Nostalgia is a multi-faceted and elusive emotion that's reliably marketable to the general populace. Whether it's from reminiscent longing or loneliness surrounding one's favorite media of old, it's obvious that filmmakers and series producers are acutely aware of the demand for reboots, remakes, and revivals of old franchises. Reboots typically scrap the old continuity to reimagine the story anew, so they aren't quite remakes or revivals, but they can overlap.
The 2019 Fruits Basket is technically both a reboot and a remake while Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is a reboot and a revival. The 2020 Digimon Adventure reboot, in comparison, takes far more liberties with its story and characters than either Fruits Basket 2019 or Clear Card, making it a purer reboot. Regardless of the reasons why a series is rebooted, there are certainly plenty of nostalgic anime out there that could benefit from a retelling.
10 Revolutionary Girl Utena's Timeless Message Deserves Modernizing
It's a bit audacious to suggest that a masterpiece like Revolutionary Girl Utena needs a reboot, but it's precisely because it's a masterpiece that a reboot wouldn't hurt. One of Utena's primary messages is about the messiness of growing up and all the societal obligations placed on adolescents without their consent.
Defying social standards to become your true self is an eternal and universal coming-of-age theme that does well in any time period. Freshening up Utena's dated animation and modernizing the setting will introduce a fantastic story to a new generation of anime fans.
9 Fushigi Yuugi's Isekai Setting Makes It An Easy Reboot
Isekai anime have been especially popular lately, but the genre is becoming a bit stale, which is why fans are starting to see a little bit of variance in isekai series. Gag and parody isekai have already made the rounds, so it might be worth considering rebooting a classic isekai like Fushigi Yuugi, which came out in the early '90s.
Some of the humor and tropes could definitely use some modernizing and a new cast of Suzaku warriors (perhaps with more gender balance) is definitely something to look forward to.
8 Urusei Yatsura Is A Classic That Will Only Benefit From A Reboot
As one of the original romantic comedy anime to hit the scene, Urusei Yatsura is a classic that certainly deserves a modern refresh. Since reboots can technically do away with the original's cast and continuity, there's a lot that can be reconfigured in Urusei Yatsura.
What if the role of Ataru Moroboshi, for example, were changed to a high school girl instead of a boy? Or what if Lum were a male alien? Some might balk at such outrageous changes, but the modern era really needs more acceptable (and actually good) LGBTQ+ anime.
7 Trigun's Original Story Is A Bit Darker Than Its Anime
While Trigun succeeded well enough as a part-comedy, part-drama sci-fi series, it could definitely benefit from a reboot that takes more of the manga into consideration. Some of the themes in the Trigun and Trigun Maximum manga are both more fleshed out and nuanced than the anime counterpart.
The original Trigun anime also ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving anime-only fans to wonder if Millions Knives ever shaped up. Starting over from scratch and wrapping up with a satisfying ending might be a good idea.
6 A Ranma 1/2 Reboot Can Refresh Its Dated Comedy
Another classic rom-com series, Ranma 1/2 is an anime that suffers a bit from its outdated jokes despite its initial conflict being somewhat progressive. Underneath its antics and comedy, Ranma 1/2 challenges the boundaries between men and women, boldly asking a radical question: What really makes men and women so different?
Ranma's curse allows him to explore both genders to his heart's content, and with gender being such a hot topic in modern discourse, a Ranma 1/2 reboot could be either complete genius or a huge controversy.
5 Monster Rancher Needs A Reboot That Isn’t An Isekai
The original 1999 Monster Rancher anime was based on the popular gaming franchise of the same name. Protagonist Genki Sakura wins a Monster Rancher gaming tournament in the real world, and when he goes home to access his prize, he's transported into the world of the game.
It's a cute concept, but it's not really what the Monster Rancher games are about, so it'd be easy to reboot this series with an in-universe storyline that's closer to the world the games created.
4 Elfen Lied Suffers From A Weak Plot & Edgy Imagery
While it attempted to portray itself as a tragic love story, the truth is that Elfen Lied relied on gratuitous gore and shallow emotions to sell itself as an anime. One of its biggest mistakes is failing to thoroughly explore the Diclonius race, a newly mutated species that's central to the conflict in Elfen Lied.
Instead of bothering with fleshing out the Diclonii, the anime mostly focuses on their natural propensity for murder and violence. Part of this is because the manga wasn't completed while the anime was being produced. But now that it is, a reboot of this series seems in order.
3 Berserk Still Hasn't Received An Anime Adaptation It Deserves
The first Berserk anime in the late '90s served well enough as an entry into the series, but it also didn't complete the story. Unfortunately, the 2016 and 2017 revivals of the series failed to impress fans who'd waited many years for a continuation of the story.
At this point, it might be best for an animation studio to take on Berserk again from scratch instead of trying to continue the already lackluster series out there. A reboot might sound a bit scary for those who are especially attached to Berserk, but the current anime aren't too amazing to begin with, so starting over might be what's needed.
2 Rurouni Kenshin's Anime Adaptation Doesn't Completely Capture The Original Story
Not only does the TV anime include a filler arc that's not canon to the manga, but the TV anime also suffers from an overly comedic tone that glosses over the seriousness of its source material. Rurouni Kenshin is popular enough to have earned a manga reboot and an impressive live-action reboot, so it's not far-fetched to think it might also get a proper anime retelling.
Fans who've long been disappointed by the Rurouni Kenshin TV anime's ending will surely welcome an anime reboot with open arms.
1 Yu Yu Hakusho Will Benefit From A Fresh Perspective
The plot of Yu Yu Hakusho is popular enough to warrant a reboot that can significantly update its old setting and themes. Unfortunately, this might mean ditching the '90s high school delinquent trope for something more modern, but the conflict in Yu Yu Hakusho can stay the same without hurting its ability to tell a good story.
Since a central theme to the series deals with the afterlife, it's possible to choose a different source of afterlife lore to work with. A reboot for this series should do well regardless of what direction the new continuity takes.