Anime That Need a Redo

  Anything within the broadest term of entertainment is objective due to a plethora of different ideas. Though anime is no different, it does have its own subgroups within its online communities. While one person may enjoy Attack on Titan for its animation and character development, another could loathe the series due to the series’s lack of story progression. Much like anything in this world, there will be people who favor certain things, and others will bête noire towards them.

           Anime is no different, mainly when people discuss their favorite series and movies. That’s why any anime community is fascinating because there are so many different people with different tastes and preferences. With such a vast number of spectators, people inevitably have a love-hate relationship with many of their favorite anime. Though it seems with a particular series, most populous people consider some shows to be unanimously good, and others are considered universally bad. So with that short introduction, here’s a list that dives into anime that deserves a second season, and some that didn’t.

Deserve: Cowboy bebop

           Over twenty years have passed since the original Japanese airing of Cowboy Bebop, and it’s hard to believe that it’s still going strong within its ever-growing fanbase. Though the series was a huge success both critically and commercially inside Japan, and even worldwide – most notably the United States. Having such a massive series getting so much praise for almost every aspect, it seems confusing to see such a fantastic series never again seeing new life.

           Though, I can immediately imagine such a beloved series getting instantly disliked on due to fault-finding individuals who grew up with the original series.

Didn’t Deserve: Sword Art Online II

           With such a popular series coming to an end, it was inevitable that there would be a second season, but the only question is, why? There are two – possibly three – camps with this series; 1) it’s a great show, 2) it’s a terrible show and should be forgotten about, and 3) who cares. Though I personally enjoyed the first half of the first season, the second wasn’t that terrible, not great, but not terrible either. So when the second season was released, I was semi-interested to see where they would take the series.

           Though with illogical decisions to jump back into a game, where the player almost dies in be the main story again… the second season didn’t really produce anything extra for potential fans. Since a lot of hate was targeted at the poorly written plots, terrible pacing and how the series turned into a harem. The second season clearly had no real storyline and didn’t need to be made except for a massive cash grab.

 Deserve: Akira

           With such a gem manga series created by Katsuhiro Otomo, this franchise’s reboot would not need to fix its original defects. Instead, it could be a full-length anime series that adapts the second half of the manga, not to mention where the action truly gets going. With over thirty years since the movie, and about the same for the manga, it could be one of the best reboots in the modern age. There’s action, Science-Fiction, Human Experimentation, and of course, it’s Post-apocalyptic. There is so much that could be made from this series.

           With the way the world is turning right now, I think Akira needs to make a comeback. It showed society at its worst, the real strength of the human spirit, and how it set the actual standard for other manga. Although, just like Cowboy bebop, I can imagine a few groups of original fans getting upset by this series coming back to life. Though to be fair, if studio trigger or alike got a hold of it, I believe it could be an excellent adaptation. We never know until we try.

Didn’t Deserve: Tokyo Ghoul

           Much like SAO, Tokyo Ghoul’s sequels apparently keep getting worse and worse with each season that aired. It’s multiple problems ranging from unrealistic doctor portrayals to unfaithfulness to its source material, though what can you expect from a company that hasn’t produced the same number of series within the same fiscal year since? Because when anyone that focuses on too many things at one time, it usually ends with dissatisfaction and doomed to show no real pizazz.

           If the anime was faithful to its source material, it would have never received as much hate as it does. Would it be a great series? Possibly, but sticking to the source material isn’t going to guarantee anything. It only shows that the source material was popular, but perhaps not written well enough for the television, or any other potential problem. So, could this get a reboot or even deserve it? Possibly, but it’ll be a long time until that happens. 

Deserve: Ouran High School Host Club

           Considering that this series is one of the most popular shoujo and reverse harem shows, it becomes a no-brainer. Not only does it show a genuinely strong female lead who isn’t too dumb or useless, too feminine or sexualized, or even pampered to the extreme. This is lovely given that these are the usual anime tropes for female characters within this genre, which usually lead to disappointment and unsuccess – though not always. It’s safe to say that Ouran is genuinely in a league of its own.

           The series ended in 2006. The series focused on issues – or hinted – on LGBT issues, like transgender characters, homosexuality – though usually through incest, so not sure if that helps or hurts its case – and even drag queens. For an American looking in on this show its safe to say that it was ahead of, its time. At the same time, many will argue that it’s just another romantic comedy, a fair argument. But the romantic angle was purely one-sided from the get-go. Having this series make a comeback with its finished manga could be a pleasing and exciting take on it, with how far the LGBT depictions in other series have made.

Didn’t Deserve: Gintama

           Gintama is one of those shows that had so much potential, then poof, gone. The series writers focused on pandering to its 12-year-old fanbase instead of making it have an actual plot. Of course, some episodes are funny as hell and will have many viewers crying due to laughing so much. However, most of the incidents have comedy within them that is highly predictable and no real motive to keep going.

Deserve: WataMote

           With a name like WataMote, or No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, is oddly weird, cringy and even awkward humor-filled series that people love. This series takes being unable to have a “normal” school life to a brand new level and will make the most awkward person feel better about themselves. This series can be a guilty pleasure for anyone, and with all the terrible anime series getting second seasons, this one should have a chance. Let your inner unhuman self out and give it a go.

Didn’t Deserve: Any And Every Long-Running Shounen Series

           With the top four: Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, and Dragon Ball, all four of these series have one thing in common, and that is having terrible writing. This isn’t saying they had terrible writing from the beginning, but as a series goes on and the fanbase grows larger and larger, the quality is sure to diminish rapidly. With each passing year, more plot holes develop, characters that were once introduced but never see the light of day again, and so on…

           The longer a series continues – live-action and not – all run into this problem, The Simpsons are one of the highlights of American Television that somewhat needs to end while it still can. With such great shows becoming a former shell of what they once were, its utter sadness is why they go one… outside of money.