What is Space Opera anime?

Space opera is a sub-genre of fiction that emphasizes romantic adventures in space. Space opera generally involves large-scale conflicts between opponents with powerful abilities and technology. The genre will often be melodramatic, sometimes playing music that can be nothing short of awesome. Warfare and a battle of wits are usually less emphasized, preferring romance (with exceptions, e.g. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu). Some space operas tend to be formulaic and sometimes even prosaic, often employing very simple devices and somewhat obvious strategies. An example of this would be the infamous laws of physics in the Macross universe, in which the main male lead will hardly ever get hit in battle.

Random Space Opera Anime You might like

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation III - Love Is the Pulse of the Stars

(Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation III - Love Is the Pulse of the Stars)

6.93

Description:

Final of three remastered Zeta Gundam compilation movies. (Source: AniDB)
Type

movie

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

100 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

2006-03-04

Macross 7 Encore

7

Description:

Three unbroadcasted episodes of the Macross 7 series. In "Fleet of the Strongest Women," the Macross 7 fleet encounters a rogue Meltrandi fleet led by an old rival of Millia. "On Stage" focuses on Ray's past as a fighter pilot, how he first met Basara, and how they formed Fire Bomber. In "Which One Do You Love," when Millia falls ill, she feels her life expectancy is running short and attempts to have Mylene engaged to Basara. (Source: ANN)
Type

OVA

Episodes

3

Ep.Length

24 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1995-12-18

Sayonara Ginga Tetsudou 999: Andromeda Shuuchakueki

(Adieu Galaxy Express 999)

7.12

Description:

Two years after the events in Galaxy Express 999, Earth has become a battleground. Tetsuro, older and fighting the Machine People, rejoins Maetel aboard the GE999.
Type

movie

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

130 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1981-01-08

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2

(Star Blazers: The Comet Empire)

7.46

Description:

A year has passed since the Star Force returned to save the Earth but another danger now approaches from deep space. A gigantic White Comet hurtles toward our galaxy, obliterating everything in its path. But it is no ordinary comet—it is the deadly Comet Empire, conqueror of worlds... and Earth is the next target! Against orders, the Star Force blasts off to investigate, but even if they can get past the flagship Andromeda, they don't yet know the true nature of their new enemy! (Source: AniDB)
Type

TV

Episodes

26

Ep.Length

24 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1978-10-14

Outlanders

6.03

Description:

In the midst of a violent invasion of Earth by unknown alien forces, photojournalist Wakatsuki Tetsuya comes across a scantily-clad alien woman, cutting a swath of death through the Terran ranks with her sword. After a chaotic struggle, Tetsuya is knocked unconscious, only to awaken aboard her starship. To his surprise, she turns out to be Kahm, the invaders' princess - and she has picked Tetsuya for a starring role in her upcoming wedding. As the groom... (Source: ANN)
Type

OVA

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

51 Min

Rating

17+ (violence & profanity)

Status

finished

Aired

1986-12-16

Space Pirate Captain Herlock: Outside Legend - The Endless Odyssey

7.52

Description:

On an archaelogical mission to the end of the known universe, Professor Daiba unwitting unleashes an ancient horror from its confines. Five years later the malevolent alien force sets in motion a plan which reunites the various crewmembers of the Arcadia to sail the stars once more as well as bring Tadashi Daiba to meet Harlock for the first time (again). (Source: ANN)
Type

OVA

Episodes

13

Ep.Length

25 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

2002-12-21

Seihou Tenshi Angel Links

(Angel Links)

6.21

Description:

Li Meifon is the head of a free, no expenses paid protection/security agency for escorting ships across outer space. Though only 16, she posesses great skill and leadership qualities while commanding her crew aboard their ship, the "Angel Links." However, some unpleasant memories begin to trouble her and she starts questioning her own past and reason for existence. Join Li Meifon and the rest of the Angel Links crew on their adventures through the Oracion star system as they battle pirates, government organizations, and a Tao master, all while finally uncovering Meifon's dark and mysterious past.
Type

