Best Fantasy Anime of 1990

An unknown object crashes on Earth, sparking a huge wildfire near the campsite of Gohan Son, Kuririn, Bulma, and Oolong. Even after their attempts, they cannot fully save the forest and decide to use the Dragon Balls to restore it. Several days later, a group of unidentified warriors plants a seed at the crash site; it rapidly grows into a massive tree that devastates the forest and nearby cities. North Kaio informs Gokuu Son that the tree, called the "Shinseiju," drains all the planet's nutrients, leaving the land barren. The tree also yields a powerful fruit that grants great strength to anyone who eats it. Armed with this information, Gokuu and his allies try to destroy the tree before it's too late, but soon discover the task is far harder than anticipated.

In this installment of Dragon Ball Z, Dr. Kochin, a celebrated expert in biotechnology, collects the Dragon Balls within his laboratory to free his mentor, Dr. Uirou—a deranged scientist aiming for world domination—who has been sealed in the eternal ice of the Tsurumai-Tsuburi Mountains. While Son Gohan and Oolong search for the Dragon Balls, they fall into a trap set by Dr. Kochin's creations, called Bio-Men. Piccolo, nearby, tries to rescue Gohan and Oolong but is interrupted by three mysterious fighters. The fight is cut short when the ice below collapses, burying Gohan and Oolong. After waking up, they return to Kame House, where they are again confronted by Bio-Men demanding that Muten Roshi join them. Roshi refuses and quickly defeats the attackers, drawing Dr. Kochin's attention. Convinced that Muten Roshi is the strongest fighter in the world, Dr. Kochin kidnaps Bulma to force Roshi into participating in his hidden plan to release his master. The mystery grows: who exactly are Dr. Kochin and Dr. Uirou, and what sinister schemes do they have in store?

In "Dragon Ball Z: Bardock, The Father of Goku," Bardock, a low-class Saiyan warrior, destroys a planet only to receive visions of the future from the last surviving alien. These glimpses reveal that Frieza will soon destroy the Saiyan race. Bardock must race against time to avert this catastrophic fate.

After successfully defending their hometown from goblins, Parn bands together with his friends Etoh, Deedlit, Ghim, and Slayn to investigate the dark forces threatening the island of Lodoss. As they delve deeper into their quest, they encounter hostile enemies and are briefly detained by city guards, only to be released shortly after. Despite gaining their freedom, the city falls to Ashram, a powerful fighter serving the rogue hero Beld, who kills the esteemed city leader. Overwhelmed with guilt over his perceived weaknesses, Parn resolves to confront Ashram. Simultaneously, the sorceress Karla exploits Beld's ambitions for her own nefarious purposes, compelling Parn to seek additional allies to avert an impending catastrophe that could destroy Lodoss and everything he holds dear.

In Moomin Valley, spring brings fresh adventures for Moomintroll and his neighbors. After Snufkin comes back from his winter travels, the valley comes alive. They discover a fascinating hat so skillfully crafted that the Moomins cannot bring themselves to throw it away, so they set out to find who it belongs to. During a game with his friends, Moomin decides to hide inside the hat. When his companions look for him, they are startled to find Moomin has become a strange, eerie creature. Seeing his own reflection, Moomin is just as upset by his altered appearance. After frightening his family and friends, Moomin eventually returns to his normal form. Together with Snufkin, they decide to get rid of the hat by throwing it into the river. As it floats away, they wonder who the hat might have belonged to and whether that person will ever come to retrieve it.

In "Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Animal Planet," Nobita uses the "Wherever Gas," a mysterious substance similar to Doraemon's Anywhere Door that can take you anywhere, and arrives in a world of animals. There, they meet Chippo, a highly adventurous boy with a dog-like appearance. A group called Numiges plans to take over this animal planet. Doraemon and his friends intend to stop their plot with the help of the animals.

Lamune is a regular fourth-grader who loves video games. He purchases a game cartridge from a traveling merchant girl and assists her in selling the rest of her stock. After he plays "King Sccasher" and completes it, the merchant girl emerges from his TV, revealing herself as Princess Milk. She proclaims Lamune to be the "Blood Relative of the Chosen Hero Lamuness" and asks for his aid. Transporting him to the Hara-Hara World, she charges him with reviving the Guardian Knights. To do this, Lamuness must locate and activate a shrine that houses Tama-Q, an Advisor Robot, and obtain the key to free the Knights. While the Guardian Knights operate independently as mechas, King Sccasher is piloted directly by Lamuness. His enemies include Don Harumage and his henchmen, Da Cider and Lesuka.

In 1990, Bandai released the four-episode OVA series SD Gundam Gaiden, which was directed by Tetsuro Amino—known for Macross 7 and SD Gundam's Counterattack. This show takes place in the medieval fantasy realm of Suda Doaka. As with earlier entries, famous Gundam characters like Amuro Ray and Char Aznable make appearances, accompanied by fantasy-themed interpretations of iconic mobile suits. In this story, the valiant Knight Gundam and his allies must defend Suda Doaka from the threats posed by Satan Gundam and Sieg Zeon. A large portion of the plot unfolds in the Kingdom of Lacroa, a location that appears in multiple SD productions, such as the 2003 TV series SD Gundam Force. Like all older SD works, SD Gundam Gaiden has never been released in the United States.

