Best Adventure Anime of 1981

In the Daicon III Opening Animation, an unnamed girl observes the Science Patrol's aircraft as it lands. A masked figure emerges from the craft and hands her a cup of water, telling her to water a radish. She eagerly takes on this task but is quickly attacked by a series of enemies, including monsters, mechas, and starfighters. The animation follows whether the young protagonist can protect the water and reach the radish. In the Daicon IV Opening Animation, an older version of the same girl appears, now wearing a Playboy Bunny outfit. She battles a wide range of legendary foes from across the universe. The action is nonstop, featuring lightsaber duels and riding the mystical sword Stormbringer. Set to Electric Light Orchestra's "Twilight," this sequence serves as a grand tribute to science fiction, bringing together numerous recognizable characters in one dazzling spectacle.

Golion, a powerful sentient robot, abuses his great powers by attacking and killing creatures known as Deathblack Beastmen, boasting that no one could defeat him. A divine space being punishes Golion for his arrogance and abuse by separating him into 5 different lion robots. In the year 1999, a group of 5 young men return to Earth after a space voyage, only to find it ravaged by nuclear war. After encountering the alien race known as the Galra, the 5 youths end up on the planet Altea, and learn that the 5 lion robots that Golion was split into are in hibernation in various parts of Altea. Somehow, they must reunite the lions and form Golion, the only hope for the human race.

Even after the destruction of Andromeda, their mechanized homeworld, the machine empire continues expanding its influence, turning Earth into a war zone. Tetsurou Hoshino, who once journeyed on the Galaxy Express 999, now joins other humans resisting the mechanical takeover. When the 999 returns to Earth, Tetsurou gets a mysterious message from Maetel, his former travel companion, telling him to get back on the train. Fighting through enemy forces to reach Megalopolis station, he barely boards the departing train. But this trip brings fresh obstacles: Maetel is missing, a threatening "Ghost Train" appears, and the 999's final stop remains unknown. Along the way, Tetsurou confronts the enigmatic black knight Faust and learns the machine empire's most hidden truths.

Flone is a ten-year-old girl who is quite energetic and boyish in her behavior. Her father gets a letter one day from an English acquaintance residing in Australia. The letter mentions a critical lack of doctors there, urging Flone's father to come. Consequently, the whole family decides to leave their home in Bern. And so their journey at sea commences! Through Flone's extraordinary experiences, young audiences will learn the value of family and the pleasures of living surrounded by nature.

Sandybell, an energetic girl from Scotland, keeps her bright disposition despite having lost her mother as a child. Her history begins to come to light after a wealthy woman gives her a white lily. Following a heartbreaking event, Sandybell goes to London in search of answers about her background.

In the thirty-first century, Ulysses is responsible for the death of the giant Cyclops while saving his son Telemachus and other children. However, the ancient gods of Olympus are enraged and vow a harsh punishment: Ulysses must journey across the universe of Olympus with his crew frozen in time, searching for the Kingdom of Hades. Only when he locates the Kingdom of Hades will the curse be lifted from his crew, allowing him to return to Earth and his beloved Penelope.

In "Doraemon the Movie: The Records of Nobita, Spaceblazer," Nobita experiences a strange dream featuring a boy named Roppel and an unusual friend called Chami journeying through space. To his astonishment, he encounters them in reality and discovers they are genuine cosmic travelers who were chased across the universe, causing their spaceship to break down and link up with Nobita's room. When they travel to Roppel's home planet, Nobita and Doraemon promise to assist in liberating the planet from its oppressors while savoring their shared adventures.

Sebastian develops a strong bond with a white Pyrenees dog he names Belle, then embarks on a quest to find the mother he believes is still alive.

The story begins with the arrival of a brave young boy in Paris, whose ambition is to join the glorious Imperial Guards. However, fierce competition and the minimum age requirement prevent him from doing so. The boy then challenges the well-known Three Musketeers to demonstrate his excellent skills with the sword. But at the very moment the fight begins, a power-hungry group intervenes. Realizing their wicked intention, the boy D'artagnan and the Three Musketeers quickly cooperate and defeat them. This marks the beginning of their friendship and commitment to fight against conspiracy.

By the year 2111, humanity has spread across the solar system, but lawlessness runs rampant on colonized moons and planets, leaving police forces unable to keep order. To counter this rising menace, Isaac Godonov forms the J9 team, consisting of himself, Blaster Kid, Stephen Bowie, and Angel Omachi. This crew accepts any missions the police won't handle, relying on their robotic ally Braiger for a price. Meanwhile, Earth's Nubia sector concocts a plan to obliterate Jupiter, aiming to create thirty additional planets for human habitation, though this would inevitably cause Earth's destruction.

