10 Best Anime Films Of The '80s

While we're on the subject of the critically lauded author Hideyuki Kikuchi, writing a list like this would be impossible without including what many believe to be his best work: Wicked City.

The 1987 adaptation of Kikuchi's long-running series, directed by anime master Yoshiaki Kawajiri, was an immediate and massive global hit. Many Western critics were quick to compare it to both Blade Runner and Brave New World, even though some took issue with both the level of violence and sexual content on display. Film critics were clearly very prudish back in the '80s.

Incredibly stylish, frenetically shot, and downright gorgeous (if not simultaneously repulsive in equal measure), the success of the film was almost entirely down to director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who also served as its storyboard artist, key animator, and character designer.

Wicked City was actually Kawajiri's directorial debut, although watching the film you would assume he had already have been a directorial veteran for several years prior. He also went on to adapt and direct several other works by Hideyuki Kikuchi, such as A Wind Named Amnesia, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and Demon City Shinjuku (the latter of which came extremely close to showing up on this list itself).