Author, Cartoonist, Brawl in Cell Block 99 & Bone Tomahawk writer/director S. Craig Zahler's Anime Recommendations
As an anime watcher since the 1970s and a collector of Japanese language originals since the early 80s (often untranslated VHS tapes of things like Bubblegum Crisis, Golgo 13, and Metal Skin Panic), I've seen tons of stuff. Creative designs, interesting worlds, dynamic animation, exciting action, atmospheric coloring, general craziness, and emotional resonance are often what I like about this stuff. I'm a very big fan of directors Noboru Ishiguro, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Jun Kawagoe, Hiroyuki Imaishi, Hayao Miyazaki, and Osamu Dezaki, and the mecha designs of Kunio Okawara and Shinji Aramaki.
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- StarsNaoya UchidaBill WiseHideo IshikawaSent to jail after being accused of murdering Getter Robo creator Dr. Saotome, Ryoma Nagare must once again team up with his former comrades and pilot Getter Robo when Saotome returns from the dead and threatens humanity by unleashing his greatest creation - the Shin Dragon. Their efforts, however, are in vain as they fail to stop a nuclear warhead from hitting Shin Dragon, resulting in a massive Getter Ray contamination that wipes out 99% of the planet's population. Thirteen years after this great catastrophe, mankind continues to fight for survival against the Invaders. Out of the remains of the nuclear blast comes Shin Getter, piloted by the artificial human Go. With remnants of the Japanese military by his side, Go - along with co-pilots Kei and Gai - must use Shin Getter to exterminate the Invaders once and for all.
- StarsKen'ichi SuzumuraJun'ichi SuwabeMitsuaki MadonoChildhood friends Kamui and Fuuma are torn apart when Fuuma's mother dies mysteriously. Six years later, Kamui returns to Tokyo, unaware his destiny will intertwine with Fuuma's.
- CreatorKazuki NakashimaStarsTetsuya KakiharaShizuka ItouYuri LowenthalTwo friends, Simon and Kamina, become the symbols of rebellion against the powerful Spiral King, who forced mankind into subterranean villages.
- DirectorRintarôStarsMasako NozawaMasako IkedaYôko AsagamiThe adventures of a brave young boy who travels from planet to planet in a determined quest to avenge his mother's death.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko TanakaWhile seeking to cure himself of a curse, young warrior Ashitaka stumbles into a conflict between the people of Iron Town and Princess Mononoke, a girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the destruction of her home.
- DirectorOsamu DezakiStarsTetsurô SagawaGorô NayaToshiko FujitaAfter killing the son of a powerful oil tycoon, an infamous hit-man is targeted by American governmental forces and superhuman assassins.
- StarsMamoru MiyanoBrad SwaileVincent TongAn intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsShûichirô MoriyamaTokiko KatôBunshi Katsura VIIn 1930s Italy, a veteran World War I pilot is cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig.
- CreatorsUme AokiAtsuhiro IwakamiAkiyuki ShinbôStarsAoi YûkiChiwa SaitôEmiri KatoA creature named Kyubey offers Madoka and Sayaka a wish if they agree to become 'magical girls' and fight abstract beings called 'witches'. However, a magical girl named Homura is, for uncertain reasons, determined to stop this agreement.
- CreatorKentaro MiuraStarsMarc DiraisonNobutoshi CannaCarrie KeranenGuts, a wandering mercenary, joins the Band of the Hawk after being defeated in a duel by Griffith, the group's leader and founder. Together, they dominate every battle, but something menacing lurks in the shadows.
- CreatorsShôji KawamoriKen'ichi MatsuzakiStarsArihiro HaseMari IijimaVic MignognaAn alien spaceship crash lands on Earth and her secrets lead to a desperate war against an alien enemy sent to retrieve the ship.
- StarsEddie AllenMichael BertoliniAmy Howard WilsonIn the year 2199, a starship must make a dangerous voyage to the distant planet Iscandar and back to save Earth from an alien invasion.
- StarsNobuyuki HiyamaMaiko ItôTsutomu KashiwakuraA special organization using giant robots and aided by an alien boy battles the threat of a menace that inflicts havoc by turning humans into destructive mecha menaces.
- 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.
- 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.
- StarsDaisuke NamikawaEmi ShinoharaSeizô KatôThe series starts off at a tournament where a one armed samurai faces a blind one and quickly flashes back to reveal the history between the two fighters.
- 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.
- StarsNoriko OharaSabrina PitreErin MathewsLong after a devastating war almost destroyed the entire world, a boy with superhuman strength fights to save his friends from those who seek to conquer what is left of civilization.
- StarsSteve StaleySteve KramerEmilie de Azevedo BrownDuring a one-year war, a young lieutenant leads a mobile suit team against a secret Zeon weapon, meeting its pilot who questions the morality of the war.
- CreatorKazuki NakashimaStarsAmi KoshimizuAya SuzakiToshihiko SekiA young girl arrives at a school of superhumans to find out the truth behind her father's murder.
- CreatorsRyôsuke TakahashiHajime YatateStarsHozumi GôdaShigeru ChibaBanjô GingaThe end of the 100 year war between the planets Bavalant and Melkia does not allow Melkian soldier Chirico Cuvie a moment of peace. His accidental involvement in a clandestine mission places him in danger, requiring him to escape and attempt to survive on what is left of his war-torn homeworld.
- StarsMasako NozawaMasako IkedaKaneta KimotsukiThe adventure of a young boy on board a space train, as it travels to a myriad of incredible worlds.
- StarsHiroshi TachiDavid WaldChris AyresDuke Togo, a.k.a. Golgo 13, is a highly-skilled assassin hired only by those who pay top-dollar for his services - whether it's the FBI, CIA, industrial corporations or mafias. Regardless of who the target is or what situations he encounters, Golgo 13 always gets the job done.
- DirectorTomoharu KatsumataStarsMakio InoueKei TomiyamaYûjirô IshiharaSpace captain Harlock, the latest in a family of proud aerial warriors, begins his journey to free the oppressed Earth from the despotic Illumidas Command.
- DirectorsNoboru IshiguroShôji KawamoriStarsArihiro HaseMari IijimaMika DoiEarth braces for an invasion of the Zentradi.