It is an undeniable fact that the 90s were a golden era for martial arts anime series. From the cult classic Dragon Ball to the shonen hit Yuu Yuu Hakusho, all of the best titles in the genre were released in the 1990s.

In today’s article, we will be taking a look at ten such amazing animes from the 1990s that have a martial arts theme.

The titles are ranked according to their MyAnimeList rating, from the lowest rated to the highest rated. However, rest assured, each and every one of the shows on this list is definitely worth watching. So without further ado, here is a list of the best 90s martial arts anime:

10. Shadow Skill: Eigi

Shadow Skill is one of the best martial arts anime from the 90s featuring a female lead. The show is about our girl named Elle Ragu, who becomes the Sevaar in the land of Kuruda, and her stepbrother Gau.

The title of Sevaar is the highest honor any warrior could have, as it symbolizes the strongest fighter in all of Kuruda.

However, her life wasn’t easy after she obtained the title. As a matter of fact, it just became more troubling for her. She has to fight assassins from other countries and pass down her martial arts skills to her adoptive younger brother.

9. Tekken Chinmi

Tekken Chinmi is a 90s action-adventure anime series filled with martial arts goodness. The show is about Chinmi, a young boy who is known for his fighting skills.

One day, he gets an invitation from the Kung-fu masters of the temple, asking him to become their apprentice.

Chinmi joins the temple and soon rises as the greatest pupil they’ve ever had. Once his basic training was finished, he was tasked with going on a pilgrimage, where his adventures truly started.

He comes across various people, both good and bad, and experiences the world. However, on his return to the temple, he learns that the Mongols are about to attack, and he must use everything he has learned to fend them off.

Note: The anime itself was released in the late 80s, but the manga ran deep into the 90s, so it has been included since it is too good to pass up!

8. Recca no Honoo

Recca no Honoo is an action-packed martial arts anime from the 90s featuring ninjas.

The anime tells the story of Recca, a boy aspiring to become a ninja.

However, in modern times, ninjas are a thing of the past. They do not exist anymore.

Regardless, that doesn’t stop Recca.

He starts fighting with everyone, claiming that he will become their slave if anyone can defeat him. This shows how serious he actually is.

But the real twist starts when he meets a girl with a supernatural ability to heal any wound.

Together, they find out that Recca actually comes from a legendary ninja family.

Things get even more tense when he finds out that he has the ability to manipulate fire. With his newfound powers, he has to fend off mysterious people who are pursuing him.

7. Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken

The hero of this anime is a young kid named Dai who was raised by a monster. As a matter of fact, the island where he grew up had no humans other than him. Therefore, all he knew were the monsters.

However, he aims to become a great hero and goes on an adventure to realize his dream. This is when the previous hero, Avan, notices Dai and takes him as his apprentice.

While things seem to be going great, the previous demon lord gets resurrected and engages in a fight with Avan. This ends in Avan’s defeat, and his students Dai and Pop are in a dire situation.

This is when Dai unlocks a superpower and fends off the demon lord. Now, the duo has to travel through lands and defeat the demon lord for good.

6. Fushigi Yuugi

Fushigi Yuugi stands apart from the rest of the anime on this list because it is a shoujo anime that mixes martial arts, romance and isekai themes together.

This anime has a main female lead, Miaka Yuuki, who, along with her friend, gets teleported into a fantasy world when they come across an ancient book in a library.

In the unknown land, the duo instantly gets into trouble as some slave traders try to capture them. However, thanks to a mysterious young martial artist, they manage to escape the slave traders.

But their joy does not last long as Miaka’s friend is once again transported back to their original world. Together with the young martial artist, Miaka has to find a way to return to her world, all the while taking part in the fantasy world’s exciting events.

5. Fist of the North Star

While Fist of the North Star is from the 1980s and not the 90s, it is still easily one of the most popular martial arts anime series on this list.

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and centers around our hero, Kenshirou.

Kenshiro was backstabbed and abandoned in the wasteland, while his rival Shin had kidnapped Ken’s fiancee.

In order to rescue her, Kenshiro has to adventure through the harsh lands, full of gangsters and other evil people.

But luckily, Kenshiro is the successor of Hokuto Shinken, a deadly martial arts technique.

The show is about how our hero defeats several bad guys who were tormenting innocent people and how he saves his own fiancée.

4. Rurouni Kenshin

At number 4, we have the greatest anime series out there featuring katana and sword-fighting themes.

This anime follows the story of Kenshin Himura, a nomad samurai with a blunt blade. Ten years ago, he was a feared warrior who had killed hundreds of people in the war, earning him the title “Hitokiri Battousai.”

However, he got sick of that bloody lifestyle and now lives as a simple man, atoning for his sins.

But when his enemies from the past find him and endanger the people he loves, he has no choice but to fight again.

Rurouni Kenshin tells the epic tale of this legendary samurai fighting to protect the people he loves.

3. Ranma ½

Ranma 1/2 is one of the most unique 90s anime with a martial arts theme, where the main character turns into a girl.

One day, Ranma, the main character of this series, falls into a cursed hot spring and gets a curse that cold water will turn him into a woman.

The only way to reverse it is to splash hot water on himself. With such a disposition, Ranma, a well-trained martial artist, has to navigate his life.

To make matters even more interesting, he is also about to get married to a girl who hates men.

With these two interesting characters at play, Ranma 1/2 is easily the most entertaining series on this list.

2. Yuu Yuu Hakusho

Next up at number 2, we have Yuu Yuu Hakusho. This is a legendary shonen anime series that mixes up martial arts and fantasy and creates an amusing world.

The main character of the series, Yuusuke, sacrifices his life in order to save a kid’s life. Because of his untimely but heroic death, he gets a second chance at life after going through a trial.

But there is a catch. He has to become the spirit detective and deal with any supernatural threats that harm the world.

One thing leads to another, and the MC has to participate in a deadly tournament and fight demons and devils in order to save the world.

1. Dragon Ball

It must be no surprise that the number one spot on this list of the best 90s martial arts anime goes to the legendary Dragon Ball series.

Dragon Ball is a perfect anime filled with action, comedy, and adventure, making it an unforgettable watch.

The story follows a young boy named Son Goku, who lives alone in a forest after the death of his grandfather. The only thing that his grandpa left behind is an orange ball with stars in it.

However, an ambitious girl named Bulma arrives at Goku’s place looking to take the orange ball. Apparently, it is one of the legendary dragon balls that will grant any wish to the person who collects all seven balls.

Thus begin the hilarious adventures of Goku and Bulma, who eventually meet other martial artists, fight in tournaments, and, at one point, fight to save the world.

That’s it for this post. These were the top 10 greatest martial arts anime from the 90s. Thank you for reading, and we’ll see you in the next article!

The post Top 10 Most Popular Martial Arts Anime of the 90s appeared first on 90sanime.com.

Back in the day, everyone had a fighting franchise that was their favorite. In the 90s, we had some biggies.

Mortal Kombat appeared in arcades around 1992. Street Fighter was born in the late 80s and grew to major fame in the 90s with the Championship Edition. Fatal Fury also arrived in 1991 with Fatal Fury 2 following in 1992. To round out the list, it is best to mention Tekken and Virtual Fighter also being popular.

Like most 80s and 90s kids, I spent a lot of time in the arcade. My fighting game of choice was always in the SNK series. Normally, Fatal Fury or World Heroes (both of which, I beat).

So, to be totally transparent and fair…SNK is my jam.

The first Fatal Fury movie I saw was Fatal Fury 2. I was working in a Suncoast Video store at the time and likely bought a copy of the VHS when it was released. I can’t totally remember, but what I do remember is being very impressed with the film. So much so that I later bought the DVD. 

This movie has always held a special place in my list of favorites. Largely because of the music. But I also recalled it depicting my favorite characters from the game very well.

I decided to sit down and rewatch it to write a review. Here are my thoughts on this 90s anime movie which I have always enjoyed. Does it hold up?

Spoiler Alert! I’m like totally recounting most of the story below.

Round 1 – Fight!

Fatal Fury 2, was released in 1994 by Viz Communications, and it has one of the most powerful openings to any anime movie I have ever watched.

It begins with a montage of events all while the story’s antagonist is playing the organ in his castle’s chapel. This organ music is both beautiful and chilling. It’s haunting and has become a major earworm (a song stuck in your head) for me throughout the years.

During the montage, we see the new villain, Wolfgang Krauser, searching for the villain from the first movie, Geese Howard. Geese is in hiding while he recovers from the wounds he sustained during the epic battle between him and the hero of the game and movie series, Terry Bogard.

When Wolfgang finds Geese, he asks him who is the man who beat the “King of Southtown?” Geese is not shy to answer.

Having played and beat Geese myself, it feels almost as if Geese is telling Wolfgang Krauser that the person who beat him is me. Again…chills.

Fatal Fury 2 has the kind of animation I like, and when combined with the voice acting, the characters come to life on the screen.

