Anime like Starship Operators

Kanata no Astra

Also known as ASTRA LOST IN SPACE.

Studio: Lerche , KADOKAWA
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Mystery , Sci-Fi

Itʼs the first day of Planet Camp, and Aries Spring couldnʼt be more excited! She, along with eight other strangers, leave for Planet McPa for a weeklong excursion. Soon after they arrive, however, a mysterious orb appears and transports them into the depths of space, where they find an empty floating spaceship…



Note: The first and last episode aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: Space , Clone , Conspiracy , Survival , Found Family , Ensemble Cast , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Travel , Post-Apocalyptic , Female Protagonist , Politics , Shounen , Crime , Heterosexual , Tragedy , Kuudere , Assassins , Transgender , Tanned Skin , Aliens , Royal Affairs , Guns , Revenge , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity

Tytania

Also known as Tytania.

Studio: Artland , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

One Man vs. an Empire! Through fear and conquest, the Empire of Valdana holds the future of most of human space within its iron hands, and for generations, those hands have belonged to the Landless Lords of the ruling Tytania dynasty.

But now the foundation of the empire is crumbling, pockets of rebellion are forming and when a mission sent to punish the city-state of Euriya is shockingly defeated, the man responsible becomes the target of a galaxy-wide manhunt!

For Fan Hyurlick, architect of Tytania's first defeat, glory becomes desperation as his own side betrays him. Now Fan must not only save his own life, but somehow turn the tables on opponents who have whole worlds to command!



Tags: Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Politics , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Military , Space , Space Opera , Fugitive

Seikai no Monshou

Also known as Crest of the Stars.

Studio: Sunrise , Bandai Visual , WOWOW , BeSTACK , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Romance , Sci-Fi

Based on a science fiction novel series, Crest of the Stars (Seikai no Monsho) is the first installment in this sci-fi saga. The story follows Jinto, whose world was taken over by the largest empire in the galaxy: the Abh. Jinto's father, the planet's prime minister, handed their world over to the Abh in exchange for a standing in the Abh Empire. As a result, Jinto became a prince and was shipped off for an Abh Education. There he meets a princess of the Abh Empire, Lafiel, whom he quickly befriends despite her cold exterior. The Abh Empire is plunged into war soon after and the story continues from there...



Note: The last episode aired with a runtime of ~40 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: Space Opera , Space , Politics , Male Protagonist , Military , Aliens , Elf , War , Heterosexual , Fugitive , Maids , Guns

Soukou no Strain

Also known as STRAIN: Strategic Armored Infantry.

Studio: Studio Fantasia , Funimation , Happinet Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Ecchi , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the distant future, mankind is divided into two factions: Union and Deague. They have waged a war against each other for so long that no one remembers when it first began. The backbone of the Union military is the manned weapons system Strain, while the Deague uses an unmanned version, the Tumoru.

Sara Werec, the daughter of a respectable family, is a 16-yearold girl who attends Grapera Space Armed Soldier Academy located in the Cranial Solar System, where she is training to become a full-fledged Reasoner (a Strain pilot).

Her brother, Ralph Werec, had been sent to the frontline 130 light-years away to accomplish a special mission when she was 11 years old, a distance that requires 400 years of objective time to traverse by even the fastest Union spacecraft. However, in accordance with the theory of relativity, this corresponds to only two subjective years (time as experienced by those within the spacecraft).

The two of them had lost their parents when they were young and the bond between the two is very close. It is Sara’s dearest wish to be reunited with her brother. To do that, she must travel to the battlefield where he is.

One day, Sara’s planet is suddenly assaulted by Deague forces. To her surprise, her brother, Ralph, turns out to be one of the raiders who successfully kidnap a mysterious girl sleeping in a capsule.

In order to find the truth, Sara gets in a Strain and chases after him. However, she is attacked by Ralph, and the Mimic, a copy of the pilot’s brain which is essential to controlling the Strain, is damaged.



Tags: Real Robot , Military , Space , War , Nudity , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Time Manipulation , Yuri , Bullying

Heavy Object

Studio: J.C.STAFF , Magic Capsule
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the distant future, the nature of war has changed. "Objects"—massive, spherical tanks impermeable to standard weaponry and armed with destructive firepower—rule the battlefield; their very deployment ensures victory, rendering traditional armies useless. However, this new method of warfare is about to be turned on its head.
Qwenthur Barbotage, a student studying Object Design, and Havia Winchell, a radar analyst of noble birth, serve in the Legitimate Kingdom's 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion, tasked with supporting the Baby Magnum, one of the nation's Objects. Unfortunately, a battle gone awry places the duo in a precarious situation: mere infantry stand face-to-face against the unfathomable might of an enemy Object. As they scramble to save themselves and their fellow soldiers, a glimmer of hope shines through, and the world's perception of Objects is changed forever.
Heavy Object follows these two soldiers alongside Milinda Brantini, the Baby Magnum's pilot, and their commanding officer Frolaytia Capistrano as the unit treks all over the globe to fight battle after battle. Facing one impossible situation after another, they must summon all their wit and courage to overcome the insurmountable foes that are Objects.


