Movies and Anime akin to Pacific Rim

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Okay, so I can't stop gushing about the movie, the soundtrack is stuck in my head, and I can't stop imagining Jaegers fighting Kaiju.

Suffice to say, PR got me interested in the Kaiju/Mecha genre of film/animation, so I was wondering what I should watch that is similar to it, and that is where YOU come in, fellow Escapists!

Recommend a mecha/kaiju anime/film similar to Pacific Rim, I am already going to check NGE out, and I would like it if the kaiju movies aren't incredibly dated.

 

[Keoul]

Neon Genesis Evangelion.
There's been a LOT of comparisons between the two, haven't seen Pacific Rim to tell you them myself. Just as a fair warning, NGE is an anime and it gets really really weird, almost disturbing at times depending on who you are.

But I still enjoyed it so you should totally try it.

 

[BeeGeenie]

I suggest "Power Rangers."

I don't really know. It's hard to find Kaiju movies that aren't incredibly dated. The 60s were, after all, the golden age of Kaiju.

 

[sextus the crazy]

Since everyone and their mother is going to say NGE, I'm going to Recommend RahXephon.
Because it's a giant Evangelion rip-off. Still worth watching; it's Evangelion without the crazy.

 

[Nouw]

You should check out some Ultraman. Okay, there aren't any giant robots but there are giant monsters and they're freaking awesome :3.

 

[Soundwave]

Robot Jox! They have the whole thing up on the youtube. Doesn't have kaiju, but it has the giant robots battling each other.

 

[Leemaster777]

Honestly, when I was watching Pacific Rim, Neon Genesis Evangelion wasn't really in my mind at all. Mostly because all the characters in the movie are about 1000% more likable than Shinji.

You know what two movies I was most reminded of when watching Pacific Rim? This:

Spoiler

...and this:

Spoiler

Bear in mind, I don't mean that second one as an insult. I really liked Pacific Rim. It just had ALOT of similar elements in it.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I'd only recommend NGE if you wanted to see an anime creator's mental breakdown in cartoon form. Complete with an entire cast of misanthropes, self hatred, and a loathing for the audience. (Granted, that last one kinda qualifies when shithead otakus sent Anno death threats)

 

[Shinsei-J]

Well I don't think there are to many like it because it drew and meshed together all these elements from many different pop culture properties, that's what made it so damn awesome in my mind.

That said Eva is one of those main properties it drew from but I'll recommend you something a little more off base,
Tenjou Toppa Gurren Lagann
Coming from the same studio as Eva, it's a much more action packed giant mech fighting filled anime.
Much less confusion too, everything about this anime is explained straight up or doesn't matter in the slightest.
I can't really explain it adequately so here's a trailer. [sub](it also doesn't do it justice but it's the best I got)[/sub]

 

[Cpu46]

For the giant robots alone I would say Gurren Lagann will do more than just scratch that itch. Thematically it doesn't have any real connections to Pacific Rim but it has a lot of giant robots that just keep getting bigger.
Eureka Seven is also a great mecha anime, a bit more focus on feelings and intercharacter relationships than action but it does deliver a great deal of awesome moments.
Also I can't not mention Gundam. Not the origin of the giant mecha genre but by far one of the most well built series. Focuses on both the politics of the conflicts as well as the soldiers who fight in them.

As for giant monsters... You could give Attack on Titan a try. Not sure I like where it is going right now but the first 5-7 episodes were great.

For both together.... I actually haven't seen any anime with both aside from NGE.

The only reference I will make to Evangelion is this...
If you want to see what a team of animators and story writers do after producing the horribly depressing End of Evangelion then watch FLCL. Actually scratch all that. Just watch FLCL. It has one of the best stories ever told but even after watching it 6 or so times I still don't understand it at all. It also has robots, some of them giant.

 

[Keiichi Morisato]

Full Metal Panic! it's a romantic comedy about a girl with special knowledge she was born with, and a boy who is a child soldier turned mercenary who has no knowledge on how to behave in regular society, let the hilarity begin. FYI, the English dubbed version is the better version.

 

[Brendan Hurley]

Hey, 4Chan /m/ called, and they resent the comparison between EVA and Pacific Rim, and personally so do I.

Evangelion is a brutal deconstruction of the Japanese Super Robot genre, where Pacific Rim is a glorious mashup of Super Robot and classic Kaiju movies.

If the monsters are your cup of tea, try watching some of the old Godzilla movies, or Mothra, or any of the crazy 60s Kaiju movies. If the dated effects turn you off, watch Godzilla: Final Wars for the most modern iteration.

If the robots are your thing, there is a plethora of shows to choose from. For called attacks-hot blooded-physics defying action, start with Shin Mazinger Z. If super-realistic depictions of fighting mecha interests you, try some of the Gundam giga-series, with 08th MS Team as a starting point.

Just a few ideas from the land of glorious Nippon, representing the opinion of the majority of the internet.

 

[Asclepion]

The obvious answer is Evangelion. I saw Evangelion 2.0 in a theater, twice. It was the best experience I've ever had in a cinema.

 

[piinyouri]

Robot Jox! They have the whole thing up on the youtube. Doesn't have kaiju, but it has the giant robots battling each other.

I love that movie, cheese and all. I should rewatch it sometime to see how bad/good the robot models have held up.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

Gurren Lagan
Gundam
Macross
Voltron
Escaflowne

 

[xmbts]

Why has nobody said Big O yet?

 

[FPLOON]

Hmmm... Gurren Lagann, since it hasn't been mentioned yet (I think)... I call it a mix between NGE and FLCL, in terms of overall tone... It's more (giant) mechs than giant monster when you think about it, but considering how epic the shows gets as the series goes on, I say it a good recommendation on the mech side of recommendations...


On the side of giant monsters... uh... currently, I'm watching "Attack on Titan", which despite the Titans themselves not actually being giant kaiju monsters but "naked" human giants, basically, they do fuck shit up just like giant monsters...

Spoiler

(and eat the innocent...)

(I would recommend some of the Gundam series, but besides the original series and possibly Wing and/or 00, I can't fully recommend which series would be the better one to get into... that's not the original Mobile Suit Gundam...)

 

[FPLOON]

Why has nobody said Big O yet?

BIG O!!!! SHOWTIME!!!!!

(Why didn't I mention this anime in the first place? Besides, in less than two weeks, it will be shown on TV again during adult swim's Toonami block...)

 

[CriticalMiss]

Why has nobody said Big O yet?

I was going to suggest it until you ruined that plan, I rocket punch you!

Errm. All of my suggestions have already been mentioned; Gundam, Big O, Evangelion, Escaflowne and even Power Rangers. I guess the only thing that comes close is Tekka Man Blade, although nothing is really giant in that and it's been ages since I last watched it so it could be awful and my youthful self decided it was the peak of awesomosity through rose tinted goggles.