TV

Episodes

13

Ep.Length

24 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1999-04-07

Queen Emeraldas

7.1

Description:

The story revolves around a race that seeks to dominate the galaxy. A lone mysterious female warrior, known to others as Emeraldas sails the endless planets of the universe- in her Seas of Star ship- fighting the tyranny of that merciless race. She is tormented by the memory of her lost love. (Source: ANN)
Type

OVA

Episodes

4

Ep.Length

31 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1998-06-05

Robotech: Macross Saga - First Robotech War

7.74

Description:

A gigantic spaceship crash lands on Earth, foreshadowing the arrival of an alien armada bent on war and destruction. The world unites to unlock the secrets of its miraculous alien technology known as Robotech to defend the world against impending invasion. The challenges they would face would be greater than anyone could have imagined…
Type

TV

Episodes

36

Ep.Length

25 Min

Rating

Status

finished

Aired

1985-02-04

Gall Force 1: Eternal Story

(Gall Force 1: Eternal Story)

6.44

Description:

Two advanced civilizations, the Paranoids (a race of alien humanoids) and the Solenoids (who are all women) are waging a war that has gone on for centuries. When the Solenoid fleet leaves a battle to defend an experimentally terraformed world from the Paranoids, one damaged Solenoid ship, the Star Leaf, is separated from the fleet. Only seven women remain alive on the ship: Eluza, the captain, Rabby, the solid more or less main character, Lufy, the brash pilot, Catty, the mysterious science officer, Pony, the pink-haired ditzy tech, Patty, a solid crew member, and Remy, the cute one. After narrowly escaping the battle, the crew of the Star Leaf decides to continue with their orders and rendezvous at planet Chaos to defend it. It turns out, however, that their ship is the subject of a Paranoid experiment. In the end, it is up to the remaining crew Star Leaf to defend the artificial paradise of Chaos from the Paranoid fleet and the plans of the Solenoid leaders. (Source: AniDB)
Type

movie

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

86 Min

Rating

Mild Nudity

Status

finished

Aired

1986-07-28

Uchuu Senkan Yamato III

(Star Blazers: The Bolar Wars)

7.26

Description:

A stray missile from a confrontation between the Galman empire and the Bolar Federation crashes into the sun, turning it into a time bomb of radiation. The Star Force once again sets off into space, this time on a quest to look for a new world for the human race. (Source: ANN)
Type

TV

Episodes

25

Ep.Length

23 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1980-10-11

Uchuu Senkan Yamato (Movie)

(Space Battleship Yamato)

7.05

Description:

In the year 2199, the Gamilon race declares war on humans, intent on taking Earth for themselves. The fighters on Earth do everything in their might to keep the planet stable, but alien technology proves to be far too advanced, and the resulting destruction renders the surface of planet Earth completely uninhabitable. The underground shelters are also becoming weak, and if nothing changes, humans will become extinct in less than a year. But just when all seems lost, Queen Starsha from the planet Iscandar offers a helping hand. The key to victory lies in the Cosmo-Cleaner D, which can eliminate the radiation that Earth is suffering from. However, the only way to get a hold of this life-saving device is if someone from Earth goes to Iscandar―148,000 light years away―to retrieve it. The problem is, they have less than a year before time runs out. The fate of the entire human race lies in the hands of the crew of a salvaged WWII craft, the Space Battleship Yamato.
Type

movie

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

140 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1977-08-06

Waga Seishun no Arcadia: Mugen Kidou SSX

(Endless Orbit SSX)

7.38

Description:

At the end of Arcadia of My Youth Capitain Harlock and the crew of the space ship Arcadia had been banished from Earth. The Earth, as well as many other planets in the universe had been taken over by the Illumidus, a race of destructive humanoids who ruin, enslave or destroy almost any inhabitable planet they come across. In "Endless Orbit SSX" Harlock battles the Illumidus while searching for a mythical "Planet of Peace" where all the peoples of the universe can live freely and without war. (Source: Wikipedia)
Type

