The boy demographic is the most popular in anime and manga, and some of the most famous and beloved series in those mediums fall into that category. The '90s were considered the golden age of shonen animation, and while there were many memorable titles from that decade, others stood out for all the wrong reasons.
Fans will always be vocal about which series deserve credit and which ones deserve scorn. MyAnimeList is a great place to get an idea of what fans really think about a particular series. Fan reaction to the 90s shonen animation was not very kind.
9 Highest Rated Anime on MAL (as of 2026)
What do MAL users think is the best animation?
1990: Jack of Violence: Hell's Winds – 5.58
Go Nagai is known for pushing boundaries and delivering memorable, if shocking, series. However, as is the case with many mangakas, adaptations of his works do not always get the treatment they deserve.
The third OVA adapted from Nagai's manga, Violent Jack: Hell's Winds It's almost similar to the previous works, but it doesn't make much sense. It's a sloppy, cheap OVA that relies heavily on violence over any kind of narrative content.
1991: Abashiri family – 5.29
Another adaptation of the Go Nagai series. Abashiri family It is much less known than some of his better known works, such as: Devilman, Mazinger Z, and cutie honey. Studio Pierrot's 1991 OVA manga adaptation certainly didn't do it any favors.
Who is that character?
Check out the silhouette before time runs out.
start
Check out the silhouette before time runs out.
Easy (7.5 seconds) Medium (5.0 seconds) Hard (2.5 seconds) Eternal Death (2.5 seconds)
While some people enjoy the absurdity of the OVA, it doesn't really add much to the adaptation of the source material. It might be an interesting series worth checking out for die-hard Nagai fans, but as far as 90s OVAs go, this is one of the most forgotten series.
1992: Black Lion – 5.72
This is another adaptation by Nagai. Kuronoshi City The ninja manga Black Lion isn't as memorable as the OVA. As with many OVAs, the imperfect adaptation really hurts here, as it only covers a small part of the manga and leaves too much on the table.
The OVA features decent action and the typical amount of gore common in Nagai's work, but the animation is nothing special compared to its contemporaries and doesn't have much of a narrative to tell the story. It's just action and gore, which may appeal to some fans, but it lacks the substance to really draw you in.
1993: Magma Metabolism – 5.95
This is not an adaptation of Nagai, but rather an adaptation of the work of Osamu Tezuka, one of the fathers of manga. Like Nagai, Tezuka was a prolific manga artist with an extensive bibliography, and while some of his adaptations were excellent, others were less compelling.
Magma Metabolism isn't a particularly bad adaptation, but it's not great either. Some people enjoy it for its nostalgia, but the OVA series doesn't have much to write home about. It looks good at the time, but you won't like it due to the animation quality.
1994: Ninku: Tomb of the Sword – 5.87
It was released shortly before the much better-received 1995 anime adaptation; Ninku: Tomb of the Sword It seems like a bit of an afterthought. The animated series has a great 90s aesthetic and is a fun watch. sword's tomb It comes out in a slightly darker tone.
Nonetheless, the OVA is nice to look at and tells a decent enough story in the short time allotted for it – 34 minutes. For whatever reason, MAL users haven't been very friendly. sword's tombAnd while it's not the best OVA, there are certainly worse ones out there.
1995: Rakusho! Hyper Doll – 5.91
One of the action comedies of the 90s Rakusho! hyper doll It can be compared to Dirty Fair, but it's not as strong as the series. Like Dirty Pair, it featured a chaotic female lead duo, but unlike Kei and Yuri, Mu and Mika had none of that.
Thankfully, the series looks solid, capturing the vibe and aesthetic of the 90s perfectly. The comedy works most of the time, but overall it's nothing special.
1996: Apocalypse Zero – 4.90
One of the worst reviewed OVAs of the past 10 years on MAL. So what is it about? Apocalypse Zero Was it turned off because there were over 5,000 users who rated it?
Apocalypse Zero is a strange series that may lead anime fans astray. Fan service filled with excessive violence and horror will be enough to turn most people away. Add in the fact that the main cast isn't all that interesting and it doesn't feel like there's much of a payoff until the end, and you can see why some fans are so harsh.
1997: Winds of Victory – 5.47
Sports anime, especially classic sports anime, are some of the most beloved series. So what was the content of the collapsed wind of victory?
Well, there aren't many reviews on the site, but the only user who wrote a review seemed to feel that the OVA was too short and didn't do much narratively. After 25 minutes, it's easy to see why some people couldn't get into the OVA. It's a pretty obscure series, so there might be too much to see.
1998: Ganbare Goemon: Global Rescue Operation – 5.96
that Ganbare Goemon The game is definitely more popular in Japan than the rest of the world, and the series was popular enough to get some OVAs in the 90s.
I don't think many anime fans have seen it. global rescue operationBut even with only 148 users rating it and no reviews, the OVA only gets a rating of just under 6.0. There isn't much to explain why, but this is one of the lowest rated OVAs on MAL.
1999: Break Age – 6.01
1999 was actually a pretty solid year for the boy. break It ranked last with a rating of 6.01. One of the many mecha anime released over the past decade, Break-Age has an interesting premise, but it doesn't seem to have captured fans in the same way as other '90s mecha series. Evangelion, patlaboror Escaflowne's Vision did it
Rather than focusing on the actual machine break It focuses on virtual robots, where gamers customize and control their own robot avatar. It's a unique twist on the genre, but being a single-episode OVA may have something to do with why it's not as well-received as other series in the genre.