Terry is introduced to us while working the docks. He’s clearly trying to live a normal and anonymous life. As he does his job, he’s confronted by another fighter.

Terry is our hero. He’s calm and courteous. He represents the common man, just living his life while trying to help a less fortunate kid. He doesn’t want to fight, but he will. Especially when it appears to be an honorable challenger.

The fight starts and the scene transforms into something similar to a background from a 90s fighting game. They are on the docks and the clouds are rolling over them. It’s perfect, only lacking a graphic that says, ROUND 1 – Fight!

When Terry fights Kim Kapwhan, he suffers a small injury which appears to be something that has nagged him since his battle with Geese. Terry is fine and easily beats Kim and out of honor pulls him from the water after the fight.

It’s right after the fight, that Krauser makes his presence known and confronts Terry in a back alley.

Krauser is a mix of things, he sounds almost like Dracula, and looks like he belongs in another 90s anime like BASTARD!! or Record of Lodoss War.

The fear that Terry has meeting Krauser and being outclassed by his fighting skills is palatable. He seems to be able to read and mimic his opponent’s moves and easily kicks Terry’s ass.

Round 2 – Fight!!

This is where the story truly starts.

Fatal Fury 2 is a redemption tale. Terry has suffered a massive loss, and he’s not handling it well.

With another glorious use of music, which is gripping and emotional, we watch Terry spiral. He’s drinking. Wandering streets. Getting beat up by thugs. He’s a broken man.

And we, as the viewer, get to go along with him on this sad journey in the form of a montage with precise angles and perfect use of slow-mo.

To really elevate the story, the writers give us a flashback to further develop our villain and his motives.  This is when we learn how Krauser and Geese are connected. It turns out they are half-brothers.

Finally, we are introduced to the other major players of the Fatal Fury franchise, as they learn of Terry’s loss.

First up, the biggest sex symbol of any and all SNK games, Mai Shiranui! Mai has certain attributes that the fans love and in order to service such fans those attributes often…bounce. Just saying.

Mai has a crush on Terry’s brother Andy Bogard and while Andy trains, she attacks him. She’s a little cranky with Andy (he’s been ignoring her) and at first Mai seems to be a fighter that’s a good match for him.

But once Andy learns what happened to his brother, from his friend Joe Higashi, he returns to his normal cool self. In fact, it is easy to say that Andy is too cool for school. He does not want what Mai is selling (while the rest of us do!).

Now that we have met Andy and Joe, the three main characters of the Fatal Fury series are now alive on our screen, and wow, they really look and sound like you would expect them to. Like they stepped from the Neo Geo arcade machine and right onto the TV screen.

Once again, the organ music from the intro of the movie builds up in the background as Jubei, the master of the school where Andy and Mai trained, tells the group the history of Wolfgang Krauser.

I must note that as a writer, the biggest rule is to show and not tell. In this scene, we watch Andy grip his knee and then make a fist. This is such a great example of the rule. They could have had him say, “I’m mad!” or “This makes me so mad!” But instead, they showed him getting angry. Amazing!!!

Jubei challenges Andy to a fight because he will not let Andy rush off to confront Krauser. As they fight, we are once again shown a character’s emotions when we see Mai’s eyes shake and shimmer with concern and care for Andy.

Round 3 – Fight!!!

I don’t want to spoil the entire movie. Just know that we are awarded with more flashbacks, this time masterfully showing Terry’s background. After this, Terry starts to pull his shit together and get back into the game.

There is a long climactic battle. Our hero and villain fight, trading kick for kick and punch for punch. And yes, the unthinkable happens.

One last spoiler…and this is the moment that hurts my feelings the most. Krauser… his…. his… his huge organ is destroyed. No, your sickos, not that one! The one he plays the haunting music on! Man, what a loss!

I might sound like I’m repeating myself, but the music in this movie is a character in and of itself. And when the movie’s seventy-five minutes are over it has only felt like twenty minutes. It flows that good.

Final Thoughts

Fatal Fury 2 is one of my favorite 90s anime movies. Yes, I have seen Akira. It was my favorite in the 90s. I have probably seen it 10-11 times. But watching 90s anime movies again now, I have to say that I’d rather watch Fatal Fury 2 over and over.

So, I would list Perfect Blue and Fatal Fury 2 as my favorites. I mean one is a cinematic masterpiece and the other is, well,  Perfect Blue.

I’m kidding! I’m kidding!

What do they say? There is no accounting for taste. At this blog, we believe that. Taste is subjective and not objective. To each their own.

The post Recalling Fatal Fury 2 – A Fighting Anime Masterpiece appeared first on 90sanime.com.

Dark Fantasy is a popular subgenre in literature that often has grim and blood-soaked themes. It can be scary or disturbing and sometimes it may even feel more like a Horror than a Fantasy.

What is a subgenre?

In literature, many genres can be broken down into categories. Many of these categories exist within primary genres that have been mixed with others. For example, when Fantasy is mixed with horror, it is often called Dark Fantasy.

For of this, see our post on anime genres and demographics!

We can’t speak for everyone, but Dark Fantasy is one of our favorite genres in all forms of pop culture. These 90s anime are all good reasons why.

Side note: In Dark Fantasy the protagonist could be an anti-hero, and they might like to scream a lot.

Second side note: There’s gonna be blood. Lots of it.

The Best Dark Fantasy Anime of the 90s and what makes them so Dark (see what I did there?)

Berserk

Berserk is a well-known series for 90s anime fans. It’s often used as an example, outside of anime, as a perfect sample of Dark Fantasy storytelling. Killer, right?

(Pretty cool, right? Didn’t sound Dark Fantasy enough for this article) 

Berserk is the story of a legendary swordsman people call The Black Swordsman.  His name is Guts (I guess Blood was taken).

The show begins in the present but then flashes back to when Guts was young. Guts is a skilled fighter but is bested in combat by Griffith, the enigmatic leader of a group of mercenaries called the Band of the Hawk. After his defeat, Guts joins them and rises through their ranks over the years.

Berserk aired on Nippon TV from October 1997 to April 1998 with 25 episodes in total. But what makes it a Dark Fantasy?

Well, it’s easy to refer to this animation as brutal and at times disturbing. If you ever needed to visualize the word “visceral,” pairing it with this show will help. I can still hear the screaming, hours after I have rewatched the first couple episodes. So much screaming…

Reviews for Berserk are often favorable and refer to the characters as well-written. We agree and quite enjoy how static manga art is mixed into the animation during battle scenes, it sorta punctuates the violence. Not that it needs to be driven home any more than it already is, lol.

Now and Then, Here and There

Dark Fantasy comes in all shapes and sizes. For example, Now and Then, Here and There is a blend of Post-apocalyptic, Sci-fi, Isekai, and Fantasy genres and more. It’s what we more commonly refer to as multi-genre.

Now and Then, Here and There may look cute at first, but it’s the furthest thing from cute. If you have delicate sensibilities, you may want to avoid this one. We don’t want you screaming, “I am far too sensitive!” like Stu from a certain 1996 American slasher film, after watching it.

This story follows Shu (not Stu) after he’s transported to another world when attempting to protect a girl. This world is a waterless wasteland filled with despair.

Brace yourself, gentle viewers, as there are a lot of elements of physical and mental torture. What makes this fantasy story so dark is the additional themes of slavery, child exploitation, and rape (thankfully most of which is implied graphic content).

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but the reviewers really enjoy the masterful storytelling and top-notch voice acting.

Ninja Scroll    

We find ourselves once again mentioning the highly regarded 1993 Ninja Scroll. Set during the Tokugawa Shogunate, this 90s ninja anime film is everything 90s kids wanted dipped in chocolate syrup and drenched in a blended mix of corn syrup, corn starch, and red food coloring!

Ninja Scroll is the brutal story of Jubei, a Ronin/Mercenary Ninja. Jubei is neck-deep in a nasty assortment of demons and devils, and he hacks and slashes his way through them all over the course of the 94-minute movie.

It’s an understatement to say that Ninja Scroll is filled with action-packed graphic violence. It’s gloomy and morose and feels like it has a dark cloud hovering over it the entire time. Wow, it’s great!  

What makes it a Dark Fantasy? Outside of basically defining the subgenre by just glimpsing the cover art? Well…

A. It’s a fantasy tale set in an alternate history.
B. It’s filled with horror and supernatural elements (like demons…just saying).
C. Your iPad, smart tv, or monitor will literary be dripping with blood by the end of the film.

Need we say more?

Often listed in the top anime movies of the 90s, Ninja Scroll is a great film to watch, and if you liked Guts from Berserk (listed above), then you will likely love Jubei too.

Record of Lodoss War

If Dungeons and Dragons of the 80s was a Japanese Anime, it would be the 1990s release by Madhouse.

Fighter, Cleric, Thief, Wizard, all the classes are there and represented by the classic RPG’s races such as Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and more!

It goes without saying that a show that fits perfectly into the Fantasy genre, like Record of the Lodoss War, would touch upon the Dark Fantasy subgenre. However, it’s more strongly seated in the Sword and Sorcery category. 

