Every year, fans are rewarded with new shojo anime series, usually adapted from the trending shojo manga of the past few years. This was the case for series like Kaichou wa Maid-sama! and Ouran High School Host Club, which were some of the most popular manga-turned-anime of their time.
In 2019, however, fans saw the return of fan-favorite Fruits Basket with a remake that promised to stay faithful to the source material. The success of the new adaptation has been compared to other by-the-manga retellings like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Since then, the question of remaking other shojo anime series that might deserve the Fruits Basket treatment has been fresh on everyone's mind.
10 The Story Of Bokura Ga Ita Deserves Better Animation
The story of Bokura Ga Ita falls on the more realistic and dramatic side of shojo, dealing with themes like grief, learning to move on, and mental illness. It follows high school freshman Nanami who slowly falls in love with popular boy Yano, who seems to be hiding an immense amount of pain over the death of his ex-girlfriend under his mask of superficiality.
Only half of the manga was adapted into a 26-episode anime in 2006, leaving the story relatively inconclusive. Many criticized the animation style, which didn't translate well from the manga to the anime, and soured many people's experience with the show. A remake could solve this concern and provide fans with an accurate portrayal of this heartwrenching story.
9 Full Moon Wo Sagashite Should Get A More Faithful Adaptation
A well-known title within shojo lovers, Full Moon Wo Sagashite follows twelve-year-old Mitsuki in her quest to become a singer. Add to that simple premise the fact that Mitsuki has to deal with throat cancer, a strict grandma who doesn't want her to follow her dream, and shinigami who are just waiting for her to die, and fans have a tragic but heartwarming story in their hands.
The 52-episode anime series from 2002 was produced when the manga was still ongoing, which ultimately affected the storyline and the characters' backgrounds and personalities. Given that the Full Moon Wo Sagashite manga is relatively short with only 7 volumes in total, a single-season anime that stays true to the source material could vindicate this story.
8 Revolutionary Girl Utena Is Iconic & More People Should Be Made Aware
Revolutionary Girl Utena deserves a remake simply because it's iconic and the new generation of anime fans should experience it first hand. The critically-acclaimed story explores themes of feminism and queerness as it follows the adventures of Utena, a girl whose ambition of one day becoming a prince leads her to enroll in the legendary Ohtori Academy.
Utena's journey was adapted into a 1997 anime series by the same team behind the beloved Sailor Moon franchise of the '90s and blended the magical girl genre with surrealist allegories. Remaking such an emblematic story would be tricky, but with the right writers and animation studio behind it, anything is possible!
7 Skip Beat! Has So Much More To Show Anime Fans
A Hana to Yume classic, the story of Skip Beat! is comprised of a whopping 46 volumes. Considering the 25-episode anime adaptation from 2008 stopped at around volume 11, there's still much to be told about Kyoko Mogami and her struggles on the rise to stardom.
The animation, though true to the original manga style, was dated for a late 2000s anime and made it look like it belonged somewhere in the mid-90s instead. An updated look and a continuation of the story could turn a new Skip Beat! anime into as much of a classic as the manga.
6 Aishiteruze Baby Should Get A Real Ending
Despite its lighthearted animation style, Aishiteruze Baby mixes the everyday highs and lows of high school with much more serious topics like child abandonment. The story follows seventeen-year-old playboy Kippei as he takes on the task of caring for his five-year-old cousin Yuzuyu after she's abandoned by her mother.
The anime ran through 2004 and only adapted up until volume 5 of the manga, leaving off the last two in favor of a semi-ambiguous ending that left many unsatisfied. A remake of the anime could include the last few chapters on the manga and deliver the gratifying conclusion everyone wanted in the first place.
5 Fans Of Vampire Knight Deserve A True Finale
One of the most well-known shojo series from the late 2000s, Vampire Knight came right at a time where vampires and other supernatural creatures were exploding in popularity all over the world. The LaLa magazine story follows Yuki Cross as a vampire guardian in Cross Academy, a school where vampires and humans seemingly coexist in harmony.
The Vampire Knight anime is made up of two seasons and was produced in 2008, five years before the end of the manga. As a result, the anime didn't have a concrete ending and only followed the manga up until volume 10 out of the final 19. Given the internet's renewed interest in vampires over the past year, a studio should grab the rights for a remake before the excitement passes.
4 The Darker Side Of Gakuen Alice Should Be Adapted
Gakuen Alice is a magical girl anime like no other. There are no transformations or special moves, just people who were born with special abilities called Alices. The manga ran for 179 chapters in total and could easily get turned into a three-season series like the new Fruits Basket.
A 26-episode anime premiered back in 2004 but it only took on the livelier first arc of the story, ending just before Mikan and her other gifted friends were forced into the somber side of things. Many were unhappy with the way the anime was stripped of the darker elements, but a new adaptation could fix that!
3 Magic Knight Rayearth Needs Some Of Cardcaptor Sakura's Glory
Before Cardcaptor Sakura, there was Magic Knight Rayearth. The CLAMP series is a classic amongst the magical girl genre enthusiasts, combining shojo and mecha characteristics in Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu's story. The three middle-schoolers get transported into a world called Cephiro while on a trip to Tokyo Tower and are given powers and a mission: to rescue Princess Emeraude if they want to return to their reality.
Reviving Magic Knight Rayearth and giving it a modern twist like Toei Animation did with Sailor Moon Crystal could only reinstate its status as the iconic story it is.
2 Kodomo No Omocha Could Be Better
A coming-of-age story full of quirky characters and comedic situations, Kodomo no Omocha (Kodocha) is a lot more than what it appears at first glance. Led by the charismatic child actress Sana Kurata, Kodocha slowly changes from a comedy into a melodrama as the plot progresses, which left many with mixed feelings.
Regardless, Kodocha is entertaining and far more insightful than a show about elementary schoolers and showbiz has any right to be. While the 102-episode-long anime is great, the numerous filler episodes ultimately distract from what could be a better story if shortened and made more concise.
1 Hana Yori Dango Has 13 Great Adaptations & None Of Them Are An Anime Series
With the amount of live-action adaptations Hana Yori Dango has, it's a miracle no one has picked it up for an updated anime. Boasting a huge collection of 37 volumes, Hana Yori Dango is best known around the world as Boys Over Flowers, a story about commoner schoolgirl Makino Tsukushi, who after much pushing from her gold-digging parents, starts attending the prestigious Eitoku Academy. Soon after, she becomes the target of a group of wealthy boys who call themselves the F4, but Makino is nothing if not resilient and doesn't let any of them get her down, not even their leader Domyouji Tsukasa.
An anime series of 51 episodes ran from 1996 to 1997, but it's considered a poor adaptation of the source material. Not even the 13 live-action films and television shows from multiple Asian countries have been able to capture the entire story. Here's to hoping a studio will see the huge potential in re-adapting it fully!