# What was this gruesome sci-fi anime? (Space battle, metal tentacles, messy deaths)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-gruesome-sci-fi-anime-space-battle-metal-tentacles-messy-deaths/699179>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 22, 2014, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-gruesome-sci-fi-anime-space-battle-metal-tentacles-messy-deaths/699179 "2014-09-22T07:56:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-gruesome-sci-fi-anime-space-battle-metal-tentacles-messy-deaths/699179/1 "2014-09-22T07:56:45Z")

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I’m hoping someone could help me ID an anime work I saw a clip of, once, but that I can’t remember the title of and that’s slipped into a blank spot in my records.

Mostly I remember it from a space battle, from a long-gone Youtube video—crews of humans, in well-windowed spacecraft bridges, who are suddenly (and gruesomely) torn apart/assimilated by thin metal tentacles sprouting through the ship. I seem to recall at least a few eyeballs popping out. Yow.

I honestly don’t recall if they were hit by some weapon that did that, or if the ship itself was “rebelling” or something.

From the animation style and quality, I’d guess it was from something from the 1980s-90s, but no later. Y’know, the golden age of schlock.

Vague as hell, I know. But maybe I’ll be lucky. Can anyone help?

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**Author:** ![Frapp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@Frapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frapp)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-gruesome-sci-fi-anime-space-battle-metal-tentacles-messy-deaths/699179/2 "2014-09-22T15:52:57Z")

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This sounds like the opening cutscene to the PlayStation 1 game, Xenogears.

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**Author:** ![Mavis\_Topholese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@Mavis\_Topholese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavis_Topholese)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-gruesome-sci-fi-anime-space-battle-metal-tentacles-messy-deaths/699179/3 "2014-09-22T16:59:31Z")

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Megazone 23 part II - the FINEST anime film ever made about a bunch of punk rockers in 1980s Tokyo who find out - SPOILER WARNING - that they are actually living on board a giant spaceship that was launched to save humanity from a space alien invasion, and that not even transforming motorcycle-robot machines can save them.

completely unbiased review here: [let's anime: MEGAZONE 23 PART 2](http://letsanime.blogspot.ca/2012/03/megazone-23-part-2.html)

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-gruesome-sci-fi-anime-space-battle-metal-tentacles-messy-deaths/699179/4 "2014-09-22T22:46:20Z")

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That looks like the one! _Thank you_—I knew I could count on you guys. 🆒