There are many anime out there that were ended too soon for numerous reasons. Whether the studio that created the anime and the creators of the manga wanted to take the series in a different direction and couldn’t agree, or through other reasons like lack of viewership, oftentimes an anime will be shelved early.
However, dedicated fans of a particular series might know that the anime’s story is picked up in future manga, whether by a direct continuation of the story or via spinoffs. Fans that are more casual may not know of these sequels to these series, as they were only created via manga, and not anime. Yet, for fans of their respective series, they’re worth picking up.
7 Blue Spring Ride
Blue Spring Ride is an anime in the romance genre, centered on Futaba Yoshioka, who had fallen in love with her classmate Kou Tanaka. Though she once tried to confess her feelings to him, he disappeared soon after and left her friendless. A few years later, though, he reappears, now known by the name Kou Mabuchi.
For fans of the manga, it was a disappointment to see that the anime only covered the first fifteen chapters of the series. For a completion of the first arc – and to see the rest of the story – viewers will have to turn towards the manga.
6 Fruits Basket
A popular slice-of-life and reverse harem anime, Fruits Basket follows Tohru Honda, who moves in with her grandfather after losing her mother. Soon enough, she ends up meeting three handsome men who have a particular curse upon them. This curse states that, upon being hugged by a person of the opposite gender, they will transform into an animal of the Chinese zodiac.
The anime had a different ending from the manga, and was constantly bordering on cancellation. However, not only did it get a real ending in the manga, but had a spinoff manga called as Fruits Basket: Another. Some readers thought the spinoff was too similar to the original, but those eager for more content may enjoy it nonetheless.
5 Deadman Wonderland
Deadman Wonderland is a story about Ganta Igurashi, who is wrongfully blamed for the violent murder of his entire class. Ganta is taken to what had seemed like an amusement park where prisoners perform for the onlookers, known as Deadman Wonderland. But alas, this park is one of the most dangerous prisons out there.
Due to the fact that many key characters in the manga were not in the anime, Deadman Wonderland did not have a show completed. Instead, viewers looking for a continuation or sequel will have to read the manga in order to know the ending of the story.
4 Prison School
With a similar theme to Deadman Wonderland, Prison School is an anime that revolves around the premise of being trapped in a prison, and trying to survive in over-the-top scenarios. It was adapted into a one-season anime about a boy that was sent to an all-girl school’s notoriously strict prison for an entire month.
Although the anime had been beloved by quite a few viewers, Prison School has never gotten a second season, due to not having enough success. As such, fans who want to know more of the series will want to read the continuation in the manga.
3 Gantz
A very popular (if not gory and bloodthirsty) series, Gantz has seen many adaptations to different media, from anime to live-action movies. It follows the story of Kei Kurono, who was revived after his death. He is forced to participate in a deadly game of hunting aliens and otherworldly creatures if he ever wants to live a normal life again.
Although the story of Gantz has seen multiple adaptations, many viewers of the anime have not yet realized that the story is continued to its proper conclusion in the manga. The show was produced faster than the manga and caused it to have a weaker ending than the written material.
2 Rave Master
Rave Master, otherwise known as Groove Adventure Rave, is another situation where the manga went on much longer and had its arc completed. The anime was considered by many viewers to be a mediocre adaptation of the manga – the plot and characters were the same, but the anime was toned down to be for younger viewers. This caused many characters to become shadows of themselves.
Although the anime was canceled after two seasons, the manga ran on for much longer. It also got a spin-off known as Fairy Tail x Rave that watchers might want to see later on.
1 Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin, otherwise known as Samurai X, originally aired from 1994 to 1999, and followed the character Hitokiri Battosai. Battosai was an incredibly efficient assassin during Japan’s Meiji period, but he gave all of that up and disappeared once everything was over. After that, he became known as Himura Kenshi and protected the Japanese people, vowing to never kill another person again.
Although the anime was popular with many people, the show ended due to the fact that it had already caught up to the manga. As such, the ending to the anime was different from the source material, which viewers will have to read in order to get more content.
