Mecha/Military Anime Recommendations

[soulfire916]

Howdy, I'm pretty new to the forum, a couple reasons I joined was because:

1) I feel I would like more friends into mecha/sci-fi pop culture

2) I want more mecha/military or sci-fi anime/manga reccommended.


Anyway this thread is to focus on 2), I was wondering if I could ask some of the mecha enthusiasts here to help me (and possibly others viewing this thread) find more mecha animes to watch.

A couple things:

1) I dont want the series to be 'kiddy', I dont mind if the series includes the main character being a teen pilot or what not, but I'm not a big fan of the shonen cliches.

2) I've already seen the following shows (off the top of my head anyway): Code Geass, Gundam (pretty much all of them) and Neon genesis Eva.

3) i'd perfer it if it was made after 2001, I dont mind older shows but I'm pretty visual oriented and would perfer the artwork to be more up to date.

Anyway thanks in advance.

[Wingnut]

Sounds like you'd enjoy the Votoms franchise even if it is before your time frame.

[Raikoh]

Let's see... Well, there's always Full Metal Panic, which is well-known for being heavily military based as well as fairly recent (this is coming from a guy who watches lots of 80s and 90s anime, though).

[Dark Duel]

As far as mecha anime goes, one of the best ones I've ever seen has to be Sōkyū no Fafner. Check it out.

[Ryujin]

Off the top of my head...

Dougram has to be mentioned, even though it's very old. Guerrilla warfare & combined-arms battles up front, political skullduggery in the background. The director would go on to do VOTOMS & Gasaraki afterwards. Note that the VOTOMS Pailsen Files OVA is from 2007, if you're looking for newer animation.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes, for grand sweeping space battles & interstellar politics.

Of more recent vintage is:

Viper's Creed -- This is about the members of a PMC protecting a city in the early stages of becoming a cyberpunk dystopia from assorted threats with transformable mecha. I consider it Shinji Aramaki's love letter to 80's sci-fi action B-movies, what with all the stereotypes & cliches. The MC's are a bit of a rarity, too, nowadays-- they're not teenagers.

Majestic Prince -- A straightforward mecha action show. Even though the mecha animation makes heavy use of CGI, it's very well done. Some people find the Hisashi Hirai character designs to be off-putting though.

Yamato 2199 -- IMHO, this pretty much sets the bar on how one should do an anime remake. First-class production all the way (well, except for a few art & cgi flubs here & there), with themes, production design, etc. updated for modern sensibilities while retaining the spirit of the original. Yutaka Izubuchi is as good a series director as he is a mechanical designer, and Nobuteru Yuuki's character designs (Lodoss War, etc.) are as tasty as ever.

[LightningCount]

I've got some ideas that should definitely be on your radar:

Gasaraki:
While it drifts into Evangelion-like territory, it has a stronger sense of realism to its mecha and military operations. Imagine a TV series based on Gundam 00 Season 1's Human Reform League and their Tierens, and you get a picture of it.

Patlabor Movies 1-3:
These are based on a TV/OVA series of the same name which are more comedic, but these movies are very serious and realistic like Ghost in the Shell. It intersects law enforcement and military mecha.

Fafner in the Azure:
A blend of Evangelion and RahXephon. There is a sequel movie and a prequel OVA. A sequel series is also in the works.

RahXephon:
A blend of Evangelion and Macross/Robotech. Watch the TV series before the compilation/remix movie.

The Big-O:
A mystery/noir series with giant robots. Very unique. The military is more of a background/supporting element, but it is there in the form of Paradigm City's military police; and the main character, in his 20s, is a former military policeman turned negotiator.

Robotech/Macross:
Old-school classic that stands up to the classic Gundam universe. Macross is the purist original version, and stands alone great. Robotech is more of the traditional sci-fi space opera retooling done by Western writers. Depends on your preference.

Macross Plus:
A continuation of Macross that's pretty self-contained. Many people watch this by itself without any knowledge of Macross/Robotech. Think of it as the 08th MS Team or 0083 of the Macross universe. Some people call it the "Top Gun" of anime. Absolutely excellent.

Blue Gender:
An anime rendition of Starship Troopers. Military mecha versus bug-monsters; not really my cup of tea, but it takes itself very seriously, and you may find it interesting.

I'd also recommend the anime Zoids: Chaotic Century/Guardian Force, but that can be more of an acquired taste, since its mecha are all based on animals. The manga The Candidate for Goddess is also intriguing--sort of like Ender's Game meets Evangelion. But I'd stick with the others first given your stated preferences.

[Zeonista]

Armor Hunter Mellowlink is definitely a must-see for you. There is also the actual anime of Starship Troopers, if you can find it.

[teslashark]

Yamato 2199 as mentioned above.
Metal Armor Dragonar, essentially Gundam 0079/SEED set in a closer-to reality time and without Newtypes/Co-ordinators.

[Zeonista]

I would also mention Heavy Metal Warrior L-Gaim and Aura Battler Dunbine, two anime series that Tomino created and directed before Zeta Gundam. And for a mecha anime that has children but is not childish, Round Vernier Vifam.

[South Burning]

While it doesn't have much in the way of true mecha, an old anime called "Roughnecks" has a lot of great military action in it. It's actually a side story to "Starship Troopers", the old Robert Heinlein book, but it's MUCH better than the live action movie. While I haven't seen the complete series anywhere for a while, the individual DVD's show up in bargain bins every once in a while so it may still be available if you go on the hunt. (And the greatest joys are those most sought after.)

[Unit ZER0]

It's not really military, but the Mobile Police Patlabor series, both the TV and Movie continuity, are goo to watch.

For total action, the Super Robot Wars series is also good.

Zone of the Enders: Dolores, I is another good one, despite the rather unfortunate mecha designs.