In the first episode, young Sho Azuka discovers an enchanted Bible named Superbook in his home. This living book can talk and has the power to send Sho, his friend Azusa Yamato, and his toy robot Zenmaijikake back to the times of the Old Testament.

For his summer homework, Nobita is tasked with investigating the history of his hometown. With Doraemon's help, he uses a gadget called the time camera to snap photographs of local landmarks across different historical periods. Much to their astonishment, the final image they capture shows the legendary Japanese folk hero Momotaro hauling a cart piled high with treasure. Later, Nobita's mother runs into a foreign visitor who shows the children a small picture featuring a figure dressed as a samurai. The image bears an uncanny resemblance to a photograph, and the person in it looks exactly like Momotaro. The foreigner received this picture from his ancestors and has traveled to Japan hoping to uncover the truth behind it. Nobita starts to wonder whether Momotaro was an actual historical figure. Determined to solve the mystery, he journeys into Japan's past alongside Doraemon, Shizuka, Takeshi, and Suneo.

In a world where the relentless pursuit of power spans countless ages, the story is set in the kingdom of Fir antic, contested by two royal families for the throne. To secure their rule, one house must journey across different eras to locate the mythical Firebird, with the victor claiming sovereignty over Fir antic. The narrative begins in the present day at the lackluster Ace Detective Agency, where detectives Paul Tuck and Tracy Headly pass the time reading magazines due to a shortage of cases. Their monotonous routine is broken by the abrupt arrival of a mysterious girl dressed in strange clothing. She declares, "Yes, I come from another time. In the future, the two of you will marry, and I am your descendant, many generations later." Introducing herself as Princess Sara of Fir antic, she demonstrates her telepathic abilities and discloses their destined marriage. More astonishing is her mission to find the Firebird using a Time Tunnel. Feeling obligated to secure their descendant's future, Paul and Tracy agree to assist Sara in her quest, even though she is unsure of its location. Her sole clue is that Princess Miranda and her followers have also traveled to their era. With Sara guiding them through her telepathic powers, the trio sets out to track down Miranda, who possesses vital knowledge about the Firebird's whereabouts.

Inspired by Jack London's novel, this story follows Buck, a dog who is part German Shepherd and part Saint Bernard. He enjoys a tranquil existence with the Miller family in California until he is betrayed and sold. During the Gold Rush era, he is taken to the frozen North and forced to become a sled dog. Unforeseen challenges line his path, pushing him to struggle intensely for his very life.

A young boy named Hiro discovers what seems to be a broken lighter in an empty field, a find that completely alters his destiny. That lighter is actually the Gold Lightan, a robot from the Robot Dimension that crash-landed on Earth. When Earth is threatened by the evil robots of Ivalda the Great, Gold Lightan is summoned and transforms into a colossal super robot known as the Golden Warrior. Together with Hiro and his group, the One Pack Rangers, Gold Lightan fights to safeguard Earth from the sinister plots of Ivalda the Great and his armored forces.

Glamorous Paris, entrancing Venice, romantic Rome, and irresistible Vienna—these spellbinding cities set the scene for the tale of a girl who is swept into bold adventures and lively romance. The year is 1907, in Vienna. Princess Flora, the nation's sole and beloved idol, marks her birthday. She is young, gorgeous, unattached, and the object of every man's yearning.

TV anime created as part of "24-Hour Television." Since 1978, Japanese broadcaster NTV has held the charity event "24-Hour Television" every summer. Tezuka Productions produced anime specials for the event under the direction of Osamu Tezuka. "Bremen 4: Jigoku no Naka no Tenshi-tachi" was made for the 1981 event. The title translates to "Bremen 4: Angels in Hell" in English. The story, reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "The Bremen Town Musicians," follows four animals: Coda the cat, Alegro the dog, Largo the donkey, and Minuet the chicken. They rescue Rondo the alien, who is on a peace mission. In gratitude, Rondo gives them a device that can transform them into humans. In their new human forms, they go to the town, where they witness the horrors of war.

The story of Toshishun is based on Ryuunosuke Akutagawa's adaptation of the classic Chinese tale Tu Tze-chun. In this narrative, a young man stumbles upon a hidden treasure, which allows him to accumulate great wealth. Before long, however, he squanders all his riches through a life of extravagance and excess. Akutagawa, regarded as the "father of Japanese short stories," has his name attached to Japan's most prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize.