The List
5 Anime That Need a Reboot, Now!
by Stephanie Donaldson & Jacki Jing,
With each anime season, we're introduced to new stories, worlds and characters. But it can be just as exciting to jump into an old story with new tricks. Rebooted anime have become center stage over the last few anime seasons, from this year's Fruits Basket adaptation to the stunning Dororo reboot of 2019. There's honestly nothing quite like seeing old faces being re-animated, and their stories told to completion! But with so many fantastic anime left in the past, what series deserves a reboot? Let's count them down!
When Ouran High School Host Club first released back in 2006, I don't think anyone could have foreseen what a phenomenon it would become. For years, and probably even to this day, you can see groups of friends cosplaying as the gorgeous host club, singing at the top of their lungs at conventions —"Kiss, Kiss, Fall In Love!"...obviously I didn't do that… anyway. For many, Ouran was their introduction to anime and otaku culture in general. The series entranced audiences with its eccentric characters, gorgeous animation and heartwarming story. So, as perfect as the series was, why a reboot? Because there was never any second season! The series finishes at roughly about volume eight of the manga, missing out on ten volumes of story. There's so much of the friendship between the host club members, and Haruhi's personal development left to explore. We don't just want an Ouran High School reboot, we need one!
Unlike a few of the other anime on this list, the Soul Eater animation can still be watched and enjoyed even by today's standards. The unique character designs, fluid animation and Halloween-esque world-building are ripe for new fans to jump into. But about three-quarters of the way through the series, things got...rocky. At this point, the anime stopped following the manga's storyline and instead created its own original plot. This was successful to some degree, but it was the final ending that was its ultimate undoing. It left a lot of fans feeling blindsided, with questions left unanswered and the final fight culminating in a strange and unsatisfying way. It seems a full reboot of the series, from episode one —right until the end of the manga is necessary to bring closure for long time fans of Soul Eater!
As we touched on in last week's list, CLAMP has produced a stunning variety of series. One of the most recognizable is the sci-fi fairy tale of Chobits. The anime series is now almost eighteen years old, and it's debatable whether it has withstood the test of time. On a surface level, it's clear that the graphics could do with a serious upgrade. While they were decent enough at the time, compared with the animation of today the style and colors appear dull. But, more importantly, we'd love for a reboot to touch more on the serious topics of the manga. Back in 2002, the anime was being aired as the manga was still being written. As such it relied very, VERY heavily on filler episodes to pad out the story. These fillers had the most cringe-inducing fan service possible, and came at the expense of actually developing the themes, and characters of the series. The main female character of Chi became a mere puppet and the male character, Hideki, an obtuse pervert. There's so much more to these characters, and we'd love to see them properly brought to life!
When Katekyō Hitman Reborn! first started airing back in 2006, it kind of slid under the radar. With ‘the big three’ series— Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece—at the peak of their popularity, any other shonen anime seemed to fade into the background. But nevertheless, the anime did manage to garner enough popularity for over 200 episodes. So why the reboot demand? Just like many of the other series on this list, the anime missed a massive chunk of the manga, only adapting 30 of the 42 volumes. But what we'd love to see a reboot do is cut out the first 20 episodes of gag filler and turn up the heat with its dynamic battle scenes. If not that, at least imagine a Reborn! reboot of the last 12 volumes with the top notch animation of My Hero Academia! We certainly can!
Reading Kentarō Miura's epic fantasy manga Berserk is a mammoth undertaking in itself, now imagine trying to adapt it to an anime. The original 1997 anime did a fantastic job of covering the Golden Age arc, which was later re-covered by a trilogy of films. These adaptations only made fans hungry for more of the story, and that's where the 2016 Berserk came in, focusing on the manga's Conviction arc. Let's just say calling this adaption a ‘hot mess’ would be too kind. The mix and match of 2D and 3D animation was jarring, and the 24 episode length left a lot to be desired. A series as expansive and detailed as Berserk desperately demands an almost impeccable attention to detail by a studio. If series such as Dorohedoro and Vinland Saga can so successfully be adapted to anime, there's no reason Berserk shouldn't. The series just needs to find the right studio and people take on the challenge!
With each anime season, it can feel that older series are pushed to the backburner as new animations take their place. But with reboots new and old audiences alike can enjoy stories re-animated and re-told.
The Poll
Last week we asked you what horror anime left you feeling disappointed, rather than scared, here are the results!
This week, tell us what series you'd love to see rebooted! Vote by clicking the link here!
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