1983 in Anime
Compilation Movies Released:
Mobile Suit Gundam III:Encounters in Space
The 4th highest grossing Japanese film at the time and finale of the Compilation Movie trilogy. It also helped hype up the upcoming Hollywood Adaptation of Gundam.
Fang of the Sun Dougram
Combat Mecha Xabungle
Heidi Girl of the Alps(1983)
Adapted by Nippon Animation[1].
Mirai Keisatsu Usashiman(1983)
Translated as Future Policeman Usashiman. Based on manga written by Hirohisa Soda and illustrated by Noboru Akashi and Haruki Inui. It was published by Akita Shouten in Weekly Shonen Champion. It was adapted into an Anime and produced by Tatsunoko Productions and aired on Fuji TV. Saban Entertainment dubbed it into English and it was licensed in America under the company Sentai Filmworks. The series follows a young man and his cat who are brought forward from 1983 to 2050 while being chased by police. He suffers complete memory loss and finds himself chased by the criminal Organization Necrime. He becomes a police officer to fight against Necrime.
Sadly the show was not enough to pull Tatsunoko out of bankruptcy and the studio closed soon after. Many were saddened by its passing due to the studio’s creation of Mach Go Go Go and Gatchaman. A bidding war began in Japan. Sandy Frank Entertainment fought to acquire it, as did Saban. However, many believed that a Japanese company should be the one to buy it. Sandy Frank attempted to sway public opinion by promising to fund film adaptations of Mach Go Go Go and Gatchaman[2].
Aura Battler Dunbine(1983-1984)
A series by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sotsu and Sunrise. The series follows Sho Zama, who is suddenly teleported into the fantasy world of Byston Well after a car accident. Byston Well is inhabited by dragons, castles, knights and Mecha. Aura is used to power the Mecha. Sho is discovered to possess an “Aura” and is drafted into the titular Mecha Dunbine. The setting mixes Mecha and fantasy(Tomino denies being inspired by Rowlf, which did the same). The army cavalry rides unicorns and dragons. The series includes many staples of Tomino series such as army uniforms, a young her fighting in a rebellion against a corrupt government. A female warrior love interest, a Romeo and Juliet type forbidden love between opposite sides, warships, and tragic character deaths. Zama meets and befriends Drake Luft, who summoned him to help fight but Zama later meets a resistance member who is an American named Marvel Frozen who revealed that Drake is planning to take over for himself. This leads Zama to join the resistance, at which point the tone shifts from lighthearted to much darker. The series was dubbed by ADV Films.
Urusei Yatsura: Only You(1983)
The first Urusei Yatsura film. Another alien princess Elle, arrives on Earth demanding to marry Ataru. They played a game of shadow tag when they were six and Ataru winning was a marriage proposal in her culture. Ataru and Lum are dating at this time and Lum begins a war with Elle over Ataru. The Director Mamoru Oshii repeatedly fought off attempts to change the film by the producers. Rumiko Takahashi has admitted the film was her favorite and closeted to the original series. It was released on Laserdisc by AnimEigo. It was released by Studio Perrot.
Love Me, My Knight(1983-1984)
Known in Japan as “Ai Shite Knight”. Based on the Shojo manga created by Kaoru Tada that ran from 1982 to 1984. It ran for 42 episodes by Toei Animation. The series is set in Osaka and follows 18 year old girl Yaeko Mitamura as she works at her father’s restaurant. She meets and falls in love with a boy named Hashizo, who was raised by his brother Go, the lead singer of a band called Bee Hive, The series is mainly a love story but shined a spotlight on the Japanese music scene at the time. Yaeko herself was voiced by pop idol Mitsuko Horie. It was also notable for its original songs, which were performed in universe by the bands in the story. The adaptation became popular in Europe.
Aku Daisakusen Struggle(1983)
In the year 86 of a New Galaxy, in an area called Zone Subsqui, all races in the galaxy came together to form a new civilization, causing crime to flourish as well and the rise of an Organization of Evill combatted by a group known as the Gorilla Force. The series was created by Kokusai Eiga-sha[3]
Crusher Joe(1983)
Based on the Science Fiction novels written by Haruki Takachiho and published by Asahi Sonorama from 1977 to 2005. Takachiho was one of the founders of Studio Nue, which formed in 1972. The novel series was adapted into Manga and then into a film with guest designers such as Katsuhiro Otomo(Creator of Akira), Akira Toriyama(creator of Arale-Chan), Rumiko Takahashi(Urusei Yatsura), and Hideo Azuma(Little Pollon). The series follows the Crusher Corps, a group who do various tasks from transporting to terraforming planets and destroying Asteroids. The Crushers have a set of rules and illegal or unethical activities are frowned upon with any accepting such as job being barred, though this applies even if the Crusher is tricked into such activities and when they accept a case they must complete it. The most elite team is led by the titular Crusher Joe. The 1983 film was released on Laserdisc in the US both dubbed and subtitled(one on each side). The film’s success led to the creation of a sequel by Sunrise[4].
Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil(1983)
The Fourth Doraemon film. Based on the myth of Atlantis.Directed by Tsutomu Shibayama. A ship goes missing in the Bermuda Triangle. Doraemon and friends decide to visit to try and rescue the ship and solve the mystery of why ships go missing. It is revealed that Atlantis has been capturing people in the Triangle and plan to launch their nuclear weapons and reclaim the surface. They work with another sunken City, Mu, to overthrow Atlantis and foil their plans.
Genma Wars(1983)
Genma Wars has a complicated plot and adaptation process even before its jump to Animation. First appearing in 1967 as a two volume manga in Shonen Magazine by Science fiction writer Kazuma Hirai(Creator of 8 Man) and manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori(Creator of Cyborg 009, The Super Sentai Series and Kamen Rider).
