Best Drama Anime of 1978

In July 2008, humanity confronted the brink of annihilation. An ultra-magnetic weapon, far more devastating than any previously known nuclear device, annihilated half the planet in a single moment. The Earth's crust underwent violent upheavals, the planet was knocked off its rotational axis, and all five continents shattered and submerged deep beneath the oceans. A number of people attempted to escape into outer space, but their efforts proved fruitless. Their spaceships were forced back to Earth, vanishing along with their crushed aspirations. Yet one of those vessels narrowly avoided destruction and crash-landed on a small island that had miraculously endured the catastrophe. The ship's crew made their home there, like seeds scattered upon the island. Years later, a boy was born. He represented new life in the wasteland, a glimmer of light amid the darkness of a ravaged world.

In a future where immortality has been achieved through mechanical bodies, the high cost keeps them out of reach for most. Tetsurou Hoshino, living in poverty, dreams of boarding the legendary Galaxy Express 999, a cosmic train said to grant passengers a free mechanical body upon arrival. When Tetsurou's mother is killed by the malevolent machine-human hybrid known as Count Mecha, he falls into despair. However, Maetel, a mysterious blonde woman who resembles his mother, saves him and gives him a ticket for the Galaxy Express, under the condition that she travels with him. Tetsurou sets out on an interstellar journey filled with diverse worlds and exciting adventures, driven by his desire for a mechanical body.

In the year 2977, humanity has grown complacent, with machines handling all responsibilities and subliminal messages keeping the population docile. Government officials occupy themselves with trivial pursuits like golf and horse racing. Captain Harlock rejects this stagnant existence and instead pursues a life of adventure with a group of kindred spirits aboard the spaceship Arcadia. An unseen alien threat called the Mazone invades Earth, appearing as hooded women and eliminating anyone who discovers their hidden agenda. Tadashi Daiba becomes their target after his scientist father is dismissed by the authorities and killed by the Mazone. Tadashi then joins Captain Harlock and the diverse crew of pirates in their mission to protect humanity from the alien menace.

"Mother, I want to go to sea!" Jim Hawkins, an ordinary thirteen-year-old boy, lives in the vicinity of the tiny town of Black Hill Cove, where he spends his days helping his mother, Karen, run the Admiral Benbow Inn. That quiet existence is disrupted one stormy night when the rough-mannered Billy Bones shows up asking for a room. His arrival propels Jim onto the ocean for a dangerous and thrilling quest to find "Treasure Island" and the legendary heaps of gold it is said to hide.

Chirin is a young lamb who lives a peaceful life with his mother in a meadow, safe behind a protective fence where they play and graze on lush clover. One night, the wolf Wor attacks the flock, killing Chirin's mother. Devastated and unable to fully comprehend her death, Chirin swears to become a wolf himself and take revenge, unaware of the heavy price this transformation will demand.

One year after the Star Force's successful return to save Earth, a new menace emerges from deep space. A massive White Comet speeds toward the galaxy, annihilating everything in its path. This comet is no ordinary celestial object—it is the sinister Comet Empire, a merciless conqueror of planets, and Earth is its next target. Despite being ordered not to, the Star Force launches an investigation. However, even if they defeat the powerful flagship Andromeda, they remain unsure of their new enemy's true motives.

Taking place during the 1920s, Haikara-san ga Tooru follows the lively tomboy Benio and her connection with a good-looking soldier of half-German descent, Shinobu. Benio is an energetic, sporty young woman who holds strong convictions about living life on her own terms. Upon their first encounter, she takes an immediate disliking to Shinobu, despite the fact that he rescues her from a string of awkward predicaments. So when she learns that an arranged marriage has been forced upon her and that her intended groom turns out to be Shinobu himself, she is taken completely off guard. From there, the narrative is filled with unexpected developments: Shinobu must head off to war, Benio struggles to come to terms with the prospect of matrimony, and she must also find a way to get along with her future in-laws and her employer. All the while, the devastating Kanto earthquake looms on the horizon.

