Whenever I come across 'old anime lists' I notice that several old titles either get overlooked or people genuinely forget they are anime. Speed Racer is an anime that came out when my dad was younger, long be fore I was born but it is one of the greatest anime I have watched not because it's animation is outstanding (I concede that modern anime is often so much better minus every little thing being cutesy in some of them) but because of the consistency of characterization and the simplicity of the narrative in each arc and the believability of the characters. Even with the Shatner levels of exaggeration, we see character traits that are familiar and fit a situation.
Generally each arc is either a single episode or goes to a maximum of three episodes. The most well known of the two-part arcs is the episodes featuring The Mammoth Car, a train of a car made out of melted down gold bars. While the only real overlying narrative is Speed's quest to be a world-class racer, this was all the series needed to make the 52 episode mark.
Another anime that gets ignored often is Yoroiden Samurai Troopers aka 'Ronin Warriors'. Part of the lack of fame for this anime in the states actually stems from poor timing of when it was brought over. It came on the heels of Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z on top of having awkwardly dubbed lines. The title was changed to avoid confusion with 'VR Troopers' and a storyline was completely made up just to sell toys. It has thankfully since be released on DVD as the original Japanese with subs.
YST was released initially in 1988 in Japan, and essentially pre-dates the Power Rangers of 1993 fame. This anime is more interesting than some of the other 'sentai' anime in that it actually structures itself around what Japan is most well-known for: Samurai. Each yoroi (armor) is imbued with one of nine guiding principles often referred to as 'bushido': Benevolence, Piety, Trust/Faith, Courtesy, Loyalty, Wisdom, Justice, Obedience and Serenity/Sincerity (unsure which it was because subs mess up occasionally). If you like older anime I recommend giving this a try. Of the 80's-90's anime it thankfully lacks some of the odder things that cropped up.
Are there any fans who have seen these anime before? Did you have a favorite character, episode, event?
Generally each arc is either a single episode or goes to a maximum of three episodes. The most well known of the two-part arcs is the episodes featuring The Mammoth Car, a train of a car made out of melted down gold bars. While the only real overlying narrative is Speed's quest to be a world-class racer, this was all the series needed to make the 52 episode mark.
Another anime that gets ignored often is Yoroiden Samurai Troopers aka 'Ronin Warriors'. Part of the lack of fame for this anime in the states actually stems from poor timing of when it was brought over. It came on the heels of Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z on top of having awkwardly dubbed lines. The title was changed to avoid confusion with 'VR Troopers' and a storyline was completely made up just to sell toys. It has thankfully since be released on DVD as the original Japanese with subs.
YST was released initially in 1988 in Japan, and essentially pre-dates the Power Rangers of 1993 fame. This anime is more interesting than some of the other 'sentai' anime in that it actually structures itself around what Japan is most well-known for: Samurai. Each yoroi (armor) is imbued with one of nine guiding principles often referred to as 'bushido': Benevolence, Piety, Trust/Faith, Courtesy, Loyalty, Wisdom, Justice, Obedience and Serenity/Sincerity (unsure which it was because subs mess up occasionally). If you like older anime I recommend giving this a try. Of the 80's-90's anime it thankfully lacks some of the odder things that cropped up.
Are there any fans who have seen these anime before? Did you have a favorite character, episode, event?