Anime Reviews
801 T.T.S. AirbatsThere were a few fighter plane-themed anime to come along in the 1990s. This was an OVA series about an all-women squadron and one of the better of these anime to come along during that time.
Baoh
Before Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Hirohiko Araki created several other short works. This OVA was one of them. The story wasn't at all original, but wow was the thing gory.
Battle Royal High School
Some anime OVAs have everything but the kitchen sink thrown into them. This is one such example, and it's actually pretty entertaining. Come for the convoluted story, stay for the gory action scenes.
Black Magic M-66
Sometimes a very simple premise is all one needs to enjoy an anime OVA. This show does it quite well with its killer robot and the women trying to escape it.
Bounty Dog
Shady corporations and ancient aliens are the order of the day in this relatively obscure pair of anime OVAs from the 90s.
Cosmic Fantasy: Ginga Mehyou no Wana
During the 16-bit era of JRPGs, a lot of these games never came to the West. Cosmic Fantasy was one such series where almost none of the games got translated into English, yet being quite popular in Japan. This is an anime OVA based on the series.
Cosmo Police Justy
While it may have been a decent manga in the early 80s, when Cosmo Police Justy was adapted into an anime OVA, it was an incoherent mess.
Cosmos Pink Shock
A short parody OVA from the mid-1980s that lampoons many of the popular anime series of the era, all while following the adventures of a young girl named Micchi as she pilots the Pink Shock across the solar system.
Crusher Joe OVAs
Some people refer to this as a predecessor to Cowboy Bebop given the overlap in character archetypes in both. However, they are very different with Joe's team having nowhere near the character development, as the emphasis was put on action instead for these OVAs.
Cyber City Oedo 808
Sometimes criminals make the best crime fighters. This is certainly the case in this three episode OVA series.
Debutante Detective Corps
Ever wonder what happens when Gainax makes a bad anime? If so, look no further that Debutante Detective Corps. It's quite the disappointment.
Dominion Tank Police
Sometimes when criminals start becoming heavily armed the best thing for the police to do is get bigger guns themselves. At least that's the Newport Police Department's logic in Dominion Tank Police.
Dragon's Heaven
From time to time, an anime comes along with an art style so gorgeous, it outshines every other aspect of the show. This OVA did this with its Jean Giraud-inspired art direction.
Dream Dimension Hunter Fandora
Riding a tightrope between predictable and ridiculous, this is an interesting, if somewhat forgotten OVA series of the mid 80s.
Dream Hunter Rem
Sometimes ultra violence rears it head in the most unexpected places. This is one such example of this beneath its cutesy exterior.
Ellcia
Ancient civilizations with super weapons were a popular theme for anime of the early 1990s, and Ellcia was one such series of OVAs to embrace it.
The Enemy's the Pirates!
One can find a number of space pirate-themed anime out there, this being one such example. However, it's extremely unremarkable, with far better shows more worth one's time to watch.
Ex-Driver
There are plenty of anime that have come along and made bold predictions of the future, but many have been off the mark. This, on the other hand, has been surprisingly accurate.
Fire Emblem
Early installments of the Fire Emblem series were fairly light on story compared to modern entries. So, when this anime OVA came along shedding more light on the characters of the original game, it was a nice little treat for fans of the series.
Future GPX Cyber Formula
Looking for a series that feels like a 1990s arcade racing game adapted into an anime? If so, this may just be the show for you.
Genesis Survivor Gaiarth
It's not often one finds fantasy and science fiction fused together in an anime, but this one does a decent job of it.
Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!
While Mamoru Oshii is most well-known for working on series such as Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor, he's also delved into much more experimental projects. This is one such example of this and is actually quite a good watch.
Gude Crest: The Emblem of Gude
Sometimes, all one wants in an anime is a comfy, familiar story. This OVA does this quite well with the classic fantasy adventure that it presents.
The Heroic Legend of Arslan
While the more modern anime series based on Arslan Senki gets the majority of fans attention, there was also an OVA series released during the 1990s worth watching.
Idol Defense Force Hummingbird
Sometimes anime OVAs of the 80s and 90s had unusual mixes of themes in them. This was one such example of this, combining pop idols and fighter planes.
Izumo
Very early Japanese history was an interesting, mysterious time. Izumo is one of the few anime to visit this era.
Joker: Marginal City
Often an OVA based on a manga series is meant draw more people in, but this is more for existing fans of the manga because they're the only ones who will understand what's going on because of all the gaps in the story for this video.
