January is Sci-Fi Anime Month!

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January is Science Fiction Anime Month!

It's here we get to celebrate all those weird anime filled with strange unusual tech, spacecraft, weird aliens,
and how that affects the lives of the people in the anime!

To start it off, let's try Dennou Coil: A Circle of Children!



A young girl receives a gift of augmented reality glasses that lets her see her new pet, a virtual dog. Years later, she travels to the city with her little sister to stay with their grandma - only to find a strange glitch that moves along the ground. Another is also chasing them, sometimes into virtual spaces that shouldn't exist.

Have you seen this anime?

What other science fiction anime do you enjoy?

[Ojisama]

Well, if we're talking Sci-Fi, we've got to talk about the one that introduced anime to the West.

Akira.
Although the film is set at a time we would call the past, 37 years ago, it has all the elements that characterise Sci-Fi
Street gangs. Colossal technology. Weird but familiar methods of transport. Psychic powers.



Japan, 1988. An explosion caused by a young boy with psychic powers tears through the city of Tokyo and ignites the fuse that leads to World War III. In order to prevent any further destruction, he is captured and taken into custody, never to be heard from again. Now, in the year 2019, a restored version of the city known as Neo-Tokyo—an area rife with gang violence and terrorism against the current government—stands in its place. Here, Shoutarou Kaneda leads "the Capsules," a group of misfits known for riding large, custom motorcycles and being in constant conflict with their rivals "the Clowns."

During one of these battles, Shoutarou's best friend Tetsuo Shima is caught up in an accident with an esper who finds himself in the streets of Tokyo after escaping confinement from a government institution. Through this encounter, Tetsuo begins to develop his own mysterious abilities, as the government seeks to quarantine this latest psychic in a desperate attempt to prevent him from unleashing the destructive power that could once again bring the city to its knees.

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Good choice! I remember the way the story built up itself, it did not disappoint!
Next up...!

Cowboy Bebop

When interplanetary gates can quickly whisk you away to another planet, away from local police jurisdictions, there's a sudden need for bounty hunters to bring back the criminals to justice - alive. Those bounty hunters are called "cowboys" - and that's the job of the crew of the Bebop.

Jet Black "Black Dog" - Captain of the Bebop, a former inspector of the Inter-Solar System Police. Lost his arm while in pursuit of a mafia murderer, opted for a mechanical arm replacement rather than having a new one grown instead.

Spike Spiegel - Bounty hunter. Faked his death to escape the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate, pilot of the converted asteroid racer Swordfish II. Not fond of pets, children, or women.

Ein - A Welsh Corgi who was enhanced to become a Data Dog - however, only Edward seems to recognize to the degree Ein's intelligence has been raised.

Faye Valentine - Placed into cyrogenic suspension due to grave injuries received during a shuttle accident that claimed her parents' lives, she was revived fifty-four years later. She had no memories of her previous life, all her records was lost except for her first name. Former bounty-head turned bounty hunter.

Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV "Radical Edward" - A child protégée hacker from Earth, her father left her at a day care facility and forgot to pick her up. Spent two years staying with other people before finally being accepted into an orphanage. Since she had no known parents, she named herself "Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV" and at some point started following the exploits of the Bebop and her crew.

One of the best things about this series is the often quirky but jazzy music.

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The Girl Who Leapt
Through Time



Time waits for no one.

[Ojisama]

Well, I'll stick with the classics, for now.

The film that launched a franchise.
Several anime series. More films, and a recent live-action adaptation.

Koukaku Kidoutai
(AKA - Ghost in the Shell)

No "Tachikoma" in this, the first adaptation of the popular manga, but a haunting theme song that still gets performed today.

In the year 2029, Niihama City has become a technologically advanced metropolis. Due to great improvements in cybernetics, its citizens are able to replace their limbs with robotic parts. The world is now more interconnected than ever before, and the city's Public Security Section 9 is responsible for combating corruption, terrorism, and other dangerous threats following this shift toward globalization.

The strong-willed Major Motoko Kusanagi of Section 9 spearheads a case involving a mysterious hacker known only as the "Puppet Master," who leaves a trail of victims stripped of their memories. Like many in this futuristic world, the Puppet Master's body is almost entirely robotic, giving them incredible power.

As Motoko and her subordinates follow the enigmatic criminal's trail, other parties—including Section 6—start to get involved, forcing her to confront the extremely complicated nature of the case. Pondering about various philosophical questions, such as her own life's meaning, Motoko soon realizes that the one who will provide these answers is none other than the Puppet Master themself.



Here is that theme music.

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Mmm, the classics. Speaking of which....

Trigun



Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon who leaves a wake of destruction in his path and has a
$$60,000,000,000 (sixty billion double dollar) bounty on his head.

He's actually a very friendly guy for all of that.

While this is easy to mistake as a western, in truth, they are the descendants of the passengers and crew
of an interstellar ship that crash landed on this inhabitable desert world many years before.

Enjoy the interesting cast of characters and the unique cat that appears in this anime.

This has recently been redone as Trigun Stampede.