Anime with a floating city, a boy and his girlfriend

Question

In this anime I saw (it's been years), it seemed like a nice floating city, but something was going on (sadly, I don't know the exact plot anymore), so the main character gets somehow chased by the police and falls off the city with this girl he met, and as he wakes up from his fall, he gets cared for by an old man. It turns out people who live down there need to be careful because the city sends out drones to check on them, and they are also searching for the boy. I think the girl had some weird powers, but I'm not sure.

Also, I recall them later being up on the floating city again, but in the underground, and he tries to get something done there; it's really futuristic down there (just dark and some guidelights, which are stripes of light). But this part could also be from a different anime; it's been too long.

The boy should have given the girl to the police because of whatever she could do but refused; that's why both got chased. Maybe also because of something else, but I think this was the main reason.

It's a series, not a game or anime movie. It didn't seem like a new one; it could be about 5–10 years old or so. Also, it's sadly not a really known one; I searched already in forums.

(Someone on MyAnimeList also seems to be searching for the exact same, as far as I can tell.)

I've ruled out:

• Battle Angel Alita
• Daphne in the Brilliant Blue
• Expelled From Paradise
• Astro Boy
• Kaiba

Answer 1

That does sound like Ergo Proxy.

It is from 2006. The anime is about a society where people live together with androids. The story follows a female inspector who investigates a series of murder.

I recalled the scene you mentioned when the protagonist falls down the floating city.

After his fall he gets nursed by an old man living in some kind of dumpster village. There they have to hide from drones sent by the authorities of the floating city. I only remember the plot up to this point, so I cannot say anything about a return to the floating city.

Answer 2

Try Patema Inverted (Sakasama no Patema).

Patema is a plucky young girl from an underground civilization boasting an incredible network of tunnels. Inspired by a friend that mysteriously went missing, she is often reprimanded due to her constant excursions of these tunnels due to her royal status. After she enters what is known as the "forbidden zone," she accidentally falls into a giant bottomless pit after being startled by a strange creature.

Finding herself on the surface, a world literally turned upside down, she begins falling towards the sky only to be saved by Age, a discontented student of the totalitarian nation known as Aiga. The people of Aiga are taught to believe that "Inverts," like Patema, are sinners that will be "swallowed by the sky," but Age has resisted this propaganda and decides to protect his new friend. A chance meeting between two curious teenagers leads to an exploration of two unique worlds as they begin working together to unveil the secrets of their origins in Sakasama no Patema, a heart-warming film about overcoming differences in order to coexist.

Answer 3

I think it likely you are recalling Laputa: Castle in the Sky produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Let's go through what you remember:

• In this anime: Check! Anime.
• it's been years: Check! Laputa came out in 1986.
• it seemed like a nice floating city: Check! Nice floating city-sized castle (see image below).
• something was going on: Check! Secret plots and a few factions competing to access the floating city.
• the main character gets somehow chased by the police: Both the main characters (the girl Sheeta, and the boy Pazu) are chased by military police, specifically because of a pendant Sheeta carries, and because of her genetics and knowledge of 'spells' important in Laputa.
• and falls off the city with this girl he met: Various falls occur by both characters throughout the film, including from flying heights.
• as he wakes up from his fall he gets cared by an old man: Sheeta and Pazu fall into a deep mining hole, and are cared for by an old man (see picture below). The old man has insights about the deep earth that are connected to the power source for Laputa.
• it turns out people who live down there need to be careful because the city sends out drones to check on them: Semi-check. There are robot drones (see image below) that occasionally come to earth from Laputa, but they are mostly oriented towards protecting Sheeta either because of a pendant she carries (you can see in the movie poster below), or because of her ancestry (descended from the ancient Laputan rulers), or both.
• also [the drones] are searching for the boy: Either a misremembering, or you are not recalling Laputa, as the robots were not pursuing Pazu, per se.
• I think the girl had some weird powers: The pendant she wears and ger genetics give her unusual abilities (floating to ground, glowing, as in the movie poster below, and interfacing with the control centers of Laputa… she also was taught 'spells' which are commands for the Laputan control centers).
• Also I recall them later being up on the floating city again but in the underground and he tries to get something done there, it's really futuristic down there (just dark and some guidelights which are stripes of light).: CHECK! This very much describes the climactic scene.
• It's a series, not a game or anime movie.: Either a misremembering, or you are not recalling Laputa

Image of part of Laputa:

Movie poster for Laputa: Castle in the Sky:

Here's is a picture of the old man who helped them after they fell into a deep mining hole:

Here is a picture of one of the robot drones (they are ancient, and in various states of repair from very good condition, to kinda broken, to completely defunct). This one lives in a garden in Laputa, and has plants growing on it (some also have animals living on them!). The robot drones' arms can also spread and serve as wings, their eyes shoot lasers, etc.

'Underground' portions of the city in the sky:

Answer 4

The anime I think you are thinking of is Children of the Whales

The story focuses on a boy called Chakuro, who lives on a giant vessel called a Mud Whale that drifts over the sea of sand. In the Mud Whale, society is divided into two kinds of people: the Marked, who can move objects with their minds using a strange power called "thymia", at the expense of shortened lifespans, and the Unmarked, people who lack thymia but enjoy longer lifespans. Chakuro and his friends have never seen anyone from the outside world, and they spend their days yearning to explore and learn about it. In year 93 of the vessel's exile, the Mud Whale encounters a lonely island and Chakuro finds a girl inside, starting an adventure that changes the lives of everyone.

I had to google it myself to find it but this sounds closest to what you are asking for.

Answer 5

A few years late, but I think you may be looking for Battle Angel Alita.