Demonic possessions, evil spirits, vicious warlords, and monsters galore fill the minutes of each episode of this thrilling show. (Yes, there are demons)

Parn, the main character is the son of a disgraced knight, and he’s seeking to return honor to his family while on quests against the lord of the rival land, a demon god, and an evil necromancer.

Dark, right? Well, not quite as dark in the story, violence, or characters as Ninja Scroll, Berserk, or Now and Then, Here and Now. While it has those grim themes, Record of Lodoss War balances them carefully on a foundation built on colorful environments and a much larger love story.

Reviews are good, with most people pointing out good animation and a great soundtrack.

Princess Mononoke

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli, Princess Mononoke is a blockbuster film that made its studio a household name.

This movie fits the Fantasy genre, and then blends across many subgenres like Historical Fiction, Epic Fantasy, and Dark Fantasy.

Can you guess one of the reasons why it can be labeled a Dark Fantasy? (hint – malevolent supernatural entities)

Ashitaka, the last prince of a village is cursed by a demon. The curse awards superhuman strength but also creates a great deal of pain and will kill him in time.

He’s told by a wise woman that he must leave his lands and begin a journey in search of a cure. It’s on this trek through the wilderness that he encounters more gods and spirits. He also meets San, a human girl who rides a giant wolf.

San and Ashitaka start off on different sides, but soon join forces and face lots of danger as they fight against a town that’s clearing the forest and making iron weapons.

The movie gets brutal at times when we see innocent townspeople slaughtered. Limbs are hacked off; bones are exposed, and blood is splattered about. Sadly, many animals are killed, but not as graphically as the people are.

While not pure Dark Fantasy it has some great elements of it.

Hey! Don’t let that stop you from watching this masterpiece with a massive 93% approval rate at Rotten Tomatoes.

BASTARD!!

Let’s end strong.

Bastard!! is entirely Dark Fantasy. The description of it often throws out the word “dark” like it’s free! Lol.

Bastard!! has a dark age, a dark army, and a dark wizard! This show lives in a Dungeons and Dragons-style dystopian world, and it does not take itself too seriously.

Bastard!! tells the story of an evil wizard who has possessed a young boy. This wizard’s name is…wait for it…wait for it…Dark Schneider! (mic drop) (guitar riff)

Released in the early 90s, Bastard!! blends pop culture with popular music by naming lands, spells, and people after popular heavy metal artists. Think about it, what other music could be more perfectly matched with Dark Fantasy?

Swords and sorcery, devils and demons, wicked wizards and damsels in distress, Bastard!! has a Conan feel to it at times and we think that rocks!

Prepare yourself for lots of yelling in this one!!!

Conclusion

What have we learned? Dark Fantasy can be blended with a lot of things. It’s often set in dystopian worlds and focuses on the suffering of a people or person.

Expect stories full of excessive violence, moral ambiguity, apocalyptic storylines, and on occasion some fun anti-hero characters.

One last thing to note. Like the mystery genre has rain, Dark Fantasy seems to have demons.

The post The Greatest Dark Fantasy Anime of the 1990s appeared first on 90sanime.com.

Perfect Blue is based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.

I touched upon this one in a smaller summary in an article about the 90s animation works of Madhouse Studios.

So, please forgive me if I repeat myself. I just rewatched this movie and it has taken a few days to let the epic maelstrom of this story settle in my brain.

Perfect Blue follows the career of a budding actress. Her name is Mima Kirigoe, and she’s a former member of a J-pop band called CHAM!

Upon quitting the band, Mima embarks on a new career as an actress. Her agent, Rumi Hidaka, helps her deal with the changes in her life as she takes on a small role in a psychological thriller/police detective drama show called Double Bind.

This new role requires Mima to do things she has never done before. Some things that might be considered racy or even tarnish her good girl – popstar image.

Stop now if you do not want to be lightly spoiled.

The Layers of Reality are Revealed

As the stress of filming builds, Mima starts to struggle with lingering regret. Should she have left her singing career? Is acting what she really wants? Is it all worth it?

Soon, her small role grows, and the producers of the show want to film her in a graphic rape scene (while not quite hentai, there is a nudity and graphic violence warning here when watching this movie). Mima enters the scene with a good attitude, but the reality of the scene and its subject matter breaks her down. 

While going home, she starts to see herself, in her old popstar outfit, in a reflection. The reflection claims to be the real her and is unkind in its words and treatment of her.

To make matters worse, it appears that Mima has a stalker who is releasing information about her on a website called “Mima’s Room.”

You’d think that would be enough for one young starlet to be dealing with, but soon there are murders of people Mima knows or has worked with, and she’s unsure of her involvement as her hold on reality is fracturing more and more.

Mima is suffering from some sort of disassociation. Or are we, the viewers suffering from it? The director uses a form of layering to tell the story that blurs the lines.

One moment we are here, another we are there. Time jumps. Was that a dream? Did that just happen? One violent scene will segue into a benign one. It makes you feel a little crazy.

At the same time, it’s masterfully done.

I’m an author. I have written several books. You may or may not know that. So, while watching Perfect Blue, I was trying to imagine what would be required to write this story in screenplay or novel format. It was hard to calculate. The only way I can see it, or describe it, is layers. Which is the “magic word” for today’s review boys and girls. 

Stop now if you REALLY don’t want to be seriously spoiled!!!

Uncovering the Shocking Truth

As the movie draws to a chilling end, Mima manages to somehow finish shooting her role in the show. Her character is revealed to have a multiple personality disorder…but at first, you are led to believe that’s what Mima herself has.

Is it just her character who is having a mental breakdown, maybe? Maybe not? Again, the director uses segues and layers to keep us guessing.

Regardless, there’s an attack. A rabid fan nearly rapes Mima. She manages to escape only to be saved by her agent, Rumi.

When Mima wakes up in her room, she suddenly realizes it’s not her room at all. It’s a reproduction, and the other version of herself she has been seeing is there. The popstar reflection attacks her, and we, the viewer, are awarded with a glimpse past the curtain.

Holy smokes! It’s Rumi, dressed as Mima!

Wow, this movie ends strong. There’s a fight, a chase, another fight! We watch it all surrealistically unfold. We see the popstar version of Mima’s face twist and transform into Rumi.

It’s all so chilling!

I don’t want to spoil the last couple of minutes. It’s too good for words, and I hope you all have, or will, enjoy it yourselves.

Perfect Blue: Closing Thoughts

Perfect Blue has it all. Great storytelling. Interesting characters. Action. Mystery. Some small fan service even (yet blended in, so it’s not gratuitous. Or maybe it is. You make the call.).

I really did not want to give a 5-star rating to anything. I’m one of those people who feel like there should always be room to grow. Nothing is perfect…then I watched Perfect Blue and I was like…damn…I need to give this 90s Japanese anime movie 5 stars!

Some interesting facts for those who are umm…interested…

It’s hard not to compare the animated Perfect Blue to the live-action Black Swan. Especially when you do the research and find out that Darron Aronofsky is a fan of Satoshi Kon. He denies that he was inspired by it, but you can make your own call here.

I think maybe he was.

The post Perfect Blue: A Masterfully Layered Japanese Animation Movie appeared first on 90sanime.com.

Most of these shows combine genres with the list above, so it would be normal to find a show that is Mystery and Romance (for example, 1996’s Fake).

In this article, we will touch upon 13 shows (in no particular order) that fit into the Mystery genre of 90s anime.

Side note: You can always spot a mystery show. How? It’s raining. (Thunderstorms are a bonus.)

Second side note: I am totally peppering this one with pop culture references. Get ready! Let’s have fun!

The Best Mystery Anime of the 90s

13. The Files of Young Kindaichi 

The Kindaichi Case Files is one of the ultimate whodunnit series! It began serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine and ran from 1992 to 2017. It is considered one of the earliest works in the mystery genre. Of course, it spawned an anime series and much more. A new series was released in 2018 and follows the characters after a time jump.

Renamed The Files of Young Kindaichi, the show ran on Nippon TV from 1997 to 2000 and it aired 148 episodes and one special edition. Two animated movies were also created and released by Toei.

The Files of Young Kindaichi followed the stories of Hajime Kindaichi a lazy high school student with a high IQ and adeptness in solving mysteries and gruesome murders.

Sadly, most people judge him poorly for being an unmotivated slacker. Miyuki Nanse is his neighbor and a perfect student. She sees him for who he truly is.

After watching a couple of episodes recently, I made note of an important detail…it was raining. Also, the murderers are often real people with real issues and not psychopaths. This makes for much more interesting stories.

12. The Big O

Often labeled as Mech-Noir or Tech-Noir (I love that term), The Big O is a combination of genres. You could call it action-adventure, sci-fi, mech.. etc. That being said, the entire plot is based on a mystery.

Forty years prior to the story, there was an “event” that destroyed much of the world and left the survivors with amnesia.

Cool premise, right?