The original story is about a battle between Earth’s defenders and the demonic entity Genma Daioh. In the 1970’s(the future when the original 1967 story was published), Jo Azuma discovers he has psychic powers and is called by others like him to Transylvania, where the alien cyborg warrior Vega and Luna, an alien princess who’s planet was destroyed by Genma, have discovered Genma is heading towards Earth and train the warriors to fight Genma. Despite their best efforts when Genma comes, the heroes are defeated and the Earth put in great danger. Upon release the story was praised as a dark satire and critique of the traditional hero’s journey and tropes of the genre, mainly how forming your defense against Earth on a teenager and tasking them to fight an alien invader would not end well. The story received greater acclaim afterwards when Tomino’s works deconstructing the Mecha Genre in a similar way rose to fame, making the story more popular retroactively. However the story did not end there. A Time Skip reveals Genma has conquered the world, turning it into post apocalyptic wasteland. Luna finds a way to send Jo back in time to but is chased by Genma, himself who’s spirit travels back in time and possesses people. Azuma appears to succeed in not only killing Genma but also stop him earlier as well las prevent his followers from initiating a nuclear war before being sent back to his own time. In the next part in 1979, Azuma is now an adult paranormal investigator and writer, never having had to fight Genma due to his future self defeating him. He meets a woman called Moonlight who intends to expose psychics to the world and she is able to awaken Azuma’s memories of the previous timeline. It is revealed that time traveling did not alter history, only create a new reality and the old one in which Genma rules still exists as he only projected his mind back.. Azuma joins his other self in fighting Genma. Genma in the world he rules commonly rapes women to produce an heir. Some of his children serve him, some try to kill him, and some he kills for being too weak. Two of the children he has after raping Luna herself, are born male and female twins named Loof and Jin, who vow to stop their father and are raised by the resistance. The Azumas and the twins battle Genma, during which the two Azumas combine their psychic powers and the Time travel machine to send a warning to all versions of Azuma in the past that Genma is coming, allowing them to begin to plan to fight and defeat him when he invades Earth in their universes. Genma is finally killed by Azuma and the twins, the twins takeover Genma’s empire and begin to change it from within.
In 1983, the story was adapted into a film. It was heavily compressed in a way to get the basic plot across. In this version, Jo Azuma is approached by his future self when he develops psychic powers and is brought to the future. Luna is instead an alien Princess who lost her home planet to Genma and came to Earth to help fight him. After they explain this, and their hopes of stopping Genma in the past, Genma attacks, killing future Azuma in front of his past self and capturing Luna, who he late rapes. Luna is rescued by past Azuma and gives birth to two twins, who grow quickly into teens due to their Genma heritage. This leads to a final act in which Azuma, Loof and Jin fight Genma and defeat him with Luna getting the final blow out of revenge. Azuma is then sent back to his own time, but it is left vague if he will succeed in stopping Genma or if history will repeat itself.
The Genma Wars film was directed by Rintaro, known for directing Metropolis, along with character designs by Katsuhiro with Kadowa and Madhouse producing. The music was by Keith Emerson with Rosemary butler composing and singing. It was released on Laserdisc and was at the time the highest grossing anime film in Japan at 1.8 Billion at the box office. Working on the film inspired Katsuhiro Otomo, who had recently written the Manga Akira, to become an Anime Film Director. Capcom artist Akira Yatsura said the inspiration for Chun Li was a Chinese character in the film named Tao.
The film is also notable for a tie in Video Game. Something rare at the time, called Harmaggeddon due to the film not being aimed at children. It used footage from the film and was on Laserdisc as well as Arcades.Footage was used mainly for backgrounds though between level segments played footage which would later become known as Cutscenes. The Founder of Electronics Gaming Monthly Steve Harris, would set the world record for the game the same year. The game was the third most successful “Arcade Cockpit” but was less successful in the US. The plot was heavily sanitized for the game. It is set in the future without time travel mentioned. The player must rescue Princess Luna and then meets the twins, who introduce themselves as the children of Genma wanting to bring him down(removing the Rape plot). The game is a shoot em up. The added romantic subtext in the game between Azuma and Luna [5].
Perman(1983-1985)
The Fujiko Fujio superhero character Perman, previously adapted in 1967, returns, making his debut in color.
Arale-Chan: Hoyoyo! The Great Race Around the World(1983)
An Arale-Chan film made independently. At the same time however, Akira Toriyama was looking for a way to escape working on Arale-Chan in favor of starting a new series. With a 1983 one shot he pitched Dragonboy. It found some success but not much at first and the Anime adaptation of Arale-Chan would continue for some time[6].
Fushigo No Kuni no Alice(1983-1984)
An adaptation of 1865’s Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass. It ran on TV Tokyo and was a Japanese-German co-production between Nippon Animation, TV Tokyo and Appolo Films, consisting of 52 episodes. In English the film is overshadowed by the Disney version but retains a following in Europe and was tubbed in Hindi, broadcasting in India. Alice in the series wars a red dress rather than a blue one. It was released as part of World Masterpiece Theater[7].
Lightspeed Electroid Albegas(1983-1984)
A Mecha series which aired in Japan, Latin America, Spain and Italy at the same time, airing as 45 25 minute episodes. The series follows high school students Daisaku, Tetsuya and Hotaru who built robots for a school competition. When an alien invasion by the Derinja Race begins. Hotaru’s father helps turn the three machines into Albegas, the fighting robot. Albegas has a notable feature which carried over to the toys, the three parts can be separated and attached in any order, leading to different combinations. Die Cast toys were also made and released in the US by Matchbox. It also like Genma Wars released an Arcade game Tie in using Laserdisc Toei Animation created cutscenes and made by Sega. It was the tenth most successful Cockpit game that month and was released in the US by Midway. The series received an American release but Dairugger XV, which shared the same staff had not done as well while GoLion was more popular. This led to the American distributor World Events Productions, in a rare move, requested an original show commissioned specifically for American audiences[8].
Miyuki(1983-1984)
Based on the Manga by Mitsuru Adachi that ran from 1980 to 1984 in Weekly Young Sunday, and won the Shogakukan Manga Ward for Shonen and Shojo in 1982. The series last 37 episodes and aired on Fuji TV. The series follows Masato Wakamatsu, a 16 year old who makes a bad first impression on his crush Miyuki Kashima. He then meets another girl who looks much like her also named Miyuki who he develops feelings for. To his shock he discovers the girl is his stepsister due to his father disappearing. Mitsuru, along with both Miyukis decides to embark on a quest when he discovers evidence that Miyuki may not be related to the family at all, and that both Miyukis may be somehow related. Meanwhile awkward tension abounds as Masato is left to travel with his identical crush and his stepsister. Masato knows that if he turns out to be related to either girl he cannot date them. Originally Kitty FIlm was to adapt but there were busy with Urusei Yatsura, which was still popular. Tomoyuki Miyata from Tatsunoko Productions was asked to produce the series in an in house studio. The Collapse of Tatsunoko led to many former employees joining the productions resulting in the creation of “Tatsuneko”, an in house smaller studio. The name was a pun on Tatsunoko “Meaning Tatsu’s Child” Tatsu being a nickname for Tatsuo Yoshida, the creator of Tatsunoko and “Neko” meaning cat, referring to Kitty Films. Tatsuneko remained a small in house studio at the time too small to branch out, but hoping for a comeback. They were so small that they could not handle the project alone and Fuji Tv arranged for Group TAC to animate while the Tatsunoko staff were involved in the creative process.
