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It's sometimes difficult to figure out which series will be remembered, versus which ones will be left behind in the world of anime. Sometimes, popular series are obvious; decades later, series like Dragon Ball Z and One Piece remain global hits. Other series like Tenchi Muyo have been juggernauts of their eras, only to be forgotten with time.
It's always the worst, though, when the series that are forgotten are excellent. Some series that were hailed as masterpieces in their time can be forgotten for any number of reasons. Often, they didn't have the exposure to reach a large enough audience. Other times, they just get buried amidst the sea of new anime that release every season.
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water Was The First Project For A Beloved Anime Studio
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water was the first television series for the legendary studio Gainax. Loosely based on the classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Nadia follows its eponymous protagonist, a young girl being hunted by the forces of Neo-Atlantis for her jewel, the Blue Water. After meeting a young inventor, Jean, Nadia goes on the run, with the two relying on each other and the aid of Nemo, a submarine Captain.
For a series that feels like it's just a Saturday morning cartoon show, Nadia is surprisingly smartly-written. The series explores the contrast between embracing nature versus humanity's preference for constantly advancing technology, even if it doesn't always understand the tech it desires. Like Neon Genesis Evangelion that released after it, it's also an incredible coming-of-age story, as Nadia deals with the stress of having to save the world from destruction.
At one point, Nadia was considered a classic in the anime space. However, over time, people forgot the series in favor of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the other works Gainax began working on after it. Now that Gainax itself has been dismantled, Nadia is more overlooked than ever. It doesn't help that the series has vanished from most mainstream streaming places.
You're Under Arrest Is The Peak For Workplace Comedies
A popular seinen manga in the late '80s and early '90s, You're Under Arrest turned into a successful franchise in the '90s. The series focused on Natsumi Fujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa, two police officers tossed together for the Bokuto Police District. Though the two don't get along well at first, it isn't long before they're brought together by their mutual passion for the job, and their habit of going too far to stop traffic violations.
You're Under Arrest is one of the best comedy series from the early '90s. Workplace comedies have always been relatively rare in anime, but You're Under Arrest still sets a relatively high bar thanks to its affable cast, as the Bokuto Police Station is a lovable group of misfits. Meanwhile, while largely remaining focused on traffic offenders, the series manages to tell a surprisingly wide variety of engrossing, episodic stories.
You're Under Arrest is one of many anime series from the '90s that experienced enough success to turn into a franchise, but released too early to go global. It got its start as an OVA, went on to get two full television series and a live-action drama, and even got a brief revival attempt in the late 2000s, but this wasn't enough to carry it into the modern day.
Maison Ikkoku Presents A Beautiful And Realistic Romance
Maison Ikkoku is an example of just how long Rumiko Takahashi's anime run has been. Her influence goes back to the 1980s, and adaptations of her work are still being made today. The anime tells the story of Yusaku Godai, a young man who failed his college entrance exams, and intends to spend the next year studying to get into college.
After moving into the boarding home Maison Ikkoku though, his plans to study are quickly disrupted by having to deal with the boarding house's quirky tenants. Still, nothing disrupts him more than when he falls in love with the boarding house's manager, Kyoto Otonashi.
Even decades later, Maison Ikkoku remains one of the finest romance series out there. Across nearly 100 episodes, the series gradually builds Kyouko and Godai's relationship, fleshing both characters out over time to make their connection from strangers to couple feel real.
Moreover, Godai is reminiscent of other childish male main characters, but the series shows him maturing into a dependable adult, one capable of maintaining a relationship. Regrettably, that's a narrative that often feels rare in today's modern shonen romance series.
Maison Ikkoku was always popular in Japan, but never quite took off in North America. In contrast to most of Takahashi's other anime adaptations, Maison Ikkoku is considerably more realistic, turning away people that might've loved Ranma 1/2 or Inuyasha. Still, that doesn't make the series any less of a great romance series.
Kimagure Orange Road Is Still An Incredible Time Capsule
Based on a classic Weekly Shonen Jump manga from the '80s, Kimagure Orange Road is a reminder that not all great shonen anime have to be battle series. One of the earlier romcom shows, the anime focuses on a high-school love triangle between recent transplant Kyosuke Kasuga, the cold Madoka Ayukawa, and the adorable tomboy Hikaru Miyama. While Kyosuke instantly gets a crush on Madoka, Hikaru develops a crush on Kyosuke, and her friendship with Madoka puts Kyosuke in a tight spot.
On the surface, Kimagure Orange Road looks like standard fluff, but it doesn't take long for the show to separate itself from the competition. Kyosuke wields impressive psychic powers like the rest of his family, further complicating his life as he tries to hide them from everyone else. More importantly though, the series also features sharper character writing, making the character drama hit closer to home.
Kimagure Orange Road, alongside series like Maison Ikkoku, helped to prove anime could be more than macho action or space opera science fiction. Its incredible success in Japan proved anime was another proof that anime was a storytelling medium without limits.
Blue Seed Was Once Considered One Of The Greats
In the early '90s, acclaimed studio Production I.G. and Ashi Productions gave fans an adaptation of another manga from Yuzo Takada, previously known for their work on the popular 3x3 Eyes. Blue Seed is the story of Fujimiya Momiji, a normal middle-school girl who discovers she's not very normal at all after an attempt on her life. Instead, she discovers she's actually a descendant of a princess who wields the only power capable of holding back the ancient alien monsters known as the Aragami.
A beautifully animated series back then, Blue Seed is still incredible to look at even now. Beyond being just another pretty face, though, it features a cast of complex, well-written characters with a surprisingly convincing romance at the core. There are some great fight scenes against the Aragami, and the series uses humanity's struggle as a vehicle to smartly discuss environmentalist themes.
At one point, Blue Seed was compared favorably to masterpieces like Neon Genesis Evangelion by its fans. However, over the years, Evangelion's star continued to rise while Blue Seed faded into obscurity. That's not a shot at Blue Seed, but instead an example of how, without the right backing, even masterpiece-level anime can fall off.