The Legend of Black Heaven
Combining a midlife crisis, slice of life, science fiction, and comedy is quite the mish mash. The Legend of Black Heaven attempts this with decent results in this 1999 anime series.
Legend of Lemnear
Sometimes all one wants in an anime is titillation with a bit of blood and guts. Legend of Lemnear has healthy doses of both and even throws in some bikini armour for good measure.
Locke the Superman
Through the 1970s, Locke the Superman got a decent following as a manga about humans with ESP, and eventually got a movie based on it here.
Luna Varga
It's time for another anime with a gimmick to draw people in. This one combines a warrior princess and a giant lizard that looks an awful lot like Godzilla.
Maris the Chojo
Rumiko Takahashi has put out a number of works that have become extremely popular over the years. This is an OVA based on one of her earliest manga. It's nowhere as good as things she would do later, but an interesting look at one of her early creations nonetheless.
Martian Successor Nadesico
A parody / deconstruction mecha anime from the late 1990s with mild harem elements. Akito and the crew of the Nadesico fight a war against mysterious aggressors from Jupiter.
Maryuu Senki
There are a lot of very good ultra violent anime OVA series that came out in the 80s and 90s. This isn't one of them and is only worth watching if all other options have been exhausted.
Megazone 23
Following the adventures of a pair of motorcycle delinquints, they learn that the world around them isn't what they think. From there, they're out to find the truth while a secret organization chases them down. Luckily they have a futuristic motorcycle that transforms into a mecha to help them.
Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01
With the deluge of mecha anime coming out in the 80s, there was a lot to choose from. This was one of countless OVAs in the genre to be released at that time. While it does have a cool design for its battle armor, the story is a bit lacking.
Moldiver
It's not often that a super hero spoof anime comes along; however, this is very disappointing with its lackluster story. Even its action scenes can't save this OVA series.
Nayuta
There are plenty of little hidden gems in the world of 80s anime OVAs and this is one of them with its story of an alien invasion that is actually quite similar to the movie They Live.
Outlanders
Trying to make a single OVA out of a series of manga is not an easy task. Squeezing down several books worth of content into a 60 minute show means a lot gets cut out. Such is the case with Outlanders. The OVA isn't terrible, but so much of the manga has been left out that it might as well be a totally different story being told.
Phantom Yuusha Densetsu
A number of OVAs to come out in the 80s and 90s were pretty bad, but at least one could usually find some sort of redeeming quality in them. This has no such thing, it's just unabashedly boring.
Photon: The Idiot Adventures
While Masaki Kajishima is mostly known for Tenchi Muyo!, he's also put out some other worthwhile OVA. This is one such example full of gags and fan service.
Pink: Water Thieves Rain Thieves
While much of Akira Toriyama's work in the 1990s revolved around Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball, he did have time for the occasional side project, like this short film.
Pops
While a lot of anime OVAs to come out in the 90s were intended for a male audience, there was the occasional release directed toward girls. This is one such example, presenting a whirlwind high school romance.
Psychic Force
There were a lot of anime OVAs in the 90s that were based on fighting games. Most of them were pretty bad. Psychic Force was slightly less terrible than its contemporaries.
Rail of the Star
Occasionally, anime covers on the events of World War II, but it is rare that one mentions that Japan may have done bad things during that time. This is one that briefly touches upon the subject.
Relic Armor Legaciam
It's time for another anime that most people have never heard of or forgot existed because it's uninspired mecha-themed schlock. The show is called Relic Armor Legaciam and it's not very good.
Sol Bianca
From time to time, an anime OVA would come along that never saw completion. For whatever reason, there wasn't much interest in it and producers pulled the plug. This is a tale of space pirates that suffered such a fate.
Space Fantasia 2001 Nights
A lot of science fiction anime of the 80s centered around alien invasions, civil wars, or some other form of conflict. What made this one so special was that it eschewed this in favor of a story of humanity's first attempts at space colonization.
Superdimensional Romanesque Samy - Missing 99
There are some real stinkers for anime to come out in the 1980s where studios seemed to go out of their way to make something that just ticked boxes rather than actually be good. This is one such example of this.
Tobira wo Akete
Amidst the deluge of anime coming out during the mid 80s, it was easy for shows to slip between the cracks. Take this one for example. It was somewhere between okay-ish and terrible, but this combination worked to its favor, creating a charming show that was surprisingly entertaining.
Tokyo Babylon
Clamp has put out a number of amazing manga over the years, and occasionally they get adapted into anime. Tokyo Babylon is an early example of this.