Yoko Oginome was cast as Miyuki Wakamtsu and Masatoshi Nagase was cast as Masato, known for his passionate acting when doing love scenes. Kitty Records provided music for the series, with the theme song being a hit and staple of Japan in the 80’s. The show was called Vacaciones de Verano or “Summer Vacation” which is not inaccurate as the three main characters are spending their Summer Vacation searching for answers[9].
Armored Trooper VOTOMs(1983-1984)
A military science fiction Mecha Anime by Nippon Sunrise created by Ryosuke Takahashi with designs by Kunio Okawara. It followed Takahashi’s own Fangs of the Sun Dougram and took a similar approach of using hard science in Mecha Anime. The series was inspired by the American film Junior Bonner,which followed a man who travelled and performed in Rodeo Shows. Takahashi used this to built a post war setting where Mechas fought for Sport. In the world’s setting the War used Armored vehicles called VOTOMs(Vertical One-man Tank for Offense Maneuvers). They are extremely dangerous due to their armor, risk of liquids causing explosions, or limbs being crushed by the parts. All these dangers led to the pilots being called “Bottoms” being seen as the lowest of the low, a pun on how Votoms and Bottoms are written and pronounced the same in Japanese. The protagonist Chirico Cuvie is a VOTOM pilot who is transferred to a squad that defects just as the two sides make peace. Unaware of the betrayal and finding a strange woman locked into a container with blue light, he is betrayed and framed by his own side and left to die but survives. He is hunted by the Government and criminals while trying to uncover the truth of why he was framed.
Nanako SOS(1983)
A Seinen Manga by Hideo Azuma which ran in Popcorn and was published by Kobunsha from 1980 to 1986. The 39 episode anime was produced by Kokusa Eiga-sha and aired on Fuji TV. The series follows a young girl named Nanako who gains superpowers but loses her memories as a result of a scientific experiment. The mad scientist High School Tomoshige Yotsuya lies to her that he will help regain her memories in exchange for her helping his detective agency, which Nanako believes, setting out to help people and solve mysteries.
Kinnikuman(1983-1986)
Translated as “Muscle Man”. A series created by the duo of Yoshinori Nagai and Takashi Shimada, together known as Yudetamago. The duo met in fourth grade and remained friends, creating the manga in High School as a parody of Ultraman. It was released as two one shots in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1978, winning the Akatsuka Award for new manga artists. The series ran from 1978 to 1987. The story follows the titular hero Kinnikuman, real name: Suguru Kinniku. He is clumsy and foolish. He also discovers he is the missing prince of the planet Kinniku which is known for producing the universe’s greatest superheroes and must prove himself by entering a wrestling competition and battle other pretenders to the throne while befriending heroes and villains he fights along the way. The popularity of the series led to a line of action figures called Kinkeshi, which were similar to erasers. They were released in the US along with issues of the manga. The toys being called “Musclemen”. The series also received the Shogakukan Manga Award for Children’s Manga, though its reception in the west has always been mixed. The Anime adaptation lasted 137 episodes and aired on Nippon TV. The series is considered a classic, inspiring the creators of Fullmetal Alchemist, Assassination Classroom and Yu Yu Hakusho. It has also shown to have an influence on Wrestling as several events were based around it[10].
Mimu Iro Iro Yume no Tabi(1983-1985)
An educational series created by Nippon Animation and TBS in the US. The episodes dealt with the main character Meme discussing scientific discoveries, and inventions.
Ms.Pepper Pot(1983-1984)
Based on the 1956 Children’s book Mrs.Pepperpot by Norwegian author Alf Prøysen. The series premiered on NHK General TV and lasted for 130 ten minute episodes. Mrs. Pepper Pot lives in a village with her husband. She has a magical teaspoon which allows her to shrink down for a limited time with her clothes and the teaspoon also shrinking. She can communicate with animals and they usually help her. She cannot reveal her abilities or risk losing them, though her husband eventually finds out her secret on his own.
Galactic Whirlwind Sasuraiger(1983-1984)
A sequel to Galactic Gale Baxingar and the final entry in the J9 series. It ran for 43 episodes. The plot is based around Around the World in Eighty Days. In the year 2911, the solar system is now made up of 50 planets. A gambler named I.C. Blues makes a deal with boss of the Bloody God Crime Syndicate that he can travel the entire Solar System in one year with Blues’s friends, the J9 III team, who purchase a Super Robot for the journey, the titular Sasuraiger. The Bloody Syndicate are shown to be willing to murder and sabotage the JJ9 chances of winning. The toys were released by Takatoku and the Fast Track Convertors toy line in the US[11].
America: The Anime(1983)
Released around the time of the 1984 Olympics. The series is a parody of Anime, specifically Shonen Tropes that takes inspiration from the over the top explanations and descriptions from Japanese visitors to the US that described George Washington with a bow and arrow guided by the Goddess of America, defending his wife Carol from British officials, punching a tiger, John Adams and a Giant Eagle killing a Giant Snake and so on, designed in a style reminiscent of traditional Japanese art made of the scenes. The film embraces the odd nature of depicting America’s founding in a Japanese setting[12].
Georgie!(1983)
Based on the manga written by Mann Izawa and illustrated by Yumiko Igarashi that ran from 1982 to 1984. It was adapted by Tokyo Movie Shinsha on TV Asahi for 45 episodes. Georgie is a charming girl living in Australia who is loved by her father and brothers but not her mother. She is told she is adopted, which she suspected as she was the only one in the family with blonde hair. A bracelet is the only clue to her family. She learns she is British and goes to London with her brothers, who are secretly in love with her, but have kept it hidden due to her being their adopted sister. Georgie is also looking for their lost love Lowell, who left Australia for London. This results in a love square. In the end, Georgie leaves Lowell because of his illness and his promised wife Elisa. One brother Arthur was captured by the Duke of Dangering, a nobleman who runs a drug trafficking ring. The Duke accused Georgie’s father of attempted murder on his life, leading him to be deported to Australia with his family. Arthur is rescued with Abel taking his place in his cell, but the effects of the drugs used on him leads him to want to commit suicide and he throws himself into the River Thames. Abel is discovered by the Duke’s sadistic son Arwin, who he kills. The Duke has Abel sentenced to death by firing squad. Georgie visits him and the two confess their feelings and make love. Georgie’s father reveals the Duke’s crimes at the execution but is shot. Abel dies in Georgie’s arms as the Duke is arrested. Georgie later discovers she is pregnant with Abel’s son. Arthur is found alive and reunited with Georgie, the two raising Abel’s child, who they name after him[13].
