If a manga is successful, it typically gets an anime adaptation. The resulting show or movie depicts the story that fans love in animated form. With luck and skill, the material comes to life more than ever before, thereby multiplying its popularity even further. Unfortunately, the property may become a victim of its own success.
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The manga is not always there to sustain the anime. The creators may run out of story or simply see fit to conclude it. The studio heads don’t want to relinquish a cash cow, so they commission an anime-exclusive follow-up. The original creators often aren’t involved, and those who are rarely take the direct roles they once did. As a result, the sequel may lack inspiration, emerging as little more than big-budget fan service. Only audiences can decide if that fan service honors the original vision.
6Dragon Ball
Dragon Balland its sequel,Dragon Ball Z,make up one of the most popular franchises of all time. The martial arts manga is a sprawling adventure where characters get into bone-crushing battles in their search for mystical artifacts. It’s a winning formula that only solidified as the series moved into anime.
Though Toei Animation expanded on that anime with multiple non-canon movies, their greatest effort came withDragon Ball GT.This show served as a sequel toDragon Ball Z. However, creator Akira Toriyama wasn’t involved (apart from some of the initial designs).
Years later, though, he returned to the franchise withDragon Ball Super. This manga and subsequent anime also picked up whereDBZleft off (sans the epilogue). In effect, it erasesGTfrom the timeline.
5Inuyasha
Rumiko Takahashi’sInuyashais the prototypical isakai tale. A modern girl is transported to the Sengoku period. She then navigates samurai thrills, feudal iconography, and demonic scares in her quest to get home.
Over a decade after the manga ended, fans got a TV sequel in the form ofYashahime: Princess Half-Demon. This focused on the children of previous characters. Takahashi was still part of the team, albeit not as heavily. She mostly stuck to designing characters and storyboards, leaving the writing duties to someone else.
4Seven Deadly Sins
WithSeven Deadly Sins, Nakaba Suzuki crafted a classic story. An order of tyrants seize control of a kingdom, and seven knights lead a rebellion to overthrow them.That simple-yet-effective premiseled to two anime series.
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On top of that, it spawned three theatrical films. Suzuki returned each time to create the stories. The first two–Prisoners of the SkyandCurse by Light–tied themselves firmly to the manga and its continuity. On the other hand,Grudge of Edinburghjumps forward and focuses on a fresh group of characters within the established world.
3Boogiepop
This is very cerebral as far as light novels go. InBoogiepop, an enigmatic individual surfaces to confront the evils of the world. The perception of these events differs from person to person. As such,the whole piece is an anthology, and audiences must put the puzzle pieces together to get the full story. It’s a credit to creator Kouhei Kadono’s ability to see the big picture.
How ironic that the screen versions were also out of order. The manga first spawned a series calledBoogiepop Phantom. While illustrator Kouji Ogata returned, the show is technically a sequel to the manga’s initial volume. As such, fans had to wait almost twenty years for a straight adaptation of the light novels.
2Shoot!
As one can probably guess from the name, Tsukasa Oshima’sShoot!is a sports story. It’s about a high schoolerwho dreams of playing soccer(football for those outside the US) with his hero. Thus, he gathers a team and eventually makes it to the championship. That inspirational tale carried both the manga and an anime adaptation:Aoki Denetsu Shoot!. However, winning the game was not the end.
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EnterShoot! Goal to the Future. This show introduced a new team led by the same captain. Sadly, that was only onscreen. Behind the scenes, the series had a new leader with a new team, as Oshima wasn’t involved in any apparent way.
1Saint Seiya
Here’s another timeless premise abouta group of warriorsdefending the innocent from demonic forces.Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiaccomes from the mind of Masami Kurumada, and it’s spawned numerous manga series and subsequent anime adaptations. The original show,Hades,Lost Canvas, andSoul of Goldare just a few examples. The franchise has one odd duck, though.
That isSaint Seiya: Omega. Once again, Toei Animation took over duties from the creator, as Kurumada was busy withSaint Seiya: The Next Generation, a follow-up to the original series. They initially wanted to adapt that manga, but its release was too slow. Because of that, they craftedOmegaas an alternative sequel. A new batch of knights fought in a new war, and it had nothing to do withThe Next Generation.
