiculous. Be warned. |
| Cyborg 009 | 2001 | Avex | Kawagoe, Atsushi | 51 eps. | 9 human beings are turned into cyborg warriors by the Black Ghost organization. They join together to form a team in order to defeat Black Ghost. |
| Dai-Guard | 1999 | XEBEC | Mizushima, Seiji | 26 eps. | Bureaucracy: The mech anime. A group of employees fight unknown monster and save the day in their faux-super robot. Improvised Rocket Punch, FUCK YEAH! |
| Dancouga | 1985 | Ashi | Okuda, Seiji | 38 eps. + 4 OVAs | |
| Dancouga Nova | 2007 | Ashi | Obari, Masami | 12 eps. | |
| Diebuster | 2004 | Gainax | Tsurumaki, Kazuya | 6 eps. | |
| Eureka 7 | 2005 | Bones | Kyoda, Tomoki | 50 eps. | Boy falls for chick, follows her and pilots a motherfucking sky surfing robot. Coming of age, romance and fantastic music. Mecha designs by Macross' Shoji Kawamori. |
| Fang of the Sun Dougram | 1981 | Sunrise | Takahashi, Ryosuke | 75 eps. | |
| Flag | 2006 | Aniplex | Takahashi, Ryosuke | 13 eps. | A Japanese photojournalist in the middle of a war in totally-not-Afghanistan gets embedded in a mecha-armed squad, to document the rescue operation of a UN flag, stolen by insurgents trying to disrupt peace talks. Series is notable for being totally shot with "diegetic camera", a la Cloverfield. Not for kiddies. |
| FLCL | 2000 | GAINAX | Tsurumaki, Kazuya | 6 eps. | Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll: The Anime. Six episodes of whacked-out sorta-plot, with a surprisingly symbolic undercurrent for the perceptive, and a bitchin' indie soundtrack. |
| Full Metal Panic!* | 2002 | Gonzo | Chigira, Koichi | 24 eps. | People known as Whispered have knowledge of unknown technology. Chidori Kaname is regarded as such, and Mithril's Urzu squad is in charge of protecting her. Laughs ensue when Sagara Sousuke, a young soldier with no grasp of living a normal life, has to go undercover to protect her in high school. Awesome villains, awesome mecha, LOLGONZO and a lazy opening sequence. |
| Full Metal Panic!: The Second Raid* | 2006 | Kyoto Animation | Tateo, Retsu | 13 eps. + 1 OVA | Out with Gonzo, in with KyoAni for FMP's sequel. Amalgam is on the run. Again, Awesome mech battles, MOTHERFUCKING SIDEBURNS and LETHAL TWINS. |
| Gaiking: Legend of Daiku-Maryu | 2005 | Toei | Hosoda, Masahiro | 39 eps. | Complete reboot of the classic Super Robot show. Tsuwabuki Daiya, a feisty can-do young boy, is chosen as the pilot for the giant robot Gaiking. Together with the crew of Gaiking's dinosaur-shaped carrier, Daiku Maryu, they do battle against the invading Darius Empire. |
| Gasaraki | 1998 | Sunrise | Takahashi, Ryosuke | 25 eps. | |
| Getter Robo | 1974 | Toei | Kawagoe, Jun | 13 eps. (Armageddon) + 13 eps. (New Getter Robo) | Dinosaurs are back and they're pissed. So, now they are making giant robot monster dinosaurs and unleashing them on the human race. Our only hope is to fuck their shit up with robots and manly sideburns. There are many iterations of this show, all are forged from 100% testosterone. |
| Giant Robo* | 1992 | Mu | Imagawa, Yasuhiro | 7 eps. + 13 eps. | |
| Godannar | 2003 | AIC | Nagaoka, Yasuchika | 26 eps. | Goh and Anna are married. He is a mech pilot, she wants to be one too. Thus, marital issues. Fights with monsters, super robot style and gratuitous fanservice. Lots of it. |
| Gun x Sword | 2005 | AIC | Taniguchi, Goro | 26 eps. | A man in a tuxedo is looking for a man with a claw to avenge his fiancee that was killed on the day of his wedding. Features a GaoGaiGar-esque sentai team of old mexicans, nice music and DAT ASS. |