Noel’s Fantastic Trip(1983)
An animated film by Tsuneo Made. It was released on both LaserDisx and VHS. The film follows Noel, a young girl and her dog Pup who live on a small planet, called Planet Noel. Noel thinks the sun is too hot and builds a plane with the intent to bring the Sun Ice Cream. The duo encounter many people with their own planets. The sun tells them about a smog coming from an unknown planet, which they investigate.
Nine(1983)
Based on the Baseball Manga by Mitsuru Adachi which ran from 1978 to 1980. The series follows two friends, Katsuya Niimi and Susumu Karasawa in Junior High School as they join the Baseball Team. They also meet Yuri Nakao, daughter of the baseball coach and pitcher Eiji Kurahashi. The title comes from the nine players on a baseball team[14].
Stop!!Hibaru-kun!(1983-1984)
Based on the Manga by Hisashi Eguchi that ran from 1981 to 1983. It was adapted in a 35 episode series by Toei Animation and airing on Fuji TV. The series follows Kosaku Sakamoto, a high school student who is asked by his dying mother to go live with her friend, Yakuza Boss Ibari Ozora. He meets Ibari’s four children, Tsugumi, Tsubame, Hibari, and Suzume. Kosaku is attracted to Hibari immediately but is surprised to learn Hibari was assigned male at birth. Hibari and the family wish to keep this a secret and respect Hibari’s choice to live as a girl, but groups at school seek to expose Hibari. Hibari forms an attraction to Kosaku. He joined the school boxing club and meets Makota Shiina, who likes Hibari and Die Kawai, who Kosaku likes. When the new school year starts, Jun Otori tries to recruit Hibari for the girls’ volleyball team due to seeing her in action but she refuses. Hibari is also nearly exposed during swim class and summer camp events. Shiinatriesto fight Kosaku until he explains that he isn’t dating Hibari. Kosaku saves a girl named Sayuri Koenji from harassment by three guys from the Kokuryu boxing club, starting a rivalry between the Wakaba and Kokuryu boxing clubs. Sayuri becomes attracted to Kosaku and hires a detective to find out about him, learning Hibari’s secret. The Kokuryu Boxing Club then begins targeting Hinabi who is aided in fighting the group by the Wakaba Club and lands the knockout blow on the Kokuryu boxing club leader. Sayuri begins to blackmail Kosaku to go on a date or reveal Hibari’s secret which Hibari helps deal with. The school puts on a Sleeping Beauty play in which Kosaku as the Prince is forced to kiss Hibari.
The series was created as a subversive take on the then popular Romantic Comedy manga, poking fun and flipping the usual tropes, turning it into the antithesis of a romantic comedy. Eguchi drew the storyboards and intentionally drew Hibari as cute as possible. He also avoided using White Out, not liking how it looked. Serialization proved difficult and Eguchi struggled to keep up the weekly pace, stating “drawing weekly isn’t something humans can do.” The editor in Chie for Shonen Jump granted Eguchi’s request to move the series to biweekly.
The reception towards the series generally went over well, balancing its nature as a gag manga while avoiding any transphobic jokes. It was pointed out that Eguchi seemed to focus on making the characters who were transgender attractive by the standards of their chosen gender. Many critics have pointed out that the Yakuza humor has aged worse than the Transsexual humor. Jokes involving drugs were also pointed out as having not aged well. The Anime was also able to air during prime time, helping it to reach a large audience. It also said to have paved the way for the rise of J-Pop as well as many being inspired by the Manga to start cross dressing[15].
Golgo 13: The Professional(1983)
Golgo 13 was a manga by Takao Saito. Running since 1968, it holds the record for the longest manga still being published and a Guinness World Record for largest number of volumes sold for a single Manga series and the second best selling manga series. It won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1975. The series follows Professional Assassin Golgo 13, who’s identity and origins are unknown though he is acknowledged to have an Asian appearance suggesting his is Japanese. Conflicting origins for him are intentionally revealed, leaving it vague which is true and several characters ar possibly his children. Stories of Golgo 13 are usually contemporary and based on then recent events. The character is shown to gradually age over time and also acquires scars and injuries which remain on him. The stories are known to be well researched when it comes to details such as technology being drawn and handled surprisingly accurately such as the depiction of Airplanes and Firearms among others. Other notable writers to work on the series were Kazuo Koike(Lone Wolf and Cub,Lady Snowblood), Yoichi Funado and Takashi Nagasaki. Saito has expressed a desire for the series to continue by another writer or writers after his death.
The first adaptation came in 1973 and starred Sonny Chiba. It was set entirely in Iran with an entirely Persian supporting cast. It was followed by a sequel Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon. Golgo 13: The Professional was the final installment the live action trilogy. The film received mixed reviews. The plot involves Golgo 13 being hired to assassinate Robert Dawson, son of Our Baron Leonard Dawson. Leonard Dawson then gets the US Military, CIA, FBI, Pentagon and the super soldier Snake after him. Golgo its wounded while killing an ex Nazi and his mechanic Rita is killed when the Military attacks him. Dawson allows the rest of his family to be harmed including allowing Snake to rape Robert Dawson’s widow and forcing them to try and kill Golgo themselves, leading to their deaths. Dawson asks for the release of murderers Gold and CIA from government custody to recruit them and threatens to halt all his company’s oil operations, threatening to collapse the economy. Dawson refuses to answer when Laura questions him as to why he hasn’t gone after the one who hired Golgo. Golgo discovers from his informant Pablo that Dawson hired the hit. He then tries to kill Golgo due to his family being held hostage but Golgo kills him. Golgo travels to Dawson Tower in New York City, fighting Helicopters and killing the Snake, Gold and Silver. Golgo and Dawson meet and it is revealed Robert Dawson, unable to deal with his father’s ambitions, had Golgo kill him due to being unable to go through with suicide. Leonard Dawson then throws himself off the building but Golgo shoots him before he dies. His death is ruled as a Suicide. Afterwards Golgo encounters Laura, who shoots him. He stumbles away and the credits roll[16].
