*** WELCOME TO THE VAULT *** 29 CLASSIC SERIES FROM 1963-1999 CATALOGUED *** BEST VIEWED AT 800x600 *** SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK (COMING SOON) ***
Welcome!!
This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan tribute to the anime and 2D animation that built the medium before the year 2000 --- from Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy in 1963 right up to the dawn of Digimon in 1999. Every entry below is real: real titles, real years, real studios.
Grab a soda, wait for the images to load, and enjoy the tour. NEW ENTRIES ADDED!
Site News
- Added all 29 series to the Full Archive page.
- Gallery page now has cover art for every entry.
- Featured five signature series added below.
*** Featured Series ***
Dragon Ball
ドラゴンボール --- 1986 --- Shonen / Martial Arts Adventure
Monkey-tailed boy Son Goku travels the world with a ragtag crew, hunting seven magic orbs that summon a wish-granting dragon, while training into its greatest fighter.
Why it matters: Akira Toriyama's globe-trotting adventure-turned-tournament-fighter is one of the most influential shonen manga/anime of all time, directly setting up Dragon Ball Z.
Akira
AKIRA --- 1988 --- Cyberpunk / Sci-Fi (Film)
In neon-lit Neo-Tokyo, biker gang member Tetsuo's psychic powers spiral out of control, threatening to unleash the same catastrophe that destroyed the city decades earlier.
Why it matters: Katsuhiro Otomo's meticulously animated dystopian epic is the film most credited with introducing mature, cinematic anime to audiences outside Japan.
Sailor Moon
美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon) --- 1992 --- Magical Girl
Clumsy schoolgirl Usagi Tsukino discovers she's the reincarnated Sailor Moon, and recruits a team of guardian-planet heroines to fight for love and justice.
Why it matters: Naoko Takeuchi's series turned the magical-girl genre into a global phenomenon and reshaped Western animation's idea of what a female-led action franchise could be.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン (Shinseiki Evangelion) --- 1995 --- Mecha / Psychological
Withdrawn teenager Shinji Ikari is drafted to pilot a biomechanical Evangelion against monstrous Angels attacking Tokyo-3, while unraveling a conspiracy far larger than the battles themselves.
Why it matters: Hideaki Anno turned the giant-robot show inside out into a study of trauma, depression, and isolation, reshaping the entire medium's ambitions in the process.
Cowboy Bebop
カウボイビバップ --- 1998 --- Space Western / Noir
Bounty hunters Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and the dog Ein drift between jobs on the spaceship Bebop, unable to outrun the pasts they all refuse to talk about.
Why it matters: Shinichiro Watanabe's jazz-scored blend of noir, western, and science fiction is routinely named one of the greatest anime ever made, and its Adult Swim run introduced huge numbers of Western viewers to the medium.
Full Archive
All 29 series, title by title, with year, genre, studio, and why it matters.