The Golden Age — the 1980s || Films & OVAs

#AnimeHunters

In my previous post, I took a look at anime in the 1980s as a whole — a decade full of change, experimentation, and new beginnings. OVAs were born, influential studios made their debut, and a new wave of creative minds reshaped anime.

This time, I want to focus on anime films and OVAs that truly defined the era. Some became cult classics, others broke new ground in storytelling or animation, and a few simply stuck with me over the years. And once we're done here, the next post in this series will be about tv anime series of the 80s. But first, let's get started with OVAs and films.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

【OVAs】

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bubblegum Crisis

We're starting off with the eight-part cyberpunk OVA series Bubblegum Crisis. It was released from 1987 to 1991. Production studios were Artmic and AICA. The OVA got several follow-ups in the form of OVAs, series, and manga.

The story takes place in a futuristic Tokyo ravaged by rogue androids known as Boomers, where an all-female vigilante group called the Knight Sabers take justice into their own hands.

The anime was a major commercial success and one of the most popular OVAs of its time. It was one of the first anime to be released on home video in the USA, where it became very popular and remains a classic to this day. Fans especially cherished the hard-edged visuals, soundtrack and all-female lead cast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gunbuster

Aim for the Top! We now turn to the debut title of Hideaki Anno, who made his directorial debut with Gunbuster in 1988. It’s a six-part OVA from Studio Gainax. To celebrate Gainax’s 20th anniversary, a sequel was released in 2004.

The OVA is set in a future where humanity is at war with Space Monsters. The story follows Noriko Takaya, a young girl who dreams of becoming a space pilot. She is chosen to train in the elite program to pilot the powerful mecha Gunbuster. Alongside the talented and disciplined Kazumi Amano, Noriko struggles to overcome doubt by others and herself.

The story blends mecha action with hard science fiction and emotional character development. It can be seen as Gainax’s first mecha masterpiece before Evangelion. The combination of schoolgirl drama, time dilation, and emotional tension, in a space setting with mecha action was outstanding for its time. Furthermore, it starts off light-hearted and gets more serious and emotional over the course of the episodes. With this, it set new standards for OVAs with cinematic ambition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Megazone 23

Our next entry is often overlooked, but was a cornerstone of 80s anime. Megazone 23 is a three-part OVA which was originally conceived as a 12-episode tv series, but it was changed to a direct-to-video project after the sponsors withdrew their mid-production. It seems like these sponsors miscalculated, as the first part was a major commercial success in Japan upon release in 1985.

In the story, Shogo Yahagi stumbles upon a stolen motorcycle that hides military secrets. He discovers that his entire world is a simulation controlled by a mysterious AI.

The OVA's concept of a simulated reality predates later works with a similar premise, including Dark City, The Matrix and Existenz. Today, it is considered a cyberpunk classic. Back in the day, it exceeded all expectations with its mature tone and cinematic style.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

【Films】

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel’s Egg

Let’s move on to the films. First up is Angel’s Egg, which has been sitting on my watchlist for way too long. The film, by Yoshitaka Amano and Mamoru Oshii, features surrealist elements and is almost entirely without dialogue. It was produced by Tokuma Shoten and released in 1985.

The film had only a very limited theatrical release. The video release reached a much wider audience, which is why the film is also considered an OVA.

In the film a girl with long white hair wanders through a dark, desolate land where there seem to be hardly any people. One day, she meets a traveler. Hesitantly, the two together and begin a journey.

The film lives through its imagery — nothing is explained, and hardly anything is spoken. What matters are the visuals alone, which, combined with sweeping orchestral music, spark the viewer’s imagination.

While today the film stands out as a remarkable example of experimental anime from the 1980s, it wasn’t particularly successful at the time. Many viewers struggled with its storytelling style. That’s because the film is more than just entertainment — it’s a work of art meant to provoke thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vampire Hunter D

Next up is Vampire Hunter D, a 1985 fantasy horror OVA film produced by Ashi Productions. The anime is based on the first in the long-running series of light novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi. It was the first of several film adaptations of his works.

The anime is set in the year 12,090 AD, in a post-nuclear holocaust world. There, a young woman hires a mysterious half-vampire, half-human vampire hunter to protect her from a powerful vampire lord.

Vampire Hunter D is credited as one of the earliest productions targeted explicitly at male teenager and adult demographic instead of family audiences. Gothic horror, swordplay, and dark fantasy collide in this stylish and brooding adventure. It capitalized on the emerging OVA market due to its violent content and influence from European horror mythology.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise

Our next film is the first production by renowned studio Gainax. Furthermore, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise from 1987 was the most expensive anime production to be made at its time . In March 1992, Gainax began planning a sequel. However, no sponsors could be found for the project.

The story takes place in an alternate world with its own rich history, where slacker soldier Shirotsugh Lhadatt s a fledgling space program. As he trains to become the first astronaut, the film explores political tension, human ambition, and the fragility of peace in a nation on the brink of war.

In Japan, the film received exceptionally positive reviews and was soon regarded as a classic. However, it did not manage to recoup its high production costs. Still, the success was enough to keep the newly founded studio from shutting down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Were now moving on to some 80s Ghibli films. Kiki’s Delivery Service is an adaptation of the children’s book of the same name by Japanese author Eiko Kadono. The film, released in 1989, was directed by Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli.

According to Miyazaki, the film portrays the gulf between independence and reliance among teenage Japanese girls. The story follows Kiki, a young witch who moves to the port city of Koriko to live independently and start a delivery service. Amid struggles with self-doubt and work, she learns about friendship and growing up.

