Best movies like Orbital
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The first segment called "Elliptical Orbit" is about a ship called the Flying Dutchman returning to Earth after an extended absence with a cargo of "protons" to be used for energy. A terrorist group with military combat suits boards the station they dock with intending to use the proton cargo as a massive bomb. The second segment, "Symbiotic Planet", is a story of two secret lovers from opposing sides of a conflict trying to build a life together.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 277
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, stylized, tense, manga
Best tv shows and movies like Orbital (2009):
Similar in 80%
Macross Frontier: The False Songstress (2009)
Plot Summary:
Half retelling of the original Frontier series, half new story. Conspiracies arise within the Frontier government when Sheryl Nome arrives to the colonial fleet for her concert and is soon marked as a spy for Galaxy while childhood friends, Alto Saotome and Ranka Lee both try to achieve their dreams as the battle between Frontier and the Vajra draws closer.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 290
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: anime, tense, captivating, exciting, offbeat, bleak, serious, suspenseful, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 90%
They Were Eleven (1986)
Plot Summary:
A group of students from the Cosmo Academy are about to take their final exam: surviving for over fifty days in a derelict ship. But when they arrive, they discover that instead of ten students, there are eleven. One of them doesn't belong there.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 632
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, tense, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, shoujo
Similar in 79%
Knights of Sidonia: The Movie (2015)
Plot Summary:
The year is 3394. The solar system has been long destroyed by a strange alien race called Gauna. Now humans are barely maintaining population in their seed ships - the ones they also used to escape a thousand years ago. After several years of drifting though space, Sidonia, a seed ship with a population of over 500,000 people, is once again threatened by Gauna. Follow Tanikaze Nagate, a mysterious young man from the deep corners of the ship, and his friends as they try to strike back against these gigantic creatures and at the same time learn what they really are for the sake of humanity's survival. -MAL.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 132
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, exciting, tense, captivating, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 85%
Bleach: Fade to Black (2008)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious reiatsu (spiritual particle) explosion occurs in the center of Seireitei in Soul Society, causing it to be destroyed. At the exact same time, a major change overwhelms Kuchiki Rukia, which leaves her losing something important inside. Urahara Kisuke sends Kurosaki Ichigo to Soul Society to investigate the disturbance. Upon reaching Seireitei, Ichigo is attacked by his ally shinigamis.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, captivating, manga, shounen, contemplative
Similar in 89%
The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014)
Plot Summary:
Two years after the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the moon that Hagoromo Otsutsuki created long ago to seal away the Gedo Statue begins to descend towards the world, threatening to become a meteor that would destroy everything on impact. Amidst this crisis, a direct descendant of Kaguya Otsutsuki named Toneri Otsutsuki attempts to kidnap Hinata Hyuga but ends up abducting her younger sister Hanabi. Naruto and his allies now mount a rescue mission before finding themselves embroiled in a final battle to decide the fate of everything.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: anime, suspenseful, stylized, exciting, serious, manga, futuristic
Similar in 87%
Banner of the Stars (2000)
Plot Summary:
Now that three years has passed since their first adventure, Lafiel is now captain on a new ship and Jinto has just finished his training. They go out to complete a mission of defending the Laptic Gate.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 417
Genere: Animation, Action, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, serious, captivating, exciting, stylized, saga
Similar in 79%
Bleach: Memories of Nobody (2006)
Plot Summary:
In Karakura Town, unidentifiable spirits begin appearing en mases. While attempting to deal with these strange souls, Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki meet Senna, a mysterious shinigami who wipes out most of them. Senna refuses to answer any questions, so Ichigo is forced to follow her while Rukia tries to find out what's going on.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, atmospheric, suspenseful, scary, serious, manga, shounen, stylized
Similar in 85%
Saint Seiya The Lost Canvas (2009)
Plot Summary:
Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas – The Myth of Hades, also known as simply The Lost Canvas, is a manga written and illustrated by Shiori Teshirogi. It is a spin-off based on the manga series Saint Seiya, which was created, written and illustrated by Japanese author Masami Kurumada. The Lost Canvas was published by Akita Shoten in the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine since August 24, 2006, concluding after 223 chapters on April 6, 2011, with twenty-five tankōbon released. Originally envisioned as a comic book whose purpose was to work simultaneously with Kurumada's Saint Seiya Next Dimension as a multi-angle interpretation of the shared elements of its storyline, which stems from an event mentioned in Kurumada's original Saint Seiya manga; the approach was quickly abandoned, as both works greatly diverged, Kurumada's Next Dimension stayed as the canonical telling of these events, and The Lost Canvas as a separate alternate retelling. The story takes place in the 18th century, and focuses on how an orphan known as Tenma becomes one of Athena's 88 warriors known as Saints and finds himself in a war fighting against his best friend Alone who is revealed to be the reincarnation of Athena's biggest enemy, the God Hades.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, suspenseful, stylized, exciting, serious
Similar in 84%
Knights of Sidonia (2014)
Plot Summary:
An alien race called Gauna has destroyed Earth. leaving humanity struggling to survive aboard the spaceship Sidonia. Even though it’s been a century since the last encounter with the Gauna, military service is mandatory. For Nagate Tanikaze, whose grandfather secretly hid him in the forgotten bowels of Sidonia, it’s a strange new world as he’s forced to come to the surface. Yet his recruitment comes just in time, for the Gauna have suddenly reappeared.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, mecha, exciting, serious, tense, captivating, manga, psychological, suspense, super sentai
Similar in 79%
Arcadia of My Youth (1982)
Plot Summary:
After a drawn-out, viciously-fought war, the earth has been conquered by the alien Illumidus Empire. Harlock, a captain in earth's fleet, crashes his ship to prevent the Illumidus from using it, and flat-out refuses to join them. With the help of his allies, Tochiro and the space pirate Emereldas, and his lover Miya, he wages a private and bitter war against the Illumidus.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 988
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, futuristic, stylized, semi serious, adult animation, 2d animation
Similar in 81%
Mobile Suit Gundam I (1981)
Plot Summary:
In the year Universal Century 0079, humans have colonized the area of space lying in between the Earth and the moon. However the ambitious Zabi family, rulers of the Duchy of Zeon (the grouping of colonies furthest from the earth) has sparked a war.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, History, Romance, Sci-Fi, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 81%
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2006)
Plot Summary:
In the year 2044 AD, the human race has amped-up its space exploration and reached out to the stars through the miracle of ROBOTECHNOLOGY, but not without bringing intergalactic war upon the Earth itself. Heroes will die and allegiances will shift. But in the midst of combat, perhaps peace will spring up through the charred remains of battered history. One of the greatest science fiction sagas of all time continues.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: anime, semi serious, exciting, captivating, suspense, manga, mecha, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 89%
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team - Miller's Report (1998)
Plot Summary:
In a future war, a young battle robot pilot suspected of being a spy must face court martial. Meanwhile, the home village of a friend of his is threatened by enemy forces.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 172
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 51 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, exciting, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 78%
Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space (1982)
Plot Summary:
Amuro Ray and the rest of the White Base crew, now denominated the 13th Autonomous Corps, return to outer space to support the rest of the Earth Federation forces for the decisive battle against the Duchy of Zeon's forces.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, exciting, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 79%
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Last Blitz of Zeon (1992)
Plot Summary:
U.C. 0083 - Three years after the end of the catastrophic One Year War, peace on Earth and the colonies is shattered by the presence of the Delaz Fleet, a rogue Zeon military group loyal to the ideals of the late dictator Gihren Zabi. Delaz Fleet's ace pilot Anavel Gato, once hailed as "The Nightmare of Solomon", infiltrates the Federation's Torrington base in Australia and steals the nuclear-armed Gundam GP02A "Physalis" prototype. Rookie pilot Kou Uraki - with the aid of Anaheim Electronics engineer Nina Purpleton and the crew of the carrier Albion - pilots the Gundam GP01 "Zephyranthes" prototype in an attempt to recover the stolen Gundam unit and prevent another war from breaking out.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 425
