The Six – Science Fiction Anime Films You Cannot Miss

Besides mainstream science fiction blockbuster movies like The Arrival or Interstellar, I enjoy side trips into streaming media, web series, or anime. For me, science fiction anime holds the same excitement as discovering a new favorite indie record: it’s something the world at large hasn’t discovered yet. And yes, the world is waking up; movies like Ghost in the Shell and Alita: Battle Angel are starting to bring this genre into the forefront. If you’re curious and open to discovering something new, here’s a list of six science fiction anime films that, in my opinion, you cannot miss.

​Psycho-Pass (2012). Lovers of Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, look no further. In this anime, a futuristic Japanese society revolves around the Sibyl System, which attempts to predict a citizen’s criminal intent by examining their mental state, providing their so-called Psycho-Pass. Enforcer Akane Tsunemori, a young woman partnered alongside veteran Shinya Kougami, learns that the Sibyl System isn’t as perfect as society assumes. She must answer the question of whether, faced with a system that may be corrupt, justice has any meaning.

​Steins;Gate (2011). Scientist Rintarou Okabe and his lab members Mayuri Shiina and Hashida Itaru work on inventions that for the most part don’t hold promise, until they discover that one of their contraptions, dubbed the Phone Microwave, can send emails to the past. This ability alters the flow of history, and Stein;Gate leads Okabe through the labyrinth of an ever-changing past and present, desperate to unravel time’s tangled threads to bring back the woman he loved.

​Summer Wars (2009). The Internet-based world of OZ is a phenomenon, engaging the world in virtual sports and commerce; even more, society’s infrastructure of traffic, banking and communications rely on OZ. Against this backdrop, Kenji Koiso, an OZ moderator, is invited by his crush Natsuki Shinohara to her great grandmother’s house for her 90th birthday party, where he is announced (surprise!) as her fiancé. Shortly after, Kenji is asked to solve a seemingly innocuous puzzle on his mobile. When he does so, OZ is compromised and the world faces an existential threat from cyberspace. A story about heroism, love, and family, Summer Wars is perhaps my favorite underrated sci-fi anime of all time.

​The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006). In her final year of high school, Makoto Konno agonizes about her future. She spends most of her time hanging out with her two best friends, Chiaki Mamiya and Kousuke Tsuda, and dealing with school; but her life changes when she accidentally discovers that she can literally leap into different times. As she plays with this power, frivolously changing the past to ensure outcomes that seemingly benefit her, she discovers that choices have consequences. This is a coming-of-age story cloaked in time travel, beautifully told and absolutely magical.

​Cowboy Bebop (1998). Netflix’s highly-anticipated live-action adaptation of the animehas gone through a production roller coaster since being announced in 2018. Unfortunately, production shut down for nearly nine months due to a knee injury to its lead, Star Trek actor John Cho. Now, with a pandemic in full swing, it’s unclear when production can resume. That doesn’t stop you from getting acquainted with the original anime, now essentially synonymous with sci-fi anime. Cowboy Bebop recounts the adventures of a rag-tag group of bounty hunters, called Cowboys, on their ship Bebop, in the year 2071. Within one long narrative arc, each self-contained story presents unforgettable characters, compelling story, unique animation, and a jazz score. All that together make Cowboy Bebop an unforgettable work.

Akira (1988). I’m among the many who would say that Akira is the touchstone of sci-fi anime. Based on the landmark manga by Katsuhiro Otomo, the work remains one of the most influential of the genre. In a fictional 1988, a psychic explosion tears through Tokyo, igniting World War III. The young psychic, or esper, is taken into custody to prevent any further destruction. Twenty-one years later, in 2019, Neo-Tokyo has risen from the ashes of the old city. Shoutarou Kaneda leads the Capsules, a motorcycle gang, against their rivals, the Clowns. In one of these conflicts, his best friend Tetsuo Shima is caught up in an accident with an esper escaped from a government institution. Tetsuo himself begins to exhibit mysterious abilities, as the government seeks his capture to prevent another apocalypse.

He was recognized as a Best American Science Fiction & Fantasynotable author for his work, Hereafter. His book projects have hit the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller lists, and have hit #1 in the speculative fiction charts on all major ebook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBooks, and Kobo.

Samuel's works have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines, including Lightspeed, Canyons, Beyond the Stars, UnCommon, Existere, OCHO, Seedpod, Undercurrents, and Fictionaut.

He is the creator and series editor of the acclaimed Future Chronicles series of speculative fiction anthologies, with every title rising, in turn, to the top of the Amazon bestseller lists.

You can follow Samuel on Facebook, Twitter and his website.