| Gunbuster | 1988 | GAINAX / Sunrise | Anno, Hideaki | 6 eps. + 1 comp. |
The story follows the mecha pilot trainee Noriko as she becomes a soldier to battle the unknown monsters attacking humanity: The Space Monsters. Also SCIENCE! and lots of fanservice. The finale WILL leave you crying. Otherwise, you have no soul. |
| Guyver | 2005 | OLM | Akiyama, Tatsuhito | 26 eps. | Chased by monsters called Zoanoids, Fukamachi Sho stumbles across a strange alien device that bonds itself to him, transforming him into a biotechnological monster, Guyver-1. Kronos Corporation wants the device, however, and Sho finds himself with few friends against the evil megacorporation. |
| Heroic Age | 2007 | XEBEC | Suzuki, Toshimasa | 26 eps. | |
| iDOLM@STER Xenoglossia | 2007 | Sunrise | Nagai, Tatsuyuki | 26 eps. | |
| Infinite Ryvius | 1999 | Sunrise | Taniguchi, Goro | 26 eps. | |
| Immortal Grand Prix | 2003 | Bee Train / Production I.G. | Mashimo, Koichi | 5 5-minute eps. + 24 TV | Racing giant robots like it's the future of NASCAR. |
| Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari | 2009 | AIC /BeSTACK/VAP | Yoshikawa, Koji | 13 eps. | Spin-off of Tenchi Muyo. Kenshi is summoned into the world of Geminar for unknown reasons, and ends up piloting magical mechs called Seikishin, fighting a war and making a Harem for himself. Fantasy, Comedy, lots of awesome women and mech battles. |
| Karas | 2005 | Tatsunoko | Sato, Keichi | 6 eps. | |
| King of the Braves: GaoGaiGar | 1997 | Sunrise, Studio 7 | Yonetani, Yoshitomo | 49 eps. + 8 OVA | The secret organization GGG battles against the robo-parasite Zonder aliens with the help of a the alien boy Mamoru, their courageous cyborg warrior Gai, the sentient robot Galeon, and their ever-expanding ensemble of robot allies. The mech battles and the weapons are both ridiculous and awesome. |
| Kotetsushin Jeeg | 2007 | Actas | Kawagoe, Jun | 13 eps. | Features the most badass cute motherfucker super robot of all times, Jeeg. Himika is back and ready to fuck up shit, but japan is not going to let that happen so they have Kotetsushin Jeeg ready for HUGGING TO DEATH ACTION. BADASS PARTS CHANGING SUPER ROBOT, BADASS OPENING AND NO FUCKING AIR NEEDED. |
| Mars Daybreak | 2004 | Bones | Mori, Kunihiko | 26 eps. | Mars is now almost entirely covered in water. Humanity exists in large city-ships that float through the open seas. Gram River joins a group of pirates in hopes of making good money. Underwater mechs and cool action. |
| Martian Successor Nadesico | 1996 | XEBEC | Sato, Tatsuo | 26 eps. | Akito only wants to be a cook onboard the Nadesico, but his talents force him to pilot an Aestevalis and fight against the ambiguous "Jovian Lizards". Awesome mecha, super robots, real robots. Hotblood, waifus, hilarious backstory, SUPER SCIENCE!, humor and Gekigangar. |
| Megazone 23 | 1985 | AIC / Tatsunoko | Ishiguro, Noburo | 4 eps. | A daring product of the 80s, the golden age of the OVA. Nice characters, great music, awesome bike mecha. Serves as partial inspiration for RahXephon. |
| Neon Genesis Evangelion | 1995 | GAINAX / Tatsunoko | Anno, Hideaki | 26 eps + 1 comp. (Death & Rebirth) | The Angels - huge, tremendously powerful, genocidal monsters - appear in Tokyo 3. The only hope for Mankind lies in the Evangelion, a humanoid fighting machine developed by the UN agency NERV, and piloted by emotionally damaged teenage orphans. Sleek mech designs, lots of character introspective, and a very discussed plot.