The story’s main character is Roger Smith. He is a negotiator for the city of Paradigm and he works with a female android who he is also the caretaker for.

Roger is a slick Bruce Wayne-looking guy which fits because the anime has a Batman the Animated Series style to it.  Even Paradigm city has a polished Gotham feel to it.

Roger also has a cool Batmobile… I mean, it’s a special car, more like something James Bond would drive.

One thing Roger Smith has that Bruce Wayne doesn’t is a giant robot Megadeus called Big O, which is helpful when other giant robots or kaiju-looking things attack.

All he needs to do is speak into his watch and say, “Showtime!” Which is kinda like when Michael Knight called to K.I.T.T. (I feel comfortable with this reference because Knight Rider ended not long before the 90s began.)

In this story, the characters seek to remember and decipher their mysterious pasts. Since it is only 26 episodes, it can be a quick and easy show to binge-watch.

11. Black Jack

I was not expecting to like Black Jack. I judged the old book by its cover, or anime show by its main character’s dumb hairstyle and Frankenstein’s monsters scars and Dracula cape…

But wow, I kinda loved this one after watching it. I must admit, I just watched it for the first-time weeks ago and then binged much of it afterward.

Black Jack is a Medical Mystery Seinen anime, or would it be Seinen Medical Mystery anime?  Your choice, I guess.

Regardless, Black Jack comes with a nudity warning. Nothing too graphic, just a flash of boobs each episode. Sometimes, it felt unnecessary, other times, it fit into the story, like when the freedom fighter woman showed the doctor her scars, so he could understand the sacrifices she had given to her home.

But who is Black Jack? Well, he’s what you would consider a mercenary. He’s a highly skilled doctor for hire, and is often sought after for rare ailments or jobs steeped in danger. He’s intelligent with nerves of steel and the ability to defend himself if needed.

It is also important to note that he is loved by the ladies. It seemed like they were always throwing themselves at him for one reason or another. But Black Jack is anti-social and seems to only care about his loyal assistant Pinoka, who is also his adopted daughter and the result of a parasitic twin case.

Um, yeah, she’s a Teratogenous Cystoma (a growth the TV’s Pimple Popper might commonly call a teratoma). It’s a long story, but one worth watching to understand further.

The thing that stands out the most in these exciting episodes is the sheer volume of medical terms. Black Jack often explains the medical mystery as he solves it or operates, and the terms he uses are right out of Grey’s Anatomy, and wow, it just legitimizes the show.

10. Case Closed

Case Closed (also known as Detective Conan) is a massively popular manga and anime. The manga has run from 1994 to the present with over 102 volumes.

The anime premiered on January 8, 1996, on Nippon Television Network System in Japan and has been airing from 1996 to now with over 1,065 episodes. Impressive, right?

This is a multi-media giant with films, OAVS, audio CDs, video games, and TV specials.

Case Closed is the story of a high school detective, Jimmy Kudo, who was de-aged by a drug. Now he’s in grade school.

He acts like a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Jessica Fletcher, gathering people in one room to explain how he solved the mystery.

OK, I am slightly ashamed of that reference, but if you know where Jessica Fletcher comes from, then maybe you see my point, and it’s nothing for me to be embarrassed by at all.

I will admit that I did not watch many episodes of this one, so I’m no expert on how the story progresses through the 1000-plus episodes. But if this style of mystery anime is your thing, then you have a great wealth of media to enjoy.

9. City Hunter ‘91

City Hunter is another huge franchise that has awarded us with all sorts of media tie-ins and adaptations. City Hunter ’91 was released in 1991 and only has 13 episodes, but if you like it, it is only a small part of a larger world.

City Hunter’s intro feels like a James Bond opening but with a Vegas flavor to it. I gotta say, I like it! The show itself feels like something that would have been a fun 80s or 90s TV show like Miami Vice and star an icon like Bruce Willis or Jean Claude Van Damme.

Dare to dream…

Anyway, the show features Ryo, a skilled marksman with as many weapons as you can list, although he prefers his .357 Magnum. He’s a private investigator as well as what we in the fiction writing business call, thanks to the Great Bard, a lothario (manwhore in current urban dictionary terms).

Kaori is Ryo’s steadfast partner and is often annoyed by his flirtatious ways. She helps the P.I. business by arranging clients and keeping the books. She’s a valuable part of the team, and together they are well-balanced.

City Hunter ’91 has a feel-good 80’s anime style and is hard not to like.

8. Clamp School Detectives

Clamp School Detectives features the all-girl manga art team called CLAMP. It had three volumes published via manga in the early 90s, before releasing in anime format in 1997 for one season (27 eps.) produced by Bandai Visual and Studio Pierrot.

This lighthearted comedy show is about a group of little boy detectives that are girl crazy. It has a JPRG animation feel to it.

I could not help but see one character as the Bard/Scholar, another as the Fighter, and the last one clearly as the Thief.

Combined with those tones, there was a slight Hardy Boys feel. (OK, you might have to look that one up.)

Each episode of Clamp School Detectives had a standalone mystery to be solved, and guess what, if there were maidens in distress, these boys were there to help and save the day!

What more can I say about this entry on our mystery list? Well, if you are into shows with cutesy kid detectives, this is the one for you! Many people refer to it as a fun old series in their reviews. Give it a try, you might like it.

7. Fake

Fake starts off raining with a thunderstorm brewing. Clearly, we are being welcomed to a thrilling new mystery.

We watch as a person flees from someone with a knife. But they can’t escape and get stabbed to death. Brutal. This is not a case for the Clamp School Detectives, no sir! This feels like some harsh real-world shit. Or at least maybe a real KOEI world, cause the animation looks a little like Fatal Fury 2, which I can respect.

Fake is a one-hour OAV based on a two-volume manga series by the same name.

We are quickly introduced to the two main protagonists, Randy (Ryo) McClane and Dee Laytner. They are New York City cops on vacation in England.

It does not take long to realize this trip is more than just a vacation, it’s a way for Dee to further express his feelings for Ryo in hopes of deepening their relationship. 

This is a true multi-genre mystery series. It has elements of Romance, Supernatural, Yaoi, and touches of comedy. 

Released in 1996 by Media Blasters, Fake is heavy on dialogue and drama, both of which push the story forward for the full hour. It’s worth your time just to experience well-developed characters with amazing chemistry.

Hey! I wonder if Randy is related to another famous McClane cop from New York? Hmm…

6. Master Keaton

Guess what? Master Keaton starts off with rain.

Then it appears someone has fallen off a cliff. That’s a terrible accident, or maybe it was a murder. You know what we need? An investigator…an insurance investigator!

Our enigmatic insurance investigator goes by the name Taichi Keaton, and he has a real James Bond look and style about him. He is also an archaeology teacher and likes to use some MacGyver-like skills in a refreshing real-world setting.

He even works for Llyod’s of London, which is a real company that was founded over 300 years ago. Like for real-real. Like really-really world real. Cool, huh?

There’s much to like about Master Keaton. It has a long history; 18 volumes of manga running from 1988 to 1994, which makes it one of the best-selling series.

Madhouse brought the anime to life. It ran for two seasons with 39 episodes and, for many, felt like a walking-talking manga.

If you are looking for a dialogue-driven mystery-adventure-thriller that is aimed at children of the 80s (because of our age, not our pop culture preferences), this is one for you.

5.  Mobile Police Patlabor 2: The Movie

Mobile Police Patlabor 2: The Movie (more commonly known as Patlabor 2) was directed by Mamoru Oshii, who also directed the original Patlabor: The Movie and the landmark film Ghost in the Shell.

Released in 1993, the movie won the best-animated film award at the Mainichi Film Concours Awards. In fact, Patlabor 2 is considered one of the best-received anime movies of all time due largely to its excellent artistic qualities, largely the outstanding layout and framing work.

However, do not expect tons of action and adventure in this one, it’s more of a Tom Clancy-style thriller.

How does it fit into the mystery genre? With its fullness of political intrigue and suspicious military actions.

For those unfamiliar with the series, let me summarize it here. It is set in an alternate post-WWII timeline where the US and Allies occupied Japan. The country is rebuilding and repairing itself after the long occupation.

In order to keep the peace, the Metropolitan Police force has cutting-edge mechs called “Patlabors.” But there are still issues out there to overcome due to growing political concerns and burgeoning terrorism.

I don’t want to say too much so as not to spoil this intellectually stimulating gem. But I can say it is worth a watch or two.

4. Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective

Now back to our junk food anime diet with a dark and gritty sugary treat!

Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective is a 1998 horror – mystery – adventure about a vampire private investigator who protects humanity from other demons called Nightbreeds.

Fans of Joss Whedon’s Buffy and Angel shows should enjoy it, as Angel was a private investigator helping the helpless from demons and other baddies in his 1999 show.

Nightwalker’s lead character is Shido, an old vampire with a complex and mysterious past filled with atrocities he would like to forget. But Shido has decided to fight the good fight and protect people now as a private investigator and demon hunter. 

