There have been many anime reboots—especially recently with reboots of '90s animes—that seem to be playing to the nostalgia of fans who were children in the '90s. From magical girls to shonen tournaments, these anime target fans of all backgrounds and interests. What remains the same is their appeal to nostalgia.
While some of the anime are great additions to the fandoms, and many of them are well-made, they bring little new to the table and rely on a love of the original for their popularity.
9 Sailor Moon Crystal Is A Shinier Version Of Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon has to be one of the most iconic anime of all time, and it is certainly the most revered of the magical girl genre. So, when Sailor Moon Crystal promised a clean new animation style with modern technology, fans of the original were not going to miss it.
However, the show is exactly what it claimed to be: a reiteration of the old series. For many, this was a good thing, exactly what they wanted even. For some, it just took away from the '90s aesthetic that made Sailor Moon so prominent in the minds of the fans who watched it in its original era.
8 Likewise, Clear Card Is More Of The Same For Cardcaptor Sakura
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is another case of the '90s magical girl anime getting a fresh new art style. While it was marketed as being a sequel to the original series, the plot follows much the same formula and it functions as a continuation of the same story. Just as if Sakura Kinomoto still had to collect more of the same Clow cards, just as a slightly older kid.
In the end, this reboot relies on the nostalgia of CLAMP's '90s works. Fans have not gotten anything with a serious following from CLAMP in recent years, so it was a good time to release a reboot, but maybe something new would have been better.
7 Hunter X Hunter Brings Updated Art, But Not An Updated Plot
As with many rebooted anime, the Hunter X Hunter reboot offers a newer, crisper animation quality with a more updated animation style while still trying to remain true to the character designs that were popularized by the original. However, it does not offer much in the way of plot and arc changes.
Like many of the rebooted anime, the newer series tries to follow the manga more accurately, which is certainly a benefit for manga purists. Looking beyond that, though, there is little new that the new series adds, save for nostalgia.
6 Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood Was A Wanted Addition, But It Was Still The Same Story
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood proved that a reboot of the same story could be more effective than the original, and it is one of the only works to truly do so at this level of success. Many fans claim that Brotherhood is the series new viewers should start with, as it is the more likely of the two to successfully hook and reel new audiences.
As with the two Sailor Moon series, the newer of the FMA series follows the manga closer, and that is something a lot of fans value. In addition, the animation quality is leagues better, making it easier to visually ingest.
5 Digimon Adventure Is Childhood At Its Purest
The Digimon franchise went through many iterations and had multiple generations of Digidestined to fill its ranks, but none were so powerfully nostalgic as the original series with Tai, Agumon, and the rest of the squad. So, when a new TV series that brought the old Digidestined into the 2020s, it came as a cause for excitement for many fans of the original series.
With so many other anime getting reboots, and with the pandemic sending many in search of nostalgia for comfort, there was no better time than 2020.
4 Dragon Ball Z Was The Start Of A Generation Of Anime Fans
Dragon Ball Z was the first anime for many fans, and the idea that Goku is unbeatable has lasted into the 2020s, though it is hotly debated by many fans. Dragon Ball Super was, like Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card, a reboot meant to function as a sequel to the original series, and it arguably did much better at it.
From it, there have been films, as well, and another is slated to be on its way. While giving the series an updated art style, it added more to the Dragon Ball Z story and universe.
3 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Plays To Nostalgia In More Ways Than One
Not only is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure a new and improved take on the old with new art and better technology, but it also plays to nostalgia in that many of the seasons take place in historical periods that many find nostalgic, including the '80s, '90s, and 2000s.
Fans can not only watch the characters walk around in parachute pants and Yankee hairstyles, but they can also watch a new iteration of a show that secured the love of fans' through its whimsical plot and art design.
2 Unlimited Blade Works Gave Fate/Stay Night A Much Needed Face Lift
TYPE-MOON has certainly pumped out a lot of products that fall within the Fate franchise, including games, novels, and anime. Two of the most successful have been Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (2010 film), the latter of which got a reboot in the form of a TV series in 2014.
The animation was unparalleled and added a visual edge to the fights that many anime lack. The film and the TV series were made by different studios, and though they cover the stories of the same characters, many fans claim the TV series to be the better of the two. Though the 2010 film is only nostalgic for serious TYPE-MOON fans, it is nostalgic nonetheless.
1 Dororo Is For Fans Of An Older Generation
Dororo is a remake of a series that came about in manga form in the 1960s. While many fans of anime today were not around then and have not seen the older iterations of the series, for those who have delved into anime of older origins, Dororo is a remake of a classic that rivals Western film remakes like True Grit.
The new version gives the older a new level of grit by updating its cartoonish style and translating it into the art design many are used to today (one that is slightly more realistic).