Forum - View topic20 Years Ago: The Best Anime of 1998
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Lord Geo
Posts: 2558 Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey |
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Ah, is it time to think back on anime from a specific year again? Okay, here are my picks:
Eat-Man '98: While I generally love both Eat-Man anime series, if you have to force me to choose one over the other, I will always for the second season. I'm a gigantic fan of the original manga, and the stories that the anime adapts are still some of the best. TO this day, I wish a new Eat-Man anime would get made, adapting stories from what Akihito Yoshitomi did after the two anime series aired. Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoi yo!! Masaru-san: Admittedly, I've never seen the entire anime yet, but I loved what I did see. I honestly consider this series to be the first "modern day" Shonen Jump gag series, with its non-sequitur humor, absurdist punchlines, & general style obviously being an influence on series that are popular today. The Jump Super Anime Tour pilots: Out of all of the years Shueisha has produced anime pilots for its successful Jump manga, I think 1998 remains the strongest showing. In this year, Production I.G. made a stellar One Piece pilot (directed by Goro Taniguchi), Studio Pierrot's Noriyuki Abe adapted a very early part of Hunter X Hunter, & Akitaro Daichi directed the only anime adaptation of Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro's first hit manga, Seikimatsu Leader-den Takeshi!. Of the three, the HxH pilot is the weakest, though not bad by any means, while Takeshi! is easily the strangest, and it's easy to see why it never got made into a TV anime. GTO (Live-Action): Not an anime, but it's based on a manga. Regardless, this J-Drama take on GTO was just absolutely amazing, and it's very easy to see why the final episode became the Japanese equivalent to M.A.S.H.'s finale (i.e. it's one of the highest-rated final episodes ever, in terms of viewership). Sure, the successive drama special wasn't quite as good, and the theatrical movie (which we did get over here on DVD) was simply okay, but that original J-Drama was amazing. Orphen: Yeah, I've only seen this via the English dub, which altered things in an attempt to get it to air on television here, but I still very much enjoyed this series. And with it getting a new adaptation soon, I really should give this first season another watch, this time in the original Japanese. And, for my pick of "worst anime from 1998", AWOL -Absent WithOut Leave-: Imagine an anime version of The Dirty Dozen (i.e. a special ops team is sent in what is essentially a suicide mission to stop a terrorist), but give it the absolute slowest pacing one can't even possibly imagine; it's seriously as slow as pitch. Seriously, it takes two episodes just to establish the situation that requires solving, the first half of the show just to gather the entire team together, and one episode is simultaneously the best episodes of them all, yet has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the actual plot. In fact, Japan knew how bad AWOL was, because the home video release wasn't even of the original TV version, Instead, the TV series was re-edited from twelve 24-minute episodes into 4 ~50-minute OVAs, cutting so much fat (including the entirety of the episode that had no bearing whatsoever on the plot!) in the process, and while the AWOL Compression Re-MIX OVAs are much better on the whole, you still get moments where the original poor pacing rears its head. Meanwhile, we here in North America were "lucky", because what AnimeVillage.com/Bandai Entertainment released over here was the original TV version! Because of that, the VHS tapes we got are the only release of the TV version, and now they seem to command high prices over at Amazon Japan; because of that, I hesitate to actually get rid of my VHS tapes (including the two-episode dub tape Bandai gave it). |
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Gemnist
Posts: 1758 |
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Damn, I had no idea such classics came from the year I was born.
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Mikasa_su_casa
Posts: 120 |
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I think the obfuscatory style of Lain is just an excuse for not saying anything of substance, though it gets points for its ability to create off-kilter atmosphere and its visual sense.
It's not the most popular version of Bubblegum Crisis, but I like Bubblegum Crisis 2040 which came out in 1998. |
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BodaciousSpacePirate
 Subscriber Posts: 3017 |
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Serial Experiments Lain still holds a special place in my heart as the first show I really got into after Gundam Wing introduced me to anime fandom. It's appeal isn't the message it's trying to convey, it's the style and atmosphere it creates and maintains throughout the series. It's probably my favorite 1998 show, which is no small accomplishment considering how packed that year was with shows that I was really into during the early Adult Swim / Toonami Midnight Run years.
