Anime has come a long way from its humble origins and there are distinct tones and trends that arise each decade. Each decade brings something important to the medium that in turn helps anime evolve and go in new directions. However, the ‘90s are a particularly important decade for anime that pushed the medium into the international mainstream.
The ‘90s has no shortage of groundbreaking anime that are still talked about and popular today, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and even Pokémon. There are also many equally impressive anime from the ‘90s that failed to connect on a universal level upon their debuts, but would absolutely entertain modern audiences.
Revolutionary Girl Utena Celebrates A Progressive Power Fantasy Love Story
Revolutionary Girl Utena broke boundaries for magical girl anime back in the ’90s by telling a subversive story that eschews standard gender roles. Utena Tenjou engages in a series of duels to win the hand of Anthy, the Rose Bride, and prove herself as the ultimate prince. Revolutionary Girl Utena is a touching examination of identity that strives to tear down oppressive patriarchal systems, something it accomplishes through heightened theatricality and symbolism.
The series is a masterpiece that was ahead of its time, but the anime’s feature film finale is an even more abstract and existential experience that still prompts debates decades later. Adolescence of Utena mystified many audiences back in the ’90s, but modern audiences are more accustomed to surreal stories that opt to do something more unconventional.
The Vision Of Escaflowne Bravely Combines Isekai Fantasy & Mecha Mayhem
Anime’s mecha and isekai genres were incredibly popular during the ‘90s. This was exciting, but it also led to a certain ambivalence to the more generic offerings that didn’t bring anything new forward. The Vision of Escaflowne is an ambitious antidote to this genre apathy that’s much more in line with the creative anime hybrids that exist today.
Escaflowne starts off like a standard isekai fantasy when Hitomi is whisked away to a magical world – Gaea – and finds herself in the middle of a brutal war between feuding nations. Within this medieval fantasy world are giant mechas that help push certain fantasy tropes to unprecedented places. For instance, the mecha resemble gigantic knights in shining armor, and can transform into dragons.
Outlaw Star’s Traditional Sci-Fi Treasure Hunt In Space Has Become A Lost Art
Outlaw Star wasn’t an unpopular ’90s anime, and it even had a run on Cartoon Network’s Toonami anime programming block. However, it was hard not to compare Outlaw Star to its space opera sci-fi peer, Cowboy Bebop, which was out in the same year. On its own, outside of Cowboy Bebop‘s shadow, there’s a lot to love in an anime that’s as unabashedly bold and silly as Outlaw Star.
It’s a traditional sci-fi series with rich world-building, a unique blend of sci-fi and magic, and distinct designs for its ships and weapons. Outlaw Star also draws inspiration from an unusual mix of places, including Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Traditional sci-fi anime that respect the genre’s fundamentals, while still doing something different with them, are few and far between these days.
Master Keaton Mixes Exciting Archaeological Adventures With International Espionage
Naoki Urasawa is responsible for some of the best anime ever, such as Monster, Pluto, and 20th Century Boys. Master Keaton is one of Urasawa’s more overlooked hidden gems. A meditation on Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones, Master Keaton juxtaposes archaeological heists with vast global conspiracies that lead to a domino effect of death and disaster.
There’s a greater sense of scale and stakes than what’s explored in the Lupin the III series, and Master Keaton’s titular protagonist is someone who fits in very well among today’s anime icons. Master Keaton‘s 39-episode anime from the late ’90s is largely forgotten, but it beats many of the modern mystery and detective thrillers at their own game.
Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water Rebels Against Oppressive Forces In A World Of Wonder
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is a fantastical steampunk adventure that’s a stunning collaboration between two anime visionaries, Hideaki Anno and Hayao Miyazaki, while drawing inspiration from the works of Jules Verne. Nadia tells a dense story that’s very in line with many of Miyazaki’s Ghibli films that tackle mankind’s fragile relationship with nature, albeit with a more cynical edge that echoes Anno’s narrative interests.
It’s understandable to see how a boundary-breaking anime like this might seem more inscrutable in the ’90s. Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water creates such a beautiful world that feels like it could fuel endless adventures. Anime’s cyclical interest in steampunk worlds and darker fantasy make it seem like the series could be a huge hit if it experienced a modern re-release.
