In the quest to find the next series to binge or films to marathon, and what platform to watch them on, the choices are endless. For anime fans, the selection just got bigger. RetroCrush is a brand new streaming app dedicated to bringing tons of old school anime to the masses. Free to use and with no subscription required, the ad-supported service is available for iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV and several others.
Best of all, most of these shows, movies and OVAs, though considered classics, haven’t had a wide release outside of Japan. Here’s a list of some of the best anime that RetroCrush has to offer.
Cosmo Warrior Zero
The world of Cosmo Warrior Zero is set in the aftermath of a bloody battle between humanity and a race of machine men. The protagonist, Captain Warius Zero, is an unwitting servant of Earth’s current government, which mainly serves the machine men more than humans. His job of being captain of second-rate spaceships isn’t ideal, but given the loss of his family and general sense of hopelessness, he complies.
He is soon tasked with a new goal of capturing the rogue space pirate, Harlock, while saddled with a dysfunctional, motley crew of humans and machines. Upon running into and interacting with Harlock, however, he develops a respect for the scoundrel -- making his mission that much harder. He also discovers that the peace on Earth is not quite as it seems.
Starting out as a video game on the PlayStation and PC, the series is a reimagining of the classic Captain Harlock series, which was and still is a classic among space opera anime. It is well regarded for its sense of romantic heroism, even amidst a world of darkening pessimism.
Creamy Mami
Releasing in 1983, Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel was a successful magical girl anime that would go on to inspire several OVAs. Combining the magical girl genre with Japanese pop idol culture, the series is in some ways similar to the Western cartoon, Jem and the Holograms. The heroine is Yu Morisawa, a 10-year old who helps an alien find the planet Feather Star. In appreciation of her aid, the creature gives her a magic wand that allows her to transform into a magically empowered 16-year old.
The magic also gives her incredible singing ability, which she uses to become the teen idol Creamy Mami for Parthenon Productions. From there, she embarks on her career as an idol while encountering different aliens from Feather Star. All the while, she has to also contend with the actions of her rival Megumi-chan, as well as Snake Joe, a mysterious man from another production company.
Jungle Emperor Leo
One of both the most well known and controversial anime films, Jungle Emperor Leo was an adaptation of one of the final installments in Osamu Tezuka’s iconic manga Jungle Taitei, known better as Kimba the White Lion in the West. The eponymous Leo is a white lion and the ruler over all of the animals in the Bajalu Jungle.
Unfortunately, the encroaching influence of humanity is quickly being felt in the jungle, with a group of scientists and poachers rummaging throughout the animal’s habitat in search of the mysterious Moonlight Stones. These artifacts, which are found only in Leo’s jungle, could supposedly solve the world’s looming energy concerns. The ensuing carnage separates Leo from his family, including his newly born cubs, as death and disease ravage the jungle.
Leo, as well as his cubs Lune and Lukio, all have their own adventures, which range from heartwarming and harrowing. Beyond its own beautiful quality, the film is sadly most recognized for its uncanny resemblance to Disney’s The Lion King. This even resulted in a cease and desist letter from Disney upon the first attempt to release the film in the West. This makes RetroCrush’s official release the easiest way to watch the film in America.
Project A-ko
Project A-ko is a classic genre-bending anime action film from 1986, which featured numerous references to several popular anime of the period. The protagonist is A-ko Magami, a fairly normal teenager -- save for her incredible super strength and speed. Her best friend is C-ko, while their rival is the stuck-up B-ko. They engage in an intense battle at first but are forced to come together on a wild adventure into outer space when aliens abduct C-ko -- who they believe is their princess.
The movie is littered with over-the-top action, incredible animation, and tons of homages to other anime. These include franchises such as Fist of the North Star, Mobile Suit Gundam and Macross, the latter two of which are rather obviously referenced in the dramatic mecha fights. The movie’s name is even a reference to the Jackie Chan film Project A. Most interestingly, it is suggested that A-ko’s powers stem from the fact that her parents are actually Superman and Wonder Woman, while B-ko’s father is possibly Tony Stark.
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
One of many adaptations of Capcom’s iconic video game, Street Fighter II: The Movie is also easily one of the best. As in the games, the film sees military and police agents Guile and Chun-Li attempt to take down the evil M. Bison and his terrorist organization Shadaloo, as the would-be dictator seeks worthy fighters to manipulate and join his ranks. The top among these is the lone Japanese martial artist Ryu, who travels the world to find stronger opponents to battle against. This leads to a chase around the globe, with Chun-Li and Guile seeking revenge against Bison, while Shadaloo agents kill all who stand in their way of finding Ryu.
Many of the characters from the game make at least minor appearances, including those added to the still recent update, Super Street Fighter II. True to form, the movie has incredible fight scenes, including an iconic ambush on Chun-Li at the hands of the masked Vega. It would also go on to inspire several canon elements in the games, namely the Street Fighter Alpha spinoff series. Group TAC, the production company behind the movie, would also go on to produce a full-fledged anime TV series for the franchise, Street Fighter II V.
Demon Lord Dante
Demon Lord Dante follows Ryo, a student who had recently begun having strange, twisted visions. He soon discovers that he has psychic powers, which are awakened when he saves his sister from being slaughtered as a sacrifice by a Satanic cult led by actual demons. This leads him to eventually free the ferocious demon Dante from his icy prison in the Himalayas. The freed monster eats Ryo, which sadly for both has the unintended side effect of Ryo's consciousness taking over Dante's body. From there, Ryo learns the true nature of God, demons, and who truly rules the Earth and the humans that live upon it.
Based on the Go Nagai manga of the same name, the anime is notable for having a wildly different ending than the one portrayed in the manga. This is due to the manga's ending not being written yet, though Nagai gave his blessing for the anime to diverge in its conclusion. The main changes between the anime and the manga involve simply adding more characters to pad out the plot to fit an anime series, as the manga was only a few volumes long. The manga was also a sort of less kid-friendly prototype to Nagai's other more famous work, Devilman.
Demon City Shinjuku
Beginning as a novel before becoming an OVA, Demon City Shinjuku earned greater notoriety for appearing in the opening scene of Johnny Mnemonic. The film's own opening battle has the villainous Rebi Ra defeating his heroic opponent Genichirou. The two were once friends, until Rebi Ra allowed himself to become possessed by a legion of demons in order to gain incredible power. From there, he ravages part of Tokyo with an earthquake, sending the city into immense devastation. Thankfully, the fiend forgot to also take out Genichirou's son.
Ten years later, Rebi Ra attacks the World President -- hoping to sink the rest of the world into the midst of darkness as he had with Shinjuku in Japan. Genichirou's son, Kyoya Izayoi, is enlisted by the World President's daughter to save her father from the villain's clutches. Ra plans to sacrifice the President in order to unleash the Demon World on Earth, leaving it up to Kyoya to journey to the heart of the satanic city in order to stop the ritual. The anime boasts an art style that oozes classic, '90s OVA style, complementing its tense action and dark, apocalyptic tone.