The 80s are often considered the golden age of anime and for good reason. This is when Studio Ghibli , Kyoto Animation, JC Staff, and Daicon Films (known as Gainax today) were all formed, and producers began to open their minds to a much wider range. broader in terms of genres. Additionally, a number of different factors led to a boom in anime production and consumption during the 1980s, from the introduction of VHS to the strength of the Japanese economy. As a result, anime studios were outdoing each other year after year with higher and higher budgets, fighting to create the next big hit. ⭐
Creatively speaking, this era has been incredibly fruitful, giving us some of the greatest animated films and series ever made. And the crazy thing is that people still talk about 80s Anime to this day. But in this incredibly rich decade, what were the best offerings from these studios that were still little-known at the time? Which films and shows are finding new ways to influence filmmakers, gain fans, and inspire audiences all these years later? Let's see that right away!
NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND: A MIYAZAKI CLASSIC
Based on the manga of the same name by Hayao Miyazaki , Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind paved the way for Studio Ghibli. The now legendary animation house was founded on the back of this groundbreaking film, inspired by mercury pollution in Japan's Minamata Bay. The story takes place a thousand years after an apocalyptic event that left the planet in ruins. Vast areas of land are covered in toxic jungles filled with giant mutated insects. Nausicaä , princess of the titular valley, hopes to find a way to bring the surviving humans and inhabitants of these toxic jungles together, but her quest for harmony will be slowed by the power-hungry kingdom of Tolmekia.
Nausicaä is, at heart, an anti-war tale. The event that destroyed the world (called the "Seven Days of Fire") was caused by human-created biological weapons, and the film's plot revolves around two nations vying for an embryo that can be used to recreate these devastating weapons of mass destruction. The influence of the political climate of the time is obvious. Miyazaki mirrors the Cold War in Nausicaä, creating a stalemate between two powers and playing on humanity's fear of nuclear conflict. 💣
The film, which was later dubbed "Hayao Miyazaki's first masterpiece" by Roger Ebert, also marked the first collaboration between Miyazaki and music director Joe Hisaishi , who would go on to compose memorable scores for some of the films Miyazaki's most famous.
THE WINGS OF HONNEAMISE: AN UNDERESTIMATED ANIME
In 1987,Gainax (the studio that would create the 90s classic Neon Genesis Evangelion) debuted with a film called The Wings of Honnéamise . Written and directed by then-24-year-old Hiroyuki Yamaga, the anime takes place in an alternate future in which humanity has yet to visit space. Inspired by a girl he meets, protagonist Shiro volunteers to become the first astronaut.👩🚀 It sounds like something Hayao Miyazaki could have done, but Yamaga 's film is much crueler than typical fare from Studio Ghibli, which partly explains why it didn't have the desired impact upon release.
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However, it has continued to be recognized as an important work, and according to The Quietus, it should still be considered "required viewing" for all anime fans today. As the online magazine explains, “The aerial sequences are visually remarkable: the tones of the colors in the sky, the perspectives of the ground and the horizon, the weightless play of the “camera” above the clouds. It’s top drawer art direction, storyboarding, editing, whatever you call it.” 🌌
AKIRA: A MASTERPIECE OF THE 80S
Released in 1988, Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira was the most expensive animated film of its time, and what's more, it became famous overnight. The aesthetic of the film, set in a megacity born in the wake of the destruction of Tokyo three decades earlier, continues to inform the cyberpunk genre to this day. The neon-drenched streets in Neo Tokyo were painstakingly created using cel animation, and the hard work put in by the studio really paid off. The film has a rich quality, and it's better than almost anything that came before it. "We didn't even use computers back then," said key animator Kuni Tomita (via The Japan Times) . "All hand-drawn. If you think about it, it was incredible work. Lots of dedication." 🖍️
Akira was well received in Japan, and it made back enough of its billion-yen-plus budget to be considered a financial success. Crucially, Otomo's film (which was based on his own long-running manga series) was also making waves overseas. "Anime briefly entered American markets with knockoffs such as Speed Racer, but none had quite the effect of Akira ," Film School Rejects recalls. “The film was distributed on pirated VHS tapes to every college, and once American audiences witnessed the film, they were hungrier than ever for anime.” Hollywood has failed trying to get a live-action Akira movie off the ground for years now, but hey, you can't improve on something that's already so great. ✨
VAMPIRE HUNTER D: A BRILLIANT BLEND OF ACTION, FANTASY AND HORROR
Based on a series of novels by horror author Hideyuki Kikuchi, 1985's Vampire Hunter D became known as a cult classic in the years following its release, in part because it was in the first batch of animated films to hit the United States in the 90s. The film was essentially a direct adaptation of the first Vampire Hunter D novel, which was only two years old at the time. A vampire hunter is hired by a farm girl named Doris Lang with the goal of killing the noble vampire who attacked and bit her. Like Blade in Marvel Comics, D is the half-breed child of a vampire and a human, meaning he has extraordinary vampire powers with the usual vulnerabilities of our race. 🧛♂️
According to Forbes, the first Vampire Hunter D movie was considered a huge success upon its release. The fusion of science fiction and high fantasy proved popular with fans on both sides of the Pacific, and people are raving about the film today. "From D's robotic horse to gothic castles to beings with psychic abilities, the world of Vampire Hunter D is truly unique," said horror siteBloody Disgusting . "The 1985 film involves a story that can be enjoyed without requiring extensive knowledge of the series."
