What Showa-era anime do you want you to watch now? “Mobile Suit Gundam,” “Night on the Galaxy Express,” and “Panda Kopanda”… A collection of classic masterpieces from the past!

April 29th is “Showa Day.”
This is a relatively new national holiday established in 2007 and comes from Emperor Showa’s birthday.

The Showa era is the longest-running era name in Japanese history, and is also the era when many anime were born.
In 1958, Japan’s first color feature-length animated film, “The White Snake,” was released. In 1963, Japan’s first 30-minute anime series, Astro Boy, began airing. Since then, a wide variety of titles have been broadcast and released.

■A collection of timeless masterpieces!

The most votes were received in this survey from 1979 (Showa 54) to 1980 (Showa 55).Mobile Suit GundamIt was.

This is a science fiction robot anime in which the main character Amuro Ray boards the Earth Federation’s new mobile suit Gundam and gets caught up in a war with the Principality of Zeon.

Readers have commented that “Mobile Suit Gundam, the origin of the series, and GQuuuuuX, currently airing, are both set in the Universal Century, and characters with the same name will also appear. Knowing the First Gundam will make you enjoy it even more deeply,” and “If you’re watching GQuuuuuX, you should definitely watch Mobile Suit Gundam! It’s fun to see the popular man who will leave the show immediately in the new release.”

The titles of the manga are also popular.
for example“Maison Ikki”is a romantic comedy that aired TV anime from 1986 to 1988, and also produced OVAs and theatrical versions. Set in the wooden apartment building Ichikokukan, the story depicts the love story between the administrator Otonane Kyoko and the recital of the recital, Godai Yusaku.

The characters are praised for their charms and warm stories, such as, “I want to support Godai, who is conscious of the existence of his late husband, Soichiro, but is trying hard to close the distance between them little by little,” and “The setting of unique residents living in the apartment makes me feel nostalgic. I’m attracted to the human-like Showa landscape.”

Also based on the manga“High School! The Kimengumi”is a slapstick comedy that aired from 1985 to 1987. It depicts the incident caused by a group of five people with unique personalities known as the Kimengumi.
“That sharp, hilarious joke will surely appeal to everyone across generations. The highlight is that the voice actors, including Chiba Shigeru, who plays the main character, Ichido Rei, are all legendary. I think you can enjoy the atmosphere of the late Showa era,” he said, adding that the characters’ strength and good tempo are impressive.

Additionally, votes were also received for an anime based on a literary work.
It was broadcast from 1980 to 1981.“Nils’ Mysterious Journey”is a fantasy work based on children’s literature by Swedish author Selma Lagerlev. This is the story of the growth of Nils, a boy traveling with a geese.
“A mysterious story about a young boy named Nils, who becomes smaller by the magic of a fairy, travels around Sweden. All 52 episodes contain a gem-like message, making it a sight to behold,” he said, adding that he hopes to be immersed in the afterglow of the work.

A film adaptation of Miyazawa Kenji’s novel“Night on the Galaxy Railroad”was released in 1985. The film, which also attracted attention for its cat-like expression of the characters, received high praise for its high artistry, saying, “The video is amazing, but Hosono Haruomi’s music is also memorable. The screams of Giovanni, played by Tanaka Mayumi, and the reading of “Spring and Shura” by Tsuneda Fujio, are also highlighted.”

Released in 1972“Panda Copanda”It’s also popular. This short anime was directed by director Takahata Isao and directed by director Miyazaki Hayao, and was originally designed, scripted and screen set up, and was produced against the backdrop of the Panda boom of the time. In addition to comments such as, “The Copanda Pan-chan is so cute! Her gestures of licking her face are also adorable, making you want to watch it over and over again,” and I can’t forget the light and fun theme song.

Below are all the titles of Showa anime that had votes on. We have over 30 works, from popular works that everyone knows to hidden masterpieces.

■All titles with votes

[今だからこそ見てほしい昭和アニメは？ 2025年版]
“Dr. Slump Arare-chan”
“Squid Board and Mr. Toad”
“Urusei yatsura”
“Osomatsu-kun”
“Good luck, Kickers”
“Kiteretsu Encyclopedia”
“Candy Candy”
“City Hunter”
“Jarinko Chie”
“The Great Jungle”
“Sucat”
“Tiger Mask”
“Time Bokan”
“Chargeman Ken!”
“Nils’ Mysterious Journey”
“Yes, Step Jun”
“High School! The Kimengumi”
“Patalilo! ‘
“Panda Copanda”
“The Rose of Versailles”
“Manga Japanese Old Story”
“Mr. Ajiko”
“Maison Ikki”
“Oishinbo”
Mobile Suit Gundam
“Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ”
“Galaxy Express 999”
“Night on the Galaxy Railroad”
“Ginga Shooting Star Gin”
“Saint Seiya”
“Star Musketeer Bismarck”
“The Ultrasound Warrior Borgman”
“Astro Boy”
“Burning! Big Brother
“The Demon God Heroes Wataru”
“Magical Star Magical Emi”
“The Magic Angel Creamy Mami”
“Mountain Mouse Rocky Chuck”

(Answer period: April 16th to April 20th, 2025)

Other survey topics currently being accepted can be found here! Please tell me what you think.＞＞https://anime-i.net/special/1898/recent/

*This survey is part of a survey of readers’ awareness of “interest and attention to current anime works and characters.” Regarding the outcome, we do not intend to determine whether or not the best of any character or work. We hope that this article will help you learn about new works and characters, as well as play a part in helping you deepen your understanding and interest.

{Takahashi Katsunori}