Plawres Sanshiro(1983-1984)
Based on the manga by Jiro Gyu that ran from 1982 to 1985. The name is a shortened version of Plastic Model Wrestling Sanshiro. The series follows young boy Sanshiro Sugata, who performs in competitions with miniature robots. The show follows the tournaments with the mini robots. The 1983 Plawres Sanshiro soft vinyl robots line was created with the toys being somewhat close to the size depicted on the show.. The Consumer trend at the time was to buy only the protagonist robot, leaving many unbought along with a shortage of toys to begin with. Elements of the series would inspire Pokemon, by the project’s director Yuyama.
Creamy Mami, The Magic Angel(1983-1984)
A magical girl series by Studio Perrot which aired on Nippon Television. Yu Morisa is a ten year old who sees a spaceship and helps an alien find the feather star. In gratitude he grants her a magic wand which turns her into a 16 year old girl for one year and two cats named Posi and Nega. She accidentally ends up on TV and is asked to sing which she is able to to via magic, becoming an idol and overnight success, beginning her career at Parthenon Productions, dealing with both magical threats and the problems faced by a pop star such as abusive managers and rival companies. The series pioneered a marketing strategy as a then unknown new singer Takao Ota played the lead role with the first song in the series being her first song as well and she became famous because of the show.
Serendipity the Pink Dragon(1983)
Based on the Serendipity books by Stephen Cosgrove with character designs by Yoichi Kotabe(who would go onto work for Nintendo as a character designer for the Super Mario and Pokemon series, leading to some jokes of Serendipity being the first Pokemon). A boy named Kona is shipwrecked on an island and finds a pink egg that hatches into a pink dragon, the two going onto have adventures on the island while battling the evil Captain Smudge, who is in search of a mermaid’s treasure.
Battle Future Mecha Orguss(1983-1984)
From Big West, makers of Battle City Megaload. The series consisted of 35 episodes. Set in 2062, two superpowers battle over the creation of a space elevator. Dimensional weapons more dangerous than any other kind have been invented. Fore example, a Space/time Oscillation Bomb must be armed on site. The Freedom Space Corps tries to plant one to destroy the Space Elevator, but group is then told to abandon mission. Pilot Kei Katsuragi refuses and activated the bomb on his own. He finds himself in a dark future being chased by two groups, the Militaristic Chilam and the Gypsy like Emaan, who refer to him as the Singularity Point. Ken loses his Bronco II and is granted by the Orguss by the Emaan to fight for them. More bizarre elements such as Dinosaurs and Medieval castles appear, revealing the Oscillation Bomb compressed all of time and space into one universe and this must be undone before all life is exterminated when all matter is compressed [17].
Psycho Armor Goverian(1983)
A series by Go Nagai produced by Knack Productions and TV Tokyo. The series is seen as a mix of Genma Wars, Energer, and Gundam. The Garadian Empire exhausted their planet of its resources and invade Earth to claim its. A scientist named Zeku Alba rebels against the empire and gathers a group of children to protect Earth, led by Osamu, who’s family was killed in a Garadain Empire attack, and who pilots the robot Govarian[18].
Cat’s Eye(1983-1984)
Based on the manga by Tsukasa Hojo that ran from 1981 to 1985. The story follows three sisters, Hitomi, Rui and Ai Kisugi, who run a cafe called Cat’s Eye in Tokyo. They are also art thieves, searching for art belonging to their missing father, who collected art during the Nazi regime. Hitomi’s fiancee is a clumsy young police officer named Toshio Utsumi, who is investigating the Cats Eye case, unaware of the girl’s double life. The girls inform the police of the planned targets and then Hitomi uses Toshio’s research to plan the heist. At the end of the series, the girls get a message from their father Michael Heinz but it is revealed to be sinister uncle instead, who betrayed the real Michael. Hitomi confesses to Toshio she is a member of Cat’s Eye and he arrests her in a manner that parallels a marriage proposal with handcuffs substituting a ring. While Hotmi accepts she also escapes from the cuffs.
Cat’s Eye is one of the best selling Shonen Jump mangas of al time at over 20 Million Copies and aired in multiple countries. The series is set in the same world as another work by the same author, City Hunter. The Anime was adapted by Tokyo Moviee Shinsha for 36 episodes.
Little Boy(1983)
A war drama directed by More Masaki and based on an anime. It depicts the bombing go Hiroshima from the perspective of a child who survived it, as the author of the manga did. The author had previously written the story of the experience in the short Manga “I survived” and was then asked to turn his story into a series, which he did as “Little Boy”. The manga was a success and was even read in Educational settings, gaining further popularity, despite of the horrifying and graphic depiction of death. The author and the story did not blame the US but was critical of Japan’s government of the time for actions such as their aggression causing the war and their refusal to surrender after the first bomb. Many believe the film inspired Akira due to a nightmare sequence the protagonist has of a little boy destroying the city in place of the atomic bomb. The film’s depiction of the explosion had a profound impact on Anime as a whole and how such energy and power would be depicted in years to come. The Anime is the last voiced line of Midori Naka before her death.
While no sequel was made, another survivor was inspired to write about his experience surviving the bombing of Kokura, then 14 year old Kenji Yoshio, who found himself caring for an old woman named Nobuko Okamoto in a bomb shelter she made and let other people into. The situation was made worse by Chemical weapons being worked on in the city being released by the blast. More than 57,000 people were killed and an area of two and a half miles blasted. Another Manga was published titled “Fat Man” which despite the title and the author being aware of his weight, is a serious story to the same extent at little boy about the author surviving Kokura[19].
Well that was depressing…Let’s move onto something a little more upbeat.
Kouka Kihei Vector(1983-1984)
Translated in English as “Desert Machine Soldier Vector). The series follows police who ride bikes that transform into their robot partners. Characters were designed by Yoshitaka Amano. Like the later Cowboy Bebop, the episodes are named after songs. The transforming robots were created by Shinji Aramaki while he was working on Diaclone(later made into part of Transformers). He personally loved motorcycles and began designing what different models would look like if they could transform into robots.The series was adapted by Harmony Gold, the same company that handled Battle City Megaload and Orguss.
