Between 1995 and 2007 (dates may vary), a second Golden Era of Anime came and went, most notably for the series that came out on that time frame.
With this piece, I have compiled and commented some of the best anime series that were released then. I ignore series that went on air more than half a year (aprox. 24-26 episodes), meaning that beloved series like "Renouni Kenshin", "Hunter X Hunter", "Bleach", or "DEATH NOTE" are left out.
Part II and III will come out later.
ELFEN LIED (2004, 13 episodes)
A horror anime that revolves around the themes of prejudice, ethical experimentation, alienation and fear of the unknown, founds the protagonist, Lucy, who is a mutant of a human-like species named “diclonius” that turns to be living weapons. Lucy manages to escape from her captivity at the hands of the military, gets a split personality after escaping named Nyu and ends up living with a regular boy, Kouta, and his cousin Yuuka. Then a series of capture intents follows as Nyu reveals her deadly nature.
Netflix’s “Stranger Things” hit series is heavily influenced by EL, with main character Eleven being inspired by Lucy.
KIMI GA NOZOMU EIEN (2003, 14 episodes)
What starts as an apparent high school story, Takayuki and Haruka are the main characters; they start a love relationship, helped by their mutual friend Mitsuki. Something that seemed like a more or less conventional story makes a plot twist after a tragic event involving Haruka and ignited, unintentionally, by Mitsuki, sends the former to hospital. The story becomes a well-written drama, with its biggest achievement being that one can put himself on Takayuki’s shoes and ask: “what would I do?” It also deals with the struggles of coming of age, responsibility, regret and remorse, and how one reacts to them, in a very realistic way.
KGNE is based on a visual novel and spawned two spin-offs that didn’t fare that well.
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (1995, 25 episodes)
One of the best-known animes of all time, “Evangelion”, as it’s commonly referred, is often credited with starting a renewed interest on anime, which, as an industry and outside of huge franchises like Dragon Ball or Sailor Moon, had been struggling for years. It’s a remarkable show that, contrary to tradition, didn’t had its origin on manga, date games or visual novels, which probably explains the depths of its topics. A coming-of-age story disguised as a mecha anime, Evangelion mirrors the angst and struggles of teens while growing up, coping with absent parents, school, crushes, expectations adults have on the younger side, and more.
It is a highlight of 90’s TV worldwide, even if the original run had no real ending because of budget cuts (a proper finale was later produced)
ONEGAI TEACHER (2002, 12 episodes)
One of the most beloved school animes ever, this simple but effective story revolves around a boy, Kei, which had a condition in which he goes into coma every time something stressful happens to him; on one of those coma-like events, or “standstills”, occurs to Kei at age 15 and gets him sleeping for three years; after waking up, he feels estranged from his friends and opts to go to his uncle’s house, away from the city. In there, he discovers that his new female teacher is actually an alien. From there, the series explores the everyday life of Kei, his group of friends and how his relationship with his teacher evolves.
A coming-of-age story, this anime had a spin-off, “Onegai Twins”, that used the same location, supposedly Lake Kizaki and the surrounding area. Features of the location are reportedly accurate in real life.
This was an original story that was later adapted into manga, which is the reverse of the usual way.
SUZUMIYA HARUHI NO YUUTSU (2006, 14 episodes)
One of the most interesting anime shows of all-time, also among the most successful ones, this strange piece, based on a light novel series, focuses on Haruhi, a weird girl that has god-like powers, that one day decides she wants to meet people from the future, aliens and persons with ESP and her desire is met with a gallery of such characters. Haruhi takes a liking on a regular boy, Kyon. Everyone is aware of Haruhi’s powers and works towards she doesn’t feel too bored or annoyed or she could wipe the entire universe out.
The unconventional plot was met with equally unconventional structure when first airing, following a non-linear narrative. It’s possible to watch the series with a regular timeline, and the impact is so big it’s almost as watching 2 different series.
A second season was produced and mixed with the first season on a 2009 re-airing of the series.