In Perrine Monogatari, Perrine resides in Bosnia alongside her Indian mother and beloved father until his sudden death. Following this, her mother holds a single desire: to journey to France and reunite with her own father. The dangerous trip covers over 1,000 kilometers, but Perrine and her mother create a plan to take pictures of people in the villages they pass through in order to earn money. With their sturdy donkey, Palikare, and devoted dog, Baron, they set out on their path toward Paris. Along the way, they encounter both kind strangers and desolate towns, as well as many obstacles. Can Perrine and her mother survive this difficult journey to reach France?

This installment is the third entry in Tadao Nagahama's Romance Super Robot Trilogy, preceded by Chou Denji Robo Combattler V and Chou Denji Machine Voltes V. Following the ruin of their home planet, the refugees from Barm set a course for Earth, seeking to negotiate a land purchase for their relocation. However, during these talks, the Barmian leader Leon is murdered by his subordinate Olban, and the Earth delegation is wrongly accused of the crime. Amid the resulting turmoil, Doctor Isamu Ryuuzaki, a member of the Earth team, is fatally shot. After the talks collapse disastrously, the Barmians—referred to as "Valerians" in Starbirds—initiate a violent assault on Earth under the command of Leon's son, Admiral Richter. He unleashes numerous "Mecha Soldiers" against the planet's defenses. The sole hope standing between humanity and destruction is the transforming super robot Daimos, which employs karate techniques, and its pilot Kazuya Ryuuzaki. Everything shifts when Kazuya meets and falls for a mysterious girl named Erika, who is later revealed to be Richter's sister. Through their efforts to be together, Kazuya and Erika each come to understand that not everyone on the opposing side is wicked—and that their own side harbors its share of wrongdoing.

The tale of the Arcadia's enigma, which served as the basis for the 13th TV episode. A compact gem by Kazuo Komatsubara, featuring memorable and previously unseen scenes. Widescreen format.

In the year 2201, a year after the Yamato rescued Earth from radioactive contamination, a fresh danger arises. The Yamato embarks on its final voyage to protect Earth from this new menace. Earth is nearly healed from the conflict with Gamilus, and reconstruction has spread to neighboring planets. When former Yamato crew members pick up a strange, garbled signal that appears to originate from a white comet heading toward Earth, they commandeer their old space fortress and start a new fight.

Hiromi Oka, the protagonist, has just enrolled in a high school well-known for its tennis club. Inspired by her admiration for Madam Butterfly, she began playing tennis. She looked forward to enjoying the sport with her best friend Maki, but everything changes when the new coach, Mr. Munakata, unexpectedly selects Hiromi as one of the players for the upcoming tournament and subjects her to rigorous training. She perseveres through every challenge. The more intense the coach's lessons become, the more she seems to improve. Eventually, she earns the position of representative in the junior match tournament.

A continuation of the television series.

In "The Call of Spring," Candy goes back to Pony's Home and comes across a young girl who has lost her parents and often stays away from the other children. To help lift her spirits, Candy tells her own story, starting with how Miss Pony and Sister Lane first found her, and then moving through her choice to leave the English boarding school in order to follow her own dreams.

Against her insistence, Yūki is drafted by the Tokyo Mets as the first woman player in the baseball league.

In King Fang, the contrasting destinies of humans and animals are depicted with realism. Its central figure, Fang, was born from a hunting dog and a European wolf that had run away from a circus. Although he was nurtured by a human family, Fang retains his innate wildness, meant to wander the wilderness. The narrative reaches its climax as Fang returns from the circus to encounter his archrival, a gigantic brown bear that caused the demise of his loved ones.

Based on the real life-story of Pink Lady, a female pop duo that rose to superstardom in the mid-1970's.

This holiday special from Rankin/Bass is a remake of the 1956 musical television special "The Stingiest Man in Town," itself based on Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol.

A collection of children's stories and tales from traditional Japanese folklore.