MACROSS: THE BEST MECHA SHOW OF THE 80S
A number of memorable mecha exhibits debuted in the 1980s. Deciding which one to invest your time in can be difficult, but in my opinion, there is one anime that stands head and shoulders above the others when it comes to tackling the theme of giant robots fighting. Macross takes place in 2009, a decade after a giant alien spaceship crashed into Earth. Humanity was able to reverse engineer this spaceship (named the SDF-1 Macross) and use advanced technology, but it came at a cost, as war broke out when a race of aliens identified the Macross as a ship which once belonged to their sworn enemies. 🤖
Macross offers a mix of epic action, but what sets it apart is its ingenious soundtrack and romantic elements. Creator Shoji Kawamori described the show as "a love triangle set against the backdrop of big battles", a formula that would be used in several Macross sequels in the years to come. However, Macross wouldn't be Macross without music. The franchise has always relied heavily on its soundtracks, some of which have become as famous as the series itself.
Moreover, Mari Iijima, the voice actress who played idol singer Lynn Minmay in Macross , launched her music career following the success of the show. And if you need any more proof to prove to you the ingenuity of this show, regardless of format, a dubbed and meticulously edited version of Macross was released in the United States under the name Robotech , which also became a great success in its own right. 🎶
THE ANGEL'S EGG: THE BEST ARTISTIC ANIME OF THE TIME
Mamoru Oshii is probably best known for directing Ghost in the Shell in 1995, a film that is rightly considered essential viewing among anime fans everywhere. Like Akira in the '80s, this cyberpunk epic captured the imagination of American audiences with its stunning visuals. But while the plot left many viewers scratching their heads, Ghost in the Shell was a breeze compared to Angel's Egg . 🥚
Released a decade earlier, Oshii's collaboration with legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano requires patience. The movie only has two characters, and they don't talk very often. The first real line of dialogue comes 25 minutes into this 71-minute film. On the surface, Angel's Egg is just a beautifully executed artist's film, a "poem brought to life through visual interpretation," as the Classic Anime Museum puts it. He's meant to be admired for his unique style rather than fully understood, but there's a story there, if you know where to look. If you are also interested in art, you can find our collection of 5-piece Dragon Ball Paintings here .
Oshii is known to have studied Christianity for a number of years, and most of his works incorporate Christian themes. The Angel's Egg is rich in religious symbolism, but the message is far from positive. According to film critic Chris Stuckmann, Oshii had "a falling out with his faith" before directing The Angel's Egg , and this becomes clear as the film progresses. So if you're looking for a beautiful, contemplative film about the nature of faith, this '80s classic is definitely worth a watch. ✝️
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO: A HISTORICAL FILM FOR STUDIO GHIBLI
Hayao Miyazaki followed his breakthrough hit Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind with the making of Castle in the Sky in 1986, a wonderfully animated film that's definitely worth some of your time if you haven't already watched it. That being said, there have been many other gems in the world of 80s anime that Studio Ghibli has produced. We will therefore skip the Studio's first official feature film and go directly to My Neighbor Totoro in 1988, a historic film for Hayao Miyazaki. 🎥
This iconic anime revolves around two sisters who have just moved to the countryside to be closer to the hospital that treats their sick mother. And while they are there, they meet a magical creature, Totoro . Miyazaki reportedly alarmed investors somewhat at the time when he announced that he was going to make a film in the 1950s about two little girls and a forest spirit named Totoro, but he proved the doubters wrong because he image (and main character) would come to define Studio Ghibli in the years to come.
He was also right! Because who these days doesn't know Totoro? This mystical creature has become essential in the Japanese landscape and introduced many generations to the Studio style. You can also find a whole bunch of derivative products on Totoro and all the other animated films from the Studio exclusively atPassion Ghibli !
According to Helen McCarthy, author of the book Hayao Miyazaki: The Master of Japanese Animation (via Little White Lies), My Neighbor Totoro "extended the studio's positive and social credentials by tying itself so firmly to a simpler time and a society governed by nature. It’s this simplicity that made the film so special. Additionally, there is also an interesting layer of ambiguity. The fantastical Totoro doesn't feature all that often, with the focus largely being on his human neighbors. The forest spirit only appears when the girls need him, leaving some viewers convinced that he is in fact simply a figment of their imagination.
