This is the decade I really wanted to get into. I've seen a lot of the anime from the 80s, and I've read a lot of the manga which inspired the anime of the 60s, but the 70s were, at least until I started writing this entry, a complete mystery to me.
If you've been reading this blog a while you'll be aware that I've been delving into the tokusatsu ("live action") shows of the same decade, and the anime (and manga) of the 70s are of course linked in many ways to the tokusatsu of the time period. Shows like Kamen Rider started out as manga, shows like Space Battleship Yamato inspired manga, and programs like Ultraman later spawned manga and anime.
Some of these properties are still doing so today. Mobile Suit Gundam and Doraemon, for example, remain vast media franchises with roots in the 1970s. Properties like Demon Slayer and One Piece? They're relatively new arrivals by comparison.
1. Space Battleship Yamato (a.k.a. "Star Blazers") (1974)
Leiji Matsumoto's masterpiece? Maybe, but he did a lot of great stuff afterward too.
As mentioned in another recent entry I worshiped this show as a child. Space Battleship Yamato follows the travails of the spaceship Yamato's crew as they attempt to retrieve the "Cosmo Cleaner" from the distant planet Iscandar. The whole show is set on a timer, the action is not only fast but also furious, and the relationships between the characters are very compelling. I highly recommend sitting down and watching all of the original 26 episodes from beginning to end.
2. Devilman (1972)
The manga's author, Go Nagai, also created Cutie Honey and Mazinger Z. Some people credit him with creating the "super robo" genre, even though properties like Gigantor predate his work.
Devilman (both the manga and the later, toned-down anime version) is a lot darker than a lot of popular media of its time period. It details a demon invasion of the the Earth from a subterranean realm, and the efforts of a young, demonically possessed man to thwart this invasion. If you've arrived at this series from lighter fare such as Astro Boy and Golden Bat (as I did), you might find the coarseness of the characters hard to take, but give it time and it'll grow on you.
3. Brave Reideen (1975)
Anyone else remember the Shogun Warriors comic put out by Marvel in the late 70s? This comic book, based on a toyline consisting of mismatched robots imported from Japan, included Reideen. In the States we spelled his name "Raydeen," and the toy version of his likeness was a thing I coveted as a kid. I knew another boy down the street who had one, and I pined for it daily.
Many point to Reideen as the beginning of the "transforming mecha" genre. Reideen is able to transform into an awkward-looking, less-than-aerodynamic bird plane which sometimes slices his enemies in two.
When you think about it, Reideen's and Devilman's backstories have a lot in common. Both shows feature a demon invasion that the protagonist has to fight, and both hearken back to ancient civilizations which are attempting to reassert themselves. In Reideen's case both the robot and its pilot hail from the lost civilization of Mu, while in Devilman's case the monsters hail from an even more remote time period.
As a series Brave Reideen is a lot more fun and a lot less serious than Devilman, but I'm really not sure which I like better. Were I a very young kid the answer would be Reideen, but if I were a teenager it would be Devilman. Now? At my more advanced age? It's hard to say, but I liked both a lot.
4. Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
The anime that launched a thousand models. Honestly I didn't like this one as much as I thought I would. The story's pretty thin, and most of the characters spend most of their time commenting on how cool the robot is.
This tale of intergalactic rebellion wasn't initially a hit in Japan. It was the numerous models released in its wake that led to its widespread popularity in the 80s.
5. Captain Harlock (1978)
Another gorgeous space opera from Leiji Matsumoto. Between this and Space Battleship Yamato I'd have to go with Matsumoto's earlier work, but Captain Harlock is still very good.
It might be more of an acquired taste for Western audiences though. Many of its plot elements, even in comparison to the earlier Yamato, don't bear thinking about. It's better approached as a kind of modern myth, complete with space princesses and battles against ancient evils.
6. Doraemon (1973)
I've seen more Doraemon than I can easily remember. When I first moved to Taiwan I used both the manga and the anime to learn Chinese. Needless to say, Doraemon is hugely popular in Taiwan and at least a couple other East Asian countries. I've seen copies of the manga in Hong Kong, Thailand and South Korea.
For those not familiar with the character he's a "cat-type robot" from the distant future, using future tech to help a young boy learn about the wider world. The manga and anime have gone on to spawn several high-grossing animated films, and in places such as Taiwan there is never any shortage of Doraemon toys, school bags and clothing.
I often wonder how well a property like Doraemon translates for Western audiences. I've seen English versions of the manga, but it's debatable how well received the franchise is in Western countries. A lot of Doraemon revolves around Japanese (and Japanese-inspired) modes of schooling, which would seem very alien to Western audiences. But then again we've all been exposed to our share of Japanese culture, so maybe this perceived alieness isn't big an obstacle as I think it is.