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, exciting, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 75%
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991)
Plot Summary:
U.C. 0123. After a generation of peace, the Earth Federation has begun to build new space colonies to house humanity's growing population. But a new force, the aristocratic Crossbone Vanguard, plans to seize the colonies of the newly constructed Frontier Side for itself. As their home becomes a battlefield, a handful of young civilians struggle to escape the conflict. To save his friends and family, the reluctant warrior Seabook Arno becomes the pilot of a new Gundam which bears the code name F91.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 971
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 86%
Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow (1981)
Plot Summary:
After managing to survive attacks by Zeon's Char Aznable and Garma Zabi, the crew of Federation warship White Base and its mobile suits must battle Zeon forces through Asia, Europe, and the Atlantic Ocean if they are to reach Earth Federation's headquarters alive. During that process many of its crewmembers must overcome their fears, losses, immaturities, and insecurities in order to survive.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, exciting, bleak, serious, futuristic, stylized, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 88%
Glass Fleet (2006)
Plot Summary:
A tyrannical Emperor has his grasp over the galaxy. The rebels outnumbered and outgunned try to locate the mythical Glass Fleet that once served the true ruler. They do find one of the royal descendants, now a space pirate.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 83
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, stylized, suspense
Similar in 84%
Halo Legends (2010)
Plot Summary:
Halo Legends is an unprecedented gathering of the finest talent in Japanese animation that have drawn together to explore the mystery and action of the Halo universe. Eight episodes and a stunning range of visual styles shed new light and epic perspective on Halo lore.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, anthology, exciting, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, computer animated
Similar in 90%
AniMen - Triton Force (2010)
Plot Summary:
Over time, the people residing on Swampland began to take on new forms, their modified DNA altering their physiology to better suit their new environment. Generations passed and their original forms were forgotten; these humans had evolved into a new race: the Frogmen.If history (and genetics for that matter) shows us anything, it is that there is always variety.The genetic "success" of the Frogmen was also mirrored by the "achievements" of another group of human descent: the Cockroaches, otherwise known as the T-zhu Alliance. The brutal T-Hy poured out into the galaxy seeking new territories, resources, and the data crystals left by the original human explorers. The T-Hy's material driven hunger broke the peaceful lives of the Frogmen forcing them to take up arms in order to stop the T-Hy's insatiable ambitions. So began the MALO war.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 257
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: China, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: computer animated, serious, suspenseful, exciting, stylized, anime, futuristic, fast
Similar in 82%
Space Battleship Yamato (1977)
Plot Summary:
When vile aliens known as the Gamilons wreak nuclear havoc on Earth, a group of survivors refit the Japanese battleship Yamato for intergalactic travel and set off on a mission to retrieve a neutralizer that will eradicate the radiation from Earth's atmosphere.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 412
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, sentimental, serious, emotional, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, adult animation, 2d animation
Similar in 81%
Space Cruiser Yamato 2 (1978)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious comet traveling to Earth's solar system is not what it seems. Without Captain Avatar, Derek Wildstar leads the Argo (Yamato) against a new enemy.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 135
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, captivating, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 78%
The Galaxy Railways (2003)
Plot Summary:
The Galaxy Railways is a 26 episode science fiction anime series about flying trains set in the far reaches of space. It is licensed by Funimation Production Ltd. and produced by Leiji Matsumoto. It debuted on American TV in a syndicated FUNimation Channel programming block airing on CoLours TV on Monday, June 19, 2006, but was replaced by Dragon Ball until the programming block was dropped. The series has also aired on the linear FUNimation Channel. Two sequels have been produced, both currently unlicensed in English regions. A 4-part OVA series The Galaxy Railways: A Letter from the Abandoned Planet was produced that bridges both seasons of the show. In 2006 a sequel series, The Galaxy Railways: Crossroads to Eternity began broadcasting in Japan for a 26-episode run. Of those 26, only 24 episodes were broadcast on television, with the final two released only on DVD. It has also been announced that on the 25-03-2009, an off take of the series called The Galaxy Railways: Faraway Angels will be released as a Drama CD. The story follows the Mizar platoon and their adventures.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 134
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, stylized
Similar in 83%
Galaxy Express 999 (1978)
Plot Summary:
In the distant future, people are able to take on artificial bodies and achieve immortality. A poor orphan, Tetsuro Hoshino, strives to obtain a mechanical body for the triple incentive of eternal life, of revenge (his mother was gunned down by machine men) and to fulfill her dying wish (that he acquire a mechanical body to live forever, and not die like her). He plans to board the Galaxy Express 999, a space train that comes to Earth once a year, and head to the Prometheum, a planet that gives out machine bodies for free. To his surprise, Maetel, a mysterious woman who resembles his mother, selects him as her companion aboard the 999. And thus begins Tetsuro's trip through the stars, where he encounters incredible worlds and makes many friends. But as he travels with Maetel, he witnesses the hardships of mechanical life and wonders, is it worth it? And what secret is the inscrutable Maetel hiding?.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 511
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, vintage, 2d animation
Similar in 81%
Mass Effect: Paragon Lost (2012)
Plot Summary:
An untold chapter in the Mass Effect saga, following the early career of Alliance Marine, James Vega, as he leads a squad of elite special forces into battle against a mysterious alien threat known as The Collectors. Stationed at a colony in a remote star system, Vega and his troops must protect the inhabitants from an invasion of the deadly insectoid warriors determined to collect the population for unknown purposes. Soon after the attack, Vega's commanding officer falls in battle, forcing the young officer to embrace the responsibility of leadership for the colony's survival. Having idolized Earth's greatest hero and warrior, Commander Shepard (the central character in the Mass Effect video games), the young and idealistic Vega must now make life and the death decisions that will effect not only the lives of his squad, but the lives of every person in the colony - all of whom he has sworn to protect.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Japan, Canada, South Korea
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, anime, saga, futuristic
Similar in 80%
Harlock: Space Pirate (2013)
Plot Summary:
Space Pirate Captain Harlock and his fearless crew face off against the space invaders who seek to conquer the planet Earth.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: anime, computer animated, futuristic, exciting, epic, atmospheric, enigmatic, visually appealing, tense, 3d animation
Similar in 77%
Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)
Plot Summary:
When the Punisher takes out a black-market weapons dealer, he stumbles upon a far-reaching terrorist plot devised by a group known as Leviathan.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, captivating, stylized, adult animation, 2d animation
Similar in 85%
Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry (2017)
Plot Summary:
Natsu Dragneel and his friends travel to the island Kingdom of Stella, where they will reveal dark secrets, fight the new enemies and once again save the world from destruction.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: anime, manga, exciting, tense, light, humorous, stylized, fairy tale, shounen
Similar in 84%
Space Battleship Yamato (1974)
Plot Summary:
When vile aliens known as the Gamilons wreak nuclear havoc on Earth, a group of survivors refit the Japanese battleship Yamato for intergalactic travel and set off on a mission to retrieve a neutralizer that will eradicate the radiation from Earth's atmosphere.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 680
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, captivating, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, vintage
Similar in 83%
Star Blazers (1979)
Plot Summary:
Star Blazers is an American animated television series adaptation of the Japanese anime series, Space Battleship Yamato I, II, and III. Star Blazers was first broadcast in the United States in 1979. Significantly, it was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plot and storyline that required the episodes to be shown in order. It dealt with somewhat more mature themes than other productions aimed at the same target audience at the time. As a result, it paved the way for future arc-based, plot-driven anime translations.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, captivating, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, vintage