With the announcement of Trigun Stampede, the anime fandom is once again abuzz with their wish lists of anime that need rebooting. There’s so much anime that comes out every year that sometimes a series doesn’t get to reach its full potential. There are a multitude of reasons to reboot a show.
Perhaps it was a poor adaptation of the work, a la Berserk (2016) in all of its shoddy CGI glory. Maybe it never got to adapt the whole manga, and instead went for a controversial anime ending, like Soul Eater and Fullmetal Alchemist. In most cases, fans just want to see classics given the modern facelift they deserve.
Deadman Wonderland
Deadman Wonderland was one of the most hyped shows during its season, and fans were met with confusion and anger once the show actually came out. Although the animation was actually quite solid, and the voice acting was good, it was the writing that sealed the coffin for this adaptation.
For starters, it skipped several major plot elements from the manga, and in some cases, entire characters. All of this skipped-over content was done so the anime could instead have its own incredibly weird anime-original ending. Fans of the manga still hope that one day, their favorite death game manga gets the love it deserves.
Angel Densetsu
Before “crime” anime like The Way of the Househusband would once again popularize the trope of “scary-faced man is actually a sweetheart”, Angel Densetsu was already doing so over a decade ago. Although the manga about a golden-hearted “delinquent” got a decent OVA, fans still wanted an actual series.
Too many times, some anime imply a person is intimidating and unliked, despite their appearance being the same moe archetype anime has always been. Angel Densetsu isn’t afraid to make its leading man unsettling, but still a great human being.
Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa
Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa was one of the most underrated harem anime of its time. While it was certainly taking part in many of the genre’s shortcomings, it also had no problem relentlessly poking fun at them. Unfortunately, the animation wasn’t quite up to the task of evoking the manga’s chaotic spirit.
With a reboot, fans of the story hope it receives the dynamic and over-the-top treatment it truly deserves. Most harem anime are content with going through the motions and simply being fanservice while Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa is a fantastic guilty pleasure as it revels in its absurdity.
Claymore
For all intents and purposes, Claymore was a great adaptation of the manga. It had stellar visuals, great action, a memorable score, and solid voice acting. Unfortunately, the anime only adapted about half the manga, and made the dreaded anime-original ending. At the time, Claymore was ongoing monthly, so there was no real way to fully adapt it without a loss.
Now, there’s so much more content to adapt, and animation has evolved greatly. There’s currently a lack of dark fantasy shows that aren’t isekai. Claymore could easily fill that demand with a new reboot that faithfully adapts the manga’s story while fleshing out some other plot elements.
Outlaw Star
Outlaw Star is a cult classic that’s a bit rough around the edges. However, that roughness is something that could easily be fixed by modern animation sensibilities. The popularity of fun space adventure stories like Guardians of the Galaxy means there’s an audience out there for Outlaw Star’s zany intergalactic adventures.
The show never quite got a sequel or spin-off for a variety of reasons. Some fans speculate that the reason was the author Takehiko Ito’s inexperience with the anime production process. The commotion over other adaptations such as Sword of Wind also led to more confusion, leaving Outlaw Star in the dust. Hopefully, it gets its second chance, even if it’s unlikely.
Ouran HighSchool Host Club
There’s no doubt that Ouran HighSchool Host Club is a beloved shoujo anime. It looked good enough for its time and had an amazing voice cast. It also had one of the catchiest anime openings of all time. However, it was never a complete adaptation, and its art style is now more dated than ever before. This is something a reboot could fix.
Not only would a reboot benefit from a full story to adapt, it would also look a lot better, as the manga’s art evolved and improved in the years since the anime ended. With the success of rebooted romance anime like Fruits Basket, fans hope that producers see that as a sign for Ouran to get a complete adaptation.
Soul Eater
Soul Eater was initially met with much hype and praise by shounen fans when it started. The style was as energetic and absurd as the source material and even improved on the characters in subtle ways. By the ending, however, many fans wish that it had just been an incomplete adaptation instead.
Plenty of Soul Eater fans are coping with the unfortunate ending by brainstorming what a Soul Eater reboot would be like. But although the audience oftentimes comes up with really interesting ideas for a series, nothing can compare to seeing a new and improved version play out in real life.
Nana
Nana is yet another beloved early 2000s anime that never quite got the finish it deserved. Of course, it’s not like that was possible, the manga is still ongoing to this day. However, when the manga does eventually near its end, a reboot would be a fantastic way to catch people up with the classic Josei series.
It consistently tops the sales lists, and a new anime would only help that along. By now, it would be a gorgeous period piece of the alternative punk scene popular during Nana’s time. Lots of musicians these days are harkening back to that era of music, so there are no worries of the soundtrack being too dated either.
Umineko
Umineko is a classic example of a VN adaptation gone wrong. There was really no way to satisfyingly adapt 120+ hours of content into a mere 12 episodes, not to mention, condensing a story that’s already full of intrigue and character dynamics. Shaving off any of that was already a problem, and they removed 3/4ths of it in the story edit.
Its sister VN, Higurashi, recently got a reboot in 2020 that was met with general success, though as VN fans often notice, there’s always something that wasn’t adapted quite right. Still, a good try is better than not trying at all, and fans do hope for an Umineko reboot. At the very least, it would convince anime fans to give the VN a shot.
Berserk
Berserk, even after the author’s unfortunate passing, continues to this day through his protégé, Kouji Mori (Holyland). From the story itself to its real-life status, second chances are a major theme of Berserk. Considering how infamously terrible the post-Golden Age adaptations have been after the original 1997 OVA, Berserk could really use that second chance.
Berserk (2016) was a shoddy mess of janky CGI and confusingly specific omissions of the plot. Although the original anime may not need a reboot, the stories after that definitely need something far more worthy of Berserk’s legacy. Fans certainly want it, it’s just a question of the industry answering the demand. Only time will tell.