Having watched a ton of mecha animes during my adolescence years and enjoying the shows in the process, I have compiled a list of 10 mecha series that I think you should watch. I have excluded Gundams since I already have a list for them. Here are my favorite picks! Enjoy!
Anime "Best of" Genre List
Harem/Ecchi
Reverse Harem
Samurai
Comedy
Slice of Life
Horror
Action
Sports
School Life
Gundam
Romance
Couples
Shoujo
Magical Girl
Seinen
Mecha
Gurren Lagann
It occurs in a future whereby Earth is ruled by Lordgenome, a Spiral King. He forces mankind to isolation in villages underground where they are denied any contact with the surface world. During excavation, a boy known as Simon discovers an unfamiliar glowing object. He later joins with Kamina and together they form a band of brothers, the Gurren Brigade. The group tries to escape from the cave through the ceiling to the surface but fails and are punished by the village leader. However, the village turns to the group to save them when a disaster strikes from above leaving the village in jeopardy. They journey to the surface but find it in chaos and are forced to fight back against the Beastmen.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Some huge and extremely powerful alien war machines known as the Angels happen to appear in Tokyo in 2015, for the second time. The normal weapons prove ineffective against the Angels and mankind only hope of survival lies in the hands of machines developed by NERV called the Evangelion. However, only a few fourteen year old teenagers are able to operate the Evangelion. One of those is head of NERV’s team son, Shinji Ikari who is forced to find strength and courage to survive. Finally, it’s revealed that the Evangelion are not robots but cloned Angels.
Code Geass
The Holy Empire of Britannia invades Japan using some huge robot weapons, Knightmare Frames. Japan is stripped of its rights and identity, and is now known as Area 11. The Britannian aristocracy reside comfortably in their settlements while the 11s are forced to work to earn a living. However, a student and exiled Prince of Britannia called Lelouch vows to bring down Britannia. Luckily, he is given the power of Geass by a young girl, the military secret which makes anyone obey any order. Lelouch becomes the masked Zero and leads the rebellion to destroy Britannia.
Vandread
In a universe where men and women are mortal enemies, Hibiki is captured by a band of female pirates. The group find themselves stranded with a super ship they dub the Nirvana and set out for the female home planet. Along the way, they discover the existence of the “The Harvest” and the possible destruction of both men and women.
Full Metal Panic!
Sousuke Sagara, a seventeen year old sergeant within the paramilitary counter-terrorist force, MITHRIL is assigned to duty of protecting Kaname Chidori, the latest “Whispered” candidate. However, this task is much different from his battlefield job since he is forced to get used to living an average life of a high school student. In addition, he has to deal with his enemies of the past in order to complete the task.
Guilty Crown
Shu’s entire world was shattered after a meteorite crashed into Japan, unleashing the lethal Apocalypse Virus. The chaos and anarchy born of the outbreak cost Shu his family and reduced him to a timid, fearful shell of the boy he’d once been.
His life took another unexpected turn after a chance encounter with the stunning pop star, Inori. This mysterious beauty introduced Shu to the King’s Right Hand: a genetic mutation that allows him to reach into hearts of mortals and turn them into weapons.Shu finds himself caught in the crossfire between those who desperately seek his newfound strength. On one side lurks a clandestine government agency, and on the other, Inori and the spirited band of rebels known as Funeral Parlour. The choice is Shu’s to make – and the world is his to change.
Martian Successor Nadesico
Akito Tenkawa doesn’t want to fight. Despite a childhood spent as a fan of the anime Gekiganger 3, a mecha show, he’d rather cook than pilot a mecha. Fate intervenes when his home on Mars is destroyed, and he is mysteriously transported in an instant to the Earth. He has questions no one can fully answer, but follows a girl from a chance meeting in the hope of discovering what has happened to him. The girl, Yurika Misumaru, is captain of the private battleship Nadesico, and in order to follow her, he enlists as the ship’s cook.
Possessing the nanite implants that allow him to control mecha, he’s a handy backup pilot for the tactical mecha of the Nadesico, the Aestivalises. He joins a crew bent on avenging Mars and composed of misfits, otaku, and ditzes, but who are in reality handpicked experts. They take their own private war back to Mars to face the harsh reality that life may not always be like a giant mecha series.
Eureka Seven
A fourteen year old boy, Renton Thurston, lives with his mechanic grandfather and everyday dreams being with the mercenary pilot group called Light Finding Operation, as well as riding Traper particle waves. His luck comes when Eureka, a young girl riding the original LFO requests his grandfather for a tune-up, and directs the attention of the military to the garage, hence destroying it. As a result, Renton has to deliver a new interface, the Amita Drive to the original LFO. Finally, Renton gets his wish when he is invited to Gekkostate after the original LFO destroys the military LFOS but discovers the ugly reality.
Broken Blade
The inhabitants of the continent of Cruzon are born with the ability to freely control quartz. Technology based on this power allows them to perform a great multitude of tasks such as shoot projectiles and pilot mobile suits (called Golems in this society). Rygart Arrow is an un-sorcerer, a rare individual who is unable to levitate even the smallest crystal.
Living with his brother at a farm, he receives a letter from an old friend, Hodr, the current king. Close companion of the king and queen when they were students at Assam Military School, Arrow is informed that a war is about to occur. Hodr called him because an ancient type of Golem has been found in a mining shaft. No one has been able to move it and Queen Sigyn, an expert engineer, suspects that maybe an un-sorcerer might be the key to activate it.
Blue Gender
Yuji Kaido wakes up to a strange Earth more than 20 years later after being cryogenically frozen due to a serious disease. He wakes up only to find a few select humans having retreated to the Second Earth, a space station, after a race of alien bugs, the Blue, had taken over the planet. He is taken back to the space station and discovers that he and other sleepers are significant in defeating the Blue.
References: ANN, Wiki