Summary
- Anime in the science fiction genre explores unique settings beyond Earth, like Mars, Eden, and distant galaxies.
- Themes of colonization, exploration, and dystopian futures are common in science fiction anime, offering diverse narratives.
- Shows like Mars Daybreak, Macross Plus, and Toward the Terra showcase the creativity and innovation of anime set in space.
Anime based in science fiction, space opera, or even dystopian futures is always popular, and the genre has been a consistent fan favorite. The settings of these shows and movies are always interesting, using modern technology to move around the stars instead of staying on Earth.
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The story of how the human race came to find these alien worlds is often part of the plot, and whether they got there through colonization, exploration, mercenary work, or open warfare depends on the show. There is an impressive array of choices when anime fans want to experience a movie or series that reaches beyond the limits of Earth.
1 Mars Daybreak
A Dystopian Vision Of The Future
Mars Daybreak
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 1, 2004
- Cast
- Keiji Fujiwara, Houko Kuwashima, Takumi Yamazaki, Yui Horie, Tomokazu Seki, Akiko Hiramatsu
Mars is a popular choice as an alternative setting for Earth, with selections that range from idealistic to dystopian, and Mars Daybreak falls more into the latter category. The show consists of one season made up of 26 episodes, and a video game following the same basic plot was released a year later.
In the future, the red planet is covered in water, with residents living on floating ship-cities. Pirates and gangs are fighting over scarce resources, and everyone on the planet is scourging for basic necessities. Gram is one of the civilians on Mars raised as an orphan on the Adena Cityship, but his misadventures eventually land him on the Aurora, one of the most feared and admired pirate ships in the hemisphere.
2 Macross Plus
The Planet Called Eden
Macross Plus
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1994 - 1995-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
There's plenty of anime and related media in the Macross franchise, and Macross Plus is the series that spends most of its time on Eden. It's the first direct sequel of the original anime series, which took place on Earth and in space, and it echoes the original plot that included the intergalactic clashes between humans and the alien Zentradi.
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Instead of focusing exclusively on the mecha and the pilots, the plot involves a virtual idol named Sharon Apple and what happens when she appears on the planet Eden as part of a galactic tour. Myung, the human who acts as her publicist, is secretly acting as her voice, which has chilling implications when the program becomes self-aware and manifests her deepest secret desires. There are a few action scenes in space; the majority of the setting is the verdant planet Eden, the colony foretold at the end of Super Dimension Fortress Macross.
3 Aria
A Paradise On Mars
Aria
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 5, 2005
The Aria franchise is extensive, and includes everything from manga to video games, which is why the anime series is specified in the title as Aria the Animation. The show is set on Mars in the first year of the 24th century, and the planet has been renamed Akua to reflect some of the more profound environmental changes, mainly that most of the planet is now covered in water.
Protagonist Akari has traveled from the planet Manhome, formerly known as Earth, to be a gondolier in Akua's major city, Neo-Venezia. Just like the name suggests, the most popular form of transportation throughout this bustling city is via gondola, and Akari is a trainee in the fine art of operating one of these fast and sleek little boats. The show overlaps into the slice-of-life genre, telling stories of the daily life in New Venice and Akari's life as a gondolier.
4 Toward The Terra
A Future In The Distant Past
Toward the Terra
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2007 - 2007-00-00
- Network
- MBS
- Directors
- Satoshi Shimizu, Hideki Takayama, Makoto Hoshino, Risako Yoshida, Yasuo Ejima
Also a fantasy and space opera, Toward the Terra takes place in a future in which humans inhabit various corners of the galaxy and are trying to return to Earth. It's a dystopian vision of the future that takes place in the distant 31st century, hundreds of years after pollution made it impossible to sustain human life on Earth.
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A few survivors were left under the care of a supercomputer, while others traveled into space to colonize the rest of the galaxy, and it's the descendants of these first explorers who hope to return. Most of the story's events take place on the planet Ataraxia, or on a space station called E-1077, and encompass five decades of character arcs and historical events.
5 Space Patrol Luluco
Comedy And Friendship In Space
Space Patrol Luluco
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2016 - 2016-00-00
- Writers
- Hiroyuki Imaishi, Akira Amemiya, Hiromi Wakabayashi, Kimiko Ueno, YÅ« SatÅ
Space Patrol Luluco doesn't exactly take place on another planet, but the frontier space colonization zone, Ogikubo, where protagonist Luluco mostly lives a normal life as a high school kid among a variety of alien beings. Her father is a civil servant and works for the Space Patrol division, and her life changes when a shipment of contraband freezes her dad, and she has to take his place fighting crime.
The genre is a mix of comedy and the surreal, in addition to being science fiction. It also includes some coming-of-age, slice-of-life, and even superhero elements thanks to Luluco's superhuman powers and equally unique and talented friends.
6 Crest Of The Stars
An Epic Extraterrestrial Saga
Crest Of The Stars
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1999 - 1999-00-00
- Network
- WOWOW Prime
- Directors
- Yasuchika Nagaoka
What started as a series of science fiction novels evolved to include a video game, manga, and even a radio drama in addition to an anime series. Even though there are human characters in the story, the setting is the distant future, where Earth is barely even mentioned.
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Instead, the action is set in planetary entities like the Hyde Star System and the Abh Empire, complete with royal families and imperial rulers vying for control over the universe. Delktoe, a planet that's a part of the Abh Empire, is where the first episode of the series is set, and events there set the stage for future important events.
7 Knights Of Sidonia
Life After Earth
Knights of Sidonia
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2014 - 2015
After the Earth was destroyed by a malevolent alien race called the Gauna, humans managed to escape the destruction on several massive ships constructed from what was left of the shattered planet. The story of Knights of Sidonia takes place a thousand years later, when Sidonia is the last surviving ship, carrying a population of half a million human beings.
The humans of this ship have abilities and powers like photosynthesis and even immortality, thanks to their futuristic technology and specialized breeding programs. It's essential that as many Sidonians are raised and trained to operate the Gardes, specialized weapons that are built to fight the Guana.
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