Fall 1988 Anime

Above the rooftops of Shinjuku, Genichirou Izayou once suffered defeat at the hands of Levih Rah, a man who bartered his soul for demonic power. A decade has passed, and Shinjuku remains a demon-infested wasteland while the rest of Tokyo stays untouched. One day, Kyouya, Genichirou's son, learns from the news that Japan's revered prime minister has fallen victim to demonic attacks. Despite his uncertainty about inheriting his father's Nempo abilities, Kyouya realizes he is the only one who can stop Levih Rah from threatening the world. Teaming up with Sayaka Rama, the prime minister's daughter, Kyouya ventures into Shinjuku, determined to overcome the challenge his father could not.

Yo Hinomura was once a simple Japanese potter before a confrontation with the Chinese mafia forever altered his path. Now serving as an assassin for the 108 Dragons, Yo is a flawless killing machine. As a display of remorse for his victims, he weeps after completing each assassination. Because of this, he is notoriously recognized by the Dragons and every criminal syndicate worldwide as "Crying Freeman."

After a century-long war concludes, Merowlink Ality is the only survivor from a squad that was set up and falsely accused of military corruption. Driven by vengeance, he carries the dogtags of his fallen comrades and uses an outdated anti-tank rifle, intent on hunting down and making the corrupt leaders who betrayed his unit answer for their actions. His quest also seeks to expose the hidden truth behind the conspiracy.

Following the conclusion of the Kimagure Orange Road TV series, Kyosuke and Madoka reach the brink of graduation, facing the critical decision of which college to attend. Naturally desiring to stay together, they must balance their studies with the search for a university that will accept both of them. Hikaru, who still has a year remaining before her own graduation, attempts to support Kyosuke in her unique fashion. However, her involvement sparks jealousy in Madoka, prompting her to finally confess her true feelings to Kyosuke. Faced with this emotional crossroads, Kyosuke must take decisive action to choose the girl he truly loves, bringing the story of Kimagure Orange Road to a definitive close.

A young man named Akitsu Masato is taken into custody by a secret government initiative called "Last Guardian." He learns that his ordinary student life was fabricated, and his true purpose is to pilot a massive robot known as the "Zeorymer of the Heavens." This reality is driven home when Masato witnesses his `parents` accepting money for raising him. Last Guardian is preparing for the revival of "Hau Dragon," an organization intent on world domination. Fifteen years ago, Hau Dragon constructed eight colossal robots, each mecha representing a different natural force. But before any of them could be deployed, their creator Kihara Masaki destroyed all but the leader unit: Zeorymer. He handed Zeorymer and an embryo over to the government. That embryo grew into Masato. Now Hau Dragon has rebuilt the other seven mecha and seeks the eighth. It falls to Masato and Himuro to pilot Zeorymer and fight against Hau Dragon—yet neither Masato nor Himuro are what they appear to be.

Kosaku Hatanaka, a promising boxer trained under Coach Mukoda, was once the only professional athlete from their gym. However, his career has been marred by disappointment, largely because he repeatedly fails to make weight for his matches. After a humiliating incident in the ring that caused several scheduled fights to be canceled, Kosaku is warned that his next bout might be his last if he doesn't improve. His situation seems dire when, breaking his strict diet, he convinces Sister Angela, a local trainee nun, to give him food. It looks inevitable that he will once again surpass the weight limit, potentially ending his boxing career. Realizing her unintentional role in his overeating, Sister Angela takes it upon herself to help him get back on track—even as Kosaku finds himself more drawn to her than to her spiritual advice.

Oishinbo revolves around newspaper journalists, with Yamaoka, a skeptical food critic, as the central figure. This manga is a well-known adult-oriented mainstream comic in Japan and has been referenced in an episode of "Iron Chef."

One night, a Star of Life descends through the chimney of a bakery hidden deep in the forest, bringing the bread dough inside the oven to life. This creates the hero Anpanman, a superhero made from an anpan—a sweet bun filled with red bean paste. Along with his friends, Anpanman battles his archenemy Baikinman and aids those who are hungry.

The girls find salvation from none other than Catty Nebulart herself! Now the clock is ticking as Catty struggles to finish her greatest achievement: a massive machine that will bring life to a barren world.

After a dramatic accident, a traveling performance group discovers a damaged spaceship with only one survivor—a baby named Corona. Knowing almost nothing about where she came from or her cultural background, the troupe decides to take on their most challenging performance yet: acting as a human family. As Corona grows up, the performers reflect on the consequences of their decision and consider how they would respond if representatives from her home planet ever come to reclaim her.

Each episode functions as an independent adaptation of a distinct fairy tale or folk story. The series does not exclusively draw from the tales compiled by the Brothers Grimm.

The series "Tama of Third Street: Have You Seen My Tama?" centers on Tama and his pals Momo, Wocket, Tiggle, Rockney, Pimmy, Bupkus, Bengpu, and Chopin. Each installment portrays their quick, cheerful exploits with no ongoing storyline. A regular element throughout episodes is meeting a new companion and experiencing flashbacks from memories.

This is the story of a young girl and a young dragon. Unsurprisingly, they are the closest of friends, and just as predictably, the rest of the world is against them both. However, when demons decide to destroy their world, they take the side of those who have always opposed them.

