Best Drama Anime of 1983

It is the summer of 1945, and three years have passed since the war between Japan and the United States began. Gen, a young boy, lives a difficult yet content life in Hiroshima, a city that has oddly remained untouched by the bombings that have ravaged nearly every other Japanese city. Food is scarce, and Gen's family is weakened by severe malnutrition, a condition that places his pregnant mother in danger. With little time to spare, Gen and his younger brother Shinji assist their parents with their work, doing all they can to help the family endure these hard times. Unbeknownst to them, the Americans have something planned for Hiroshima, and on August 6, 1945, their lives are about to be transformed forever.

After a century-long interstellar war that devastated nearly 200 star systems, a fragile peace has settled across the Astragius Galaxy. Chirico Cuvie, a soldier operating powered armor in special forces, is abruptly reassigned to a secret and illegal mission to steal military secrets from their own allies, forcing him to flee from his own military. His loyalty now in doubt, Chirico is abandoned in space by his conspiratorial superiors to secure their escape. By chance, he survives and becomes a fugitive hunted by both the conspirators and military intelligence. Haunted by visions of a captivating and enigmatic woman—his mission's target and the only clue to uncovering the sinister conspiracy—he is determined to expose the truth. However, those behind the plot will stop at nothing to conceal their motives.

After killing the son of wealthy businessman Leonard Dawson, Golgo 13 winds up in the sights of the CIA and the U.S. Army. Dawson has enlisted both agencies to eliminate the hitman, but as he keeps coming up with new schemes to kill Golgo 13, he steadily drifts away from reality. His obsession with this mission makes him forget the original reasons behind his son's death.

Shou Zama, a typical 18-year-old from Tokyo, is suddenly pulled into the mystical realm of Byston Well. Once there, he is forced into service under Drake Luft, a noble consumed by ambition. People from "Upper Earth" like Shou possess strong aura abilities and are assigned to pilot "Aura Battlers"—insect-like mecha created by Shot Weapon, another Upper Earth native. Shou's loyalties shift after he meets Marvel Frozen, a young woman opposing Drake's political schemes. Realizing Drake's malevolent goals, Shou decides to rebel and sides with Neal Given, the rebellion's leader. Riml, Drake's daughter and Neal's secret lover, also supports the cause, yearning to escape her father's control. Together, Shou and his comrades strive to halt Drake's bid to conquer Byston Well, risking everything to crush the oppressive lord's ambitions.

In Tomobiki, everyone receives an invitation to Ataru's wedding, causing Lum to explode in anger, particularly because she is not mentioned as the bride. The situation stems from an incident eleven years ago when Ataru played "Shadow Tag" with a young girl named Elle and emerged victorious. On Elle's home planet, winning this game means marriage. When Elle's representative arrives to finalize the wedding plans, Lum's attempts to intervene prove futile as a protective force field shields Ataru from her electrifying love attacks. Lum's ally, Benten, proposes a surprise wedding to preempt the arranged ceremony. As a result, Lum and Benten kidnap Ataru along with all the invited guests, leading to a chaotic impromptu wedding event.

A farmer from Australia returns from the forest carrying an infant girl named Georgie. The child grows up oblivious to the dreadful secret connected to the golden bracelet she always wears. Her "Father" and her "brothers," Abel and Arthur, adore her, but her "mother" sees her as an intruder and cannot bring herself to love the girl. As Georgie matures into a lovely young woman, both of her "brothers" develop deep romantic feelings for her. Unaware of the hidden truth, Georgie eventually falls for the handsome grandson of the British Governor. When her "mother" finally discloses the truth and denounces her as the daughter of an exile, Georgie leaves for Britain to find her biological parents—and the man she loves, who has also departed Australia. Abel and Arthur follow her, and the trio is plunged into the harsh world of London aristocracy, lies, and schemes.

From the far reaches of space comes Genma, a being so ancient and formidable that his very presence defies comprehension. He has already annihilated half of the cosmos, and now his attention turns toward Earth. Only two people know about this imminent catastrophe: Princess Luna, a forward-thinking figure of the modern age, and Vega, a cyborg-enhanced soldier from a world that Genma once destroyed. Determined to prevent Earth from meeting the same fate, Luna and Vega strive to assemble the most powerful psychics on the planet. By gathering this group of emerging psychic fighters, they hope to accomplish what so many others have failed to do. But can they gather their allies before time runs out? Genma's agents have already arrived on Earth, working to ensure their master faces no opposition.

In a poor Swiss Alpine village, twelve-year-old Annette dedicates herself to looking after her five-year-old brother, Dani, who was born just before their mother died. Her close friendship with Lucien, along with this sibling bond, gives her strength. But their deep connection faces a severe test when Dani suffers a serious injury in a tragic accident.

The year is 2203, shortly after the Bolar Federation surrendered to Desslok and the Galman-Gamilon Empire. A dimensional rift transports a distant red galaxy into a collision course with the Milky Way, its stars and planets smashing into each other and leaving the Galman homeworld in shambles. The Star Force is sent to investigate. When they arrive at Galmania, they discover Desslok's palace in ruins. The crew pays their respects by dropping white roses onto the planet's surface—just as a huge crimson planet crashes into Galma. The sudden threat forces the Star Force to warp out of the system without even time to calculate a safe jump.

A demon named Bazusu transports two cities—Kujukuri City in Chiba Prefecture and Dallas in the United States—ten thousand years into the future, forces them into conflict with each other, and takes pleasure in observing the battle. To put an end to this cruel act, Tanbara Gai, a member of the Time Patrol, steps up to fight the demon.

In a remote area of Hokkaido, Japan, a young boy finds a fawn whose mother was struck by a car, and he tries to raise it on his own.

A coup is orchestrated by Colonel Von Stein on the colony world of Deloyer, a planet under Earth Federation control, to back Federation Chairman Donan Cashim.

The story "Jeremy no Ki" delivers a heartwarming Christmas tale, adapted from a children’s picture book. It follows a bird that was abandoned and subsequently raised by a tree, then cut down for the city’s holiday decorations. Jeremy, a destitute orphan who hears the bird’s account, helps the bird search every Christmas tree in town for the tree that nurtured her. As the cold search drags on, Jeremy endures various hardships until a vision resembling Santa Claus appears—leaving doubt about whether it is truly Santa.