Wanna Be's
There isn't a whole lot of anime out there that is focused on the world of professional wrestling, but this is a rare example of such from the mid 1980s.
The Weathering Continent
A film based on a series of fantasy novels, it follows three adventurers wandering a desolate landscape destroyed by centuries of environmental calamities.
Wild 7
What happens when felons are gathered to create an elite police force given carte blanche in how they deal with criminals? Well, this anime happens.
Xanadu Dragonslayer Densetsu
Usually when an anime comes along that is based on a video game series, it's pretty serious in how it portrays its world and heroes. This one goes in the opposite direction, instead focusing on gags, gore, and nudity.
Yokohama Shopping Log
Based on a manga of the same name, these OVA follow the life of a robot named Alpha. She runs a small coffee shop in one of the most relaxing interpretations of the end of the world an anime fan is likely to find.
Game Reviews
Alisia Dragoon (Genesis)While GameArts carved a name for itself with a number of quality RPGs, they also put out some interesting games in other genres. This was a well put together platformer / shooter for the Genesis / Mega Drive.
Arcus Odyssey (Genesis)
Wolf Team put out a lot of interesting games that didn't necessarily get the attention they deserved. This was an arcade-y action adventure of theirs that certainly falls under this category.
Arrow Flash (Genesis)
Not every game need re-invent the wheel. This is a simple, fun shoot 'em up for the Genesis / Mega Drive.
Bangai-O (Dreamcast)
Treasure put out a number of interesting games in the 90s. This was one of them, being a fast-paced shoot 'em up for the Dreamcast.
Battle Arena Toshinden (Gameboy)
During the latter half of the 1990s, several popular fighting game series got ported to the original Gameboy. Even this game made the move, and managed to still be fun.
The Battle for Olympus (NES)
In the mood for a 2D action adventure set in ancient Greece? If so, this may be for you.
Breath of Fire (SNES)
Capcom hasn't made a huge number of RPGs over the years, but when this came along it turned a lot of heads for trying new things and having some nice character design.
Bujingai: The Forsaken City (PlayStation 2)
Taito is a company people don't often think about when it comes to spectacle fighters. However, this was a very good effort in the genre by the publisher.
Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (PlayStation)
Japan had a lot of dungeon crawlers coming out in the 1990s. While most of them stayed on that side of the Pacific, this game managed an international release, and was a cute, casual, enjoyable experience.
Clash at Demonhead (NES)
Vic Tokai had their fair share of hidden gems back in the 80s. This was one of them, making for a fun action platformer on the NES.
Conquest of the Crystal Palace (NES)
This was quite the hidden gem on the NES. It was a fun action game with some neat weapons and a sense of humor.
Crackdown (Mega Drive)
While Microsoft's more recent series gets most of the attention, Sega made its own game called Crackdown in the late 1980s (no relation).
Densetsu no Stafy (Gameboy Advance)
Of the many imports on the GBA to never release outside Japan, this platformer was one that people really wished had gotten a Western release.
Drill Dozer (Gameboy Advance)
It's always fun to see what seeing what Game Freak does when they're not making a new Pokemon game. This was one such outing released on the GBA.
El Viento (Genesis)
The second game in the Earnest Evans series, this is an action platformer full of interesting little quirks and some very nice cut scenes for fans of early 90s anime art direction.
Elemental Master (Genesis)
Shoot 'em ups were one of the most popular genres of the late 80s / early 90s. Most featured spaceships that players controlled, but Elemental Master was a little different with folks controlling a sorcerer instead.
Emerald Dragon (SFC)
A Japan-only RPG for the Super Famicom released in 1995. It is one of many ports of the original PC-88 version of the game, but this one has a fan translation into English. The game features an engaging story, memorable characters, and a more tactical approach to combat.
Evil Zone (PlayStation)
There has been discussion happening for years about whether developers should simplify controls in fighting games to make the genre more appealing to newcomers. This was an example of a game attempting this 20 years ago.
Faxanadu (NES)
The Xanadu series has been going for a very long time, but for many this was their first exposure to the action RPGs, especially in the West.
The Firemen (SNES)
The Firemen is an interesting action game for the SNES where, instead of fighting monsters, players are fighting fires.
G-Darius (PlayStation)
The Darius series was a staple of the shoot 'em up genre. When G-Darius came along it was a nice upgrade with polygonal graphics and a cool enemy capture system.
