Looking back at Summer 1988 anime (July - September) — this is the full roster ranked by score. Whether you're catching up or revisiting favorites, the whole season's here.
It’s been three years since Nishi High’s Hiromi Oka was taken under the wing of former tennis superstar and “demon” coach, Jin Munakata. Fresh off a national championship win, Hiromi has been selected to represent Japan in New York for an international tournament. Unfortunately,...
Sun God Apollo the brother of Athena is here to take Athena back to heaven and taking over the sanctuary. He revived the deceased gold saints and use them and a few god saints as bodyguards. But Athena did not obey him, Apollo had no choice but send her to hell. On the...
Chinmi is a young Chinese boy devoted to martial arts training. Word of his skill reaches the kung-fu masters at the famous Dailin temple who invite him to study with them. Through his own dedication and the guidance of his teachers, Chinmi becomes one of the top students at the...
An anti-war anime based on a book containing contemporary accounts of the fire-bombing of the city of Fukuoka on the evening of June 19, 1945.
When spiritualist Himiko Se is hired to investigate a recent slew of murders whose victims were completely drained of blood, she does not expect to encounter a real vampire. However, Miyu Yamano is exactly that, as well as being a guardian between the dark realm of the Shinma...
Emperor Chiaotzu's wife has gone missing, and he is told by Master Shen that if he collects the seven dragon balls he can call upon the eternal dragon and wish for her return. Meanwhile, Goku and Krillin attend the World Martial Arts Tournament, which is hosted by the Emperor;...
Otokojuku, a private school for juvenile delinquents that were previously expelled from normal schools. At this school, Japanese chivalry is taught through the feudal and military fundamentals. Similar to an action film, the classes are overwhelmed by violence. Only those who...
Hany is a small tomboy and slightly troublesome teenager who lives life a bit carelessly on her own since her Father lives abroad due to work in the Middle East and her Mother died when she was very small. The only thing Hany is very good at is running~ fast! Hong Du-kke is a...
Jam lives in a small coastal village that lives off fish that men bring home every day. One day his grandfather tells him that in recent year the fishing has been scarce. The steel hawks who live nearby on the mountain have kidnapped Watt Poe, a narwhal who is said to be the...
Noriyasu seems like an average third-grader, but his life goes haywire after he catches his mother reading his private daily journal. In an effort to astonish her, he begins writing outlandish lies about a giant snake in the bathroom, cooking pencils for dinner, and a rain of...
Kosukesama Rikimarusama: Konpeito no Ryu was a 45 minute long anime TV special produced by J.C. Staff and broadcast on Japanese television in 1988. Similar to Dragon Ball, it was a martial arts adventure story featuring villains that could have stepped out of the Red Ribbon...
In 1945, the second and third-year students of a Hiroshima girls' school are taken away to work in war factories. The remaining 220 girls of the first year try to make the best of their new-found status as the only teenagers in an almost deserted town, even amid the deprivations...
Based on the popular 80's baseball manga by Koseki Kouji. Tarou Yamashita loves baseball, but he was always the worst player. However, through effort and dedication he begins to shine in the Umisora High team. (Source: AniDB)
A foreign transfer student from the city arrives one day in a Japanese country town. Enchanted by his air of mystery, his classmates nickname him "Matasaburou the Wind Imp" after a local legend. Eventually they become friends and spend many days playing in the countryside. One...
Trapped in a dark abyss, the once-beautiful Venus is rotting in her own despair. Unhappy with her fate, she calls on her twin brother Deimos to find her a new body. Meanwhile, Minako Ifu is in a predicament, as her friend Hisamatsu has gone missing while searching for a master...
Based on Kaori Kimeki's fantasy manga serialized in "Princess" magazine.
Michael the orange tiger cat returns for another series of vignettes. The sketches this time include a three-part send-up of The Fugitive, the famous 1960's TV show. Richard Kimble is now a veterinarian on the lam (lamb?), running from a false conviction for a murder committed...
The Acorns and the Wildcat is a unique short film in picture-book format from the creator of Night on the Galactic Railroad and Gauche the Cellist. Unusually for an anime, a narrator reads Kenji's story aloud while the action is played out on the screen by a succession of warm...
Theatrical film of the anime series Tatakae!! Ramenman, based on the manga chapter "Strike the Darkness". It was released in Japan on July 9, 1988 and is set sometime after the Mongol Tiger two-parter. (Source: Kinnikuman Wiki)
A stop motion animation using several phenakistoscopes of a polyhedron and other materials. Five "Egg birds" appears in the artificial garden. (Source: TMDB)
This science-fiction anime was inspired somewhat by the life of Kinshiro Toyama (1793-1855), who was first popularized in the 1893 kabuki play "Toyama no Kinsan."
Four heroes set out to rescue girls taken by ayakashi.
A music video for the song "Aikodesho" by Yuuki Kudou. Aired as part of NHK's Minna no Uta program.
In 1945, American troops land on the island of Okinawa. The Japanese fight a guerrilla war against the invaders, and little Ryuko is forced to leave her grandparents behind and flee with her mother and younger sister, who are eventually killed. Ryuko heads on alone across the...
The second movie version of the popular "Bikkuriman" first TV anime series. The vast dark world outside the heavenly world, the unrelated zone. Head Rokoko and the six god-emperors were traveling there with St. Big Bird. Before long, they rescued a girl who was a talisman (those...
This is a story of a 13 year old girl whose only dream is to participate in the Olympic Games: Her Struggles, her victories, her failures and her willpower fascinate all who help her to become a outstanding athlete.
Based off a manga by Murakami Takashi that was serialized in Weekly Young Jump. (Source: AniDB)
Potomas the Hippo has a secret-he can speak like a human being, but only the young kids Maki and Toshi realize it. He also wears a bright green T-shirt with a giant letter "P" on it, but this is supposed to be nicely inconspicuous. Momentarily forgetting to keep quiet, Potomas...
Music video for the song Aozora to Tap Dance by Ikue Sakakibara that was featured on NHK's Minna no Uta program.
Based on community ratings, Aim for the Ace!: Another Match is the highest-rated anime from Summer 1988 with a score of 7.34. Other top picks include Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth and Iron Fist Chinmi.
There are 31 anime from the Summer 1988 season tracked on MyAnimePulse, including 3 TV series, 11 movies, and 14 OVA/ONAs.
The summer anime season covers July - September. Most new anime in this season begin airing in July.
