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For me, this is the primary draw of sci-fi. I don't have to like all of them, or it doesn't mean the characters can't have flaws, but I have to care about them. An anime has to hook me in the first episode, and sustain my interest throughout the first 5 episodes, making me want more each time I finish an episode. So what got onto this list? Here were some of my most important criteria:
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Since these shows have so many similarities, I think they deserve their own separate list.
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Giant mech anime are a subcategory of science fiction anime, and were popular from the earliest days of anime history. Similarly, I chose not to include the 'gigantic mech' genre in this list.
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