T5W#563-Top 5 1970’s Anime I’d Like to Check Out (and maybe even review)

While Macross Delta is on deck and ready to launch Next Monday, I’ve finally begun work on this years Extended Summer Series Review: The Rose of Versailles.  It’s a bit of a change of pace in terms of the shows subject material but holy crap, I’m enjoying what I’ve seen so far.  Wont get too into the particulars since they’ll be discussed a lot when we get to it.  But ngl, part of my enjoyment comes from this being a seminal Anime title from the late 70’s/early 80’s.  It’s a time period of Anime I haven’t visited much outside of maybe the occasional first impression and the original Mobile Suit Gundam.  But Rose of Versailles is having such an early impact it’s making me wonder about looking at titles from this time period I’ve either overlooked or have been curious about but haven’t opted to look at.  Heck some might even become subjects for review themselves.  So let’s take a look at the Top 5 1970’s Anime I’d Like to Check Out (and maybe even review) on todays Top 5 Wednesday.

 
#5-Devilman (1972-1973)

Devilman was another one of those Blockbuster shelf titles I saw everytime I went into the store, not realizing it was an OVA and not the original thing.  The 1970’s Devilman adaptation adheres more to a superheroic monster of the week formula compared to the more hyperviolent original Manga and the most recent iteration that is Devilman: Crybaby.  Horror might not be my go to genre but it wouldn’t hurt to branch out here and there, especially to see if an Anime from the 70s dares to go to the places I know Crybaby went to.

 
#4-Mazinger Z (1972-1974)

Though I call myself a life long Mecha fan due to my love of Gundam and Macross, I haven’t really checked out any of their legendary predecessors, the Mecha that defined Mecha til they arrived (and to a degree still do).  Back when you needed only one young pilot and one giant robot to get the job done, Mazinger Z is arguably responsible for the big Giant Robot boom of the 70s and birthed a franchise that spawned sequels, crossovers and merchandise galore.  Honestly I owe it to myself to explore some of Mechas origins with this legendary title.
 

#3-Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972-1974)

Now to be honest, I have seen Gatchaman…sort of.  When this five member bird outfitted super crew was brought to the States, they came in three different packages: Battle of the Planets, G-Force, and Eagle Riders.  Each one was a dub of different Gatchaman shows and G-Force was the one I saw semi often on Cartoon Network and occasionally on Toonami.  I’d love to go back and see the show in its truest form, think of it as checking out Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger before watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  BTW the G-Force theme song still slaps (and I hate that it’s title got reused for a stupid Gerbil Disney Movie).
 

#2-Galaxy Express 999: The Series (1978-1981)

So I didn’t know this until recently but the Galaxy Express 999 movie wasn’t the first Anime adaptation of Leiji Matsumoto’s space fantasy manga: the TV show is.  While the first 999 movie is one of my favorite Anime films of all time, a TV series format could work slightly better in its favor.  The extensive run time could allow for more manga material to be present and for more adventures for Tetsuro and Maetel.  I did a First Impression on this one back in February and was surprised by how extra violent it was in the beginning (Tetsuro going full Rambo on the robots who killed his mom).  Makes me wonder what else could be different (and if I should even attempt an Extended Summer Series Review run on this one.  How would that even work?).

 

#1-Space Battleship Yamato (1974-1975)

Recently, the 2004 Battlestar Galactica popped up on Paramount+, giving me the chance to revisit one of my all time favorite TV Series.  Honestly, though they are years apart, and the original Battlestar came out in 1978, Space Battleship Yamato could be seen as a reverse Battlestar: instead of searching for Earth, the Yamato is out to find an element that could save the Earth and bring it back before Earth is doomed in a year.  I have checked out the Yamato 2199 Remake but I’ve always wanted to check out the OG series with its fist pumping theme song and character focused storylines that have influenced Anime across the ages.  Plus, perhaps once Ive finished checking out the first series, chances are I might want to dive into the sequel seasons and movies too.  Yamato’s a big franchise, not including the modern remakes.  Challenge accepted?