Riho works with Shido as his receptionist and secretary. She has a dark past too, which is very interesting and important to anime as a whole. See, Nightwalker delivers us with some very contrasting female characters, starting with her.

As the story progresses, we see how toxic relationships, doubts, and hard-made decisions are the prevailing themes.

Shido is full of regret and has had a very toxic relationship with a former male coworker. Riho is troubled by her past and, for much of the series, is unaware of how her sad history is directly linked to Shido’s actions.

Regardless of not making huge waves in anime fandom, there is a cult following and a lot of videos on YouTube where people mix popular songs with clips from the show.

3. Puppetmaster Sakon

Karakurizōshi Ayatsuri Sakon started off as a manga title like most anime. It ran for four volumes before Tokyo Movie Shinsha produced the show as Puppetmaster Sakon, which ran for 26 episodes from 1999 to 2000.

The main character is Sakon Tachibana, a master ventriloquist and puppeteer. He likes to travel the world and solve mysteries with his puppet and best bud, Ukon.

Ukon is a 100-year-old doll that looks like a child. When Sakon operates him, the puppet appears to come to life. Ukon has another ability or special power, the souls of recently dead can possess him and give messages to Sakon.

Are you still with me?

It’s a strange and unique show. Sadly, it is filled with boring and cliché storylines and so many ham-fisted hints that it’s hard not to solve the mystery before Sakon does.

To be honest, this is a weird one for me. I was confused by the characters at first. I thought it was a woman and a younger girl, maybes sisters by the close proximity that they stood to each other. Then, as I paid closer attention, I realized…whoa, that’s a freaky puppet!

If a magical puppet supernatural mystery is what you are looking for, then you will find it here.

BTW, check out the B-movie Puppet Master from 1989 as another option…or maybe not. That one is all sorts of terrible.

2. Steam Detectives

Steam Detectives ran on Japanese television from 1998 to 1999 with 26 episodes and was later licensed by ADV Films for North America.

This story follows a gun-toting boy genius named Narutaki, and his robot in a world that’s only fuel source is coal, and only power comes from steam engines.

One thing is clear in this interesting era of steam–crime is rampant, so get ready for lots of action in this mystery-thriller.

Steam Detectives’ art is similar in style to Japanese Role-Playing Games like the highly popular Persona series.

If you like stories featuring mech, you are in for a treat: steam-powered mech are kinda the coolest. 

Narutaki investigates in a style like Sherlock Holmes, has Inspector Gadget-like gear, and a past similar to Batman.

But his best resource is Ling Ling, a nurse who looks after his health and owns the robot that aids him. Also at his side is Kawakubo, his loyal butler and mechanic for all those times his giant robot needs repairs.

Steam Detectives has a very flashy collection of characters and villains, often looking like something out of a superhero show aimed at younger kids. 

1. Tokyo Babylon

Tokyo Babylon originated as a manga series, which quickly became an anime show and later graduated to a live-action movie. Also, by the CLAMP all-girl team, Tokyo Babylon is dark and gritty with animation that has an Akira or Bubblegum Crisis feel to it at first glance.

Two OAVs were released; one in 1992 and another 1994, animated by Madhouse. Later, US Manga Corps released the videos in the USA in 1995.

Tokyo Babylon follows Subaru Sumeragi, a powerful sixteen-year-old magician.

He is also the 13th head of a prominent family that faithfully served the emperor for centuries.  This is why he is often called to solve occult mysteries and fight evil spirits with the aid of his twin sister and best friend/romantic interest.

While the basic plot of Tokyo Babylon is simple, and a lack of character development is often faulted, the subplots and themes, along with the interesting costumes, are what most people find interesting.

I did not find this one very engaging, but I soldiered on. The two OAVs aren’t very long, and let’s admit it, I have spent my time watching worse. (Like Luther the Geek or Beloved.)

Fair warning: ready your remote when you reach the middle of the OAV. A song will start to play. You might want to mute it. Save yourself, like the kids say. However, if you can endure the song, more power to you!

Mystery Anime Conclusion

There are many options out there for 90s anime thriller-seekers. Some are short, easy-to-watch, and binge-worthy. Others will require some investment of time.

Our best advice is to start off with a mystery that is combined with another one of your favorite genres.  We bet you’ve already watched a few and not even realized it.

Also, wear a weather-resistant jacket because it’s most likely going to be raining out there. lol

The post The Greatest Mystery Anime of the 1990s appeared first on 90sanime.com.

First off, it is important to note that Madhouse was one of the first Japanese animation studios to elevate the quality of animation and storytelling in the late 80s and early 90s.

But how did they come into creation?

The Early Days of Madhouse

Madhouse was formed 50 years ago in 1972 by several legendary animators, including Osamu Dezaki, Masao Maruyama, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri.

Happy 50^th anniversary, all!

The late Osamu Dezaki started as a manga artist and co-founded Madhouse.

Masao Maruyama has been involved in animation for over 50 years and is another co-founder of Madhouse.

Rintaro (a cool pen name for Shigeyuki Hayashi) is an award-winning director who began working at the age of 17 way back in 1958.

Lastly, Yoshiaki Kawajiri is the legendary writer and director of Wicked City and another anime on our list below.

If you watch 90s Japanese animation, you probably know of this studio, or at least recognize the name as it has been attached to some really amazing work.

In this post, we will mention just a few of the studio’s famous titles…and trust me, there are many to pick from!

Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue is simply outstanding. This dark and sophisticated psychological thriller anime won’t tug at your emotions, it will poke them till they bleed.

Released in 1997 and directed by Satoshi Kon, Perfect Blue is based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.

It is the story of Mima Kirigoe, the former member of a J-pop band. She’s now an actress, and the change in her career has spurned an obsessed fan who begins stalking her.

A creepy website called Mima’s Room appears, and when Mima learns about it, she can stop thinking about it. A mix of paranoia and obsession creates a psychosis, and suddenly, Mima cannot distinguish fantasy from reality.

People end up murdered, and Mima is the prime suspect.

Saying any more would spoil this amazing film!

Perfect Blue has had a far reach. Madonna has used clips in one of her songs, and Darron Aronofksy (director of The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and Black Swan) has maybe or maybe not been deeply inspired by the film. He denies it, but it’s hard not to see the comparisons between Perfect Blue and his hit Black Swan. (Side note: Black Swan is a great flick!)

Perfect Blue has good reviews and an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s a certified hit for Madhouse Studios.

Ninja Scroll

Ninja Scroll was released in theaters by Madhouse in Japan in 1993 and later distributed to America in English-dubbed VHS format in 1995 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Manga Entertainment. This 94-minute samurai anime film was written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri and is a pure action-adventure blitzkrieg.

Just writing this makes me want to watch it again for probably the sixtieth time!

The story follows Jubei Kibagami, a wandering swordsman/ninja/ronin. He gets caught up in some serious madness when he rescues Kagero, a female ninja, from a supernatural demon attempting to sexually assault her. (Please note that this film comes with a nudity and graphic violence warning.)

After defeating the devil/demon, a spy from the kingdom comes to Jubei and convinces him to help locate and defeat the remaining devils.

If you have not seen this best-selling film, which is often listed with Akira and Ghost in the Shell as one of the most popular releases in the 90s, you should check it out. The animation is fantastic, and the story will keep you glued to your seat.

Just remember, Ninja Scroll is visceral and graphic. Clearly meant for 18+.

Trigun

What can you say about something so popular that your dad or grandfather could probably identify it? I mean, go to the mall on a Saturday, and you will see a Trigun shirt either being worn by someone or sold in a pop culture store (like Hot Topic ).

Which makes me think, maybe I should buy one for my dad for Christmas.

Trigun was originally a popular manga series from 1995-1997. It then transitioned into an anime show for one year and 26 episodes. Everyone wanted a piece of this property from Dark Horse comics, Adult Swim, G4 TV, and Todd McFarlane (McFarlane Toys).

And why not? It is not every day that a stylistic and cool character like Vash the Stampede comes around. And the 90s was the perfect time for Space Westerns and Post-apocalyptic stories. 

Wait…I can see the meeting at MacFarlane Toys. Big T is sitting in a room with his marketing team. They are trying to decide which anime characters to release in the next wave of toys.

One of the interns clears his throat and then speaks softly from the corner of the room. “Sir, Vash has a flowy red jacket that kinda—”

Todd interrupts him. “Kinda looks like Spawn’s cape! Yes, we should do Vash next.”

“Great idea, sir…”

Vash is a well-designed character. He looks cool. Acts cool. The ladies love him, and the guys want to be him…I mean…I guess they do. Lol.

I really haven’t decided what anime character I want to be yet.

Regardless, Vash is a smooth criminal, and he has a massive bounty on his head. 60 billion $$!!! That’s like 120 billion $$ if you count inflation from 1995 to today! No wonder the bounty hunters are after him. Geeze, can we just leave this guy alone?! All he wants is love and peace!

The original Trigun series would be best labeled as a cult classic. It had success in Japan, but that has come and gone. It had plenty of airtime in America, but there are new shows that are filling the timeslots.

That being said, Trigun is easily found on streaming platforms and is considered a landmark Madhouse cyberpunk anime that is still very popular.

Cardcaptor Sakura

Illustrated by the all-girl art team, CLAMP, Cardcaptor Sakura was a serialized manga for a couple of years before transitioning into anime. The anime series began in 1998 and had a 70-episode run and two movies produced by Madhouse.

You might have missed the VHS or DVD releases in the 90s. However, many American 90s anime fans recall this show as one featured on Kids’ WB or Toonami.

Cardcaptor Sakura is a magical girl themed anime series. Therefore it focused on a young female main character called, Sakura Kinomoto. You may have guessed, from the title of the show, that magical cards are also involved. The plot revolves around Sakura’s search and capture of the mysterious Clow Cards that escaped her.

The 90’s were filled with cards and card games, and wow they were popular. Cardcaptor Sakura was a popular and award-winning show in Japan, but when edited for USA markets, it lost some components that people felt diminished the show’s quality.

There is a lot to like about this charming Madhouse series, especially if you’re a fan of the genre.

Record of Lodoss War

Madhouse helped bring Dungeons and Dragons to life in the form of Record of Lodoss War.

In fact, there are many levels of truth to that.

Record of the Lodoss War began as a series of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno that were created as the setting for RPGs. Wild huh? But the novels were not really novels…they were “replays” or transcriptions of role-playing game sessions.

Mind blown yet?

Sounds like it would be marketed to specific fans, but the books were hugely popular and started spawning manga, anime, soundtracks and video games. This is where Madhouse joined in back in 1990-1991.

The Record of the Lodoss War OAV anime is one of the most quintessential fantasy-themed anime series out there. You can think of it as the Lord of the Rings of 90’s Japanese Anime if you’d like.

Thirteen episodes contained a near-perfect balance of all the essential aspects of anime. It has beautiful, crisp, and clean animation. It has an engaging story filled with action, adventure, and even romance.

Its characters are well-developed and designed straight from a D&D Basic Rule set.

Lastly, the background music, sound effects, and songs are all amazingly blended into the show. In fact, the opening theme is so catchy you may find yourself singing it for while after viewing.

If Madhouse was Michelangelo, this would arguably be a Sistine Chapel moment.

By the way, have you tried Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth yet?

Closing Thoughts on Madhouse

Thanks to Madhouse, we have a wealth of thoughtful anime with good stories and amazing animation. Their works of the 90s built and helped grow the fanbase of Japanese Animation in the United States of America.

Madhouse brought together and often collaborated with the best of the best creative minds of manga and anime. Important figures like Naoki Urasawa, Clamp,  Morio Asaka, Masayuki Kojima, and Satoshi Kon all worked with Madhouse.

It’s like the 1992 Olympics “Dream Team” of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing. Madhouse stacked the deck in the 90s and came to win.

What have they done since? Ever heard of Beyblade? Chobits? Claymore? Even the Marvel Anime series? Yep, they did those and much…much more!

Thank you, Madhouse, for doing a great job.

The post The 5 Definitive Madhouse Anime of the 90s appeared first on 90sanime.com.

Warning: Below is my full review with spoilers.

The Tailspin Connection

Porco Rosso looks like the kind of movie (on the outside) that I would not normally invest my time in. I’m not really a fan of cute or lighthearted stories. But, after watching a few minutes of this one, it brought me back to my late childhood; a time when just getting into anime.

Back in the early 90s, I watched a show that was part of the Disney Afternoon TV block, it was called Talespin.

I loved that show and the original Ducktales too. I am not sure how I got hooked on them, it is kind of odd because I was or have never been a Disney Cartoon fan. As I hinted above, I am drawn more to gritty and dark-themed shows. Cartoons like Inhumanoids, Visionaries, GI JOE, Transformers, Thundar the Barbarian, StarBlazers, and Pirates of Dark Water filled my time before Japanese Anime. 

That all being said, there was something about Talespin. As a fiction writer, I wager that maybe it was the fun worldbuilding of Talespin that I enjoyed. A seemly post-World War world filled with air pirates and secret headquarters on island coves. That is the environment I was instantly welcomed to when I turned on Porco Rosso. It felt comfortably familiar, and guess what? I Googled Talespin and I found out that the show and Porco Rosso are creatively intertwined.

The people who created Talespin were inspired by Hayao Miyazaki‘s manga version of Porco Rosso and when Porco Rosso was released two years after Talespin, they felt the movie took cues from the Disney tv show.

Wow. I was honestly surprised that my feelings were more than just that. I thought Talespin and Porco Rosso seemed very similar. Now I know the reasons why they are. And…say it with me… “Knowing is half the battle!”

The Story of Porco Rosso (With Spoilers)

Porco Rosso (Italian for “red pig” or “red pork”) is the story of a man who is cursed to look like a pig. He is a former Italian air force ace pilot. He now lives the bounty hunter/mercenary life. Hiding (or maybe not, maybe just chilling) on a beautiful island cove. He is called to aid a boat that is being attacked by air pirates. As he rushes off to help them, we, as the viewer, start to realize something else is very familiar about Porco. It’s his voice. It’s…it’s Batman! Yes, Michael Keaton provides some epic voice acting here and he really sells the character’s attitude.

As the movie progresses, we meet characters from Porco’s past as they are friends with him today. A former pilot buddy, a woman he knew before the curse, and even an old mechanic shop owner. We also see how although Porco may be a pig, he is a popular one. At times he is treated like a local celebrity in his country. The women seem to love him, which made me wonder if the writers intended to make some sort of statement there. (Yeah, they probably did, right?)

Porco meets an American hotshot pilot, and they end up fighting since the American is helping the pirates. During their first encounter, Porco’s plane goes down and people think he’s dead.

At this moment, the story becomes a tale of redemption. Porco seeks to get himself back in the air. He goes to his mechanic friend, Piccolo, to get back into the fight. This is where he meets the mechanic’s new engineer, his granddaughter, Fio. She is young, cute, spunky, and incredibly skilled. Porco, being the pig that he is, doesn’t want the help of a girl. But he soon learns that it’s women who are going to fix him and his life, starting with rebuilding and upgrading his plane.

They say it takes a village, well, in this movie, it takes an army of women, all relatives of Piccolo. Porco sits back like a lazy pig while they work hard and fast. When done, his plane is a rare beauty with a new engine. He is ready to go back home and confront the man who shot him down.

But during the trip home, with his new engineer buddy Fio, we learn that Porco has more problems than money, pirates, and fascists. He also has the Italian air force setting up ambushes to get him when he gets home.

It’s a mess for Porco, but with the help of Fio, a solution is developed in the form of a one-on-one dogfight. The winner gets the money or the girl. Porco seems unbeatable, but so does the American. After an exciting and fun air battle, it comes down to a draw.  But the battle does not stop there.

Just like those action movies of the 80s and 90s, it develops or degrades into a good old fashion bare-knuckle fistfight. Pig vs. American. I had to laugh. They always seem to have the Brits or Americans (whoever is written to be the “cultured one”) fight in that vintage fisticuffs style.

By the end, the victor is crowned. Porco is triumphant!

Fio narrates an apparently happy ending as Porco leads the air force away, and she takes the role of president of her grandfather’s company.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, the animation itself is very clean and bright. The dubbing is excellent. It was a very enjoyable 94 minutes that I am glad I spent. My review may spoil the movie, but it does not include all the fine and fun details of Porco Rosso. It’s also important to note that it’s worth your time regardless of whether you watched or enjoyed Talespin. Give a pig a chance and see why it is one of our top anime movies of the 90s.

Grade: A (or 4.75 Stars)

The post Porco Rosso: The High-Flying Pig Prince of the Sky! appeared first on 90sanime.com.

I think we can all admit that a good anime show/movie can be made or broken by voice actors. This is especially true when we apply English dubbing. Dubbing, as we all know, is a post-production process used to replace one actor’s voice with another. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. So, yes, let’s begin there…

Those Dark Early Days of Dubbing

Back in the VHS days, you could not click a button and bring up the subtitles. So, when it came to anime that meant you either had original Japanese-speaking actors with subtitles or you had (possibly terrible) English dubbing.

I’m taking a deep breath now.

“Is his name, Pern?” I would ask my friend, over and over. “Is it Parn? Or is it Pern?” I just couldn’t tell.

For many years, I second-guessed myself. It did not help that I had copies of Record of Lodoss War on VHS that were “subtitled by fans for fans” cause, yeah, they had a few different versions of his name on screen too. While I was thankful to have these early copies, sometimes the audio quality and the subtitle work was so bad, I could not tell who was speaking or what they were saying.

It was not until I got the official English dubbed VHS set that I was pretty sure the character was called Parn. Granted, I still had some issues with what other characters were saying, and some of the voices were simply…grating.

