Lots of interesting, exciting, frustrating or horrific things happened during everybody’s growth path. But surely, not everything leaves a deep impression for us. In most cases, cartoon or animation will be deeply remembered. Then, when it comes to classic anime that goes with 80s’ grow-up, how many do you still remember now? Below, let’s take a look at 10 anime that are considered to be the most classic for 80s.
Top 1: Arale – Relaxing
Arale is another amusing masterpiece from Akira Toriyama, themed on an unbeatable machine baby. Lots of 80s dreamed of having an Arale at that time. The story is exaggerating and funny, winning favor from both boys and girls. It makes us feel relaxed. Villains’ ending is often miserable yet also comedic.
Top 2: Flash Kicker – Inspirational
Flash Kicker by Yoichi Takahashi is one of the most popular sports anime in 90s. It does not only arouse a wave in the anime industry, but also makes more Japanese youngsters fall in love with this athletics. Tsubasa Ozora, Taro Misaki and Genzo Wakabayashi represent numerous athletes who are fond of football and run on the football ground. Although plots are so conventional and the capability of Tsubasa Ozora and Japanese team is unlimitedly exaggerated, these flaws didn’t cover the shine on the anime at all during that time.
Top 3: Ranma 1/2 – Comedic
This is the most important anime produced by Takahashi Rumiko in the earlier stage. Like Arale, it’s relaxing and humorous. But funny style on Ranma affects lots of anime works in the later. Most of 80s are yearning for this anime. Even though Inuyasha draws most attention at present, it still can’t surpass the popularity of Ranma, which stole the show at that time.
Top 4: Detective Conan – Unveiling the Truth
It refers to an inferential anime created by Aoyama Gōshō, rather popular. 2,500,000 volumes of offprint are sold on average and it’s serialized till now. Comparing with above anime, this one is much younger. But tense plots and appropriate atmosphere make readers immerse in the anime. Although some cases feel too simple or naive while being compared with Kindaichi Hajime, Conan’s image charm is far stronger than Kindaichi Hajime’s. This anime makes us remember the sentence: there is only one truth.
Top 5: Touch – Sweet yet Bitter
Mitsuru Adachi is an author, who is good at seizing characters’ inner world. Touch is also a sports anime. But I prefer to consider it to be an emotion anime. Baseball is just a carrier. With its help, the author writes down love that is most sincere and true. He makes readers personally experience this love. While recalling, you will feel sweet and also a little bitter. Maybe, this is exactly that what Mitsuru Adachi wants to express. Fine description, anime roles’ eye contact and words they wish to speak but stop on a second thought all make us feel the emotion that only oozes out from love.
Top 6: Gundam – Epic
What does Gundam stand for? In Japan, it definitely symbolizes a monument or an epic. Actually speaking, I don’t like anime themed on outer space. But great influence made by Gundam can’t be neglected at all. So far, Gundam series is the most successful anime in inspiring people to produce peripherals. A set of genuine Gundam model is deeply loved by Gundam devotees. For sure, it’s sold on a little expensive price. Gains brought by this anime are absolutely incomparable with what other common anime created.
Top 7: Saint Seiya – Childhood
What does Saint Seiya mean? Yes, it stands for childhood – 80s’ childhood, who saw Japanese anime when they were children. Those mysterious Greece legends, dazzling stoles and rather beautiful move names do leave such a deep impression on lots of 80s. More than 20 years have gone. Other anime from Masami Kurumada has been forgotten. But Saint Seiya will be forever remembered. Names like Seiya, Hyoga, Shiryu, Shun and Ikki can’t be effaced however many years later.
Top 8: Doraemon – Dream
It’s known as Amon, Tinker Bell, Machine Cat and uniformly called as Doraemon at last. Protagonist also has lots of names like Nobi, Nobita, etc. Both of these can illustrate how influential Doraemon was at that time. People who watched Doraemon loved to dream and dream to be Doraemon. I also want to have a machine cat or a magical bag. Fujiko F. Fujio leaves us with a dream or a wish. In 80s, Japan was in a phase of economic crisis. Anime industry was also impacted intensely. Fortunately, there was Doraemon, which gave the nation a dream. And it’s exactly people who dreamed that became mainstream and backbone of the Japanese society, who helped the economy in Japan rise again.
Top 9: Slam Dunk – Perfect
Roles in Slam Dunk are warm-blooded, funny, fighting and emotional. I really can’t come up with another anime that can perfectly fuse all of these elements in that era. Yes, only Slam Dunk did this! It’s loved by both boys and girls. In most cases, people will like one manga yet dislike another one. This even makes sense on Saint Seiya, Doraemon and Dragon Ball. But Slam Dunk is an exception, which draws favor from all people. Anybody will fall in love with it once watching. You can’t help but feeling fascinated with it, maybe because of Rukawa Kaede, Sakuragi Hanamichi, Hisashi Mitsui or Takenori Akagi. Anyway, there must be a role you like. Slam Dunk is a masterpiece from Inoue Takehiko. Probably, you also complain why such a wonderful anime is made to be only 101 episodes. Why does it end so fast? Maybe, it’s like Venus. Mutilation is also a kind of beauty, which is definitely Inoue Takehiko’s aesthetic viewpoint.
Top 10: Dragon Ball Z – A Monument Work
If you didn’t watch Dragon Ball in the early 90s, you may be not an oppidan. But if you didn’t hear of Dragon Ball, you should not a terran, XD. Akira Toriyama is worthy of a master. He used several roles from the Chinese classical literature “The Journey To The West” and quickly opened a path on the Japanese anime market. In the early stage of Dragon Ball before the evil of Piccoro appeared, he used a comedic pattern, which was the same with what’s used in Arale. Then, when it came to Piccoro, Saiyan and Namekian, Dragon Ball was changed. It became a tremendous work or an insuperable peak. We can’t know how many people were watching Dragon Ball at that time. But we can know how many people were not watching Dragon Ball. This is exactly the charm of Dragon Ball. Seven Dragon Balls changed the world and the universe. Are there really Dragon Balls in the world? I have been thinking about this till now.
Then, is there any other anime that leaves a unique or deep impression for you in the childhood? For me, I more like Kindaichi.
Slam Dunk is not from the 80’s… Even the manga run was from 1990 to 1996.
80’s means people born during 1980-1990 🙂