Anime...IN SPAAAAAAAAACE!

[Paragon Fury]

So, next on my quest to bring more content to the Escapist Forums.

Space. The final frontier. These are the.....sorry, wrong show.

Anyway.

Space is a pretty popular theme in anime. But what anime uses it best, or is your favorite? For me, its always been tied between two;

Outlaw Star

Spoiler

The story of Gene Starwind and his band of misfits and their talking ship, trying to find fortune and maybe scrap a living out of doing odd jobs. One of my favorite shows when it was on Toonami.

Cowboy Bebop

Spoiler

The classic anime space opera. Spike and everyone were fairly cool, and it had really well done action scenes, though the story could get confusing as hell at times. Still it was fun to watch.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Those are both really good, I especially like Outlaw Star.

Spoiler: But I'm really digging Knights of Sidonia

 

[FalloutJack]

CB and OS are really good, both of them excellent uses of space. I would like to add Heroic Age to the mix, a definite space opera of epic proportions.

 

[BrokenTinker]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes, I know it's old as fuck, but it actually includes the layout of space in their strategic and tactical objectives by the different forces. Something you don't really see nowadays than a mere mention or a one-use thing. The space itself isn't just a one trick pony since it uses it multiple time.

 

[madwarper]

While I say CB and OS were the two that really got me into anime, I also have to acknowledge the various Gundam series.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Cowboy Bebop is awesome. I've been meaning to get to Outlaw Star since I finished Bebop but I can't seem to find a good subbed version. And I don't wanna watch the dub :/

EDIT: Hey, apparently Shinichiro Watanabe (guy behind Cowboy Bebop) did another space opera called Space Dandy in 2014. Comparisons to Bebop abound though apparently it's strictly a comedy.

 

[Nuuu]

Cowboy Bebop is awesome. I've been meaning to get to Outlaw Star since I finished Bebop but I can't seem to find a good subbed version. And I don't wanna watch the dub :/

EDIT: Hey, apparently Shinichiro Watanabe (guy behind Cowboy Bebop) did another space opera called Space Dandy in 2014. Comparisons to Bebop abound though apparently it's strictly a comedy.

That explains the Cowboy Bebop fridge reference Space Dandy did in one of their episodes.

Spoiler

I love Cowboy Bebop, but I love the vibrant and lively alien settings Space Dandy creates (especially in Season 2) even more. The thing I love most about space shows is that it can create an even more immersive and beautiful mix of both Sci-fi and fantasy than just straight fantasy can create.

On an off-topic side note: That's what also draws me into Rick and Morty.

 

[Kae]

Do you like hard Sci-Fi? As in actually realistic sci-fi?

In any case my pick is Planetes, it's kind off a slice of life anime about space debris cleaners, it's odd but it's really good, don't know what else to say about it.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Do you like hard Sci-Fi? As in actually realistic sci-fi?

In any case my pick is Planetes, it's kind off a slice of life anime about space debris cleaners, it's odd but it's really good, don't know what else to say about it.

Was just about to mention that. Planetes is absolutely amazing. Very realistic, not just in the physics sense, but also addressing some very real themes and issues concerning space exploration and exploitation. Great characters and music too.

And I'm obliged to mention Gundam, of course. Gundam Unicorn being my absolute favorite.

 

[NiPah]

Banner/Crest of the Stars is one of my favorite anime of all time, was one of the shows that first got me into anime.
Also Gunbuster is insane, it's hard to explain other then 'insane'.

 

[Gottesstrafe]

Do you like hard Sci-Fi? As in actually realistic sci-fi?

In any case my pick is Planetes, it's kind off a slice of life anime about space debris cleaners, it's odd but it's really good, don't know what else to say about it.

Was just about to mention that. Planetes is absolutely amazing. Very realistic, not just in the physics sense, but also addressing some very real themes and issues concerning space exploration and exploitation. Great characters and music too.

And I'm obliged to mention Gundam, of course. Gundam Unicorn being my absolute favorite.

Of course, I'm just surprised that Gundam hasn't gotten much more traction in this thread yet. Sieg Zeon!


Also shout outs to Space Battleship Yamato, Captain Harlock, and Macross.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Also Gunbuster is insane, it's hard to explain other then 'insane'.

It also did the warpjump time distortion thing before Interstellar. Poor Chris Nolan, always beaten to the punch by anime.

Magnetic Rose was also a good space anime. Though not a show, but a 50-minute long short film part of the Memories feature. It has some of the best animation you'll ever see, and a great spooky soundtrack by Yoko Kana.


That's the sound of space right there.

 

[Gottesstrafe]

Also Gunbuster is insane, it's hard to explain other then 'insane'.

It also did the warpjump time distortion thing before Interstellar. Poor Chris Nolan, always beaten to the punch by anime.

Magnetic Rose was also a good space anime. Though not a show, but a 50-minute long short film part of the Memories feature. It has some of the best animation you'll ever see, and a great spooky soundtrack by Yoko Kana.


That's the sound of space right there.

Been ages since I heard that OST. I love space themed horror, shame there's not more representation of that genre out there. I think the closest thing to Magnetic Rose that came out in the past 10 years was Echo Night: Beyond.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Since all of the good ones has been taken, I will have to settle with Martian Successor Nadesico

Ok sure not all of it was in space but still

 

[CrystalShadow]

Hmm.

For some reason, what comes to mind when someone mentions space anime to me is...

str.a.in: Strategic armored infantry. (or whatever it's called)
Kiddy Grade,
And Galaxy Railways.

Yeah... I think of weird things, I know. ;p

Ohhh... And there was something else... Don't you just hate it when you forget something?

Anyway... XD


Eclaire and Lumiere... and their ship the La Muse...


(can't find Str.a.in. - well, the episodes, but nothing else, oddly. XD)

And galaxy railways. Ah... Galaxy railways.
Trains.
In space!

Yes. Those are trains. In space. With guns. And launching space fighters... XD
It's actually pretty good, even if that seems totally bizarre...

I do wish I could figure out what the name of the other series was. The ships looked a lot like old wooden sailing ships in design, and there was some kind of... Battle, rebels with a powerful ship.
I can't remember...
~shrug.~ Oh well. Some other time. XD

Ohh... That's right. XD

Glass fleet. That's what it was... XD

Not that any of the openings for these series really give that much of a sense of what they're like... Oh well. XD