Tags: War , Real Robot , Politics , Military , CGI , Episodic , Snowscape , Guns , Ships , Tanks , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Shounen

Mouretsu Pirates

Also known as Bodacious Space Pirates.

Studio: Satelight , Starchild Records , Magic Capsule , Sentai Filmworks , Hanabee Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Sci-Fi

When Marika Katou learns that her late father was the captain of a pirate ship, it’s the second biggest surprise of her life. The biggest? Learning that his crew needs her to take over her father’s old job due to the terms of their Privateer’s contract! It looks like joining her school’s yacht club is certainly about to pay off for Marika, because who wants to go into space piracy without a bunch of friends their own age to keep it fun? Toss in some outer space rivals, princesses in peril, and a pirate crew pulling double duty as high school teachers, and the next voyage of the good ship Benten Maru is going to be one of the wildest adventures ever!



Tags: Pirates , Space , Space Opera , Female Protagonist , School Club , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Female Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tsundere , Tomboy

High School Fleet

Also known as High School Fleet.

Studio: Production IMS , Half H.P Studio , Aniplex , Asmik Ace , Contents Seed , Nippon BS Broadcasting , KADOKAWA
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Slice of Life

A hundred years after catastrophic shifts in tectonic plates caused most of its area to submerge, Japan now thrives as a maritime nation. High functioning cities line the coasts of Japan, and well developed sea routes are defended by specialized naval ships. The marine industry is flourishing, and young girls are eager to join the Blue Mermaids—highly skilled women who devote their lives to protecting the seas.

After some time apart, childhood friends Akeno Misaki and Moeka China are reunited at Yokosuka Girls' Marine High School. Here they are joined by others who share their dream of becoming Blue Mermaids. Soon, training exercises commence, with Akeno and Moeka being put in charge of their own ships and crew. Everything is progressing smoothly for Akeno as she settles into her role as captain and builds camaraderie between her fellow crew members aboard the Harekaze, a destroyer ship. However, unexpected engine and navigation failures soon leave their ship stranded and the crew in danger.

High School Fleet follows the Harekaze's valiant crew as they navigate treacherous waters and other obstacles on their quest to become fully-fledged Blue Mermaids.



Tags: Ships , Military , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , School , Ensemble Cast , CGI , Primarily Teen Cast , Coastal , Post-Apocalyptic

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199

Also known as Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199.

Studio: Xebec , AIC , Funimation , Bandai , Production I.G , Tohokushinsha Film Corporation , Bandai Visual , Voyager Entertainment , OLM , Lantis , Shouchiku
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Sci-Fi

The year is 2199. The human race has been crushed in their war with the Gamilos, driven into underground cities by the invader's assault. Scientists estimate they have only a year left. The young officers Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima receive a mysterious capsule from a ship that made an emergency landing on Mars and return with it to Earth. It contains humanity's last hope: the planet Iscandar on the other side of the Magellan Galaxy has the technology to defeat the Gamilos and restore the planet. The space battleship Yamato is entrusted with this task, but they have only one year before humanity ends.



Tags: Space , Space Opera , Aliens , Military , Primarily Adult Cast , Ensemble Cast , Male Protagonist , Survival , Travel , War , Ships , Heterosexual , Aviation , Conspiracy , Amnesia , CGI , Post-Apocalyptic , Real Robot , Robots , Language Barrier , Love Triangle , Artificial Intelligence , Female Protagonist , Lost Civilization , Tomboy , Nudity

Macross Zero

Also known as Macross Zero.

Studio: Bandai Visual , Satelight
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

Taking place one year before the Zentraedi arrive on Earth, Macross Zero chronicles the final days of the war between the U.N. Spacy and anti-U.N. factions. After being shot down by the anti-U.N.'s newest fighter plane, ace pilot Shin Kudo finds himself on the remote island of Mayan, where technology is almost non-existent. While Shin stays on the island to heal his wounds, the tranqulity of the island is shattered by a battle that involves the UN's newest fighter - the VF-0.



Tags: Military , Real Robot , Environmental , CGI , Heterosexual , Aliens , Space , Love Triangle , Space Opera , Idol , Nudity

Geneshaft

Also known as Gene Shaft.

Studio: Bandai Visual , Satelight , Bandai Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the 21st century mankind was on the brink of destruction. Through genetic engineering however they eradicated such feelings as love and the desire for power. Since women are naturally less agressive than men, women to man ratio was set to 9:1. Now people are engineered to have skills that others view as being necessary. There is a giant ring that now orbits the earth, that sits there and relays information back to an alien race that sent it. Now a team of five women will try to eradicate the alien threat.



Tags: Space , Dystopian , Super Robot , Cyberpunk , Real Robot , Travel , Tragedy , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Guns , Military , Heterosexual , Philosophy , Aliens