Awesome 70's Anime

Well, folks, I wish I could bestow upon you the ability to instantly understand Japanese, but I can't. But for all of you anime freaks out there that think they know something about anime, well, I hate to disappoint you, but I win. After all, I AM A HUGE DORK!

So, without ado, I present to you the greatest anime of the 1970's. Before the commercialism, before all the toys, and before anime was based less on a salespoint than the artist pushing a great idea.

#1 - 未来少年コナン Mirai Shonen Konan - Future Boy Conan

I'm sorry, but this has got to be number one, even over Gundam and Ashita no Joe. This anime is so well written and never has a dull moment. You never even question Conan's ability to stay underwater for dozens of minutes or rip sheet metal off of a plane. The best thing about this anime is that if anyone marketed this in English it would be golden. It's ecological, anti-war, and it teaches kids they can do anything. It also spawned Miyazaki's career, which says the most.



#2 明日のジョー Ashita no Joe - Tomorrow's Joe

Yeah, I'm sorry to say that Joe and his legendary battle with Rikiishi beats Amuro and Char. There is no way anyone can deny the power of the musical track, the battles Joe and Danpei fight against others and themselves, and the pure realism of the boxing match and it' smetaphor for life. Japan was emerging from recession and the loss of WWII, what to do next? Fight.

#3 機動戦士ガンダム - Kidousenshi Gundam - Gundam (the Original)

There have been more interpretations of this series than necessary, in my opinion, and a lot of the newer Gundams lose sight of the original point of the old one: self-sacrifice for freedom in the face of insurmountable odds. It teaches another lesson, it's ok for the enemy (Char) to be way cooler than you (Amuro) and you can still whoop his butt. Give up all the Gundams with the extra letters tacked on to them and watch the only real one.


Yeah, Amuro's a REAL MAN. Actually this scene is pretty deep.


#4 うる星やつら　Urusei Yatsura - Lum

You know, a lot of people watch Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha and don't realize that she used to make good animation. It's true! Anyway, I love this series. It's so irrelevant and I need a comedy anime somewhere in this list. Plus, most guys know (or remember) how much women turned us on in the old days with just the slightest burlesque flourishes, and Lum is the master of them. Also Lum's not technically a 70's anime, but it is a 70's MANGA DANGIT! The final OP almost sounds like the Cardigans stole their material from UY.



#5 どかべん　Dokaben

This is the hidden beauty of this sports anime lies in its wacko characters and the determination and spirit of Tarou Yamada (who has one of the most boring names in Japan). Through heart work and constant encouragement of his teammates, they make it to Koshien three times, and lose the last time. It's extremely rare to find, but I am madly in love with it.




(trans)What is youth? It's a white ball, that flies to the heavens. Because we have dreams, we are young. We hit and we throw with all the strength that we have. The time to set our life on fire is now, like that faultless white ball. Such is the way of youth.

I guess I'll do 6-10 later.