There is an everlasting variety of content when it comes to different genres of anime, which helps the medium of entertainment engage in some creative and satisfying storytelling. It’s fascinating to watch how the anime industry continues to grow and which varieties of series garner the most attention, but there’s typically a lot of support that surrounds anime that embrace science fiction.
At the same time, sci-fi is a broad genre that’s able to touch on many different ideas. Often these anime present prophetic versions of the future, and there’s a popular trend for anime to explore the unknown recesses of outer space. Anime has some very unique interpretations of what’s out there in space, and it’s led to a wide variety of series that deconstruct the cosmic subject matter.
10 Space Dandy Taps Into The True Sense Of Awe & Wonder That Space Has To Offer
Space Dandy isn’t just one of the most ambitious space-based anime to come out in the past decade, but it’s also one of the funniest and boundary-pushing series of this generation. Space Dandy centers around an unconventional crew of bounty hunters who head off to different planets in each episode, but Space Dandy plays by its own rules and every installment essentially indulges in a totally new genre of storytelling. The self-aware writing guarantees that Space Dandy is always surprising, but the animation is also on a whole other level, which makes every planet and alien race feel distinctly different.
9 Astra Lost In Space Plays With Expectations To Deliver A Shocking Space Story
Space anime have such a well-defined structure that some series can effectively subvert expectations by setting up a familiar setting, only to radically abandon it. Astra Lost in Space depicts a group of students who find themselves in over their heads when their training for planetary camp takes them through a wormhole and leaves them stranded and left to their own devices. Astra Lost in Space turns into an unexpected fight for survival that combines itself with a gripping character study. There are major twists to Astra’s narrative that make it considerably deeper than how it first appears to be.
8 Space Brothers Highlights How Opposites Attract Regardless Of Gravity
Some anime lose themselves with gigantic casts that can't possibly give everyone the attention that they deserve. Many space anime feature large crews where some of the members feel disposable. Space Brothers is an enlightening change of pace that's a two-hander between a pair of brilliant, yet contrasting, brothers.
There's a simple elegance to Space Brothers that works in its favor. It's full of brilliant ideas and some genuinely moving philosophies on space and science, but it elevates all of this provoking material through its central characters. It's the perfect space anime to open the viewer's mind, as well as their heart.
7 Space Patrol Luluco Is A Cheerful Look Into Space’s Many Oddities
There’s been an increase in the importance of the animation studio that's associated with anime. Studio TRIGGER has built a highly acclaimed reputation for themselves where whatever they make is usually worth checking out. Space Patrol Luluco is one of their lighter series, but it's gorgeous to watch in motion, and it deconstructs space from a unique point of view. The titular Luluco accidentally cryo-freezes herself and finds herself in a very polarizing future. Space Patrol Luluco embraces fish-out-of-water storytelling, but Luluco's constant curiosity brings such life to the anime that perfectly complements its colorful art design.
6 Outlaw Star Romanticizes Space Adventures With A Passionate Crew
Outlaw Star is a serviceable, unassuming space anime series that’s become unexpectedly popular due to its brief run on Toonami. Outlaw Star feels like a relic of the past, but its approach to space exploration is both soothing and satisfying. Gene Starwind is a humble pilot that longs for exciting space adventures, yet often finds himself stuck with the equivalent of intergalactic chores. Gene and his crew finally get the chance to prove their potential and it amounts to a thrilling voyage through the galaxy that’s full of memorable characters, impressive spaceships, and future technology.
5 The Irresponsible Captain Tylor Is The Ultimate Space Slacker Story
Anti-heroes are a proud tradition in anime, and many popular series boast a social pariah as their lead. The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is a foundational anime in this regard that combines a lazy protagonist with the wonders of space. The anime takes something that should amaze most people, yet filters it through Tylor's disillusioned nature.
It's a premise that continually delivers and illustrates that sometimes the best hero in space is someone who's seen it all. Just like its beleaguered main character, The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is simultaneously sarcastic and inspirational, which is no easy feat.
4 Gunbuster Is A Stunning Look Into How Space Irrevocably Changes Someone
Gainax is an animation studio that's perhaps best associated with Neon Genesis Evangelion, yet a lot of the groundwork first gets established in their ambitious OVA series, Gunbuster. Gunbuster details a group of precision trainees who are staffed to defend the galaxy. Gunbuster spends the bulk of its focus on the rigorous training that's expected of them and how much the process changes them in a way where an ordinary life back on Earth seems impossible. Gunbuster reaches wild, cosmic places, but the way in which it treats space like a transformative device is where it really connects.
3 Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Is A Gutting Examination Of War Through Space
Mecha anime series have grown into one of the industry’s most popular subsets, but among the many giant robots, it's the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise that's gone on to dominate. Gundam series typically focus on aggressive robot combat and the political repercussions as wars between space nations accelerate. Each Gundam series has a slightly different focus, but Iron-Blooded Orphans is a significant departure that highlights the casualties of war and the isolating nature of outer space. The taxing nature of this ongoing space battle is palpable in Iron-Blooded Orphans in a way that it isn't in other Gundam series.
2 Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Is An Elegant Search For Survival
The Space Battleship Yamato series has become a faithful fixture of the anime industry. For decades, Yamato has been returned to and explored in unique ways, with each being powerful and an evolution of past themes. Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is one of the best interpretations of this story, and it depicts a patient crew's desperate journey to find refuge from an inhospitable alien terrain. Its story is simple, but it feels like an honest take on its subject matter. It's proof that the mission can be just as important as the destination.
1 Cowboy Bebop Is A Celebration Of The Unpredictable Nature Of Space
Even those who aren’t very familiar with anime have given Cowboy Bebop a shot. Shinichiro Watanabe’s prolific sci-fi series is a masterpiece that’s both highly layered and deceptively simple. The misfit miscreants who fill up the Bebop are hard not to instantly adore, and each of their missions presents a very different version of space travel. Cowboy Bebop brilliantly mixes strong storytelling, characters, and sublime music into an undeniable journey. There’s constant excitement that’s present every time Bebop’s crew disembark for a new space misadventure. It remains one of a kind in every regard.