Jack moves to Hokkaido for medical treatment due to his illness, feeling lonely and hopeless. One night, a rider suddenly crashes through his window to assist him. Despite never having been introduced, Jack instinctively knows the rider's name and senses they have met before. The rider, Cu Chulainn, guides Jack to open a portal beneath the moonlight, sending him to Nymphidia—a world inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream." There, the inhabitants are expecting the arrival of a new Fairy King.

Hi no Ame ga Furu is an anti-war anime adapted from a compilation of firsthand accounts of the firebombing of Fukuoka, which took place on the night of June 19, 1945.

Kosuke-sama Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu is a 45-minute anime television special created by J.C. Staff and broadcast in 1988 on Japanese TV. Like Dragon Ball, this martial arts adventure pits its heroes against antagonists reminiscent of the Red Ribbon Army, features mecha designs typical of Toriyama, and includes a dragon that closely mirrors Son Gohan's Haiya Dragon.

Akko-chan is a cheerful and lively fifth-grader whose dad works as a newscaster and whose mom writes picture books. She treasures a small hand mirror given to her by her father and always looks after it carefully. One day, though, her scatterbrained mother accidentally breaks the mirror. That night, under a beautiful full moon, Akko-chan buries the broken pieces in the garden and goes to bed. She is then roused by a gentle, warm voice—the Queen of the Mirror Kingdom. The queen thanks Akko-chan for taking such good care of the mirror and presents her with a magical compact mirror. By singing the magic words, Akko-chan can transform into anything she desires.

The story starts with Katsuhiko heading to the United States, while his friends Kasumi and Yusaku see him off at Narita Airport. Two years later, Katsuhiko returns to Japan as a professional racer, coming back for both a race and to marry Kasumi. At the same time, Yusaku follows his passion for photography.

Topo Gigio, the brainchild of Maria Perego, has charmed audiences for over twenty years. This animated program is packed with exciting adventures and a varied group of companions. As the inaugural mouse astronaut, Topo Gigio journeys through the Milky Way. Set 2,388,400 years in the future, this chatty mouse is able to converse with humans and has built close relationships with his neighbors, including a little girl, her pet mouse, assorted cats, and other mice.

The story follows the daily life of a Akko-chan who is a new young wife.

The Acorns and the Wildcat is an unconventional short film presented in picture-book style, coming from the same creator behind Night on the Galactic Railroad and Gauche the Cellist. What makes it stand out from typical anime is its structure: a narrator reads Kenji's story aloud while the visuals consist of a sequence of warm, evocative illustrations, each animated with only the faintest touches of motion. If the film feels strangely familiar without being quite placeable, the reason is likely the exquisitely minimalist animation by Yasuhiro Nagura, who was the animation director on Mamoru Oshii's art-house 1986 feature Angel's Egg. On top of that, Kenji's wildcat is believed to have served as the inspiration for Miyazaki's Panda/Totoro creature. The choice to recite Kenji's story rather than act it out as a drama proves remarkably refreshing, with the author's enchanting language and narrative voice more than enough to keep the viewer engaged. Combined with dreamy music and stunning artwork, the result is a quietly charming, unassuming little treasure of a film.

During the Genroku period of feudal Japan, a young warrior named Yoshiyasu Yanasawa embarks on a quest to find Takakaru, the chieftain of the Hazuki clan, hoping to gain the power of the Golden Dragon. What he does not know is that this legendary strength actually belongs to the maiden Orie.

Asunaro has just transferred to a school that fields three baseball teams. The first is famous as one of the best in the prefecture, but the third—the one Asunaro joins—is made up of rejects and players with no real skill. The baseball instructor dismisses them as worthless and announces the team will be dissolved in a month—until one player pleads with him for a single game. Their opponent will be the first team. If they win, they can claim the title and even begin a path toward Koshien Stadium. With help from Kaido, a former member of the first team, Asunaro and his friends are determined to prove they are more than they appear.

Chalk-iro no People is an OVA series consisting of five short episodes adapted from Seizou Watase's romantic manga. The episodes are titled "Building Without Tide," "Brother and Sister," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "I've Saved the Sidecar for You," and "The Santa Quartet."

An end-of-year special, aired between episodes 84 and 85.

No synopsis has been added for this series yet. Click here to update this information.

This television special, airing in December 1988, centers on Serv (サーブ), a guide dog assisting visually impaired individuals. The character is based on an actual dog that died shortly before the anime went into production.

Animated musical by Makoto Wada.

Based off a manga by Murakami Takashi that was serialized in Weekly Young Jump.

Potomas the Hippo hides a secret: he can talk like a person, but only the children Maki and Toshi are aware of this. He also sports a vivid green T-shirt with a large letter "P" on it, though this is meant to be discreetly low-key. After briefly forgetting to stay silent, Potomas speaks to a child he rescues from drowning. Word quickly gets out about a hippo that talks, and Potomas has no choice but to flee.

Produced for government agencies and public institutions like schools and after-school programs, this anime was distributed across three 16mm reels by Chuubu Nihon Kyouei. Little information exists regarding its initial release.

A direct-to-VHS OVA series produced for the mixed media project Tama & Friends. Note: The 1993 TV series '3 Choume no Tama: Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?' is a re-edited compilation featuring six of these OVA episodes. This television version omits the original first episode but adds three brand new ones. The very first episode remained unavailable until 2013, when it was digitally remastered to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary.