Katsuhiro Otomo’s shows and movies are some of the best sci-fi animes with unique visuals, complex characters, and thought-provoking stories. Most of his animes have brilliantly detailed dystopian worlds, and mind-bending conspiracies, and are dealing with social issues and identity crises.
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Katsuhiro Otomo created a wide range of shorts, series, and anime movies during the past decades and his widely celebrated works inspired other anime artists as well as all types of filmmakers all over the globe. His stories are famously some of the darkest psychological animes, and he even createdsci-fi animes that predicted the future. Thanks to his inspired animes, anime fans could get lost in some of the most meaningful and unique anime worlds that make them reflect on life and what the future might hold.
7Neo Tokyo
Neo Tokyois one of Katsuhiro Otomo’s oldest short animes from the 80s. Thanks to this iconic classic anime he quickly became one of the most recognized anime artists in Japan. It’s a strange and darkly atmosphericanime set in Tokyoand has a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk world.
Thanks toNeo Tokyo’s abstract art style and thought-provoking stories Katsuhiro Otomo quickly gathered a big following and this short also led to the creation of his most known anime, Akira.Neo Tokyohas three separate short stories with otherworldly settings and interesting characters.
6JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure OVA
Katsuhiro Otomo also worked on the original video animation (OVA) ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurein the 90s. He directed multiple episodes of this now iconic action adventure anime and helped turn it into one of the most beloved anime franchises that’s popular all over the world.
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WhileJoJo’s Bizarre AdventureOVA is more serious than the modern version it still has epic battles, and hilarious moments, and of course, it was already one of the bestanimes with great female characters.JoJo’s Bizarre AdventureOVA follows the adventures of the Joestar family and their allies who travel to Egypt to find the infamous vampire Dio Brando and save mother Holly.
5Steamboy
Steamboyis one of Katsuhiro Otomo’s most underrated anime movies with a stunning steampunk-inspired world and is set in a fictional version of England. It’s a great choice for those who lovesteampunk-themed gamesand want to watch a great story that has unique technology and deals with morality in a creative and highly entertaining way.
Many fans of Katsuhiro Otomo considerSteamboyhis masterwork and prefer it over his most known anime,Akira.Steamboyalso has fun characters that were inspired by western stories such asGone With The Wind. Its story is about a young inventor boy who suddenly gets caught up in a dangerous conflict over steam power.
4Short Peace
Short Peaceis Katsuhiro Otomo’s most cinematic anthology feature with a fine selection of deeply atmospheric action, fantasy, andsci-fi worlds all with unforgettable storiesand beautiful art style. This anime anthology takes its viewers on an emotional ride while immersing them in whimsical and darkly violent worlds.
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While some of the stories are inspired by Japanese folk tales that feature one of the most powerfulbears in anime, others are more realistic and are set in dark and apocalyptic worlds.Short Peaceis a great choice for anime fans who are looking for animes with truly stunning cinematic worlds with powerful stories that’ll make them think.
3Memories
Memoriesis one of the darkest andgreatest psychological animeanthologies and Katsuhiro Otomo produced and directed one of the three segments titledCannon Fodder, but all three shorts are based on stories written by him. While all three stories have different settings and themes they all have a dark and moody world.
All the segments were created by brilliant anime artists including Koji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura, and Satoshi Kon who all added their unique touches to this classic sci-fi anime anthology.Memorieshave three distinctive stories one is set in deep space, another has a frighteningly realistic story about biological weapons and the third one has a mind-bending story and is set in a post-apocalyptic world torn apart by mysterious wars.
2Metropolis
Katsuhiro Otomo wrote the screenplay forMetropolisadventure anime that was based on the manga with the same title and was also inspired by the iconic classicMetropolisfilm from 1927. It’s a beautifully animated and obscure anime with an emotional story that deals with various themes about life, society, and the nature of love.
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Metropolisis one of the most underrated sci-fi movies with a stunningly rich world and well-crafted characters. It’s set in a dystopian future in which humans and robots co-exist and follows the adventures of a rebel scientist who is pursued by anti-robot fanatics who want to destroy his latest creation named Tima.
1Akira
Akirais no doubt Katsuhiro Otomo’s most popular and widely celebrated anime that’s beloved by fans and critics alike. This cyberpunk action anime is one of the most iconic anime films ever created with a fascinating story and brilliant art style.
Katsuhiro Otomo both directed and wrote the screenplay for this beloved anime and created a truly memorable world that has been celebrated by sci-fi fans for decades now.Akirahas a post-apocalyptic world and is set in Tokyo. Its story follows the adventures of a bike gang leader named Shotaro Kaneda who tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a dangerous government project.