7. 30,000 Miles Under the Sea (1970)
A boy, his pet cheetah, an undersea kingdom and a kaiju imported from the seafloor. This one isn't famous but I liked it a lot.
8. Galaxy Express 999 (1979)
Another Leiji Matsumoto outing featuring more blonde, reed-thin women, an orphan in distress and a space train which goes from here to there without any visible means of propulsion.
Galaxy Express 999 is good, but of Matsumoto's three 70s creations this one's my least favorite. It's just a little too whimsical for me, though I get why people like it. I would, however, recommend against showing this one to young children. There are a couple scenes involving the protagonist's mother which are very disturbing.
Fun Fact: To some extent Osamu Tezuka, the manga/anime icon of the previous decade, also boarded this particular hype train. Undersea Super Train: Marine Express, featuring many of his more noteworthy characters, aired on Japanese television the same year.
9. Ryu the Primitive Boy (a.k.a. "Ryu, Cave Child") (1971)
Ryu and his hot girlfriend Ran explore a prehistoric world while Tyranno, a one-eyed T-Rex, stalks them at every turn. The animation in this one isn't awesome, but some of the backgrounds are nice. I think some of them might have been oil paintings.
10. Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972)
This is a big one. Not only was it super popular, but it was also very much in line with the tokusatsu shows of the same decade. Super Sentai (i.e. "Power Rangers") in particular was very influenced by it. All of the elements are here: several colorfully suited characters, each with a vehicle, a shadowy, somewhat demonic evil organization and kaiju that require serious behavior modification.
This show crossed over into the American market as Battle of the Planets, though it wasn't nearly as popular in the U.S. as it was in Japan.
A live-action version was released in Japan as recently as 2013, and the Russo Brothers have a film in active development.
And aside from all of that, this show is kind of funny. Dr. Nambu takes himself SO seriously, and it's hard not to smirk at many of the other characters' pronouncements.
11. Triton of the Sea (1972)
A lesser known effort from the legendary Osamu Tezuka. In this one a strangely obstinate boy who is definitely NOT Aquaman explores his Atlantean (or perhaps Tritonean) heritage. It's full of the usual cute animals, annoying girl sidekicks and monsters, but I found it enjoyable nonetheless.
12. Voltes V (1977)
Yet another super team, wearing super suits, driving super vehicles that combine into a still more super vehicle which might or might not be a robot. By the late 70s giant robos were a BIG DEAL, and Voltes V is just another example of this trend. It was a sequel to Combattler V.
I can remember owning the toy as a kid, but the show somehow lacks the charm of Brave Reideen, which came out much earlier. The animation also isn't very good.
Voltes V is pretty much interchangeable with other shows like Danguard Ace, Mazinger Z or other, similar titles from the same decade. Having sat through several of these shows I can see the appeal of Mobile Suit Gundam, which was a more streamlined take on mecha.
13. Tekkaman (1975)
What's cooler than a hero with a bitchin' feathered hairstyle? A SUPERhero with a bitchin' feathered hairstyle!
And what's cooler than a superhero with a bitchin' feathered hairstyle? A superhero with a bitchin' feathered hairstyle AND a sweet, sweet 70s-style supersuit!
And what's cooler than all of that? When the superhero with the bitchin' feathered hairstyle wearing the sweet, sweet supersuit also has a suit of armor (complete with spurs!), a pet robot that doubles as a "steed," AND a train that turns into a spaceship!
Tekkaman's plot bears a strong resemblance to Space Battleship Yamato, which was a big hit the year before. Trouble is that the animation in Tekkaman is decidedly inferior. It also lacks the pathos of Leiji Matsumoto's more famous work.
I've seen enough of the sequel, Tekkaman Blade, to say that it's WAY cooler.
14. Notes on the Above
There are some key series I'd still like to see. Future Boy Conan, for example. Other series, like Rose of Versailles and Anne of Green Gables, I've seen bits of on Taiwanese TV, but my knowledge of those shows is far from comprehensive.
In the course of writing/researching this entry I also watched a few lesser known shows like New Moomin, which was so weird it made me feel high.
I've also seen Beladonna of Sadness, which remains my favorite anime of the 70s. Beladonna of Sadness is super sexual and super strange. I highly recommend it.
Of the shows above I'd definitely revisit Captain Harlock, Ryu the Primitive Boy, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and Triton of the Sea. The others? I've either seen all of them or I'm simply not interested.
Related Entries:
Note 1: As I discovered in the recent Anime 1: The 1960s entry a lot of the YouTube links for these shows are unreliable. Here today, gone tomorrow - or else the person/entity who posted them on YouTube simply won't allow you to link their posts and/or channels to sites like this one. Needless to say I watched a lot of this stuff on YouTube, though finding certain things took some work.
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