...also, if you're not going to talk about how mind-bogglingly unforgettable Brain Powerd was, then I'll take up the torch and say that anyone who is hate-watching Darling in the Franxx would have a blast with it. It's like art school Rahxephon. |
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Takkun4343
 Posts: 1505 Location: Englewood, Ohio |
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Okay, being a jerk towards Outlaw Star was one thing, but calling Initial D terrible is going too far!
Daryl, I respect your decision to make this article, but the next time you make one like this, leave your opinions the hell out of it. That's what the forum is for.
I knew from the moment you said "pitch" that you were the Land of Obscusion guy. 
Still, it baffles me that AWOL hasn't surfaced online anywhere (even DT Eightron, god bless its dope OP, succeeded in doing that much), which makes me want to watch it even more than I already do, as slow-paced as it is. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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What? I adore Outlaw Star! But I do also attribute it to being my gateway drug, which helps. I think teenage me preferred Outlaw Star for being more actiony fun than Bebop, which tended to be the not as loud of the two shows, though I also enjoyed Bebop and Trigun back then too. I think even today, Outlaw Star is just plain fun. I'd never call it "deep" or something that makes you think in the least by any stretch of the imagination, but fun? Definitely fun. The ending though, yeah, that part sucked. Those last two eps, just ignore them.
Speaking of 1998 though, I'd like to point out a few manga that started in Japan in 1998 as well. Blame! started the west's love of Tsutomu Nihei (though certainly not mine), and the fact that it's getting new editions within the past couple years is pretty impressive. Hiroki Endo's "I guess Dark Horse will never finish releasing this" series Eden: It's an Endless World also started. In the category of "Is this guy making any manga right now?" we also have Vagabond from Takehiko Inoue. Some sites say it's finished, others say it's not, and I just want to know when I'm getting more Real (which started 1999, this guy's more M.I.A. than Kentaro Miura right now!) In the old school department, Skull Man got a remake that Tokyopop put out. I enjoyed the manga well enough (certainly far far more than the anime from the 00s that was basically just a prequel to more Ishinomori stuff and hardly had anything to do with the original or the 1998 reboot). Everyone's favorite master of "why is this chair now weird to me? Why are these mountain cliffs now weird to me?" every day objects turning horrific Junji Ito made Uzumaki, just to make spirals now weird (did you know you have one in your ear?) And in the realm of "this would become an anime", Chrono Crusade's manga started. It's notable for me as a series for having the most anti-climactic final battles I have ever seen. If you thought the anime's version was anti-climactic, the manga just flat out jump cuts it out. My personal favorite Hikaru no Go also started. It needs more love! Discotek! Grab the anime for me! Pleassse? And in terms of "this is still pretty popular, even today", Fruits Basket started. I think Yen re-releasing the entire series over the course of about 1 year in these big omnibuses probably helped it find more new fans. But yes, this series started 20 years ago this year. Damn. Although I think the anime was why the manga was able to come out over here and get popular at all (even if the creator hates the anime with a burning passion) And then, for a couple of important JRPGs (at least in Japan, most of these came out 1999 or later in the west: Dragon Quest had its spinoff series, the first Dragon Warrior Monsters came out, Lunar and Lunar 2 both came out for PS1 (the former being a remake of the Saturn original), Quest 64 came out and was immediately put on the trash bin, but it's not like the N64 had a lot of RPGs anyway (nowadays, it enjoys life as an "awful game done quick" sometimes) and Square's Parasite Eve series started. A couple of definite classics came out that year too, with Konami's still a holy grail for a physical copy (but thank you, PSN where it's under $10) Suikoden II came out and is still considered one of the best JRPGs ever made to this day. Added to the list of "still well loved today (even if only like, a quarter of the planned story was actually finished)", Xenogears also came out. But one game that still has repercussions, even today? Pokemon Yellow came out, establishing the clear trend of making an enhanced third game a year or two after the initial release in a generation and Nintendo resting comfortably, knowing that I'll still buy Ultra anyway. |
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bones2039
Posts: 103 |
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Cowboy Bebop is the award winning movie that's really great and deserves most of the praise it gets. Outlaw Star is the loud fun summer blockbuster that's never going to be loved by critics but moviegoers love. That's the best way I've found to describe these two shows that seem to always get compared. Bebop is the better show, but Outlaw is a bunch of stupid fun.
