We all love modern anime for its great style, well-crafted action scenes, and exciting plots. Many people prefer new titles to old ones because they seem naive and not serious in many ways.
However, this attitude is not always fair. There are many great retro anime that were ahead of their time and still look great. Every year their value increases. Here are some of them.
Serial Experiments Lain aired in 1998, at the dawn of broadband Internet. The story revolves around an ordinary Tokyo schoolgirl who is not very interested in new technologies. One day she receives a mysterious email from a deceased friend and decides to find out what's going on. So Lain goes online, but as time goes by, the boundary between the virtual world and reality becomes invisible. Do you see the relevance? The series foreshadowed the problems we face every day. By the way, the anime came out a year before The Matrix.
The same can be said for Ghost in the Shell (Koukaku Kidoutai) – a police thriller about the search for a dangerous hacker. It is a philosophical reflection on what it means to be human in the age of technological revolution. The series came out in the mid-1990s in the wake of Japan's economic crisis, and to some extent reflected the pessimism of the younger generation. However, there are still not many meditative anime that make you think about important philosophical issues. The dynamics and mood of modern anime are often not conducive to thoughtful viewing.
Monster
Many viewers rightly point out that anime used to be more like prestige movies or expensive TV series. Maybe that's the secret to the old titles' longevity. One of them is Monster. There are none of the usual anime cliches like shy protagonists or unexpected superpowers. The series tells the story of a talented surgeon who becomes involved in a series of brutal murders. Monster is characterized by excellent direction and serious storytelling, so it can be safely recommended to those who are prejudiced about anime.
It's a series by Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop (which has aged well, by the way). Watanabe is known for his desire to make movies, not anime. You can feel it in his style. The story is set in feudal Japan of the Edo era, but the series is permeated with references to modern culture (for example, there is hip-hop in the soundtrack). Watanabe directed the samurai anime as a fast-paced action movie with great attention to detail. Samurai Champloo is literally the definition of a style that doesn't get old.
You probably know and love Neon Genesis Evangelion (Shinseiki Evangelion), but it's not the only good mecha of its time. Gurren Lagann (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) loses to Evangelion in almost everything. It's not as philosophical, it's not as entertaining, and it didn't spawn as many memes. But it's a coolly made adventure with giant robots, funny situations and a colorful style. Hardly anyone will seriously call the series a masterpiece, but there is no doubt that you can still have a good time with it.
No, there is no Hayao Miyazaki on the list!
We all love modern anime for its great style, well-crafted action scenes, and exciting plots. Many people prefer new titles to old ones because they seem naive and not serious in many ways.
However, this attitude is not always fair. There are many great retro anime that were ahead of their time and still look great. Every year their value increases. Here are some of them.
Serial Experiments Lain aired in 1998, at the dawn of broadband Internet. The story revolves around an ordinary Tokyo schoolgirl who is not very interested in new technologies. One day she receives a mysterious email from a deceased friend and decides to find out what's going on. So Lain goes online, but as time goes by, the boundary between the virtual world and reality becomes invisible. Do you see the relevance? The series foreshadowed the problems we face every day. By the way, the anime came out a year before The Matrix.
The same can be said for Ghost in the Shell (Koukaku Kidoutai) – a police thriller about the search for a dangerous hacker. It is a philosophical reflection on what it means to be human in the age of technological revolution. The series came out in the mid-1990s in the wake of Japan's economic crisis, and to some extent reflected the pessimism of the younger generation. However, there are still not many meditative anime that make you think about important philosophical issues. The dynamics and mood of modern anime are often not conducive to thoughtful viewing.
Monster
Many viewers rightly point out that anime used to be more like prestige movies or expensive TV series. Maybe that's the secret to the old titles' longevity. One of them is Monster. There are none of the usual anime cliches like shy protagonists or unexpected superpowers. The series tells the story of a talented surgeon who becomes involved in a series of brutal murders. Monster is characterized by excellent direction and serious storytelling, so it can be safely recommended to those who are prejudiced about anime.
It's a series by Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop (which has aged well, by the way). Watanabe is known for his desire to make movies, not anime. You can feel it in his style. The story is set in feudal Japan of the Edo era, but the series is permeated with references to modern culture (for example, there is hip-hop in the soundtrack). Watanabe directed the samurai anime as a fast-paced action movie with great attention to detail. Samurai Champloo is literally the definition of a style that doesn't get old.
You probably know and love Neon Genesis Evangelion (Shinseiki Evangelion), but it's not the only good mecha of its time. Gurren Lagann (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) loses to Evangelion in almost everything. It's not as philosophical, it's not as entertaining, and it didn't spawn as many memes. But it's a coolly made adventure with giant robots, funny situations and a colorful style. Hardly anyone will seriously call the series a masterpiece, but there is no doubt that you can still have a good time with it.
