15 Underappreciated Anime I (Redux)

The 15 Underappreciated Anime series is one of my favorite ones to work on, it's also the starting point of my pop-culture writing. Unfortunately, the website where the original first entry was posted seems to have gone offline - meaning that and many others that I wrote are now unavailable.

That said, I wanted to put that first entry up on Vocal so that we have a complete series. Right, so with all the explaining out of the way let's get to the content!

15: Kiddy Grade

In the far future, the Galactic Organization for Trade and Tariffs helps to keep law and order in the galaxy through their ES agents. The series focuses on two of these agents, Eclair and Lumiere as they work on cases.

The series ran for 24 episodes from October 2002 to March 2003. It's well-written, and beautifully animated. The voice cast is also great, which makes the fact that this one doesn't seem to get much attention nowadays rather sad.

14: Angelic Layer

I discussed Angelic Layer in the Old School Anime Reviews series, but the gist is simple. Misaki Suzuhara moves to Tokyo to attend middle school and gets involved with a local fighting game called Angelic Layer.

The series is well-paced and well-written and it's a great entry-level series to ease yourself into anime.

13: Wolf's Rain

This one's a bit...heavier so-to-speak. The story is set in a far future when wolves have been presumed extinct for years. The truth is that they've just figured out how to disguise themselves as humans. The plot follows a group of wolves as they search for paradise.

This series is beautifully animated and the soundtrack is fantastic. That said, however, very slow-paced which may put some viewers off.

12: Hellsing (2001)

Partially based on Hirano Kouta's manga series of the same name, Hellsing follows an organization in the UK that deals with supernatural threats. The series ran for thirteen episodes from October 11, 2001 to January 17, 2002.

Now, at the time the series aired, the manga was not yet completed so the production used creative license to help finish the series. As far as the story and pacing go, they're not too bad. The animation, however, is all over the place; some of it is quite nice but some of it just looks flat.

11: Black Jack

Black Jack follows an unlicensed doctor - the titular character - who takes a variety of medical cases that most other doctors wouldn't attempt. Now, most of the time, he's successful but not always.

Each episode is a self-contained story, so you don't have to start at one specific point. The animation, music, and stories are all great.

10: Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue is an absolute classic and is a genuinely terrifying watch.

The film follows a singer who leaves the music industry to pursue a career in acting. This decision leads to a rather nasty situation when a deranged, upset fan, starts stalking her.

Perfect Blue was released in 1997 and was well received, it's still a great film that should be given much more attention.

9: Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier

This is an old favorite of mine. Cyborg 009: the Cyborg Soldier follows a group of cyborgs as they work to stop the evil Black Ghost terrorist organization. Despite the somewhat goofy style, this series can get pretty dark occasionally. Thankfully, the darker moments are well-balanced with very good humor.

Cyborg 009: the Cyborg Soldier was the third television series based on Shotaro Ishinomori's manga of the same name. It ran for 2 seasons and aired 51 episodes from October 14, 2001 to October 13, 2002. It was also one of the first anime series I ever watched along with Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh! and a few others.

Sadly, this one isn't often talked about anymore which is a genuine shame because it deserves more recognition.

8: Speed Racer X

So, when I did 15 Underappreciated Anime III, I talked about the 1968 Speed Racer anime series. There was one other Speed Racer series, however, that very few people know about: Speed Racer X.

Speed Racer X aired in 1997 and follows the titular character as he works to compete in the World Grand Prix. Now, the English dub aired on Nickelodeon for 13 episodes before being taken off the air due a legal dispute with the company who owned the American distribution rights.

This left the series in a somewhat awkward place because it just ends meaning the show ends on a cliffhanger which will likely never be resolved. Still, for what it is, the show isn't bad. The music is great, the animation is beautiful, and it's really a shame that we didn't get more.

7: Vampire Hunter D

Based on the books by Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi, Vampire Hunter D follows a vampire hunter - named D. D is a human/vampire hybrid, who is hired by a local girl to kill a vampire count who bit her - before she turns into a vampire.

Now, there have been two films based on the books, and I've discussed both of them in the Old School Anime Reviews series.

