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Every year marks the arrival of literally hundreds of new anime series, some of which become new modern classics and others that quickly are lost to obscurity. Nostalgia is a powerful influencing force, and there can be a tendency to romanticize the older anime that dominated the 1980s and ‘90s and have earned the title of classics.
There are lots of older anime series that can endure the test of time and are still compelling programs when held up to modern standards, but there is also an overwhelming number of series that are much less impressive after audiences binge on them. Anime streaming services like RetroCrush and Tubi have impressive libraries of classic series, but not every series is worth a revisit.
10 Tenchi Muyo’s Hollow Nature Stands Out On A Modern Rewatch
The Tenchi Muyo anime universe was an absolute staple during the 1990s and 2000s. There are over five different Tenchi Muyo series, several movies, and more expansions to the comedic harem series with sci-fi overtones. To the credit of Tenchi Muyo, it never pretends to be anything that it’s not, but it’s just a lot less charming when revisited all at once. Tenchi himself doesn’t have the most depth as a protagonist and the wacky people in his orbit are too content to fulfill stereotypes. Anime’s harem genre is still very clunky, but it’s transcended past the point of Tenchi Muyo.
9 Ronin Warriors Blends In With The Rest Of The Giant Robot Fodder
Anime’s giant robot genre is one of the medium’s most overcrowded areas, which makes it easier for the weaker programs to come across as disposable and products of their time. Ronin Warriors produced 39 episodes towards the end of the 1980s, and it found popularity outside of Japan due to airing on Toonami and other channels. There’s something rather soothing about Ronin Warriors when the five legendary fighters combine giant robots and magical weapons to defeat the demon lord, Talpa, and his Dark Warlords. Ronin Warriors succumbs to a repetitive structure, which is only more apparent on a binge.
8 Black Jack Begins To Feel Cyclical When Binged
Osamu Tezuka is one of manga/anime’s most instrumental figures. His series like Speed Racer and Astro Boy have had an undeniable impact on the state of the medium. Black Jack is one of Tezuka’s stranger properties, and it functions as a surgery procedural that’s set within a mysterious underworld of medicine.
Black Jack had many OVAs during the 1990s and then an anime in the early 2000s with more than 60 episodes. Black Jack is still a strong piece of work from Tezuka, but its luster wears off when so much of it is binged together.
7 The Big O Is A Stylish Mecha Tribute That Shows Its Age
The Big O is a curious assembly of influences that meshes the mecha genre together with film noir sensibilities and even draws heavy inspiration from Batman. Roger Smith’s efforts to protect Paradigm City with his giant robot aren’t exactly original, and the series is more about its distinct visuals and atmosphere. The Big O earned two seasons, with the second being a co-production with Cartoon Network due to its positive international reception. However, it’s these same aesthetic choices that date the mecha series on a binge rewatch. It just doesn’t offer enough in contrast to the era’s similar anime series.
6 The Finer Points Of Fist Of The North Star Get Lost In A Heavy Binge
Fist of the North Star is pure aggressive action, and, in many ways, it comes across as an exaggeration of the series that are immersed in testosterone. The combative series is set in a tense world where Kenshiro and others possess a deadly form of martial arts that brutally eviscerates the competition. Fist of the North Star is a pivotal series, but with 109 episodes, it’s a program that can suffer through extended binge sessions. There’s so much to love in Fist of the North Star, but too much at once can just accentuate its weaknesses.
5 Love Hina’s Hormonal Antics Are Of Little Substance
Harem anime series can be very risky, and it’s difficult for the storytelling and characters to be able to rise above the stilted conventions of the simplistic genre. Love Hina is one of the more revered classic harem series, but it’s a struggle to return to.
Keitaro Urashima isn’t compelling enough of a protagonist, and even though it’s only 25 episodes, plus some concluding OVA installments, it still feels rushed and empty. It’s exactly the type of series that would benefit from an expanded modern reboot, like what Fruits Basket received.
4 Ranma ½ Begins To Feel Aimless And Like It Loses Its Way
Ranma ½ is an anime series that’s almost synonymous with the 1990s, and it perfectly reflects the era, right down to its characters, story, art design, and the pacing of the anime series. Ranma ½ is an anime that everyone should experience at least a few episodes of, but it definitely begins to spin its wheels and hit diminishing returns before it reaches an abrupt conclusion. At 161 episodes, there are definitely anime that are longer than Ranma ½, but the excessive amount of content only dilutes what’s great about the series.
3 Flame Of Recca’s Pacing Problems Turn It Into An Unsatisfying Shonen Series
There’s so much promise in Flame of Recca that, under different circumstances, it could have become one of the 1990s’ most successful shonen series. Recca Hanabishi has ninja aspirations, and the series explores a creative set of powers that don’t just feel derivative of the rest of the shonen genre. However, Flame of Recca loses itself in endless tournaments and there’s not enough fulfilling content spread across the anime’s 42 episodes. Many shonen series suffer from being too long, but the pacing of Flame of Recca is its biggest obstacle and makes the visually appealing fights lose impact.
2 Bubblegum Crisis Can’t Rise Above Its Stereotypes When It’s Viewed In A Vacuum
First debuting as a series of OVA entries throughout the late 1980s and early ’90s, Bubblegum Crisis combines space exploration together with the mecha and magical girl genres. Set in the future, the Knight Sabers are an all-female squad of mercenaries who engage in battle with robots through the use of their powerful mechanical suits. There’s a lot to appreciate in Bubblegum Crisis and its unique slant on cyberpunk ideals, but on a binge, its faults become more apparent and it’s easier to reduce the program to just mindless presentations of girls with guns.
1 Dragon Ball Z’s Weaknesses Are More Apparent When Its Story Is Binged
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise has forever changed the shape of the shonen genre, and it’s become one of the most popular anime series of all time. That being said, that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect, and Dragon Ball Z is definitely guilty of reductive filler and an inflated number of episodes. The whole creation of Dragon Ball Z Kai is to trim this fat and make the series a more manageable experience. Depending on which episodes are watched, a binge of the original Dragon Ball Z can turn into a severe exercise in patience.
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