Gundam Wing: Endless Duel (SNES)
During the later years of the Super Famicom's life, developers had a very good understanding of the hardware. So, when this came along, it turned a lot of heads with its amazing graphics, and solid gameplay becoming one of the best fighting games on the console.
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones (PC Engine)
There was a time long ago when consoles came with pack-in games. When the TurboGrafx-16 came along, this came bundled with it. While it's not remembered nearly as well as what came with competing systems, the game still had its charms.
Konami Krazy Racers (GBA)
There have been a number of kart racers to come along chock full of mascots. Even Konami got in on the trend with this on the GBA.
Little Nemo - The Dream Master (NES)
During the late 80s, Capcom released a number of games for the NES. Little Nemo - The Dream Master was one of the more interesting, but lesser known of these.
No One Can Stop Mr. Domino! (PlayStation)
There were a surprising number of games that took chances on the original PlayStation. This was one such example featuring an anthropomorphic domino running through each stage knocking down other dominoes.
Omega Boost (PlayStation)
While Polyphony Digital has made a name for itself with the Gran Turismo series, there was one time when they made something else. That game was Omega Boost, a giant robot rail shooter for the original PlayStation.
Operation Logic Bomb (SNES)
An overhead arcade-styled action shooter where players infilatrate a research facility and fight off hordes of interdimensional beings that have overrun it.
Panzer Dragoon (Saturn)
When the Saturn came out, Sega had to work hard to get people's attention as a new generation of consoles began to come out. This was one of the best games to come to the system, turning a lot of heads.
Phantasy Star II (Genesis)
The second in SEGA's popular role-playing game series, it's a sci-fi adventure in a distant star system. This was the first instalment of the series on the Genesis and had improved visuals and sound as a result.
Philosoma (PlayStation)
The original PlayStation got quite a few shoot 'em ups for its library, but one that many have forgotten is Philosoma which combined a lot of features from other games in the genre.
Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon (Arcade)
Beat 'em ups were constantly getting licensed tie ins, so it was only a matter of time before this game became a thing. It wasn't the most exciting game in the genre but it sure did look good.
Rad Racer (NES)
Before they created the Final Fantasy series, Squaresoft tried their hand at a number of different games in various genres. This was one such title.
Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice (Dreamcast)
Record of Lodoss War was an excellent anime series of the 1990s that simply begged to be adapted into a video game. When this was released on the Dreamcast, it didn't disappoint.
Silent Debuggers (PC Engine)
Data East released a lot of interesting games in the 80s and 90s, some of them being fairly experimental. One such example was Silent Debuggers for the PC Engine, a very early attempt at a first person shooter.
Star Gladiator (PlayStation)
While Capcom is more known for their 2D fighting games, Star Gladiator was their first tentative steps to 3D arenas. Set in the future, players can choose from all manner of intergalactic beings to control.
Super Aleste (SNES)
While games like Super R-Type and Gradius III tend to get a lot of the attention when it comes to shoot 'tm ups on the SNES, there were a lot of other quality titles as well. This was one such example.
Trip World (GameBoy)
It can be sad to think how few people remember SunSoft these days, but remember them we must because they made adorable platformers like this on the original GameBoy once upon a time.
Trouble Shooter (Genesis)
Vic Tokai liked to experiment with their games from time to time. Nothing too over the top, but a little different. This game did this with the shoot 'em up, creating a very nice, lighthearted experience.
The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (SNES)
There were quite a few quality action adventures to come out on the SNES in the 90s. Quite a few have become timeless classics still talked about today. The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang doesn't get mentioned so much, though, which is a shame because it's pretty darn good.
Urban Reign (PlayStation 2)
Beat 'em ups were more or less dead in the 2000s, but that didn't stop Namco with this addition to the genre, which had a lot of depth to it.
Veigues Tactical Gladiator (PC Engine)
There are some quite enjoyable but sadly overlooked games in the PC Engine library. This, an action shooter featuring giant robots, is one of them.
Featured Articles
Future GPX Cyber Formula
Little Nemo - The Dream Master (NES)
Megazone 23
Operation Logic Bomb (SNES)
The Weathering Continent
Philosoma (PlayStation)
Martian Successor Nadesico
Elemental Master (Genesis)
Legend of Lemnear
Phantasy Star II (Genesis)
Cosmic Fantasy: Ginga Mehyou no Wana
Trip World (GameBoy)
Idol Defense Force Hummingbird
Evil Zone (PlayStation)
Wanna Be's
Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon (Arcade)
Ex-Driver