The first film was released in 1985 and is considered by many to be a cult classic. Sadly, it's rarely discussed nowadays outside of people who know about it.

6: Wicked City

Wicked City is sort of like an anime version of Men in Black. The film is set in an alternate timeline where humans and demons live alongside one another in relative peace - thanks to a treaty, of course. Two special agents - called black guards - are assigned to protect a diplomat ahead of the next renewal of the treaty.

The film was released in 1987 and was met with a largely mixed to negative reception with many criticizing the constant violence and sexual content. There was some praise directed towards the way the film was 'shot' like a live-action action movie.

Overall, it's not great, but it deserves a lot more attention than it gets.

5: Angel Cop

Angel Cop is set in a sort of alternate timeline. Japan has become the most financially powerful country in the world. The result is that the country is now a frequent target for terrorists. To combat the constant terrorist attacks, Japan forms a special unit the police force - the special security force.

Two SSF agents, Angel and Raiden are assigned to work a local case concerning a terrorist group called the Red May.

The series is nicely animated, and reasonably well-paced but the story is somewhat flat. Character development is limited and it's not easy to like the existing cast. With all that in mind, it's a series that deserves a lot more attention than it gets nowadays.

4: Record of Lodoss War

Record of Lodoss War is essentially an anime version of Lord of the Rings. It's a fantasy series that follows a group of adventurers as they work to thwart the conquest of their homeland.

It's beautifully animated and reasonably well-paced. The musical score is great and the humor, and character development is very well done. Much like the other entries on this list, however, this particular series is barely discussed nowadays. Sadly, the series was short-lived airing a single season of 13 episodes between June of 1990 and November of 1991.

A sequel series, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, ran for 27 episodes in 1998.

3: Kaiketsu: The Legend of Zorro

Here's one that I doubt many of you lovely readers have heard of, Kaiketsu: the Legend of Zorro. When I was a kid, this was one of three early anime titles I saw - and I didn't even know what anime was! The other two titles, if you're curious, were Cinderella Monogatari and an adaptation of Pocahontas.

The story is, I think, fairly well-known. Diego Vega returns home to California from Spain and finds the locals being bullied by the local Spanish soldiers. He subsequently becomes the masked vigilante Zorro to battle injustice.

Now, the series ran from April 5, 1996 to March 28, 1997 and aired 52 episodes. There was a 26-tape VHS release of the series as well - this was in the early 2000s. Yes, you read that correctly. There was a VHS release of the series that spanned some 26 VHS tapes with each tape featuring two episodes. I was lucky enough to have all 26 tapes at one point, but unfortunately all of those tapes have since disappeared.

It's sad that this one is largely ignored, because it's a lot of fun to watch.

2: Dirty Pair

Based on a series of light novels, Dirty Pair is a sci-fi comedy series that follows a pair of 'trouble consultants' - people sent out to solve difficult problems - named Kei and Yuri. These particular consultants, however, have an unfortunate habit of causing extreme amounts of collateral damage which has earned them the unaffectionate nickname, 'the dirty pair'.

The series ran for 24 episodes from July to December 1985. There have also been a couple of different OVA series' and a movie called Project Eden. Dirty Pair can be considered the older sibling of Kiddy Grade, but unlike Kiddy Grade, which focuses mostly on being a fun action series, Dirty Pair covers many mature topics providing a certain depth to the series.

1: Band of Ninja

Band of Ninja, also called Tales of the Ninja, is the oldest title I've discussed in the Underappreciated Anime series.

The film follows the son of a slain feudal lord as he joins a rogue ninja to help local peasants in their rebellion against Shogun Oda Nobunaga.

Released in 1967, the film isn't your typical anime fare. It's a series of drawings with voiceover work being done to match the story. The result of this is that the 123 minute film feels REALLY slow. It's not bad, but it's definitely not going to be something that everyone will like.

There we Go!

Well, there we go. Not really the way I'd thought this series would go, but this was fun. Of course, this does mean that 15 Underappreciated Anime IV is going to be much harder.

Still, I hope you guys enjoyed the article. Thanks for reading, I'll see you next time!