Anime fandom and science fiction fandom frequently overlap. The anime medium is perfectly suited to exploring alien worlds, advanced technology and visions of the future. From Astro Boy to Evangelion, many of the most beloved anime of all time are sci-fi stories, and hits like Steins;Gate and One-Punch Man have continued this trend through the 2010s.
The following five sci-fi anime, however, never became as popular as they could have been (at least in the United States). These hidden or overlooked gems of the 2010s should be on any sci-fi anime fan's watchlist.
Space Dandy
Space Dandy arrived with hype in 2014 as Shinichiro Watanabe's return to the sci-fi genre but ended up ignored when it instantly became clear that this was not another Cowboy Bebop. What Space Dandy is, however, ended up being equally amazing in its own right: an animators' playground where continuity didn't matter and anything could happen no matter how ridiculous.
"The adventures of Space Dandy and his brave space crew in space" had comedy, action, fan service, cool aliens, groovy music, lots of deaths and a perfect balance of profundity and stupidity. This was a once-in-a-generation collaboration between animation geniuses that deserves more love than it gets.
Space Brothers
Space Brothers is underrated in America, but not so much in Japan -- it was popular enough there to run for 99 episodes! Seinen anime rarely last that long, so those looking for a long binge dealing with adult characters will find plenty to enjoy in Space Brothers. The story follows siblings Mutta and Hibito Nanba as they strive to achieve their childhood dreams of space exploration; younger brother Hibito becomes an astronaut first, but Mutta eventually gets his chance when accepted into JAXA's training program.
Though it has some of the pacing issues endemic to longer series, Space Brothers is both funny and inspiring, providing a more realistic look at the future of space travel. For those who want more of the story, the still-ongoing manga is being simulpublished by Kodansha on Crunchyroll.
Land of the Lustrous
Of the five anime on this list, Land of the Lustrous seems to have the most active Stateside fandom, but it's still a relatively small and often frustrated one. The more new projects Studio Orange takes on, the less likely it seems there will be a second season of its masterful adaptation of Haruko Ichikawa's manga.
Though comparisons are inevitable as a series about non-binary aliens made of gems, Land of the Lustrous has little else in common with Steven Universe. It's a much darker action, adult-oriented show with elements of body horror in protagonist Phosphophylite's regular dismemberment and reshaping of their memories and identity. The beautiful colors and complex battle sequences make Land of the Lustrous still one of the best-looking CG anime around, even as it only starts to touch on the complexity of the manga's worldbuilding.
Tsuritama
Tsuritama, an original anime from Gatchaman Crowds director Kenji Nakamura, hits the sweet spot between calming iyashikei slice-of-life and FLCL-esque sci-fi wackiness. Yuki Sanada, a boy with serious social anxiety, is always moving to new towns with his grandma. When he moves to the island of Enoshima, meets Haru, a weird boy who claims to be an alien -- and has a government agency monitoring him.
For mysterious reasons, Haru needs Yuki to learn to fish in order to save the world. Things escalate from there, resulting in a sweet and surreal tale about coming out of your shell and making friends for the first time. It's a satisfying 12-episode anime with one of the best opening themes around.
Hinamatsuri
One of the funniest anime of recent years, Hinamatsuri is a reverse isekai in which time-traveling superhuman girls from the future land in modern-day Japan. The main character, Hina, is one such girl who ends up essentially adopted by a good-natured yakuza boss and will do anything for salmon roe.
Throughout its 12 episode anime (the source manga ran for 20 volumes), Hinamatsuri keeps introducing more lovable characters: Hina's enemy Anzu who struggles through homelessness, ordinary middle-schooler Hitomi who somehow ends up becoming a bartender and the martial artist castaway Mao. As wacky as the series gets, the humor keeps an appealing deadpan throughout and the storytelling has a surprising amount of heart.