In a 21st century future, Earth’s pollution problems let to the development of a hydrogen fuel called HBT. Mankind has colonized Mars and in 2050 an alien race called the Inbit invade Earth, forcing humans to retreat when they are defeated, leaving pockets of resistance left. For unknown reasons, the Inbit leave Mars alone and don’t attack humans there unless provoked, allowing for the Earth’s main base to be set up on Mars. The first attempt to recapture Earth ends in failure. The protagonist Stick Bernard crashes on Earth as part of the second Recapture attempt and works with the resistance to find and discover the origins of the Inbit.
Special Armored Battalion Dorvack(1983-1984)
A 36 episode series which aired in Japan and Hong Kong. Released by Ashi Productions. The story is set in 1999 when Earth is invaded by alien refugees called the idelians. Earth’s best line of defense becomes the Special Armored Battalion Dorvack. The series was released to sell toys made by Takatoku and the plot was made simple but there was more effort put into the animation and choreography. The slow moving storyline did not attract fans and the toys sat on store shelves, and the toy company Takatoku Toys went under due to similar failure regarding merchandise for Orguss, and Sasuraiger. Its collapse sent a message to companies of the era. A good story was key to success. Creating Toys before you had that was a recipe for disaster and a cart before the Horse scenario. After this most companies waited until after an Anime show had completed to release merchandise with a better idea of how successful they would could be expected to be. For multiple Season anime, the toys would be released for the previous season as the new one started.
Tao Tao(1983-1985)
A 52 episode series airing on TV Osaka. It followed a small panda and his adventures. It was translated into Finnish and aired in South Africa and Albania, where “Taotao” became a nickname for Communist politician Adil Carcani.
Captain Tsubasa(1983-1985)
Based on the Manga series by Yoichi Takahashi that ran from 1979 to 1984. The series follows Tsubasa Oozora on his journey as a Football player. It was inspired by the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Football was not very popular in Japan but the series helped elevate it and got many now famous Japanese players into it. The series was barely accepted. The characters were made children who would grow upper time into champions. All characters were given a distinctive look. Tusbasa Oozora is an eleven year old obsessed with Football and winning the FIFA World Cup for Japan. When he was 1 year old, he was almost hit with a bus while playing with a football but held it in front of him, saving his life. At the start of the series, Tsubasa moves to a new town and meets friends who also like football, as well as learning from one of the best Brazilian football players, Robert Hongo. Tsubasa with his friends as his team soon start to win championships, rising to the world stage. The Manga sold 700 million volumes in Japan as of 2008.
The Anime was produced by Tsuchida Production and aired on TV Tokyo. It often ranks on top 100 Anime lists, usually in the 30’s or 40’s. It is also credited with inspiring several now famous players to choose football as a career such as Hidetoshi Nakata, Alessandro Del Piero, Fernando Torres, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, and Andres Iniesta. The series influenced has reached to the extent where the character has appeared on Japanese relief trucks, a statue of him and an appearance at the Olympics and he remains a cultural icon[20].
Buddha(1983)
Based on Osamu Tezuka’s Manga that ran from 1972 to 1983. The Manga followed the life of the founder of Buddhism. It received critical acclaim for being respectful yet also explicit at times and also humorous, managing to balance these elements without alienating the religion. This led it to become a test in Buddhist Temples for teens and young adults to understand Buddhism and Buddha’s life. It won an Eisner Award at the time, one of the first Mangas to do so. Tezuka’s own Mushi Productions adapted the story into critically acclaimed film, likewise shown in Buddhist temples. Manyin the West believe that if any Tezuka project was worthy of an Oscar it would be Buddha[21].
Igano Kabamaru(1983)
Based on the manga by You Azuki that ran from 1979 to 1981. The series follows a young ninja named Kagemaru or absolute Shadow nicknamed Kabamaru or Hippo’s mouth due to his massive appetite. His grandfather and Ninja sensei Saizo Igano dies and he moves to Tokyo to live with his first love Ran Ookubo, adjusting to urban life. He attends Kin’gyoku school where Ran is headmistress. Kabamaru meets Mai, Ran’s granddaughter, who he develops feelings for but she finds his eating habits repulsive. Kin’gyoku has a rival in Ogyoku School due to wealthy families controlling the schools. This leads to Kabamaru being forced to fight his friend and now rival Hayate, who was also trained by Saizo before leaving. Shuu Maejima, head of the Ogyoku student council, takes control of other schools to create assault squads and using criminal gangs, leading to student council member for Kin’gyokuS hizune Mejiro to ask Kabamaru to help them. Mai goes to talk to Maejima but is captured by Hayate and both gangs are brought into a fight where Hayata and Kabamaru battle. Kabamaru appears to kill Hayate before his grandfather Saizo appears alive, revealing he saved Hayate. Saizo reveals that he faked his death and this was a test for Kabamaru to introduce him to the real world. Kabamaru agrees to train with Saizo and promises Mai that he will return. The Manga was adapted into a film with Hikaru Kurosaki, Rumiko Takeda as Mai, Sanada Hiroyuki as Hizune and Sonny Chiba as Saizo(who had a small role, allowing him to balance his appearance in this film and in Golgo 13)[22].
Ginga Hyoryu Vifam(1983-1984)
Translated roughly to either Galactic Drifter Vifam or Round Vernian Vifam. A Mecha series by Sunrise based on the Jules Verne novel Deus ans de vacances(Two Years Vacation, which is a story of children surviving and thriving on a deserted island similar to Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson, a sort of Antithesis to “Lord of the Flies” where the children get along and work together, even thwarting a group of mutineers that arrive on the island). It was drafted by Yoshiyuki Tomino, planned by Takeyuki Kanda(director of the Ultraman series), and Hiroyuki Hosiyama. It aired on MBS, and TBS. The series is set in 2058 where aliens called Astrogaters attack the human colony of Clayad, 43 light years way from Earth. The planet is evacuated but a group of children are accidentally left behind. They are able to reach the colony of Belwick but find it’s already been attack and decide to head to Earth itself. They meet a friendly Astrogater and learn their parents were taken hostage and are kept on the Astrogater home planet and set out to rescue them.
