i'm going to include some ovas as well because i want to and they're close enough to movies in that they're limited release, so you won't have to worry about them being too long
MOVIES
mobile suit gundam: the original mobile suit gundam show from 1979 was adapted into 3 films. the show is better, and if you have the time you should watch that, but the movies are shorter and are still very good. classic scifi philosophy, psychedelia, and traumatized child soldiers piloting robots years before evangelion came out and everyone decided eva was the first to ever do it
aim for the ace: another adaptation from a show, this is the story of a high school girl becoming a tennis player. her coach is pretty abusive and idk if the movie knows that or not, but it's incredibly pretty and it's a classic sports anime that's super influential and is worth watching if you have any academic interest in anime
castle of cagliostro: this is miyazaki doing a straight up action adventure movie about rescuing princesses and stealing treasure. pretty good!
do you remember love: kind of a mess, but god damn is it gorgeous. coming together and defeating alien invaders with the powers of 80s pop idols and transforming mechs. basically the entire basis of the "80s anime aesthetic"
urusei yatsura: beautiful dreamer: this is the second urusei yatsura movie, but all you need to know going in is that it's a mildly horny romcom by the women who invented the harem genre and did it better than anyone else. this movie is a must watch even if the base premise doesn't sound interesting, it's a kickass lynchian nightmare of a movie
patlabor: a cop movie about cops with mechs. surprisingly leftist (or so i hear, i haven't actually seen this one. my partner likes it though), despite the whole cop thing
belladonna of sadness: this one's very surreal, very sexual, and very confusing. if you hear those things and think that sounds good you'll probably like it. if you think you won't, you won't. cw for sexual assault
oh, akira is also worth checking out but i assume you've at least heard of that one, and it was already mentioned
OVAs
project a-ko: the first one is actually a movie, but then there are 3 ovas so i put it here. goofy dumb bullshit about teenage girls with superpowers who are in love with each other. a-ko is super strong and fast, b-ko is a genius who builds robots, and c-ko is the heiress to an alien race
mobile suit gundam 0080: war in the pocket: 6 episodes long, it takes place during the above mentioned gundam, but requires no real knowledge of it. a side story about some grunts and what civilian life looks like during the war
gunbuster: what if a mecha story was a sports anime and also top gun? 6 episodes
angel's egg: haven't seen it but it's highly recommended. another surreal art film, i really wanna watch it soon
armor hunter mellowlink: after his unit is sent into a mech filled warzone with only anti-tank rifles and dies, mellowlink is out for revenge. he goes after everyone involved in his units death, killing them with only the anti-tank rifle provided to him while they pilot mechs. cool guy shit
dallos: the first ever ova. about a colonial revolt in space, another one by mamoru oshii i haven't seen but am planning on
patlabor: a cop movie about cops with mechs. surprisingly leftist (or so i hear, i haven't actually seen this one. my partner likes it though), despite the whole cop thing
Yeah, especially the second movie. That one is basically a leftist reflection on the fall of the USSR and the "End of History". The third one sucks, but it's not made by Oshii.
I wouldn't recommend Macross over Gundam to hexbear, but this is probably one of my favourite anime movies, problematic aspects and all.
Yeah, Gundam is just a better show hands down. SDF Macross is still really special, though, especially if you've watched some of the stuff that inspired it. You really get a feel for how these people who made it have a genuine love for animation, science fiction, and music.
Thank you so much for this amazing list! Only ones I've seen from it are Akira, Angel's Egg (which I LOVED) and 1 episode of MSG (so far). Gunbuster has been high on my list since I heard about it, but the rest of these also sound great.
i'm going to include some ovas as well because i want to and they're close enough to movies in that they're limited release, so you won't have to worry about them being too long
MOVIES
oh, akira is also worth checking out but i assume you've at least heard of that one, and it was already mentioned
OVAs
Yeah, especially the second movie. That one is basically a leftist reflection on the fall of the USSR and the "End of History". The third one sucks, but it's not made by Oshii.
I was about to try and defend it, but yeah it's mid as fuck lol
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Beer can missile!
If you can choke down Macross/Gundam you should try on Dunbine, Orguss, Xabungle and Megazone 23.
Anyone who doesn't watch this movie should at least see the climax scene, it's fantastic.
DYRL is basically what got me into anime proper.
I wouldn't recommend Macross over Gundam to hexbear, but this is probably one of my favourite anime movies, problematic aspects and all.
Yeah, Gundam is just a better show hands down. SDF Macross is still really special, though, especially if you've watched some of the stuff that inspired it. You really get a feel for how these people who made it have a genuine love for animation, science fiction, and music.
Thank you so much for this amazing list! Only ones I've seen from it are Akira, Angel's Egg (which I LOVED) and 1 episode of MSG (so far). Gunbuster has been high on my list since I heard about it, but the rest of these also sound great.