I was born in 2000 but as a kid I watched a lot of VHS and we had some really random old stuff. I remember a distinctly low-budget or old Japanese film involving adolescent kids running around and also giant colorful mechs. I know I watched this many times, because I remember doing so and there were only a couple tapes to watch available in my room at any given time.
The kids running around seemed to be live action, but with the mech scenes I can't remember if they were live action or animated? (I know live action mecha is much less likely)... I do feel like it's even possible the film was partially live action and partially animated.
The kids may have climbed into spherical bubbles in the mechs' chests in order to pilot them? (idk, that part I could easily be mixing up with something else)
There was a scene involving two mechs fighting in space. One very colorful, the other one dark/black I think. One of them may have shot out his fist to hit the other one.
I feel like the title was something like "Space _" but maybe not.
I only have faint memories. I've tried to research what this could be so many times, but no luck. I really do want to find this someday.