We’ve all been there. Bad quality copies of tapes, fuzzy subtitles, and the worst of the worst…poor dubbing. English dubbing had a bad rap in the 80s and early 90s. It really deserved the label. I remember shopping for VHS tapes and choosing subtitled ones over dubbed ones from time to time. But is hindsight always 20-20? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was too hard on things in my youth.

Then again, if you Google “worst anime dubbing,” you will discover many…many lists. Some of your favorites, like Dragon Ball, Speed Racer, and Yu-Gi-Oh, might be found on these lists.
This just adds to the importance of needing good, qualified, and skilled voice actors. Let’s discuss a few of our favorites. Read on!

5 Voice Actors Who Dubbed 90s Anime

Christopher Sabat

Chris has a long career working with the English versions of some very popular Japanese Anime and video games. You might know him from his work on Dragon Ball Z. Who did he voice? Well, let’s see. He played: Vegeta, Piccolo, Yamcha, Vegito, Guru, Shenron, Mr. Popo, Turtle, Nappa, Korin, and more. He even worked on the crew of the show.

One Piece, Fairy Tail, Fullmetal Alchemist. Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, and Black Butler, are just a few of the other shows he has worked on.

Wait, did I lose you at Vegeta? Yep, this guy voices him. But he also works as a voice director and has a production company that he founded that works closely with Funimation.

Fun Fact: Chris is known for his touch and gritty or gruff-voiced characters.

Johnny Yong Bosch

Can you believe one human being can be lucky enough to voice Kaneda (Akira 2001 dub), Vash the Stampede, AND play a Power Ranger in tv and movies? Whether you can believe it or not it’s true, because Johnny Yong Bosch is the person who did it all and more!

Probably most famous for his work on Trigun as the main protagonist, Vash the Stampede, Johnny has filled his career with a lot of anime and video game voice work.

His anime work includes Sailor Moon, Naruto, and Bleach, and his video game work on Mortal Kombat X, Star Wars the Old Republic, Persona 4, and Devil May Cry is legendary. I feel like I am name-dropping, but I’m not. This guy is so good he gets hired for all the best gigs!

Fun Fact: He taught himself martial arts by watching Jackie Chan movies.

Laura Bailey

Laura got her first voice acting job at the age of 18 playing Kid Trunks on the Funimation dubbing of Dragon Ball Z. Later, she was cast as Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist and Henrietta in Gunslinger Girl, which she also took the role of ADR Director for. In the 2000s, she played characters on Bleach, One Piece, and Claymore and voiced characters on the Marvel Anime: Blade and Marvel Anime: Iron Man shows.

You might even recognize her in her American roles on shows like Ducktales, Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man, RWBY, and the recent release of The Legend of Vox Machina. She’s known for playing popular characters like Black Widow, Gwen Stacy, and Gamora.

Her list of video game voice actor work is massive and includes tons of amazing games, many of which were best-sellers. Just to name a few, she provided voices on Halo 4 and Halo 5, Street Fight IV (as Chun Li), Fallout: New Vegas, Mass Effect 3, World of Warcraft, and a slew of Lego, Batman, and Disney games.

Fun Fact: She is a cast member of the Dungeons & Dragons web series, Critical Role.

Wendee Lee

Here is someone who can give ole Johnny above a run for his money. Wendee Lee is the voice of the one and only Faye Valentine! Yes, that Faye Valentine. Not only that, but she also voices roles in many well-known series including Robotech, Dragon Ball, Digimon: Digital Monsters, Doomed Megalopolis, Dirty Pair, and the feature film Perfect Blue.

Go to her IMDB page and start scrolling. I’ll wait… Did you lose time? Is it a day later? Are you totally blown away? We are!

Wendee seems to have done it all! So many of the biggest fan-favorite shows from the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and beyond! She may just be the queen of anime voiceovers.

Fun Fact: When she voiced Scorpina, she even fought Johnny Yong Bosch, during his portrayal of the Black Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Steve Blum

We can’t forget the voice of Spike Speigel himself, Steve Blum. Steve has a long and illustrious career too. One thing you should know before searching his works, this guy has a lot of pen names, aliases, and secret identities (maybe?). Who knows. Just be aware that he is credited with several different names. Tom Baron, David Lucas, Richard Cardona, Daniel Andrews, and Roger Canfield. But trust us, it’s all him.

Steve has a very distinct deep voice which he lends to gruff and grumbly characters like Wolverine. In fact, he has voiced Wolverine in a ton of projects from Wolverine and the X-Men to the Marvel Anime: X-Men and many video game adaptations. He has also played Grunt on Mass Effect 2 and Sub Zero on Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11 games.

From the start of his career, he has been involved in some famous intellectual properties. In 1992, he voiced Nexx and Lord Feff in Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again. Following that, Guyver, Giant Robot, Perfect Blue, and Bastard!! all land on his resume. Impressive, right? It’s just a start, his resume is very long.

I wanted to end his write-up with something equally as impressive as playing Spike in Cowboy Bebop. So, here it is: Steven was T.O.M, the voice of the Toonami’s robot host, and did this for 8+ years.

Fun Fact: At one point, this guy held a Guinness World Record as the most prolific video game voice actor, with 261 credited appearances (as of May 10, 2012). This list has since grown.

Honorable Mention: Bryan Cranston

Yes. THAT Bryan Cranston. You might remember him from Malcolm in the Middle, or maybe the award-winning Breaking Bad. But before all that, he worked on Baywatch. Lol. No joke. I mean, I added that fact there to make you laugh, but it is true.

The truth is, Bryan was making big bucks ($50-150 a day) voicing characters for the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers back in the early days. Not to mention, have you seen the anime movie Street Fighter II? He voiced Fei Long! He even did some voices on Macross Plus. Pretty darn cool!

Closing

There are a lot of good voice actors out there. When they are hired for the right projects, they can turn something good into something great. Anime in the 2000s on up has really proven this. Nowadays, you will even find some famous actors lending their acting chops to anime movies, even dubbed ones. So, we ask all our readers to take a moment to honor the voice actors who were all pivotal in making Japanese Anime popular in the United States.

The post 5 Prolific Voice Actors Who Dubbed 90s Anime appeared first on 90sanime.com.

Let’s start with a little off-topic background…

I grew up in the golden age of video games. Most of the time I was playing with my best friend, so co-cop games were highly sought after. We played things like Contra, Ikari Warriors, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage…etc.

But there was a time when we were introduced to what we called a “board game style” video game. It was advertised as a historical military strategy game, and it was released in 1989 (US) by a company I had never heard of before: KOEI. The game was called NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION and it changed my life as a gamer.

My friend and I played this one game for an entire summer. Every night. Hours and hours and hours spent. We sat there and talked about school, cartoons, movies, and our other hobbies between turns. We ate rice crispy snacks by the tray load and drank copious amounts of soda (not Mountain Dew!) (OK, maybe some Mountain Dew!).

Those were the good old days for me. So, when I recently found out that the person who composed the music for my favorite KOEI games, music that is hauntingly part of my past…music that instantly reminds me of some of the best years of my youth, also composed music from several of my favorite anime and the theme song of Cowboy Bebop. Yeah. You can imagine. Boom! Mind blown.

As I write this I still wonder, how can one person be responsible for creating music for multiple intellectual properties that I hold dear? Is that even possible? It turns out it can be, and that is truly amazing.

But enough about me. Let’s talk about award-winning composer and basically musical genius, Yoko Kanno.

Kanno’s Early Days

Yoko Kanno was born in Sendai, Japan in 1963. Her strict parents limited her access to movies and television and only allowed her to listen to classical music. Yoko studied the keyboard from a young age, but when attending college, her major focus shifted to literature.

While in college, she began helping her friends with their musical projects and eventually joined a band. It was during this time that she was introduced to all sorts of new genres of music: folk, pop, jazz, rock, metal, contemporary and more.

During her time in college, a video game publishing company named KOEI offered her a job composing the soundtrack for a new game in a brand-new line of games they were starting. That game was ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS, a historically based military strategy game. This was her big shot and guess what? The game became a huge hit and Yoko’s career was officially launched.

During her career, Yoko Kanno has composed music for sixteen video games, largely staying within KOEIs original historically based strategy games such as the acclaimed NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION, GENGHIS KHAN, and UNCHARTED WATERS.

But this is just one small fraction of her musical empire. She has composed for movies, anime, TV, commercials, and more. Let’s look at some of the 90s anime she has done.

The 90s Anime Music of Yoko Kanno

Yoko Kanno has worked on nearly 40 anime projects spanning thirty years from 1992 to the present day. She has been nominated for the Annie Award and International Film Music Critics Award, Blue Dragon Award, and won the Asian Film Critics Association Award and Tokyo Anime Award five times.

Listed below are just a few highlights from her incredible long run.