Check out the Movies section for sequels and re-imaginings. |
| Overman King Gainer | 2002 | Sunrise | Tomino, Yoshiyuki | 26 eps. | |
| RahXephon | 2002 | Bones | Izubuchi, Yutaka | 26 eps. + 1 comp. |
Ayato is a young art genius, who suddenly finds himself pulled into a whole new world as the pilot of the giant robot, RahXephon, and the world's only hope against the enigmatic Mu and their Dolems. Inspired by Raideen and Megazone 23, features spectacular visuals and sound, intricate plot rife with theme and symbolism, relatively few giant robots, and no dangling plot threads... as long as you know where to look. The world, suffused with sound. |
| Rideback | 2009 | Madhouse | Takahashi, Atsushi | 12 eps. | |
| Science Ninja Team Gatchaman | 1972 | Tatsunoko Production | Toriumi, Hisayuki | 105 eps. | Animated sentai series, a classic of its genre. Was brought to the US in edited form twice, as Battle of the Planets and G Force. ADV released the uncut version in 2005. |
| Sentou Yosei Yukikaze* | 2002 | Gonzo | Okura, Masahiko | 5 eps. | |
| Simoun | 2006 | Deen | Nishimura, Junji | 26 eps. | |
| Soukou no Strain | 2006 | Fantasia | Watanabe, Tetsuya | 13 eps. | |
| Space Runaway Ideon | 1980 | Sunrise | Tomino, Yoshiyuki | 39 eps + 1 comp. (A Contact) + 1 film (Be Invoked) |
Very oldschool giant robot anime set in distant space. An archaeological dig unearths three machines that combine into the giant robot Ideon. The crew of the Solo Ship and the pilots of Ideon must fight a running space battle for their lives against the ruthless Buff Clan, who seek to possess the mysterious energy called Ide, which powers Ideon. Not for the faint of heart, especially Be Invoked. |
| Super Dimension Century Orguss | 1983 | Nue / Tokyo Movie Shinsha | Ishiguro, Noburo | 35 eps. | |
| Super Dimension Century Orguss 02 | 1993 | J.C. Staff | Takaya, Fumihiko | 6 OVAs | |
| Tekkaman Blade | 1992 | Tatsunoko Production | Negishi, Hiroshi | 49 eps. + 6 OVAs |
The earth is invaded from an alien race named Radam. Earth is losing bad and Radam have taken control of the orbital ring. A mysterious Space Warrior appears and becomes humanity last hope, but the main character has to face too many hardships to accomplish his goal. Beatiful designs, VOLTEKKA mic breaking and Dangerous Boyan. Edited heavily for release in some countries as Teknoman. |
| Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann | 2007 | GAINAX | Imaishi, Hiroyuki | 27 eps. + 2 comp. (Gurren-Hen, Lagann-Hen) |
The coming of age story for Simon, a humble driller, who is inspired by his Bro, Kamina, to use a giant robot and his drill to pierce the heavens. Together they go off with a band of freedom fighters to free humanity from it's underground confinement. The most epic adventure ever. This show has balls, lots of balls. A ridiculously fun ride. |
| The Big O | 1999 | Sunrise | Katayama, Kazuyoshi | 26 eps. |
Bruce Wayne gets his own Giant Robo and a robot maid. And PISTON PUNCH, that is all you need to know. Also, tomatoes. |
| The Vision of Escaflowne | 1996 | Sunrise | Kawamori, Shoji; Akane, Tatsuki | 26 eps. | A mecha series to watch with your girlfriend. A girl is transported to a magical land where Van, the young heir of Fanelia, has to defend his kingdom with his magical mech, Escaflowne. |
| Vandread | 2000 | Gonzo | Mori, Takeshi | 26 eps. |
Combining giant robots in space, on a ship crewed by two opposing groups: Pirates from Mejale (a world without men) and a doctor, a spoiled rich boy, and a factory worker from Taraak (a world without women). They must find a way to overcome their differences in order to defeat their alien attackers and return home. |
| Zegapain | Sunrise | Shimoda, Masami | 26 eps. | ||
| Zipang* | 2004 | Deen | Kazuhiro, Furuhashi | 26 eps. | A modern JSDF cruiser is teleported back in time to WWII, in the middle of the Yamato's fleet. | |
| Zone of the Enders | 2003 | Sunrise | Watanabe, Tetsuya | 1 OVA (idolo) + 26 eps (Dolores,i) | Prequel to a series of videogames by Hideo Kojima. However, they are still worth watching without having played them (but play them anyway, they're awesome). The endings of both will make you cry bitch tears. |
NotesEdit
- ↑ Cyborg 009 also had 2 previous shows: one in 1966 (2 films + 26 eps), and another in 1979 (50 eps. + 1 film)
- ↑ Gaiking also had a show in 1976 (39 eps.), created by Nagai himself. However, Toei deliberately removed Nagai's name from the credits to avoid having to pay him royalties. This sparked a long legal battle between Nagai and Toei.
- ↑ Sequel to Kotetsu Jeeg of 1975. It never arrived to North America, but it was aired in Western Europe and Latin America during the 80s (the series is known there as El Vengador).