Trigun Is The Definitive ‘90s Space Western With A Perfect Protagonist
Trigun’s Vash the Stampede is a prolific gunslinger with an impossible bounty on his head. Despite his talents, Vash opts for pacifism and a lifestyle that embodies love and peace. Trigun moves between heightened western showdowns and exaggerated sci-fi caricatures, yet always remains true to itself and the sweet message of family and acceptance that’s at its core.
Studio Orange’s TRIGUN STAMPEDE and TRIGUN STARGAZE are visually gorgeous and technically brilliant adaptations of Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun, but these modern versions of Nightow’s iconic sci-fi/western/action masterpiece struggled to reach a broader crowd, and were inferior to the ’90s anime. It’s fascinating to recognize that the audience is more interested in an action anime that authentically embodies the ’90s instead of a needlessly new take that embraces style over substance.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam Gives The Self-Serious Mecha Franchise A Much-Needed Makeover
Mobile Suit Gundam is a foundational anime franchise that experienced some exciting pivots during the ’90s, some of which weren’t well received at the time. Every Gundam anime since the franchise’s debut in 1979 was set in the Universal Century timeline. 1994’s Mobile Fighter G Gundam was the first anime to break this trend, with it being followed by Gundam Wing, Gundam X, Turn A Gundam, and many more.
This change was controversial at the time, especially since G Gundam replaces the franchise’s geopolitical struggles and tactical chess matches with tournament-style battle shonen theatrics and cartoonish stereotypes. G Gundam distills the Gundam formula down to an epic tournament that’s come to replace war. Each nation submits a single Gundam to represent them, which leads to some of the franchise’s most inventive mecha designs, even if some are quite tone-deaf.
Slayers Set The Stage For Decades Of Sharp Fantasy Satire
Slayers is another ahead-of-its-time ’90s title that’s now viewed as a formative text for broad fantasy parodies. Fantasy anime that riffed on the basic Dungeons & Dragons framework where there’s a party of diverse adventurers on an epic quest were unavoidable during the ’90s. However, Slayers broke boundaries by taking these well-established rules and roles and pushing them into self-aware and meta territory.
Slayers gave the fantasy genre permission to poke fun at itself and its protagonist, Lina Inverse, is a fantastic amalgamation of extreme sensibilities that reflect the sort of flawed figure that’s now par for the course. Recent fantasy parodies like Konosuba and even Delicious in Dungeon have been very popular, and neither of them would be possible without Slayers.
Slam Dunk Is A Sports Shonen Triumph & The Ultimate Underdog Story
Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk isn’t just an exceptional basketball anime, but there’s a strong case to be made that it’s one of the best sports anime — period — and one of the best shonen anime of the ’90s. Hanamichi Sakuragi is a crass juvenile delinquent who joins his high school’s basketball team with ulterior motives, only to develop a genuine love for the sport.
Slam Dunk chronicles the highs and lows of Sakuragi’s team, with everything being presented in a realistic and grounded manner, while having the confidence to let basketball speak for itself. The fact that the Slam Dunk franchise was dormant for decades, but 2022’s The First Slam Dunk feature film still set box office records and is Japan’s seventh-highest-grossing film of all time, speaks to how a classic, cutthroat sports anime can thrive in the modern anime landscape.
Great Teacher Onizuka Is A Crude Comedy That’s Still Full Of Heart
It’s easy to underestimate an anime like GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka. It’s a coming-of-age school comedy where a reformed gang leader becomes an unconventional teacher who develops a genuine love for the trade and his students. There are plenty of anime that are set in this framework, but Great Teacher Onizuka delivers profound, character-driven comedy that has the luxury of evolving across the anime’s 43 episodes.
Eikichi Onizuka comes from the traditional mold of slacker delinquents who begrudge responsibility. His growth and emotional depth, while expected, is still well-earned and incredibly effective. Great Teacher Onizuka is extremely silly, and its protagonist isn’t always likable, but it tends to present Onizuka as the punchline. Over time, darker ideas and obstacles are tackled among Onizuka’s students that help the anime transform into something with greater substance.