# 1988 in anime

The events of 1988 in anime.The final full year of the Shōwa era.

## Accolades

* Ōfuji Noburō Award: My Neighbor Totoro

## Releases

| Released | Title | Type | Director | Studio |
| January 9 | Himitsu no Akko-chan | TV series | Hiroki Shibata | Toei Animation |
| January 10 | Little Lord Fauntleroy | TV series | Kōzō Kusuba | Nippon Animation |
| February 5 | Leina: Wolf Sword Legend | OVA series | Takao Kato, Nobuyoshi Habara, Kiyoshi Murayama | Ashi Productions |
| February 6 | Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter | Film | Tomomi Mochizuki | Ajia-do Animation Works |
| February 6 | Legend of the Galactic Heroes: My Conquest is the Sea of Stars | Film | Noboru Ishiguro | Madhouse, Artland |
| February 6 | Ultimate Teacher | OVA film | Toyoo Ashida | J.C.Staff |
| February 6 | Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter | Film | Tetsu Dezaki | Magic Bus |
| February 13 | Osomatsu-kun | TV series | Akira Shigino | Studio Pierrot |
| February 25 | Aura Battler Dunbine: The Tale of Neo Byston Well | OVA series | Toshifumi Takizawa | Sunrise |
| February 25 | Sakigake!! Otokojuku | TV series | Nobutaka Nishizawa | Toei Animation |
| February 25 | Salamander | OVA series | Hisayuki Toriumi | Studio Pierrot |
| March 1 | Xanadu: The Legend of Dragon Slayer | OVA film | Atsutoshi Umezawa | Toei Animation |
| March 3 | Tsurupika Hagemaru | TV series | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Shin-Ei Animation |
| March 9 | F | TV series | Koichi Mashimo | Studio Deen |
| March 11 | Harbor Light Story Fashion Lala yori | OVA film | Motosuke Takahashi | Studio Pierrot |
| March 12 | Bikkuriman: Taiichiji Seima Taisen | Short film | Hiroyuki Kakudou | Toei Animation |
| March 12 | Doraemon: The Record of Nobita's Parallel Visit to the West | Film | Tsutomu Shibayama | Shin-Ei Animation |
| March 12 | Esper Mami: Hoshizora no Dancing Doll | Film | Keiichi Hara | Shin-Ei Animation |
| March 12 | The Heated Battle of the Gods | Film | Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Toei Animation |
| March 12 | Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack | Film | Yoshiyuki Tomino | Sunrise |
| March 12 | Mobile Suit SD Gundam | Short film | Osamu Sekita | Sunrise |
| March 14 | The Burning Wild Man | TV series | Osamu Kobayashi | Studio Pierrot |
| March 19 | Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition | OVA film | Ryosuke Takahashi | Sunrise |
| March 25 | Aim for the Ace! 2 | OVA series | Noboru Furuse | Tokyo Movie Shinsha |
| March 26 | The Adventures of Scamper the Penguin | Film | Kinjiro Yoshida, Gennady Sokolskiy | Soyuzmultfilm, Life Work Corp, Sovinfilm, Aist Corporation |
| March 27 | Kiteretsu Daihyakka | TV series | Hiro Katsuoka, Keiji Hayakawa | Studio Gallop |
| April 2 | City Hunter 2 | TV series | Kanetsugu Kodama | Sunrise |
| April 5 | Wowser | TV series | Keiichiro Mochizuki | Telescreen Japan |
| April 9 | Dagon in the Land of Weeds | TV series | Kazuyoshi Yokota | Nippon Animation |
| April 12 | Transformers: Super-God Masterforce | TV series | Tetsuo Imazawa | Toei Animation |
| April 13 | Sonic Soldier Borgman | TV series | Kiyoshi Murayama | Ashi Production |
| April 15 | What's Michael? | TV series | Satoru Akahori | Kitty Films |
| April 15 | Mashin Hero Wataru | TV series | Shūji Iuchi | Sunrise |
| April 16 | My Neighbor Totoro | Film | Hayao Miyazaki | Studio Ghibli |
| April 16 | Grave of the Fireflies | Film | Isao Takahata | Studio Ghibli |
| April 21 | Appleseed | OVA film | Kazuyoshi Katayama | Gainax |
| April 25 | Patlabor: Early Days | OVA series | Mamoru Oshii, Naoyuki Yoshinaga | Studio Deen |
| April 27 | Topo Gigio | TV series | Noboru Ishiguro, Shigeo Koshi | Nippon Animation |
| April 29 | Spirit Warrior | OVA series | Ichiro Itano, Katsuhito Akiyama | AIC |
| April 30 | Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers | TV series | Masashi Ikeda, Mamoru Hamatsu | Sunrise |
| May 12 | Hello! Lady Lynn | TV series | Hiroshi Shidara | Toei Animation |
| May 25 | Mahjong Hishō-den: Naki no Ryū | OVA series | Tetsu Dezaki | Gainax |
| May 27 | Dominion | OVA series | Kōichi Mashimo | Agent 21 |
| May 25 | Balthus - Tia's Radiance | OVA | Yukihiro Makino | Kusama Art |
| May 25 | Mobile Suit SD Gundam | OVA series | | Sunrise |
| June | Toyama Sakura Space Book – His Name is Gold | OVA film | Atsutoshi Umezawa | Toei Animation |
| June 5 | Godmars: The Untold Legend | OVA film | Masakatsu Iijima | Tokyo Movie Shinsha |
| June 20 | Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody | OVA film | Yuji Moriyama | Studio Fantasia |
| June 21 | Zillion: Burning Night | OVA film | Mizuho Nishikubo | Tatsunoko Production, Production I.G |
| July 2 | Ironfist Chinmi | TV series | Jutaro Oba | Ashi Productions |
| July 7 | Natsufuku no Shōjo-tachi | TV special | Toshio Hirata, Yoshiyuki Momose | Madhouse |
| July 9 | Bikkuriman: Moen Zone no Himitsu | Film | Junichi Sato | Toei Animation |
| July 9 | Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure | Film | Kazuhisa Takenouchi | Toei Animation |
| July 16 | Akira | Film | Katsuhiro Otomo | Tokyo Movie Shinsha |
| July 21 | Ryūko, the Girl with the White Flag | Film | Tetsu Dezaki | Magic Bus |
| July 21 | Vampire Princess Miyu | OVA series | Toshiki Hirano | Anime International Company |
| July 23 | Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth | Film | Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Toei Animation |
| July 23 | Sakigake!! Otokojuku | Film | Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Toei Animation |
| July 25 | The Tokyo Project | OVA film | Osamu Yamasaki | Minamimachi Bugyosho Co., Ltd. |
| July 25 | What's Michael? 2 | OVA | Yoriyasu Kogawa | Kitty Films |
| July 31 | Bride of Deimos | OVA | Rintaro | Madhouse |
| August 12 | Watt Poe and Our Story | OVA film | Shigenori Kageyama | Kaname Production |
| August 23 | Fair, then Partly Piggy | Short film | Toshio Hirata | Oh! Production |
| September 15 | Raining Fire | Film | Seiji Arihara | Mushi Production |
| September 23 | Kosuke and Rikimaru: Dragon of Konpei Island | OVA film | Toyoo Ashida | J.C. Staff |
| September 25 | Through the Passing Seasons | OVA film | Naoyuki Yoshinaga | Kitty Films |
| September | Crying Freeman | OVA series | Daisuke Nishio et al. | Toei Animation |
| October 1 | Hiatari Ryoko! Ka - su - mi: Yume no Naka ni Kimi ga Ita | Film | Minoru Maeda | Group TAC |
| October 2 | New Grimm Masterpiece Theater | TV series | Hiroshi Saito | Nippon Animation |
| October 3 | Soreike! Anpanman | TV series | Akinori Nagaoka, Shunji Ôga | Tokyo Movie Shinsha |
| October 7 | Gunbuster | OVA series | Hideaki Anno | Gainax, Studio Fantasia |
| October 7 | Yume Miru Topo Gigio | TV series | Noboru Ishiguro, Shigeo Koshi | Nippon Animation |
| October 8 | Kimagure Orange Road: I Want to Return to That Day | Film | Tomomi Mochizuki | Studio Pierrot |
| October 17 | Oishinbo | TV series | Yoshio Takeuchi | Shin-Ei Animation |
| October 25 | Demon City Shinjuku | OVA film | Yoshiaki Kawajiri | Madhouse |
| October 25 | Starship Troopers | OVA series | Tetsurō Amino | Sunrise, Bandai Visual |
| October 26 | Dragon Century | OVA series | Kiyoshi Fukugawa | Anime International Company |
| November 2 | Stardust War | Film | Katsuhito Akiyama | AIC, Artmic |
| November 21 | Armor Hunter Mellowlink | OVA series | Takeyuki Kanda | Sunrise |
| November 21 | Tama & Friends: Third Street Story | OVA series | Tsuneo Maeda | Group TAC |
| November 26 | Hades Project Zeorymer | OVA series | Toshihiro Hirano | AIC, Half H.P. Studio |
| December 2 | One-Pound Gospel | OVA film | Makura Saki | Studio Gallop |
| December 16 | Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 | OVA film | Shinji Aramaki | Anime International Company |
| December 18 | Ganbare! Mōdōken Serve | TV special | Seiji Okuda | Tama Production |
| December 21 | Fairy King | OVA film | Katsuhisa Yamada | Madhouse |
| December 21 | Legend of the Galactic Heroes | OVA series | Noboru Ishiguro | Artland, Magic Bus, Madhouse |
| December 21 | Space Family Carlvinson | OVA film | Kimio Yabuki | Doga Kobo |
| December 21 | Violence Jack: Evil Town | OVA film | Ichiro Itano | D.A.S.T., Soei Shinsha, Studio88 |
| | Purple Eyes in the Dark | OVA music video | Mizuho Nishikubo | Toei Animation, Youmex |

## Births

* February 4 - Ayano Niina, voice actress
* February 19 - Miyu Irino, voice actor
* March 16 - Azusa Kataoka, voice actress
* April 15 - Manami Numakura, voice actress
* June 2 - Ayaka Saitō, voice actress
* June 11 - Yui Aragaki, voice actress
* July 11 - Yuka Iguchi, voice actress
* July 12 - Risa Taneda, voice actress
* August 9 - Nozomi Yamamoto, voice actress
* September 16 - Shizuka Hasegawa, voice actress
* October 27 - Juri Nagatsuma, voice actress
* November 11 - Mikako Komatsu, voice actress
* December 6 - Nobunaga Shimazaki, voice actor
* December 14 - Ayumu Murase, voice actor
* December 26 - Arisa Noto, voice actress