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With all this talk about mecha being dead or not I wanna take a moment to talk about the new IPs that I think are worth watching and underrated. Unfortunately they almost all have low-sales but they are at the very least unique. Starting with a personal favorite:
ConRevo is an alternate history series heavily influenced by Watchmen that follows Jiro Hitoyoshi in a world where the nukes never went off and superhumans got introduced soon after. If you like Shotaro Ishinomori and Showa Japan interesting, this is a must watch.
Break Blade is a Xebec anime adaptation of the manga which shares the name. It's about Rygart Arrow, a 25 year old mecha-pilot who can't use magic in a fantasy mecha setting. 7 episodes of mecha beating the shit out of each other with heavy guns and melee weapons
Who knew a mecha anime by the director of High School DxD would be so good? Daimidaler is about censorship being bad, erotic content being good and it is also being a Nagai parody with a Masaki Endoh opening. I love its themes of anti-censorship.
ID-0, directed by Goro Taniguchi, follows Maya Mikuri joining an illegal space excavation group and uncovering a conspiracy related to one of her teammates, Ido. Using machines that they link their minds to that can operate in extreme space conditions.
Heybot! Is one of the craziest "comedy" anime that I have seen. If you are looking for something truly different then Heybot is a must-watch. Words can't describe this one, from episodes about plushies rebelling against chogokins as "the true toys" to an episode about JRPGs.
The most recent mecha anime by Shoji Kawamori, Pandora is a lot of fun. It is about a dimensional bomb going off resulting in every single living being besides humans evolving at an insane rate in a post-apocalyptic setting. The character designs by Risa Ebata are awesome too
Another Xebec anime, Rinne no Lagrange is a tourism advertisement made to advertise the real-life location of Kamogawa. It is by the director of Nadesico and it is so cute, if you want a show focused less on conflict and more on being beautiful and cute then I recommend it.
Described by some as âUtena if it was made by Bonesâ, Star Driver is about Takuto Tsunashi uncovering a galactic conspiracy and fighting off his rivals at school inside of a pocket universe as the single opposing force.
Majestic Prince is about genetic evolution and it follows âTeam Rabbitsâ, a failing special squad fighting against aliens. It might sound standard but itâs very well-animated and oozes with personality and has a great cast.
Granbelm is a tournament fighter by the director of Re:Zero. If you like SD mecha you HAVE to watch Granbelm, the animation is fantastic and itâs genuinely interesting from start to finish.
After a traumatic incident he went through as a child, Daisuke trains and lifts every single day for his entire life preparing for the post apocalypse. When it finally happens things are not as they seem as Shibuya gets transported into an apocalyptic future with strange monsters
There are a bunch of other anime from the past decade that I really loved like Fafner Exodus, Mazinger Infinity, FMP IV and so on. They're all part of bigger series though
This is the thing about mecha anime being dead, it's not that none of it is being made (even though what IS being made is very rare). There just isn't much interest left in the genre and what IS being made unfortunately does not sell well.