Fifth-grader Edojou Honmaru is widely regarded as the unluckiest kid in his class. Everything changes when he encounters Magical Taruruuto-kun, whose magical abilities help Honmaru face everyday problems like dealing with bullies and navigating relationships with girls.

A young female bandit named Pink lives in a vast desert. Her ultimate goal is to steal all of the water that is guarded by the Silver Company.

Carol follows a teenage girl whose ordinary life takes an unexpected turn when she begins to notice that music is vanishing from her world—the chimes of Big Ben, her father's cello performances, and the live show of her favorite band, Gaball Screen, all fade away. After hearing mysterious voices, she gets transported to a fantastical realm, where she must battle evil creatures that are stealing music from Earth. Along the way, she receives help from three charming heroes: Clark, Tico, and Flash.

Effera and Jiliora, two partners, flee from a slave ship with help from their friend Orlin and a young boy named Kilian. During the escape, Kilian is killed, prompting Effera and Jiliora to take on the task of returning Kilian's pendant to his two siblings, who are held captive by Baron Celdion. The baron is scheming to conquer all the surrounding countries.

Hakuo Gakuin was once a prestigious high school renowned for its martial arts, but its rival institution, Seishikan, has been deceitfully poaching its top students, causing Hakuo to fall into decline. To turn things around, acting principal Hojo Himeko dispatches Yagyu Ranko to Fuma Village, seeking assistance from the legendary Fuma ninja clan. The Fuma leader sends Kojiro to Hakuo, where he soon confronts the notorious Yasha clan—who fight on behalf of Seishikan—under the command of Asuka Musashi. Before long, Kojiro's allies arrive, and a long-dormant ninja war, which had been postponed for 500 years, erupts between the two clans.

Coult, the prince of the kingdom of Loon, spends his days happily alongside his father, King Stephan, and the royal retainers. He is a cheerful, bright, and gentle boy blessed by the god Aganade. Coult's mother, Galatea—the daughter of Aganade—had married King Stephan. But Medusa, the daughter of an evil spirit, grew envious of her happiness and, while Coult was still a baby, turned her and many of the villagers into statues. To save the petrified villagers, Stephan pledged his allegiance to Medusa and was forced to promise that Coult would do the same when he turned eight. When that day arrives, Coult instead declares that he will defeat Medusa and revive all those who were turned to stone. He then sets off on a long journey in search of the evil spirit's daughter.

After a spacecraft malfunction, human astronaut Ryu and the AI MOS crash-land on the mysterious planet Gdleen. There, Ryu meets Fana, a captivating Euradonian fairy. The planet is in chaos due to a conflict over a supposedly enchanted temple. The self-proclaimed deity Gavana abducts Fana with the intent to sacrifice her, leaving Ryu as her only hope. Can they manage to escape this perilous situation? Moreover, what—or who—is the true Gavana?

This OVA release in the Sonic Soldier Borgman series acts as a follow-up to the 1980s television program, which revolved around a crack team of bio-enhanced human crime fighters known as Borgmen. Taking place a number of years after the original Borgman unit was disbanded, this installment brings back the three surviving members—rocket scientist Ryo, his girlfriend Anise, and police officer Chuck Sweager—for the emotionally driven episode "Lover`s Rain," which sees them up against an army of the undead hell-bent on a spree of murder and destruction.

Prequel of Utsunomiko.

In the series RPG Densetsu Hepoi, join Hepoi, a legendary hero among the heporis, as they journey together with Ryuuto, the prince of Dragonia; Miiya Miiya, a feline-like fairy; and Bunzaemon, a merchant. Their united mission is to overcome Dracunes, the master of the dark castles.

Based on the childrens' book Little Polar Bear by Dutch author Hans de Beer.

A collection of animated shorts adapts various short stories and four-panel comics by Keiko Fukuyama. Featured pieces include "My Father the Mouse," "The Rabbit Brothers," "Summer Secret," "The Mysterious Fairy," "How Very Strange," and "Kuro."

A 2-episode OVA sequel from 1990, created by Sunrise, continuing the events of the Mado King Granzort TV series. One year after the original story, the three Mado Warriors—Daichi, Rabi, and Gus—reunite when the Jado Empire once again attacks Rabiluna, conquering Holy Luna and taking V-Mei and Sayuri captive. Even the combined power of Super Granzort, Winzart, and Aquabeat cannot overcome the enemy, until a mysterious girl rescues the warriors—a girl whose past holds the key to the magical conflict between the two clans.

Kitty White appears in an animated adaptation of the Thumbelina tale. This film is part of the Sanrio Anime Festival lineup of theatrical releases.

This adaptation is based on the original Tengai Makyou game, which was released in 1989 as one of the first titles for the NEC PC Engine CD-ROM system.

In this 1990 Anpanman TV short, Sunny, a mermaid princess of the southern seas, makes her debut and later returns in subsequent episodes. When garbage pollutes her ocean home, Anpanman comes to her aid to clean it up, but Baikinman arrives and stirs up trouble.

A special 30-minute finale to the TV series.

Pokopon takes the lead role in an animated adaptation of the classic tale Journey to the West. This film is part of the Sanrio Anime Festival series of theatrical releases.

Animation movie by Hirata Toshio.

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The second Taoist Mutul movie.