Dallos(1983)
A Science Fiction DVA series from Studio Pierrot created by Hisayuki Toriumi, who had created Science Ninja team Gatchaman for Tatsunoko. It was directed by Mamoru Ishii and is considered the first true DVA(Direct to Video Anime), unless one counts the Daicon I opening, which was much shorter. The film is set in the future where humanity has drained the Earth of resources and has colonized the Moon but the colonists are mistreated, leading them to commit acts of terrorism. A mysterious structure found on the moon gives the colonists hope and a young colonist named Shun Nomonura joins the rebels.
Daicon II Opening Animation(1983)
Created as part of the Nihon SF Taikai convention as part of the group known as Daicon film. Hideaki Anno, Hiroyuki Yamaga, and Takami Akai among others returned including Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Mahiro Made mixed with professional animators from Artland including Ichiro Itano, Toshiki Hirano and Narumi Kakinouchi.The Nihon SF Take was once more to be held in Osaka. A 15 minute anime was made. The original opening impressed Studio Nue and some of the students went onto work on Battle City Megaload.
The short depicts the same little girl from the first, who is now an adult woman with a job in which she is forced to wear a bunny costume. Aliens then invade and begin to zap people, who disappear. The aliens from the first film return and tell her they came to help and that the invaders use guns that send their victims through time. The girl is hit and appears on the Death Star and briefly battles Darth Vader and Stormtroopers with the aliens providing a lightsaber. She is then transported away by the aliens but through time, appearing on a dark area where a Xenomorph attacks her. She jumps again and appears on the Discovery One from 2001: A Space Odyssey. She then returns to the present when the aliens get the time machine working correctly and fights the aliens with a Mecha they provide only to encounter Kaiju they summon. She is also granted Stormbringer(From the Michael Moorcock stories) though it’s only mentioned as a magic sword. The evil aliens use the time machine to summon various villains from pop culture and the good aliens counter, resulting in many cameos such as Yoda, Battle City megaload, Spaceship Asteroid Icarus, Captain Harlock, Gundams, various American Comic Book Heroes and Villains, characters from the Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Pern, Conan the Barbarian, and various ships from Star Trek, Star Wars,The First Men in the Moon, Lord Jam and Thunderbirds. Many of the characters are killed in battle but the aliens help the girl sneak into the alien mothership and go back in time to destroy the alien time machine in the past, undoing everything. The girl finds herself in a world seemingly back to normal and is somewhat sad but the aliens arrive as in normal And reveal they remember what happened and gave all the Fictional characters a home in an alternate universe where they all live together at the same time, which is shown to the audience as an alternate Earth.
Copyright problems made releasing the film commercially impossible, but it was played at conventions until the rise of the Internet where it was uploaded to YouTube. Rare laserdisc versions were also made and due to their scarcity, will fetch prices of over a thousand US dollars[23]
Ultima(1983)
An Anime Adaptation of the Video Game franchise, largely based on
Ultima III, created due to
Ultima finding success in Japan[24].
NOTES
[1] adapted OTL in 1974 by Takahata and Miyazaki after Pippi Longstocking fell through. OTL a show titled Story of the Alps: my Annette was released at this time. Here Nippon Animation decided to adapt Heidi due to it not being adapted yet. It doesn’t have Takahata or Miyazaki involved. So OTL one of the most famous Anime of the 70’s is now a forgotten series of the 80’s. The Wikipedia article for the series ITTL is likely just barely longer than my summary of it.
[2] OTL Usashiman saved Tatsunoko from Bankruptcy due to its success. ITTL…Not so much. Tatsunoko goes under. It’s a sad moment to many ITTL due to the studio’s influence on the genre. I retconned Tatsuo Yoshida’s death earlier as I discovered his doctor told him to lighten his workload for his health. He refused. ITTL he did, naturally with the company going under her tries to save it and returns, which sadly doesn’t always work. OTL Hal Roach Studios went under when he left and his return failed to save it. Mushi Productions also went under despite Osamu Tezuka trying to save it. It’s most likely that overwork to save his company kills Tatsuo Yoshida in 1983 instead of 1977 ITTL and his company dies with him. Now this doesn’t mean the end. The influence is there and the characters can still make a comeback.
[3] OTL Aku Daisakusen Srungle was, along with Go Shogun licensed to Saban and combined to create Macron 1. Not ITTL which means most people have never even heard of it.
[4]OTL a storyboard for a Crusher Joe Sequel was pitched to Sunrise but never made. It will be ITTL.
[5] Genma Wars was cancelled Prematurely OTL at 2 volumes and revived later on, likely leading to the shift in apocalyptic tone as the last volume ended on a cliffhanger with the heroes defeated, however the creators did come back and continued it later on, hence why the Apocalyptic elements remain though its been condensed heavily as it involved much more time travel and new universes created while here it’s mostly just two. A minor change is Luna was the princess of Transylvania OTL. Here she is an Alien Princess to better tie her into the role of opposing Genma, she also wasn’t the mother of Loof and Jin. Given its graphic nature and the fact that ITTL it emerged in 1967, the series is seen as very controversial but became popular due to Go Nagai’s rise to fame around 1972 since he also tackled dark subject matter.
[6] Dragonboy was the original pitch by Toriyama, pitched as he wanted to stop working on Dr.Slump. OTL it was reworked into Dragonball, the second half of which would be adapted as Dragonball Z, which is more well known to westerners. ITTL Dragonboy succeeding will lead to Toriyama starting it in 1983. A post detailing the plot will follow due to it being so different. Dragonboy will crossover with Arale-Chan like Dragonball did OTL though one main difference is the world is established as Earth even in Geography due to Arale-Chan: Race around the World.
[7] OTL the Alice in Wonderland Anime was not part of World Masterpiece Theater. Story of the Alps: my Annette was shown OTL. Here the success of their Wizard of Oz adaptation of World Masterpiece Theater led to Nippon Animation upgrading another Little Girl Lost story.
[8] Said Commissioned Show ITTL will become Voltron. Tailored to American audiences will help the show stand out among the sea of Mecha Anime which wasn’t such a problem OTL. A similar deal to create more animation for Voltron was made at this time OTL. Something similar happened to Power Rangers when they ran out of footage and asked the original Sentai team if they could shoot more…which they did. Compared to OTL Voltron will be less watered down for children. Character death and violence will be a thing.
