Top 10 Anime Reboots That Saved The Series

The darkness and poignancy of Go Nagai’s original magnum opus still rings true decades later, it’s just a shame that so few adaptations were able to fully convey the beautiful horror of the source material. At least until Masaki Yuasa arrived on the scene with all that Netflix money. Taking the unfiltered story of Akira’s transformation from feeble beanpole to demonic hybrid and merging it with his signature animation style, Crybaby is arguably the definitive way to enjoy the despair roller coaster that is Devilman’s legacy.

The original introduced a whole generation to the shojo genre, and immortalised a certain skirt-wearing Sailor Scout as one of the predominant female anime heroes. While we loved it, it wasn’t the perfect 1:1 adaptation of the manga and had a lot of filler. Crystal does away with all those issues, polishes it up, succeeds in animating the abundance of the manga, and tosses in an extra layer of sparkles for good measure. Even if you’re a die-hard fan of the original, Crystal is about as loving a recreation as you can get.

Back in the day, these sextuplets were adorable if mischievous little tykes. Then they grew up, became a bunch of depraved NEETs with zero motivation, obsessed with earning money and getting laid, all in the easiest way possible. The tonal shift is certainly on the extreme side, but you can’t deny how hilarious the results are! Unafraid to parody and ridicule everything under the sun, even other anime, the Matsuno brothers truly have no filter, and watching their antics lead to ruin never gets old!

Whether you’re a newcomer or a connoisseur of the Fate franchise, it’s clear that compared to its original outing, Unlimited Blade Works was an experience that put Type-Moon’s flagship series on the map. Doing away with the original’s shoddy animation and divergence from its more mature source material, watching Saber and the other Servants battle it out in the Fifth Holy Grail War made for a hell of a watch, largely in part due to UFOtable’s dynamite animation. Paired with its legendary prequel Fate/Zero, and in one fell swoop this convoluted yet radical battle royale set the standard, and consequently opened the gateway for millions of other Fate content to flood in.

Given the time in which it was released, it’s not even fair to compare these two adaptations of the legendary Osamu Tezuka’s works. We see it more as a natural evolution, one that MAPPA tackled with violent and bloodstained efficiency. In graphic detail, we see Hyakkimaru rise up from a walking corpse robbed of his limbs and senses, into something resembling a human, rediscovering the world around him thanks to the companionship of a certain titular runt. But first, he’s got to slice up the demons who snatched his body away. We’re sure Tezuka would approve.

Not to cast any shade at the original, it did what it could and introduced a now rabid fanbase to the tragedy of the Soma family. Alas, the animation couldn’t keep up with its touching narrative. Thankfully, it was given the treatment it deserved at the turn of the decade, where it not only blind-sighted fans with its gorgeous visuals, but went out of its way to adapt the entirety of the manga. Which equates to a lot of charming bishojo boys with angsty pasts dominating the screen for an inordinate amount of time. No wonder so many were thrilled.

Given the mere magnitude of Alucard’s badassery, we wouldn’t settle for anything less than an absolute gorefest that doesn’t shirk away from the excessive aspects of the original story. Alas, the 2001 version had little to no bite in that department. Take away the brutal violence, Millennium and all that good stuff, and all you’re left with is a sub-par vampire story. Ultimate fixes every aspect in that regard, gracing us incredible and unforgettable moments!

The 2003 version may have gone off the beaten path with its anime-only narrative, but to its credit it established itself as one of the defining series of its time, with a few still proclaiming that it’s the superior version. While we can see merits to that point of view, for our buck, there’s only one way to experience the Elric Brothers’ journey from start to finish. From the moment they lose their bodies all the way to their climatic battle with Father, Brotherhood delivers an exceptional story that feels polished and complete, fully reflecting manga’s greatness.

This reboot not only outshined its predecessor, but it also rocketed its way into the hearts of fans as one of the quintessential shounen. While not quite managing to adapt the entirety of its infamous canon, what this series did with Gon and his journey as a Hunter is masterful. The battles are gloriously animated, the character moments fully illuminated, the amount of arcs it stuffed into its runtime is impressive enough, even more so when you consider how brilliant the pacing is. Honestly, it’s hard to remember that there even was anything before this.

Once upon a time, the only JoJo reference out there was an obscure movie and an OVA of Stardust Crusaders. All in all, good but rather unremarkable. Then along came David Productions, who causally turned the world on its head when they decided to bring the story of the Joestar bloodline into the public consciousness. From Phantom Blood all the way to the upcoming Stone Ocean, JoJo fever has gripped the anime community ever since, all thanks to its crazy battles, unique take on the shounen formula, and a never-ending list of meme-able moments!