Favourite Science Fiction Anime (30 Days of Anime – Years 1 to 5) – Day 16

I love science fiction almost as much as I love fantasy. It’s always fun seeing how the future might be. Well, I say fun… some visions of the future paint a very dark and disturbing possibility. Let’s see which ones caught my eye!
Favourite Science Fiction Anime (30 Days of Anime – Years 1 to 5) – Day 16
For a long time, I had assumed that science fiction was my number one genre. Most of my writing was science fiction. At least, it was in the beginning. Now, I tend to gravitate towards fantasy and horror, and most recently comedy and the supernatural. Basically, I feel like I’ve been slowly broadening my horizons over the years, but thankfully, I’ll always have science fiction to fall back on. However, there really needs to be more good science fiction. Hopefully, 2025 will deliver!
Year 1 – ID: Invaded (Season One)
ID: Invaded painted an interesting view of the near future. On one hand, it focused on a group of detectives who would enter the minds of serial killers to track them down and stop them from killing more. The science part of the series was incredibly vague, instead focusing on a more supernatural approach that was embedded within the technology. Either way, it was a great series with lots of mystery and intrigue. I really enjoyed it and would love to see more from the series.



Year 2 – Combatants Will Be Dispatched! (Season One)
Combatants Will Be Dispatched! followed an agent from a villainous organisation that had just conquered the Earth. Agent Six was sent to another world with his android companion, Alice. There, he was to do despicable and heinous things to earn evil points with which he could buy better equipment. Basically, it was kind of bonkers but also a lot of fun. Again, the science fiction is limited to the portal between worlds, the android, and other similarly understood principles that don’t need to be explained beyond the fact that we just accept that they work. It had some great moments and some kind of dull moments, but on the whole, it was a lot of fun.



Year 3 – Hundred (Season One)
Once more, we’re playing more in the realms of science fantasy than hard science fiction, but that’s fine. In Hundred, humanity is at war with an alien invasion and has developed enhanced body armour that uses a device called a Hundred. There’s a giant battleship that has a city on it. The fights are exciting and the overall story is a lot of fun. I think it’s the characters that make this one so memorable for me. This series has popped up a couple of times already in this challenge and I’m pretty sure that I’m not done with it yet. Keep an eye out for more Hundred appearances.



Year 4 – Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Season One)
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners really focused on a darker view of the future where humans are supplementing their bodies with technology at the cost of their humanity and often their sanity. This series was absolutely captivating. The visuals were stylish and edgy while the story had a lot of hooks to pull the audience in. There was found family, overcoming hardships, and dealing with loss. It only took me a couple of days to watch the entire season and even then, I found myself watching it again almost instantly. This is a great series and well worth watching.



Year 5 – Appleseed (OVA)
For the most part, I’m sticking with seasons for this challenge, but after rewatching this OVA from 1988, I knew that I had to include Appleseed here. It’s far from a perfect anime, but the concepts and ideas that it presents are absolutely fascinating. This take on science fiction explores how technological advances might impact the humans caught in the middle. I’ve loved Appleseed since I first saw it back in the nineties and was delighted to be able to track down a copy of the Blu-ray to add to my collection. Love it!



Final Thoughts!
I definitely had fewer science fiction anime choices to pick from, and there were several that I couldn’t bring myself to even consider. It’s one of those genres where it can be great or awful and there’s not that much in the middle. Hopefully, this year will give me some more great titles to consider without having to dive back into the archives, which I will do if I have to. There are some great science fiction anime that I’ve never reviewed here.
The next category in my 30 Days of Anime challenge is to talk about my Favourite Isekai Anime! Hopefully, I can get through it without the appearance of Truck-kun. See you in another world… Thanks for visiting.
Other Posts in the Series
30 Days of Anime (Years 1 to 5)

Even though I never played the video game, I absolutely loved Cyberpunk: Edgerunners!
Netflix released a teaser last year in September that there will be more of Cyberpunk. I hope that whatever is released is just as good as Edgerunners.
I’ve not played the game either and loved the anime. I really hope there is more to come.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was the best show from its season, I reckon (nothing else sticks in my memory the same way).
Agreed. Definitely the standout from Summer 2022. Lycoris Recoil was the other show I really enjoyed that season.
What do you think about Psycho Pass?
I’ve not actually seen Psycho Pass. It’s on my list though. Should I bump it up nearer the top?
I think you should! At least for the first season. The sequels are very hit or miss and lower quality. But when it comes to classic sci-i anime, I think Psycho Pass is season 1 is one of the best.
Thanks. I will check it out as soon as possible.