If you’ve ever picked up a manga, finished it all the way through, and wondered why it hasn’t received an anime adaptation — you’re not alone. While many of the greatest stories told in book form have made it to the big screen, there are so many mangas out there, that it’s impossible to get to all of them. Factoring in how hard animation studios are put to work, it’s no surprise that some stories have remained exclusively on bookshelves.
It’s no indication that these stories aren’t worth adapting, their time just hasn’t come up yet. Scouring the internet and message boards, there are plenty of mangas out in the world where fans have been crossing their fingers for an anime release. Luckily, withthe release ofDandadan, and its immediate success, it appears more studios are willing to take a chance.
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This list contains ten of the best examples of a masterpiece awaiting its time to become an anime. UsingMyAnimeList’s system, each entry will come with its scoring, what the story includes, and why it would be a great fit for an anime series. There is more out there, but these are the ten best, according to anime and manga aficionados.
10Fire Punch
MyAnimeList Score: 7.92
Fire Punchkicks off this list with one of the most excruciatingly painful stories out there. It follows a pair of siblings with magical regenerative powers, Agni and Luna, and the town they live in that has been frozen solid by the Ice Witch. To make matters worse, a fire user by the name of Doma burns the city down to the ground, killing everyone except for Agni.
With his sister caught in the blaze, Agni is out for revenge. His regenerative powers continue to keep him alive despite his body being engulfed in flames, and despite the pain he suffers,Agni is fearless and tenacious. An anime release isn’t worth missing out on the story, and I’d suggest picking up the first volume and giving it a chance, as it’s certain to remain in your mind after its masterful conclusion.
MyAnimeList Score: 7.94
For Yu Yu Hakusho fans who have longed for a series of world transportation and fighting otherworldly beasts, Psyren may be the story that captivates you the most. After the disappearance of classmate Sakurako Amamiya, the main character Ageha Yoshina calls a business card mysteriously left at his home, and is catapulted into a new dimension where beasts run wild.
Psyrenis a relatively short manga, covering 145 chapters in its nearly three-year span, but every volume is worth reading. Unfortunately, mangaka Toshiaki Iwashiro rushed the ending, as the manga wasn’t selling enough to keep it afloat. Despite its abrupt conclusion, fans ofPsyrenhave remained faithful to it, hoping one day to get Ageha’s struggle in the monster world on the big screen.
8Eden: It’s An Endless World
MyAnimeList Score: 8.21
Mangaka not only delivered an intricate and compelling story withEden: It’s an Endless World, but he managed to deliver one of the best seinen in manga form. Elijah Ballard and his family are living in a world set in the near future, where a pandemic has wiped out 15 percent of the population, and disfigured or crippled many of those who survived.
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Elijah joins his father to rebel against Propater, the leader of a monopolistic and unstoppable federation that not only controls the world but has also kidnapped his sister.Eden: It’s an Endless Worldcan be quite depressing with its tone and the struggles Elijah has to deal with, butthe story as a whole is not only underratedbut helped put Endo on the map as an excellent writer and storyteller.
MyAnimeList Score: 8.44
For fans who love a real underdog story,Holylandis a manga that will keep you hooked with its subject matter and glue your eyes to each chapter. It follows the story of Yuu Kamishiro, a high school student who is constantly bullied by his peers. Yuu takes it upon himself to become stronger,training in martial artsand developing the ability to fight back.
Becoming the “Thug Hunter”, Yuu hunts down and pummels delinquents that are out for no good. In doing so, the character finds himself discovering the darkness within him and is forced to confront his own weaknesses and how he got to this point. It’s an excellent tale of self-discovery, and I’m sure plenty of readers out there can relate to a frustrated individual who lashes back while dealing with trauma.
6Billy Bat
MyAnimeList Score: 8.55
Billy Batis a manga that, when you first pick up, can feel silly at times, and outright goofy at others. The team of Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki manage to put out something that starts light-hearted and fun to read, but eventually dives into the mystery and supernatural elements that draw interest and intrigue in its readers.