[9]Naturally OTL Tatsunoko survived and so was not involved while Tomoyui Miyata was. Group TAC almost animated Miyuki but did not, though all Adachi works were adapted by Group TAC. The plot of Miyuki itself is different. The OTL focuses on the romance while this one has an adventure and at least plays the possible incest angle for drama. Tatsuneko is admittedly an original pun but Japan in general loves word puns, in English and in Japanese. A TV movie was also made at this time OTL but not ITTL due to the different production team.
[10] For Western fans, the 1998 sequel, Kinnikuman: The 2nd Generation, was released on 4kids under the name Ultimate Muscle, likely how most western fans know it. Sad thing is most fans dislike the 2nd Generation and it may be butterflied away.
[11]The Toys for Saisuranger were called Batrain OTL but you could remove the Batrain stickers to reveal the Sasuraiger sticker underneath.
[12] OTL the 1984 Olympics mascot Eagle Sam received an Anime, which ITTL is replaced with America: The Anime. Most of the elements told in the description were indeed written down around 1861 when Japan and America first made contact. See here:
[13]OTL the Anime and the Manga had very different endings. The Anime diverges at the moment where Arthur is rescued. The Duke’s daughter helps him escape and in the escape attempt, Arwin is killed. Arthur recovers and Abel does not take his place. They then go to the Queen with proof. The Duke is arrested and Georgie’s father is clear of all accusations. Georgie then returns to Australia with her brothers and father. A much happier ending. ITTL the bittersweet ending of the Manga is kept.
[14] Nine had three TV movies. ITTL it’s a show instead.
[15]Stop!! Hibari-kun! will ITTL have a reputation for being surprisingly progressive on the Transgender side.
[16] OTL Golgo 13: The Professional was the first Animated feature film to use CGI, specifically for the Helicopters. ITTL the film is live action with Sonny Chiba and does better due to being the finale to a trilogy. The CGI milestone is saved for a better film. The film was homaged by Quentin Tarantino in the animated sequence in Kill Bill, which is not the case here because its live action. OTL Takao Saito died in 2021 and did indeed have his Manga continued as he wished.
[17]Known OTL as Super Dimension Century Orguss, tying it into Super Dimension Fortress Macross, which is titled Battle City Megaload ITTL. ITTL it was released by the same company who dubbed Super Dimension Fortress Macross but without being part of the Robotech series as it almost was OTL. The series notably plays an important part in the Super Robot Wars series as the Space/Time Oscillation Bomb brought the various franchise universes together into one world, justifying the plot. The protagonist Kei also gets the last line of the series “This will end everything and begin everything.” providing a bookend to the series.
[18] OTL the head of the Goverian resembles Mazinger, which was done on purpose at the request of Knack, a demand not made ITTL, resulting in a different head.
[19] TTL’s equivalent to Barefoot Gen by Kenji Nakazawa. Kenji Nakazawa’s survival OTL of the Hiroshima bombing has sadly been butterflied away due to his survival being sheer luck(He dropped a ball and ran to chase it behind a wall). Kenji’s brother survived ITTL and so did his baby daughter, who his father handed his mother before he and the rest of the family burned to death. She was able to survive into adulthood. Kenji’s brother wrote the manga in his brother’s place.
Kokura was the intended second target of the second atomic bomb OTL. ITTL it is indeed nuked and the people mentioned are witnesses who expected the bomb to drop and were relieved when it didn’t. Another, Atsushi Ochi, a ten year old interviewed in 1995, was not born ITTL, which he acknowledged in an interview when he stated that his grandfather likely would have been killed.
Midori Naka is an actress killed when Nagasaki was bombed. ITTL she survived since the city was not targeted.
The picture used for Little Boy is intentionally up for interpretation. Is it the protagonist during the blast, the nightmare sequence, or if the author is Kenji's brother then is it Kenji Nakazawa being literally and allohistorically erased from existence?
[20] Captain Tsubasa ITTL was released earlier as OTL Takahashi struggled tog et it approved for two to three years. A later butterfly in the series is around 1998. OTL Takahashi had Tsubasa join the Barcelona team after a trip there. OTL he joked that if he visited Santiago Bernabeu instead then Tsubasa would have joined the Real Madrid instead. ITTL that is exactly what happens.
[21] OTL an adaptation of Buddha was not made until 2011. ITTL it has replaced another Tezuka based production in The Green Cat, an anthology manga which became an anthology Anime. Here with Tezuka in charge Mushi is adapting all his major works and committed to a film adaptation of one of his most critically acclaimed works. There's something I find poignant about having a films about Buddha released after a film showing the devastation of Hiroshima.
[22]OTL Igano Kabamaru was adapted as an Anime in 1983 and a Film. Here the Manga’s plot is seen as being short enough to work as a film.
[23] was made for Daicon IV OTL. The planned video was planned at 15 minutes long but cut for time, resulting in a different but still simple plot. The students who founded Daicon would eventually rename their Studio Gainax. ITTL the rename would not happen, and they keep Daicon as their name, part;y because of the popularity of the Daicon shorts.
[24] Planned but unmade OTL
Butterflied Away.
Captain. The 1983 Anime Television Series. Before there were only films. ITTL the TV show was made earlier, butterflying this away.
Ninja Hattori-kun NinxNin Furusato Daisakusen no Maki. Largely forgetton Hattori-kun film. Like OTL the show is still running, likely meaning the film’s plot is made into episodes of the show instead.
Final Yamato. Due to the Yamato equivalent ending much earlier. OTL it was the longest animated film in the world for 36 years until In This Corner of the World surpassed it by 5 minutes in 2016. It also was a pretty big box office success at 1.72 Billion. The record for length goes to Captain Harlock: The Last Voyage instead.
Superbook II. Butterflied Away due to Tatsunoko’s collapse and the original alienating the Christian sponsors.
Itadakiman. The Seventh Entry in the Time Bokan Series. It is set in 20XX and was about two groups in a school which only admits descendants of Priiest Sanzo’s clan. A group of kids is asked with retrieving missing copper plates which when collected will complete a puzzle board and bring honor to the school. The Villains are a group that firmly believe they are descendants of Sanzo’s clan but have no proof and Never got, failing each time. It was cancelled after 20 episodes due to low ratings.
Unico and the Island of Magic. Butterflied away due to Unico getting a TV Series already while OTL it never did, only getting a handful of animated films including this one.
Miyuki. Had a Film made OTL but is currently still just a show.
Nine the original. Made as a TV Show not as a series of films.
Patalliro! Stardust Saiyuki! Couldn’t find anything on the movie and a TV show existed so its butterflied away.
