10 Popular Anime of the 70s That Time Forgot

Anime. It has the potential to cause a wide range of reactions in its viewers. Anime has, however, always been about getting away from reality, and that hasn’t changed much through the years. However, the very definition of anime has evolved throughout time. Anime series that are no longer airing came before current favourites like My Hero Academia, One Piece, and Dragon Ball. Although they were well-liked when they first aired, these shows have since fallen out of the collective memory of most anime fans.

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10. Mazinger Z

Mazinger Z is one of the pioneering mecha anime series and one of the many works by Mangaka Go Nagai. More than 90 episodes of the anime were shown between 1972 and 1974. Kouji Kabuto, the “Mazinger Z” robot’s pilot, faces an increasingly difficult battle against the villainous scientist Dr. Hell, who has taken control of a variety of mechanical animals.

As a testament to the show’s success, it spawned several spinoffs throughout the 1970s. In 2010, a Japanese OVA sequel to the show, titled Mazinkaizer, premiered.

9. Science Ninja Team Gatchaman

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, also known as Battle of the Planets in America, is a superhero show created by Tatsuo Yoshida for Tatsunoko Productions in 1972. The show follows the adventures of five protagonists as they fight an international technological organisation that wants to seize control of the world’s resources. The anime, which focused on environmental protection and cutting-edge science and technology, ran for more than a hundred episodes and inspired both a live-action film and two direct sequels. The show also influenced the Super Sentai franchise in Japan, leading to several remakes and even a live-action feature in 2013.

8. Heidi, Girl of the Alps

This 1974 anime was created by Nippon Animation (formerly known as Zuiyo Eizo) based on the Swiss novel Heidi’s Years of Wandering and Learning. The story follows Heidi, a young girl of five, after her Aunt Dete sends her to live with her grandfather. You get to see an anime about her life in the Swiss Alps, and it focuses on her friendships with the other characters.

The theory is rather simple, but the piece has a great deal of depth and meaning. The influence of this work is still felt today by Japanese people, especially among those who travel to the alp mountains, and it has even made its way onto Japanese postage stamps.

7 Casshan.

Tatsuo Yoshida’s latest anime series for Tatsunoko Productions centres on a humanoid robot named Tetsuya Azuma. Who transformed into an android so he could travel the world and wipe out robots after the first android, Buraiking, had conquered the planet. The series ran for around 35 episodes, and its popularity led to a 1993 video animation, a 2004 film, and the inspiration for the computer game Vanquish by director Shinji Mikami. A new version of the show, Casshern Sins, debuted in 2008–2009.

6. Time Bokan

Time Bokan is a film by Tatsunoko Productions and Topcraft, directed by Hiroshi Sasagawa, about Tanpei, a lab assistant who, when his employer, Dr. Kieta, disappears, and his journey through time to find him. Tanpei is just 13 years old. With the help of Junko, a little girl and the granddaughter of Dr. Kieta, the group travels through time to stop enemies in their tracks. Junko is only ten years old. The show’s success encouraged the production of other related series, creating a mini-franchise. In 2016, the series has a new instalment titled Time Bokan 24.

5. 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother

The Heart, by Edmondo De Amicis, was the inspiration for a 1976 Japanese anime directed by Isao Takahata. Set in late nineteenth-century Italy during the country’s economic downturn, the story follows a little boy named Marco as he sets off alone to find his ill mother after receiving no further letters from his family. It was an instant hit all around the world, from Europe to the Middle East, and was adored and filled with heart in Japan.

10 Forgotten 1970s Anime

4. Gaiking

Gaiking is a Toei production and is a super robot mecha anime similar to Mazinger Z and Gundam, following the adventures of the Daiku Maryu’s crew as they fight off the Dark Horror Army. The crew of the Daiku-Maryu is able to harness the might of the huge robot “Gaiking” by connecting the ship’s head to an arm and leg unit. The show, which ran for a total of 44 episodes, was notable for being the first Toei production not based on a preexisting manga. An anime adaptation, Gaiking: Legend of the Daiku-Maryu, was released in 2005.

3. Tekkaman: The Space Knight

Tekkaman: The Space Knight, a Tatsunoko production from 1976 consisting of 26 episodes, is set in the twenty-first century, when Earth is in danger due to the failure of the “Green Earth” project. Since then, people have been exploring the stars in search of a new home planet. Meanwhile, the Waldarians attack Space Angel’s ship, destroying it. Because of this chain of events, a being with superhuman abilities called a “Tekkaman” is born. The Tekkaman Blade sequel continued the story.

2. Space Pirate Captain Harlock

In the year 2977, humanity has long since spread out over the galaxy. It is up to Captain Harlock and the crew of the Arcadia to save humanity once again from a race of biological plant ladies known as the Mazone who are trying to conquer the world for their own. The show’s popularity in the 1970s, when it first aired and for decades afterward, led to the production of more than 40 episodes and an original video animation. The programme, which has been retold in manga form and as a film titled Captain Harlock: Space Pirate in 2013, deals with facets of humanity and has inspired other retellings.

1. Ashita No Joe

Ashita No Joe follows Joe Yabuki, an unrefined outsider, as he enters the world of boxing. As a result, we get an anime focused less on the thrills and spills of the game and more on the deeper philosophical and violent undercurrents that run through it. From 1970 to 1971, 79 episodes were shown.

Ashita No Joe made a huge impact on Japanese audiences and paved the way for subsequent anime and manga like Hajime No Ippo. Megalobox, a 2018 science fiction adaptation of the show, was released in honour of the show’s 50th anniversary.