I will say, this article just reminds me I'm getting old. Bebop and Trigun are some of my favorite shows still today. To think they are 20 years old just doesn't seem right. |
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Zhou-BR
Posts: 1425 |
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What a great year for anime. Both Cowboy Bebop and Serial Experiments Lain are rare examples of '90s shows that I found even better than I remembered once I got to rewatch them on Blu-ray.
The first season of Initial D, on the other hand, gets a bit worse every time I rewatch it, and the horrible blurry upscale it got for the Japanese Blu-ray release did it no favors. Still, ugly visuals and all, it's a very compelling story about an apathetic young man finding his passion in life amidst a subculture that comes alive after midnight, with a soundtrack filled with catchy songs that make you want to dance. Its the Saturday Night Fever of anime. |
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Auriana
 Posts: 12 Location: South Plainfield, NJ |
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No Silent Mobius? It still ranks in my top five anime of all time. 1998 was also the year of Lodoss Wars: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight...granted, while the Lodoss OVA is my number two anime of all time, I'm not as fond of the tv series.
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CrownKlown
 Posts: 1762 |
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Okay the writer lost any respect and credibility when he basically proceeded to say anyone liking Initial D is some how an idiot, as according to the writer no one that is rational would say.
Its honestly people like this who give anime a bad name, bunch of zealots when it comes to things like Cowboy Bebop and scoff at anyone who hasn't seen it; and then proceed to deride a large group of people because a work doesn't appeal to their aesthetics. I expect this kind of commentary from myself and the people on this message board, but not from ANN's "Good Journalism that costs money". This guy is another pretentious otaku, that can only name a handful of "classic" shows, and pretty much just parrots whatever one else does; kind of like the moron looking at the painting of a blob and nodding along with everyone how great it is and how it tells the meaning of life, when they have no idea what they are even looking at. |
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Takkun4343
Posts: 1505 Location: Englewood, Ohio |
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The true MVP of this thread. |
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Jonny Mendes
 Posts: 997 Location: Europe |
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I probably will be blasted here as saying a blasphemy, but i never liked Cowboy Bebop that much.
I know that for many American anime fans Cowboy Bebop is the gateway to anime, but for me in my European country it wasn't that big of deal. Cowboy Bebop passed almost unnoticed here. I would like ask if to others ANN European anime fans, if they fell the same at the time. From 1998 the anime that i remember the best was Outlaw Star and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen About Initial D Yes, the art could be better and as most of times is used in anime, 3D CG is not good, but as as car themed anime it was and still is pretty good and the music was great. I can bet you if you asked 100 anime fans in my country between Initial D and Cowboy Bebop what anime you remember, 80% will tell you Initial D. But yeah, if you don't like cars, you hate Initial D because is about cars. For example if you don't like soccer, you probably hateCaptain Tsubasa because is about soccer. Last edited by Jonny Mendes on Fri Apr 20, 2018 3:16 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Spawn29
Posts: 551 |
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Getter Robo Armageddon is my pick of favorite anime of 1998. Twilight of the Dark Master needs more likes in the fandom. Such a cool experimental gothic horror anime in my opinion.
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ninjamitsuki
 Posts: 591 Location: Anywhere (Thanks, technology) |
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1998 was one of the best years for anime.
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hissatsu01
 Posts: 963 Location: NYC |
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A listing of the best anime from a certain year, free of opinions. That would be interesting. I wonder how you put together an objective, opinion-free list like that. |
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