Highlights
- Satelight, a renowned animation studio in Japan, has produced several iconic anime series over the past 27 years, showcasing high quality and originality in their work.
- Lord Marksman and Vanadis, Black Summoner, and Basquash are just a few examples of Satelight's diverse anime portfolio, each offering unique storylines, memorable characters, and stunning animation.
- Whether it's medieval warfare, mecha series, sports with robots, or tales of fantasy, Satelight has proven their ability to captivate audiences with their beautiful animation, well-developed characters, and immersive storytelling.
Satelight is an animation studio located in Japan, known for producing the world’s first fully digital series, Bit the Cupid, the award-winning Macross franchise, and the Aquarion series. Satelight has been in business for over 27 years and has produced and released animations that have become a staple in people’s minds.
Satelight has worked on television series, anime movies, and even video games, focusing on high quality and originality. With Shoji Kawamori as one of its key individuals, this company has produced quite a number of Mecha series that are widely recognized.
10 Lord Marksman And Vanadis
In times of war, Tigrevurmud Vorn, an archer from Brune, becomes a slave to Elenora, a war maiden of Vanadis. As a captive, Tigrevurmud’s archery skills are praised and valued. This reception was quite different from what he was used to in his homeland, Brune, as archers were looked down on and called cowards.
Lord Marksman and Vanadis received recognition for their beautiful animation and memorable soundtrack that perfectly capture the details of the medieval warfare plot. Additionally, it is filled with beautiful female characters and has ecchi and harem features for fans who find that appealing.
9 Black Summoner
The protagonist of this Isekai anime is a young man who a god accidentally killed. To set this right, the god allowed Kelvin to select skills for his new world. Kelvin reincarnated into this new world with different skills and powers. He acquired enough powers to be a Summoner. It came at a price; he traded in his memories from his previous life to become powerful.
Kelvin is a charming character in this Isekai anime series. Fans follow his journey to become more powerful and summon Melfina, his reincarnation goddess, who happens to be his servant in the new world.
8 Basquash
Set in a futuristic world, viewers are introduced to Dan JD, the main character, who does not like the idea of robots playing basketball but eventually becomes a force in the game. Dan takes the phrase ‘ love you to the moon and back’ seriously, as he is on a quest to get to the moon so his disabled sister can get the medical help she needs.
Anime sports fans are sure to enjoy seeing robots controlled by humans. This sports and mecha fusion was released in 2009 and animated by Satelight, and it is no surprise they did a good job given their collection of mecha anime series like the Macross franchise. The soundtrack, the characters, and the animation make it easy for anyone watching to fall in love with the anime.
7 Nanbaka
The characters in Nanbaka are one of its major highlights. Juugo, Uno, Rock, and Nico are prisoners of Nanba, a high-tech prison that is impossible to escape, or so they say. These four inmates are notorious for escaping from every other prison they have been to. This changes when they get to Nanba and find it difficult to escape.
With its unique story, Nanbaka follows the daily lives of these inmates and the guards. It is known for its great character design, which accurately matches the show's comedic tone. Its characters are well-written, and fans get to see them develop as the anime progresses.
6 Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
Set in Fukuoka, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens is an action-packed, gun-based anime that centers on killers, hitmen, and revenge-seeking individuals. Fukuoka is a place where crime is the order of the day. Xianming Ling, a male hitman, and crossdresser, feels frustrated due to a lack of job opportunities and pay. Linq decides to team up with Zenji Banba, a detective.
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens is an adaptation of the similarly named light novel series. With a serious yet casual style of animation, this anime is packed with interesting characters, a jazz-based soundtrack, and lots of action to keep one engrossed.
5 Macross Zero
Kudou Shin, a U.N. pilot shot down by the anti-U.N. forces’ aircraft, crashes into a remote island, Mayen Island. Macross Zero centers on the war between the U.N. and anti-U.N. forces. It also shows fans the struggles of the people of Mayen Island as they get introduced to the outside world that they have avoided for so long.
Starlight works cannot be mentioned without acknowledging any part of the Macross franchise, in this case, Macross Zero. This mecha anime is notable for its top-notch CGI work and fight scenes. Macross Zero was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Macross franchise.
4 Somali And The Forest Spirit
In this fantasy world, humans are not the main characters but fantastical creatures. In fact, humans are on the verge of extinction; they are seen as prey to be hunted down to be killed or eaten. Somali and the Forest Spirit is known for its good animation and fantastic storytelling. The character development of Golem, the forest spirit, cannot go unnoticed.
Golem takes in Somali with the purpose of finding and returning her to her birth parents, but along the way, Golem sees himself becoming a father figure to Somali and feels very protective of her. Playing on emotions, Somali and the Forest Spirit is emotional, and one is guaranteed to shed a few tears along the way.
3 Log Horizon
Imagine someone gets stuck in one of their favorite games as a gamer. This was the reality for Shiroe and his friends Akatsuki and Naotsugu in Log Horizon. This gaming anime dwells on the game Elder Tales and how an update trapped over 30,000 gamers.
Constantly compared with Sword Art Online, Log Horizon stands out in different ways, particularly in the sense that the characters can respawn. Additionally, the characters work together to live in the game and face battles that have become their new reality.
2 Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail is one of those anime fans either love or hate; there may be no in-between. Set in the fantasy world of Fiore, this anime is centered on Lucy’s quest to join the guild called Fairy Tail. She meets Natsu, who helps her join Fairy Tail, and they set off on a series of adventures with Grey, Erza, and some other characters. There is a strong belief in Fairy Tail that the power of friendship conquers everything, and this happens more often than not.
Most times, characters get their strength from growing their friendships. The Fairy Tail series is widely known for its amazing soundtrack, countless arcs, and friendship powerups. With its delving into various forms of magic, it opens up different plot possibilities, leaving fans wanting more.
1 Hellsing Ultimate
Hellsing Ultimate is filled with so much blood, gore, and guts that, weirdly enough, one can’t seem to get enough of it because of the fantastic storyline. The series is based on the original manga series, Hellsing. Set in the 1940s in the United Kingdom, Hellsing is a secret organization that battles supernatural creatures like vampires and ghouls.
In the battles they come across, Sir Integra can rest assured because Alucard, a strong vampire who is also her dangerous weapon, would be more than capable of helping in the battles against the supernatural. Although Satelight did not animate the entirety of the series, they were involved in the first half.