TV

Episodes

22

Ep.Length

25 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1982-10-13

Herlock Saga: Nibelung no Yubiwa

(Harlock Saga: The Ring of the Nibelung - The Rhein Gold)

6.75

Description:

Captain Harlock is drawn into a saga of intergalactic proportions when the son of a deceased comrade unwittingly forges the Ring of the Niebelung. Evil forces gather to wage war against the last remaining superpowers of the galaxy led by a demented outcast. Harlock must counter the amassed armadas that threaten the last gods and recover the ring before Paradise is lost. (Source: ANN)
Type

OVA

Episodes

6

Ep.Length

25 Min

Rating

17+ (violence & profanity)

Status

finished

Aired

1999-01-25

Uchuu Kaizoku Captain Herlock: Arcadia-gou no Nazo

(Space Pirate Captain Harlock: Riddle of the Arcadia Episode)

7.11

Description:

The story on Arcadia's mystery, on which the 13th television episode was based.
Type

movie

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

35 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1978-07-22

Uchuu Koukyoushi Maetel: Ginga Tetsudou 999 Gaiden

(Space Symphonic Poem Maetel: Galaxy Express 999 Side Story)

6.64

Description:

Maetel abandoned her mother and her home planet, the doomed and frozen La Metal, where people must become cyborgs to survive. When she is beckoned to return, her options seem slim: follow her mother's path (and with it a robot mind and the contempt of all humans), or run away and fight with humans against the machines. Yet, she is not without comrades and defenders. If she can accept the friendship of beings of metal who desire peace, and oppose those who think being made of flesh and blood is enough to make one human, she may still have a chance to find her own path. (Source: Anime-Planet)
Type

TV

Episodes

13

Ep.Length

25 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

2004-08-06

Cosmo Warrior Zero

6.75

Description:

The long war between the planet Earth and the machine men is finally over, resulting in a peace that is more a victory for the machine men than the Earth. Warrius Zero lost his family in the war to the machine men but despite this he is still is a member of the Earth fleet that is now working in concert with the machine men. His ship, made up of both humans and machine men, has been given a near impossible task: capture the space pirate Captain Harlock. While Zero struggles to accomplish this task, evidence begins to surface that the peace between machine men and Earth may not be as it seems... (Source: ANN)
Type

TV

Episodes

13

Ep.Length

25 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

2001-07-06

Seikai no Monshou Special

7.38

Description:

A compilation of the Seikai no Monshou series with additional footage.
Type

special

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

90 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

2000-04-07

Saraba Uchuu Senkan Yamato: Ai no Senshi-tachi

(Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name of Love)

7.23

Description:

In the year 2201, one year after the Yamato saved Earth from radioactive contamination, a new threat emerges. The Yamato makes its final journey to save the Earth from this new threat. Earth has almost recovered from the battle against Gamilus, and reconstruction has expanded to the other planets. When former Yamato crew-mates discover a strange, garbled message that seems to be coming from a white comet headed towards Earth, they hijack their old space fortress and begin a new battle. (Source: AnimeNfo)
Type

movie

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

152 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1978-08-05

Uchuu Senkan Yamato: Aratanaru Tabidachi

(Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage)

7.09

Description:

It is the year 2201. The Yamato has returned from the devastating battle with Emperor Zordar and the Comet Empire. Sanada, Aihara, and Shima are released from the hospital, and go to pay their respects to the fallen crew members at Okita's memorial. They meet Tokugawa's son Tasuke, who says that he will be joining the crew once he graduates from cadet school. The next day at his graduation, he ends up capsizing a boat full of new cadets because they are all too busy staring at the Yamato to watch where they are going. After some problems during launch due to the new engine crew hitting the wrong switches and stalling the ship, the Yamato departs on what should be a simple training mission. (Source: AniDB)
Type

special

Episodes

1

Ep.Length

95 Min

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Aired

1979-07-31

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