PORCO ROSSO

This was the first anime fantasy feature Yoko composed for. The movie was released by Studio Ghibli in 1992 and was the top film in the market for some time. It received many accolades during its run including Best Feature-length Film Award at the 1993 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. This is the story of a pig-headed World War I ace pilot and bounty hunter. No, he was not a difficult person, I mean he could be, I guess, but yes, he actually had a pig head. It was a curse. Aren’t all the good animal heads curses? Right?

See our review of Porco Rosso for more on this epic high flying adventure!

MACROSS PLUS

A four-episode OVA that was the long-awaited sequel to the original space opera Macross series (What Robotech was adapted from). We imagine taking on such a legacy can be very intimidating, but Yoko nailed it on so many levels. This connected her with renowned Japanese anime film and television director Shinichirō Watanabe who later went on to direct Cowboy Bebop.

COWBOY BEBOP

It almost goes without saying that Shinichiro Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop has become a household name, and that is in part due to its epic opening theme music. The track is called, “Tank!” and we dare all 90s anime fans to deny that while reading this they are not hearing, “Three, Two, One, let’s jam…” in their head.  Cowboy Bebop surely succeeds in building a moody atmosphere with the help of Kanno’s music.

THE VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE

This 26-episode isekai series debuted in Japan in 1996 and later arrived in the US in 1998 when released by Bandai.  Yoko lends her skills and desire to mix many genres of music to this worldwide hit with elements of classical, contemporary, and even Gregorian chant. While this series struggled to get a good footing in Japan, it was loved everywhere else. Many reviewers urge their readers to get ahold of this one’s soundtrack.

JIN-ROH

Often referred to as a beautiful blend of art and music, this film was released in France first in 1999. Set in Japan in an alternative timeline after World War II the movie follows a special police unit tasked as a counter-terrorism unit. Borrowing a Red-Riding Hood-esque storyline and peppering it with adult themes made this big-budget film a favorite with critics.

GENESIS OF AQUARION, AQUARION EVOL, AQUARION LOGOS

Yoko has composed the theme songs and music for each of these, starting with Genesis of Aquarion is 2005 and then the following two series in 2012 and 2015.  All of which were praised for their musical score and even won her an award.  While these may not be in the realm of 90s anime, it’s hard not to mention them in her credits.

Yoko Kanno’s Collaborations and Bands

Yoko has shared her talents with many people, not only as a composer but as an arranger, conductor, and producer as well. She has collaborated with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and has even been commissioned to make music for commercials for dozens of companies like Microsoft, Sony, Google, Nintendo, and Toyota.

Not only that, but she has also been in a band called the Seatbelts and released several solo albums.

Honestly, it’s hard to compare her to anyone else in the business.

In Closing

How many legendary contemporary composers do you think are alive today? Ten? Twenty? More? Less? How would you identify them? By their work? Their awards? How many people their music touched? It’s hard to say. I can only think of two and one of them is the person you read about above.

Excellent work Yoko Kanno! It was an honor to write about you.

The post Yoko Kanno: Crafting the Songs of 90s Anime appeared first on 90sanime.com.

Hey! No problem! We’ve got you covered! We have some anime video games listed below that you can play today on modern systems.

Take a look and enjoy.

This post contains affiliate links that help support our efforts to share the world of 90s anime with people like you; please read more here

DRAGON BALL FighterZ (2018)

This is what the fans wanted and needed. A near-perfect fighting game! Players and reviewers alike love all the features of this game: characters, stunning visuals, fun story mode and especially the addicting fighting system itself. 

If you are a fan of Dragon Ball, you probably already have this game. If not, it’s available on every modern system imaginable. Just search for it in your system’s game store. BTW – this one is free to play on Xbox Game Pass.

The reviews don’t lie, averaging in the 9’s and 90 percent. Dragon Ball FighterZ is an award-winning game that is a pure pleasure to play. But we feel like we aren’t really telling you something you don’t already know.

Purchase Dragon Ball FighterZ on Amazon!

Digimon Story: Cybersleuth (2016)

Digimon Story: Cybersleuth is part of the massive Digimon franchise. It reached America in 2016 and is designed as a role-playing game in the third-person perspective. Players assume the role of a human character and are given one of three Digimon to choose from to start; however, have the ability to collect 248 unique additional Digimon through the game.

Considered a reboot of the series, the game feels just like many of the turn-based Japanese role-playing games (JRPGS) that have been released in the past 10-20 years. Which is fine. The game itself looks amazing. Great colorful graphics and animations pop and fill the screen.

These features, matched with an engaging storyline, make for a game that even people new to Digimon can enjoy. Grab it on Steam, PlayStation, and Switch.

Purchase Digimon Story: Cybersleuth on Amazon!

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R (2022)

Remember our mention of Jojo’s in the article about retro games for anime fans? Well, like we mentioned there, this series of games is easy to find on modern systems. Take Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R for example. This game is 2022 shiny and new, as well as a cross-platform delight.

Do yourself a favor and google the game trailer right now. We’ll wait. If you’re like us, you might stare at the incredible comic book/manga style graphics for a while. They’re incredible!

Consisting of many game modes, and tons of settings (including skins), you can realize moments that feel straight out of the anime. This game awards its player with moments where they can truly control the characters from your favorite show. Fantastic!

Purchase Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R on Amazon!

Captain Tsubasa Rise of the New Champions (2020)

Here’s one for sports fans! Captain Tsubasa Rise of the New Champions is based on the anime Captain Tsubasa and is actually an action-packed soccer game. A recent release from 2020, this anime game can be found on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

It’s not every day that you get a cool cel-shaded soccer game with fantastic power-ups. That alone makes it worth checking out.

Fans of the manga and anime should certainly enjoy seeing their character come alive on the soccer field. GOOOAAALLL!

Purchase Captain Tsubasa Rise of the New Champions on Amazon!

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk (2017)

Fans of the Dynasty Warriors game series that are also fans of Berserk’s dark fantasy manga and anime rejoice! Berserk and the Band of the Hawk represents glorious hack and slash on many PlayStation systems like PS3, PS4 and Vita.

Wow, it looks and controls good! KOEI lives up to its name by producing another fun, yet mindless killing spree title.

If you feel like mashing the buttons while steering your favorite characters from Berserk straight into battle, this one is made for you! If for only 8-12 hours of total gameplay, you get to go totally bonkers.

Find Berserk Band of the Hawk on eBay!

Super Robot Wars 30 (2021)

Bandai brings us a special title: Super Robot Wars 30. It’s hard not to start off with this fact: Super Robot Wars 30 holds a Guinness World Record. Yes, it holds the most intellectual property licenses in one game, and we thank Bandai for this.

Who and what all is in this one game? Here is a quick list: Chōdenji Robo Combattler V, Getter Robo: Armageddon, Mazinger Z: INFINITY and Mazinkaiser: INFINITISM, SSSS.GRIDMΛN, Mobile Suit Gundam, The Braves Series, Heavy Metal L-Gaim, Code Geass, Magic Knight Rayearth, GUN × SWORD, Majestic Prince, Knight’s & Magic. Feels like fanservice, right? Well, we are a fan, and we love it. So many robots. So much battle. So much wow!

Being released in 2021, it’s available on PS4, Switch, and Steam.  We suggest checking it out if you grew up watching 90s anime.

Purchase Super Robot Wars 30 on Amazon!

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON (2020)

This should be called Mobile Suit Gundam: Options Edition. Cause you asked for choices, and you got choices!  Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON is a port of the 2016 arcade game Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost. Get ready for this, it boasts a whopping…massive…metric buttload of units from the series. 183 units when this article was written and who knows how many it’s grown since in DLC.

If you like fast-paced co-op battles in a 2-on-2 arena setting this is your jam. Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON will have you bouncing on the edge of your seat, screaming at your competitors, and howling with cries of victory when you win. “THIS IS SPARTA!” Ahem…sorry…wrong genre.

As stated before, this is one of those moments you get to go hands-on with the very Gundam you see on screen during anime shows and movies. Don’t miss an opportunity like that! Available on PS4/PS5, where you’ll have to pay full price, but it’s worth every penny. 

Purchase Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON on Amazon!

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (2021)

Did you enjoy Metroid? Did you love Castlevania? Even better Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? SOTN is one of our favorites and if you enjoy that you will love the new Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, a 2-dimensional side-scrolling action role-playing game. Wow, that’s a lot of hyphens there!

Released recently, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is easy to find and download on every platform imaginable (PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S). In fact, you can play it free if you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber.

We’ve played Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth and it looks great, controls are clean, and sounds are rad, but reviewers have noted it can be a little repetitive in its gameplay. It comes with a decent degree of challenge and is well-worth trying, especially if you can get it free for a while.

Don’t forget to say hi to Sylph for us.

Purchase Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth on Amazon!

Conclusion

There you have it. A bunch of 90s anime games you can purchase and download the moment you hit your system’s store. All are great ways to expand your 90s anime experience. You wanna hear something really crazy? Twenty years from now, someone will be writing an article about these games and referring to them as the retro ones.  Mind blown? Ours too!

The post 8 Modern Video Games for 90s Anime Fans appeared first on 90sanime.com.