Nicholas Osborn
Welcome to the first installment Anime Watch Recommends! Our team will be giving suggestions on which anime we think you should add to your watch list based on our favorite series and episodes of all things anime. We’re always on the lookout for the most exciting anime and we can’t wait to bring you all of our favorite recommendations!
To kick us off, I am going to recommend the first part of a trilogy that has kept me hooked on Netflix for quite a while, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters! It’s a high octane anime movie that knows how to build up tension and deliver on all the thrills that Kaiju bring to the screen. The scale of both the story and the visuals make for a truly worthwhile entry into the Godzilla franchise. It’s certainly different in its treatment of the Kaiju, in everything from how what’s left of humanity floating through space engages with the Monsters to their very existence and struggle for survival on this seemingly foreign vision of Earth set 20,000 years into the future.
We follow Haruo Sakaki who has a particular disdain for Godzilla after the destruction of just about everything he loved growing up, including the death of his family at the hands of the Kaiju.
After humanity abandoned Earth and traveled over 11 lightyears away they come to the harrowing realization that their is no hope for survival anywhere other than their home planet. This realization and return trip might take up slightly more of the movie than some would hope, but the wait is worth it. Once we touch down on Earth again, now as the Planet of the Monsters, the anime comes alive with a dangerous spectacle and jaw dropping cliffhanger reveal. Incredible animation and a deep respect and expansive lore for all things Kaiju all make this an anime that is truly worth recommending anyone add to their watch list.
Official Synopsis:
The human race takes to the stars and abandons Earth after Godzilla wreaks havoc upon the planet. Thousands of years later, they return from space to destroy the giant monster and reclaim their home.
