For Americans the early 1980s was a golden age of science fiction, with films like Tron and Blade Runner. But what many fans don't realize is that a golden age of scifi anime was going on at the same time.


Sadly, while some shows like Macross made it to America (as Robotech), there were still quite a few other series from that era that never came over here in a big way. So here's a quick tour of some of the more obscure gems from that era:


Super Dimension Century Orguss

超時空世紀オーガス | 1983

Orguss was created by the same folks who came up with Macross, which would later become Robotech in the United States. However the series never was included as part of Robotech — which is a shame, because it's one of the best shows from that era. The series starts in the year 2065 as two superpowers fight over a space elevator. To win the epic battle, a dimensional bomb is set off which destroys the space time continuum. What follows is one of the most complicated space operas that I've ever seen.





Urusei Yatsura

うる星やつら | 1981

Many American anime fans discovered Rumiko Takahashi thanks to Ranma 1/2 - but it was Urusei Yatsura that really put her on the map in Japan. This scifi-themed comedy features the adventures of Lum, a very cute alien lady who wears a tiger-striped bikini. The anime series lasted from 1981 until 1986 and ran for 195 episodes — and also inspired several feature length films.






Armored Trooper Votoms

装甲騎兵ボトムズ | 1983

Votoms is a military focused series that follows a character named Chirico Cuvie who is a special forces robot pilot. While the series was designed to sell toys (and man they were amazing toys!) the show had a very decent story to back up the wide assortment of armored robots.




Combat Mecha Xabungle

戦闘メカ ザブングル | 1982

Xabungle was an unusual show, because it featured some amazing giant robots — yet in its heart of hearts, it had a great deal of comedy. The series is set of the planet Zola, which is really a future version of today's Earth that looks like the old Wild West. The show featured over twenty different characters and lasted for 50 episodes. Some of the toys from Xabungle actually found their way to the United States in the 80s, but sadly the anime series did not.






Dr. Slump

Dr. スランプ | 1981

I may be stretching things a bit by calling Dr. Slump a real science fiction show, although the series is set in a world where humans co-exist with a wide range of anthropomorphic animals. The series included quite a few parodies of Japanese and American culture. Sadly, American programmers at the time didn't think that the Japanese humor would translate, so the series — which ran for over 200 episodes in Japan — never made it to America. Although in recent years Viz has brought over the manga that the series was based on.




Aura Battler Dunbine

聖戦士ダンバイン | 1983

While Aura Battler Dunbine featured a giant robot, the show has quite a few fantasy elements to it. The series is set in a world that looks like medieval Europe - and in the show we get to see everything from unicorn-riding cavalry to castles. The series ran up to 49 episodes, but didn't make it Stateside until some twenty years later in 2003.




Six God Combination Godmars

六神合体ゴッドマーズ | 1981

The plot of Godmars reminded me a great deal of Superman - the show centers around an alien child called Mars who is sent to Earth to live along with the humans. However unlike Superman our child comes with his very own giant robot! And taking things a step further the main character named Takeru also has ESP. 64 episodes of the show were made, but the series has never seen an official American release.




Future Police Urashiman

未来警察ウラシマン | 1983

Urashiman was a short lived comedy sci fi series from 1983, and one of the first animated series to make use of some very limited computer animation. The series takes place in a future version of Tokyo and featured a police force that was in hot pursuit of a super secret criminal organization.




This article by Michael Pinto originally appeared at Fanboy.com