Much like Hollywood, it is not uncommon for anime franchises to put out remakes of popular titles and classics. Sometimes, this is done to cash in on nostalgia, while other times, it’s to offer an even better version of what fans remember and loved. It might even capture the hearts of new fans who had no knowledge of the original anime.
Expectedly, not all remakes live up to the high standards of what the original had set. In fact, there are plenty of remakes that ended up being arguably worse than the original. So, here’s a look at five hits and five misses from the anime industry’s remakes.
10 BETTER: The Heroic Legend Of Arslan
This anime is a remake of 1991 The Heroic Legend of Arslan. It tells viewers the story of a young prince whose kingdom was usurped. Now, he must face various challenges and become a king who is worthy of reclaiming his kingdom.
Fans had an issue with the original’s characters, since they had little to no characterizations. The remake fixed that, and also improved upon its animation by including some stunning fight sequences.
9 FELL SHORT: Kino's Journey: The Beautiful World, The Animated Series
This was a remake of the original which had aired in 2003. The problem with this series was the disconnect between various episodes, how they were out of order, and how many of them appeared tonally contradictory due to this chronological disaster.
This is because fans of the light novel were asked to vote for their favorite episodes, which were later on animated. However, in exchange, the series’ continuity and characterization went for a complete toss.
8 BETTER: Hunter X Hunter
Many HxH fans don’t know this, but their favorite anime is actually a remake of the 1999 show. While some criticism was aimed at the different treatment of characters, the series was overall loved by even fans of the original show.
Special praise was given to the animation of the reboot by Madhouse studio, which gave fans some of the most visually stunning shonen fight scenes, ever.
7 FELL SHORT: Guyver: The Bio-Boosted Armor
This is a remake of a 1989 anime of the same name. The story is about a teenager who finds an alien object, which bonds with his body and results in a unique creature called Guyver.
The original series was quite violent and famous among fans for its bloodshed. A lot of that was given up in the new version, which didn’t seem to go down with old or new fans. This was especially apparent when it came down to important battles, like the one between Guyver and Enzyme
6 BETTER: Dororo
The original anime was released way back in 1969, in black and white and with very simple animation. A live-action film was adapted in 2007, and finally, 2019 witnessed its rebooted version.
With a 50 year gap between both versions of the anime, fans agreed unanimously that the 2019 remake outdid itself when it came to its visuals, especially its character designs. The show’s plot revolves around young Hyakkimaru who must defeat 12 demons in order to become fully human.
5 FELL SHORT: Berserk (2017)
CGI gets a bad rap as it is, and when a famous series is remade with horrible CGI, the backlash is even worse. Heavy criticism was thrown at the animation that was said to be 5 frames per second, which resulted in clunky character movements.
Not to mention how even the adaption itself (particularly the Black Swordsman Arc) was criticized for simply being too “edgy.”
4 BETTER: Blame! Movie
The original six-episode anime aired on Oct 24, 2003, and its aggregated MyAnimeList score is a poor 5.98. In comparison, the 2017 version has an average score of 7.16, showing clearly which version fans preferred more.
Available on Netflix, the movie is about a mysterious young man named Killy who lives in an apocalyptic world where AI has taken over the world and humans have been hunted to near extinction.
3 FELL SHORT: Baki The Grappler (2018)
The anime first came out as an OVA in 1994, which was later adapted into a 24 episode series in 2001. In 2018, fans witnessed the second remake of the series. While it was good by itself, it was criticized when it was compared to its predecessors.
Criticism was especially aimed at the few episodes that spent too much time on Baki’s sexual obsession. This wasn’t even a plot line in the original series and added nothing significant to the 2018 version either.
2 BETTER: Gatchaman Crowds
The original anime aired in 1972, and honestly, it was quite ahead of its time. The 2013 version not only improved upon its characters, but it also serenaded fans with an exceptionally bright and colorful palette.
A cheerful and bubbly female protagonist, a crossdressing antagonist, an LGBT+ superhero, and a villain who’s clearly gender-neutral – all of them were loved by fans, especially for their inclusivity and interesting backstories.
1 FELL SHORT: Devilman: Crybaby
The original show aired back in 1972, when a demon wreaking havoc on the earth was considered to be controversial in a show filled with nudity.
However, the 2018 version did pretty much the same thing, except with snazzy animation. The same nudity and explicit content that appeared nearly blasphemous in the 70s seemed pretty bland in 2018. People weren't shocked, and most of them accused the series of being all show and no substance.