At a time when fast-paced visuals and action-packed plots dominated audience favorites, the film showed that a slice-of-life story could also captivate. The film was a huge success for its time and was the first Studio Ghibli film to be successful on initial release.. It’s no surprise that it received critical acclaim and won multiple awards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grave of the Fireflies

The next film made me cry and I'm surely not the only one. Grave of the Fireflies was released in 1988, at the same day as My Neighbor Totoro, and both were produced by Studio Ghibli. The films were even shown in double features in theaters. However, that’s where the similarities end. Grave of the Fireflies was directed by Isao Takahata and is based on the semi-autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, whose sister starved to death during World War II.

To be honest, I can't imagine watching both films back-to-back. Then again, maybe after the heartbreaking Grave of the Fireflies, one would need a light My Neighbor Totoro to heal the wounds left by the first film. At least, I hope they were shown in that order. I would find the decision of making them a double-feature even more questionable if the films were shown the other way around.

Universally acclaimed, Grave of the Fireflies has been ranked as one of the greatest (anti-)war films of all time and is recognized as a major work of Japanese animation. It has gained particular praise for its emotional impact.

Despite the public's emotional reaction, Takahata expressed that the purpose of the film was not to be a tragedy or make people cry. He repeatedly denied that the film was an anti-war film. In his own words, it "is not at all an anti-war anime and contains absolutely no such message". (Ehh, I don't think so.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

I’m excited to introduce my absolute favorite anime film now. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was released in 1984, and although it wasn’t made by Studio Ghibli, it was very much a Hayao Miyazaki creation. Still, it is often counted as Ghibli’s first anime. Truth is, the film was produced by Topcraft, which went bankrupt a year later and gave rise to Studio Ghibli.

The plot of the film revolves around Nausicaä who tries to stop a war between rival nations. It takes place in a world ravaged by pollution. As she uncovers secrets of a toxic jungle and its giant insects, Nausicaä seeks to restore harmony between humanity and nature.

The film is based on Miyazaki’s manga of the same name. Both the manga and the anime were very successful. Even years after the film, Nausicaä remains one of the most beloved anime characters in Japan. The work has had a lasting impact on Japanese animation, like few others have. Actually, the film's popularity directly led to the founding of Studio Ghibli by Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki.

What Nausicaä did differently to earlier films, was combine ecological philosophy, deep pacifism, and a hopeful vision with high artistic quality. It struck a unique balance, which helped legitimize anime as a serious art form internationally.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Akira

Save the best for last. Now we come to THE anime film of the 80s. I really hope most of you already know this classic — if not, you’ve definitely got some catching up to do!

Akira is a groundbreaking anime film that blends cyberpunk themes with elements of body horror. It is based on the manga by Katsuhiro Otomo — who also directed the film. The film was released in Japan in 1988 and arrived in the United States the following year. Over time, it developed an international cult following through theatrical and VHS releases.

Set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo in the year 2019, the science fiction action film follows Kaneda and Tetsuo, teenage of a motorcycle gang who become entangled in government conspiracies and a secret military experiment studying humans with supernatural powers — abilities that Tetsuo begins to develop after a mysterious accident.

Akira's production set new standards for Japanese animation. Here are a few numbers to illustrate that. Typical anime often use limited animation to cut costs. However, Akira utilized over 160,000 animation cels to create fluid and detailed motions. It was one of few animated films to use 70mm film, enhancing its visual sharpness and brilliance. Its vivid aesthetic was achieved with 327 distinct colors, including 50 developed specifically for the project.

Widely regarded as a masterpiece, Akira is considered one of the greatest animated films ever made. It’s a landmark in both the animation and cyberpunk genres — especially within Japanese cyberpunk and adult animation. Its global impact helped fuel the rise of anime and Japanese pop culture in the West. It influenced countless works across film, television, comics, music, and video games.

Today, Akira remains a classic and a major force behind the anime boom in America and Europe during the 1990s.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honorable Mentions

As much as I’d love to include every title that left a mark on me (or on anime history), I had to draw the line somewhere. That said, here are a few other OVAs and films from the 80s that either really stuck with me or deserve a shout-out.

Barefoot Gen (1983)

It tells the tragedy of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima through the eyes of a surviving boy. It doesn’t pull any punches and portrays the brutal reality without compromise.

— Made me cry.

Devilman: The Birth / The Demon Bird (1987/1988)

Much more brutal and closer to the manga than the first anime, these OVAs tell the beginning of Go Nagai’s Devilman manga.

— Was my introduction to the Devilman franchise.

Castle in the Sky (1986)

The first anime film produced by Studio Ghibli and one of Miyazaki’s masterpieces.

— Not quite in my Ghibli top 3, but definitely makes it into the top 10.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Another film from Studio Ghibli. Totoro is so iconic and beloved by children that it became the mascot of Ghibli and now appears in their logo.

— Not made it into my top 10. Sorry.

Robot Carnival (1987)

An anthology of nine short films centered on robots. Each created by a different director, with a distinctive animation style and story.

— It's on my watchlist.

They Were Eleven (1986)

A suspenseful sci-fi mystery with strong psychological elements and character drama. Often overlooked and regarded as a hidden gem.

— Also on my watchlist.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1988)

A sprawling space opera that began quietly but became one of anime’s most respected cult classics.

— On my watchlist too.

Dallos (1983/1984)

Often called the first true OVA. This early sci-fi series set the tone for what the format could be.

— Not on my watchlist.