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GRAVE OF THE FIREFlies: ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING FILMS EVER MADE
Studio Ghibli's Grave of the Fireflies shows the final stages of World War II in Kobe, Japan, through the eyes of a younger brother and sister. Their mother dies from burns she received during an air raid early in the film, and the children later learned that their father, the sea captain, was most likely at the bottom of the ocean with the majority of the Japanese fleet. Seita and his sister, Setsuko , move from place to place trying to stay alive, but at this point the audience already knows it's hopeless. After all, the film opens with Seita dying of starvation and joining his sister's spirit before he goes back in time. ⏳
Tomb of the Fireflies is a difficult, often heartbreaking realization - even more so when you know that the writer-director actually lived it. Isao Takahata (who died in 2018 at age 82) and his sister, aged nine and ten at the time, had to flee their home in Okayama when the city was bombed. “As I ran, more and more around me something was going to get hit, so the race would get more and more confusing,” Takahata said. “I'm going to go this way, I'm going to go this way, and then something caught fire.” This backstory makes the devastating film even more powerful. As a result, Grave of the Fireflies isn't the kind of movie you'll watch over and over, but every anime fan should see it at least once in their life. More than 30 years have passed since its release, but it remains as relevant as ever. 🎬
WICKED CITY: GAVE A GREAT TURN TO THE ANIME
The legendary animation studio Madhouse was created in the early 1970s by four former employees of the Mushi Pro studio , who had fallen into turmoil. One of those former employees was Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who became a strong manager in the 1980s and helped establish Madhouse as a powerhouse. He debuted with the Star Wars-esque Lensman in 1984, a clean film with little violence. The same can't be said of his sophomore effort, 1987's unflinching gore-fest Wicked City .
What started as a 35-minute short film ended up becoming a feature film when Kawajiri's contributors saw that what he was producing could become a hit. In Wicked City, the human world secretly coexists with a demon world . A secret police force known as the Black Guard protects the border between the realms, which becomes dangerously blurred as the Treaty on Human Demons nears its renewal date. The film opens with a particularly memorable scene featuring a spider-like female demon who tries to, ahem, emasculate our protagonist, Taki. He escapes intact. But yes, this relatively offbeat anime is not really suitable for families. 🩸
“As dark and deranged as Wicked City can be, there's still a weight that also gives it heart,” explains Project Fandom's in-depth review of the film. “Pair that with a good plot, a pinch of cyberpunk and Madhouse-style animation, and you have a classic.” Luckily, this won't be Kawajiri's last classic, like 1993's Ninja Scroll . 🐱👤
CAPTAIN TSUBASA: A MAJOR WORK FOR ANIME AND FOOTBALL
Samurai Blue have become regulars at the FIFA World Cup over the past two decades, but around the time manga artist Yōichi Takahashi began working on Captain Tsubasa (known as Olive and Tom in France, football was not a well-known sport in Japan. In fact, the country didn't even have a professional league until the 1990s. So how did a football manga and its anime adaptation come about? have they managed to capture the imagination of thisbaseball- loving nation? ⚾
Well, Takahashi fell in love with soccer during the 1978 World Cup, which took place in Argentina but was broadcast in Japan. He then managed to capture the essence of the beautiful game in Captain Tsubasa (which debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1981), successfully selling the sport to his compatriots. Many see Takahashi's creation as absolutely essential to the development of football in the Land of the Rising Sun. “I'm grateful that people are saying it, and it honestly makes me happy to think that maybe I've been able to give a boost to Japanese football to some extent,” Takahashi said via This Football Times.
Plot-wise, Captain Tsubasa follows 11-year-old soccer fanatic Tsubasa Oozora as he evolves from student athlete to full-fledged superstar, playing for some of the biggest teams in Europe. Dubbed versions of the anime have proven popular on the continent, particularly in Spain. "I remember when I was a kid... everyone at school was talking about this soccer cartoon, from Japan," World Cup winner Fernando Torres said, adding: "I started playing football because of that." ⚽
DRAGON BALL: THE GEM OF THE 80S
We couldn't produce this article without talking to you about the iconic Dragon Ball saga of course! Dragon Ball Z has become so popular in the West that even those who had no idea about the anime have heard of it. Anime dominated the minds of young people in the late 1990s, establishing a middle ground between the Saturday morning cartoons that America was accustomed to and the hyper-violent, adult-oriented anime that was coming sometimes from Japan. DBZ also made a huge impact in its home country. The positive reaction to the series led to other anime like One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach getting anime adaptations, and the original Dragon Ball manga is still a benchmark in the shonen genre to this day. But what many people don't seem to realize is that DBZ isn't the first anime based on Akira Toriyama's influential manga. 📽️
Created in 1986, the original Dragon Ball saga is different from the DBZ series in many ways. In the original series, the main character Goku is not a muscular, super-powered hero. He's just a weird little boy with a monkey tail who happens to be super strong. This might sound a little boring to those who grew up with DBZ, but Dragon Ball is an undeniably brilliant show in its own right. In fact, depending on what you're looking for in an anime, this is arguably the better of the two. There's less angst and more comedy. There's less fluttering and more realistic martial arts. And there's a lot more respect for the mystical wish-granting orbs the story is named after, which were used far too often in DBZ. 🟠
In any case, if you are reading this article it is because you probably grew up with at least one of these anime as a model. Don't wait any longer to get your complete collection of DBZ Derivative Products and remember the good memories spent in front of your television or while reading your emblematic mangas!