Japanese-American comic book artist Kevin Yamagata has created the character Billy Bat but discovers that he may have unknowingly copied a similar character in Japan. Seeking out the author of the original character, Yamagata finds himself plunging into a world of secrets and murder. It’ll turn you on your head in an instant, butBilly Bat’s twists and turnsare deserving of an anime adaptation at some point.
5The Climber
MyAnimeList Score: 8.81
As a manga reader, I always look for stories where I can find myself in a character, andThe Climbermay be one of the best cases. Buntaro Mori is a high school student who copes with his loneliness by joining the climbing team, a group of students who go out on adventures and climb mountains. There, he discovers his passion and adventurous side and eventually becomes a professional climber.
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So, why is a story about a young man climbing mountains so captivating?The Climberfollows Mori on each climb, observing his coming-of-age and dealing with subjects such as depression, abandonment, and self-worth, all while he prepares to climb the most difficult mountain, known as K2. The climbing part almost takes a backseat to Mori’s character building, which I am positive would translate beautifully in an anime adaptation.
420th Century Boys
MyAnimeList Score: 8.94
As a fan of mystery andsci-fi tales, 20th Century Boys — and its short but sweet follow-up, 21st Century Boys — is one that instantly caught my eye. Following the story of a group of young boys who create their hideout, they create a symbol to memorialize their friendship and write a book called “Book of Prophecy”, which contains stories of how they saved the world from corruption and evil.
Fast-forward to the present day and the lives of Kenji and his friends mysteriously begin to feel a lot like the stories in the book they wrote. After one of the boys from the friend group is presumed dead, a mysterious character only known as Friend appears, with his face concealed by the logo the boys created. IfNaoki Urasawa’s previous work can get an anime adaptation, so too should this one.
MyAnimeList Score: 8.95
As the only entry on this list with a manga that is still rolling out new chapters,Realcould be one of those tales that gets an anime adaptation shortly after its conclusion. With the success ofsports-based anime likeBlue Lock, it may only be a matter of time before more stories dealing with team-based sports get the opportunity on the big screen.Realis one of those examples, and for good reason.
Explore the story of a trio of characters, Nomiya, Togawa, and Takahashi, and their struggle in a world with disability. Nomiya is the caretaker for a woman left in a wheelchair after a car accident, while Togawa and Takahashi are to deal with life in a wheelchair themselves, following individual accidents. Life isn’t all bad, as they learn to adapt to their new lives while discovering a newfound love in wheelchair basketball.
2Oyasumi Punpun
MyAnimeList Score: 8.99
Of all the manga stories on this list,Oyasumi Punpunis by far the most bizarre and unique of them all. It takes onthe story of Punpun Onoderaand his struggles with life while dealing with his relationships with his friends and family. All the while, the art style gives a contrasting look to subjects like loneliness and depression while using imagery like bird heads to lighten the burden on the reader.
To make matters even more weird, Punpun seeks answers from God, who is portrayed as a photorealistic human head that tells him to do bad things. I can only imagine what this would look like in anime form, as the imagery can be uncanny at times and downright frightening at others. If you’re a fan of the eerie, you can findOsayumi Punpun, and its 147 chapters, online.
MyAnimeList Score: 9.27
The number one spot belongs toVagabond, a story that spans almost 17 years and covers 37 volumes and 327 chapters. It’s quite a read but is ultimately worth every second dedicated to the story. WhileVagabondoriginates from a novelby Eiji Yoshikawa, Takehiko Inoue brings it to life in manga form and does the story justice.
The art is beautiful, and the action is constant and magnificent to follow. The famous samurai Miyamoto Musashi’s life story is on full display, as he engages in numerous battles during his voyages around Japan. Unfortunately,Vagabondhas remained on permanent hiatus since 2015, which means that while the story hasn’t received a new chapter in a decade, it remains incomplete. Hopefully, one day, we get the conclusion of the story and a follow-up in anime form.
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