Best Sci-Fi Anime of 1997

Following the death of a close friend, Shinji Ikari falls into an emotional coma. Because his son is mentally incapable of piloting Evangelion Unit-01, Gendou Ikari’s NERV engages in a race against the shadow organization SEELE to execute their respective ultimate plans first. SEELE intends to create a godlike entity by merging their souls into an Evangelion unit, whereas Gendou aims to revert all of humanity into a single primordial form so he can reunite with Yui, his late wife. SEELE deploys its military to launch a deadly assault on NERV headquarters. As SEELE’s troops massacre NERV scientists and security staff, Asuka Langley Souryuu pilots Evangelion Unit-02 in a final, desperate defense against SEELE’s most powerful weapons. The conflict intensifies while a despondent Shinji hides deep inside NERV. With the world’s fate in Shinji’s hands, Captain Misato Katsuragi searches for the teenager as society collapses around them.

Tenchi Masaki embarks on a new chapter in his life as he moves to Tokyo for school. His departure leaves his female friends in a state of sulky dismay, unhappy with the idea of him being without their support. However, Tenchi does not remain solitary for long, as he encounters Sakuya Kumashiro, a gentle and empathetic young woman who assists him in adjusting to his new surroundings. The pair quickly form a strong bond, but Sakuya harbors feelings that extend beyond friendship and openly confesses her love for Tenchi. This revelation shocks not only Tenchi but also the girls back home. Determined not to lose him, they immediately travel to Tokyo to vie for his affection. As these rivals compete for his heart, Tenchi is forced to determine which woman holds the greatest significance in his life. This decision proves difficult, especially as mysterious occurrences begin to unfold, creating distance between Tenchi and his companions.

In the year 2005, a race of alien monsters known as the Zonders emerge from beneath the earth and begin assaulting Tokyo. The only line of defense against these creatures is the secret organization called the Gutsy Geoid Guard, abbreviated as 3G, along with their ultimate weapon: the massive giant robot GaoGaiGar. The pilot of GaoGaiGar, Guy Shishio, was a former astronaut who nearly died two years earlier when the Zonders first impacted Earth. His life was saved when a mysterious robotic lion named Galeon pulled him from the burning shuttle and brought him to the planet. Guy's father, Leo, then employed Galeon's technology to reconstruct his severely injured son as a cyborg, hoping he would be able to stop the aliens when they finally appeared. Now, with Galeon serving as its core, GaoGaiGar fights to defend Earth. He is supported by a team of transforming robots and a young boy named Mamoru, who possesses the ability to purify the Zonders' cores and appears to have a link to the enigmatic Galeon.

Penguin Village is a place where humans coexist with talking animals and inanimate objects. Among these humans is Senbei Norimaki, an inventor who aspires to build the ultimate robot girl. His creation, Arale, falls short of perfection by most standards—she is extremely nearsighted and utterly lacking in common sense. While she possesses incredible super-strength, this power frequently backfires. Despite her good intentions, Arale consistently wreaks havoc on the residents of the charming Penguin Village.

Meet Bolt Crank, a mercenary with an unusual ability—he can eat metal. As he travels, he stops to earn some money and occasionally rescue women in distress. His appetite for metal gives him a distinct advantage, as he can generate various weapons from his hand. This strange power proves quite handy in combat. Bolt has an edge over his enemies, but will that be enough?

In a world where humans and monsters live side by side, Sasahara Natsuki is a bounty hunter struggling with poverty. Most of her jobs involve monsters infringing on the rights of humans, who are legally shielded from their generally stronger neighbors. As a half-human, half-cat-beast hybrid, Natsuki exists between both societies and works to understand and respect each while upholding the law. She is aided by a werewolf named Batanen, who is too afraid to confess his love for her; another werewolf, Tommy; and a Kyubi fox demon named Sakura, who harbors her own intentions—including eating Natsuki to finish her nine tails and thus unlock her full magical power.

On her sixteenth birthday, Honey Kisaragi sets out to see her father. He arrives injured and fleeing from pursuers. Suddenly, a band of thugs and a monster appear. Detective Seiji Hayama steps in to save Honey and her father, but the monster captures her father. Devastated, Honey returns home to find it destroyed. A mysterious handsome man offers her hope and a device to fight the monsters who took her father. With this device, Honey can assume multiple forms and defeat Panther Zora, the sinister force behind the attacks.

Akari Kanzaki enrolls in an all-girls academy with the goal of entering the University Satellite, an elite sports training facility. She aspires to win the title of Cosmo Beauty—a title her mother held years ago. The path is difficult as she contends with fear, self-doubt, and peer pressure, but encouragement from friends, rivals, and fans gradually helps her push past these obstacles and aim for the top among the Battle Athletes.

In the year 4699, a brave young man embarks on a futuristic quest to locate the sole individual capable of saving Earth from the universe's most fearsome monster, the great white whale Moby Dick. However, tracking down the outlaw Captain Ahab and his phantom crew of whalers to convince them to end the leviathan's long reign of terror proves to be a daunting task. The central question remains whether Ahab will choose to accept this challenge once again.

In Neo Hong Kong, 2097, the world has transformed. Breakthroughs in genetic engineering and cybernetics have produced a society populated by artificially enhanced humans and intelligent supercomputers running on biological software. However, the fusion of humanity and machinery has also rendered both vulnerable to a novel danger: digital viruses that can seize control of their hosts.

A young schoolgirl with an innocent appearance and a curvaceous figure goes to retrieve her hat from what she believes is an abandoned house. Inside, a deranged madman is secretly watching her. Upon seeing her, he becomes fixated on dominating her, possessing her, and forcing her to submit to his every desire. With his collection of advanced technological devices, he subjects her to threats of death, physical harm, psychological control, degradation, and the eradication of her free will and sense of self. Horrors involving biological, chemical, and nuclear elements unfold within the nightmare of her newly imprisoned existence.

Humanity's expansion into space began with the creation of the Next Colonies. The Next eventually rose up in rebellion, forming their own Next Government. This uprising escalated into full-scale war, and the multipurpose Metal Vehicles, abbreviated as MVs, were repurposed for combat. Meanwhile, the Earth Rebellion faction Terra began causing further disruptions for Earth. Adding to the chaos, a mysterious entity resembling an MV, designated S.A.C (referred to as "S"), has appeared, and the Next seek to capture it to secure victory in the conflict. Terra's psychic leader, Hal, has been sensing "S" and desires to understand the power it possesses. The fate of these three factions will ultimately rest in the hands of a group of outlaws living on the abandoned Next 7 colony—though no one is aware of this yet.