Why Some Anime Get Multiple Adaptations While Others Are Forgotten

People are familiar with the concept of anime adaptations, which have become an essential factor and consideration in the manga industry, where stories from mangas are animated into animes. Yet, not all these manga are provided with the same chance. While some series get sequels, remakes or even reboots years later, there are other series that are successful both critically and commercially, yet there is no anime version of them. This leads to another interesting question as to what makes a manga be adapted, remade or simply left alone. The answer cannot be as simple as just mere popularity due to several factors that exist within the industry.

Popular anime like Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan and One Piece are some of the best examples of anime series that hit the big time for good adaptations. On the other hand, there are many well-acclaimed manga, including 20th Century Boys and Yotsuba&!, that are yet to be adapted and fans are left scratching their heads over this. Some shows, like Fullmetal Alchemist and Fruits Basket, have been adapted more than once because of a variety of reasons: incomplete source material or the need for a better adaptation. Well then, what provides an anime series the possibility to be adapted, get a second season, or not even be considered?

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The Role of Popularity in Anime Adaptations

Popularity as a Driving Force With Some Exceptions to the Rule

It has been believed, particularly over the years, that the degree of success in manga depends on its potential for getting an anime adaptation. Due to its popularity, high sales, and large fan base, such a series is considered perfect for animation. For instance, it was almost easy to transfer some popular titles such as Naruto and One Piece from manga to anime because of their popularity and the need for an animated version of the manga to reach a broader audience, which is true since most people that know about Naruto are because of its anime. On the other hand, One Piece fans love the manga and anime both equally.

Still, popularity does not have to be an adaptation. However, some best-selling mangas do not experience being animated. Consider 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa. However, to this day, this beautiful and complex story remains untouched by the anime industry in the form of an anime adaptation. Similarly, Yotsuba&!, which is a very popular shojo series with a sweet and touching story and characters drawn and written by Kiyohiko Azuma, also remains in the manga format only. The reasons for which these projects may not be attempted by studios may include issues like having many story arcs, some production issues or complications, or a storyline that is hard to animate or simply that it’s not necessary to animate the story.

Multiple Adaptations and Remakes: A Closer Look

Some Popular Series Getting Multiple Adaptations

Fullmetal Alchemist presents a unique scenario where the original 2003 anime diverged significantly from Hiromu Arakawa’s manga due to the source material’s incomplete status at the time. The story of the original anime was good on its own and much more mature and darker than its counterpart, but it left out some plot holes. To this day, some fans prefer the original version, but the majority of the community agree that the remake Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood was better. The success of both adaptations underscores the impact of narrative fidelity and timing on production decisions.

Like many manga series, Fruits Basket also had its two different adaptations. The first set of adaptations made in 2001, still in the course of the manga series, took creative liberties and concluded with an original ending, just like FMA, which was good in its own way but felt like a lot was left to be desired. On the other hand, the 2019 version was remade, which gave a more elated and clear picture closer to the manga, as it was more consistent and enriched with relevant content, giving the fans something better and complete in every way.

Factors Influencing Adaptation Decisions

Market Trends, Audience Demand, Production Costs and Technical Challenges

Production companies have the tendency to consider the market trends and preferences of the consumers when choosing projects. Genres that are becoming increasingly popular will be opted for adaptation. For example, the phenomenal popularity of isekai in the past couple of years has given rise to many shows with this theme, emerging at the detriment of others. The aspects of cost and funding are important features to consider. Animation is quite expensive, which is why not all studios are ready to launch a risky show, one that may not necessarily bring profit.

Furthermore, it can be argued that choosing mangas is complicated from the perspective of scriptwriting and artwork, or with a complicated plot, may be nearly impossible and studios may avoid them; hence, the need to analyze the complexity of the artwork of the different mangas. Subjects considered provocative or with mature content exacerbate potential problems with censorship; therefore, studios avoid such adaptations. For instance, Goodnight Punpun, although popular, invokes disturbing and profound themes, which could be difficult work to capture the essence of in a featured anime.

The Dilemma of Best-Sellers Still Not Having An Adaptation

Some Series Are Just Not Easy To Adapt

20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa is an excellent narrative that consists of multiple plots and a multitude of characters. Due to the complexity of the plot and the nature of the themes presented in the series, there is no anime adaptation of the novel. At the complete opposite, Yotsuba&! tells a simple and uncoordinated story about the life of a little girl and her daily events. Although popular, some audiences could find it unsuitable for adaptation because of its weak narrative structure with no unifying storyline.

Oyasumi Punpun is a manga series created by Inio Asano, which is a psychological and emotionally dark work that focuses on the issue of depression and trauma during his teenage years. The manner in which it is presented narratively as well as its art is surrealistic, as its main character, Punpun, is illustrated as a bird-like character. If this work were to be animated, it would be rather difficult, as the main elements of the work are its grotesque imagery and its philosophical pondering, which do not necessarily appeal to the masses.

Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond has widely become one of the greatest samurai manga of all time, starring the real-life story of the famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. While Vagabond does possess shocking artwork, impressive philosophy, and incredible fight scenes, it still does not have an anime adaptation. This might be due to the fact that it is not a monthly magazine, and it is very time-consuming to animate the detailed artwork adopted by the manga, together with the need for a large budget in order to justify its storyline and amazing battles. For example, it may not appeal to many casual anime fans as its content is mature and the pace of the storytelling is quite a contrast to the present anime industry trends of extraordinarily fast pacing and a lot of action.

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When Adaptations Miss The Mark

Despite Having A Perfect Setting With Amazing Source Material

There are cases when a manga is highly rated with a very intriguing narrative and a promising studio but still does not quite hit the mark as it should have given its source material. The first season of The Promised Neverland was aired to customers’ applause for its captivating plot and a successful anime adaptation of the manga. Still, the second season is quite different from the manga, with simplified arcs and missed events and characters’ development. Which caused a lot of disappointment among fans, which goes to show that it’s not a good idea for a show to deviate from the primary storyline.

Tokyo Ghoul faced similar issues. During the first series of episodes, the show was fairly accurate to Sui Ishida’s manga, but the following series are different, so the storyline is quite different from the manga. Viewers and critics agreed that this change made the anime lose certain aspects, like the well-rounded and detailed visuals of what is in the manga, and to this day, almost every single fan prefers the manga over the anime.

Sakamoto Days, a relatively new anime show, has also been criticized for not being as dynamic in art and pacing as Yuto Suzuki’s manga. Some fans have complained about the animation quality and some of the changes made in the anime adaptation, saying a closer adaptation of the manga could be better. When the anime and manga are compared side by side, its goes without saying how superior the manga is.

Addressing the Challenges: A Path Forward

Collaborative Efforts Between Creators and Studios

Although fans would love to have some of their favorite series get an anime adaptation, sometimes that is simply not possible for multiple reasons. But if more studios take the risk to adapt these series, fans should try to support and appreciate this risky initiative more for other studios to take similar risks with high reward. As for better adaptations, there is one possible solution: to encourage the synergy between manga and animation studios more. It is notable that involving original authors will contribute towards keeping the final impact or the animation as close to the manga as possible, hence attracting both old and new audiences.

Thus, studios need to stay connected to the fans during the production process. Airing previews or pilot episodes for feedback may prove very useful because the creators can modify the adaptation to make it suit the audience’s wants. It is possible that instead of creating numerous adaptations, studios could focus on providing quality series that will be worthy adaptations of their counterparts. This strategy can help to engage the viewers’ trust and keep them tuned in for the long haul in the process.

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