Over the years the requests for remakes and continuations of beloved anime series have grown. With new animation technologies and techniques, we are all hoping that our favorite series from the nineties and early 2000’s gets brought back with a new coat of paint. In the past, it seemed like these demands were met with very little action, however recently there’s been a change in the wind. 2022 marked a year where we got remakes and continuations for big shows and cult classics alike. Something that used to be an occasional splattering got consolidated into a whole year of new anime.
Anime has never been a stranger to remaking a series or continuing a series seemingly indefinitely. For reference look no further than “Dragonball”, “One Piece”, “Naruto”, or the many other series that have been running for over a decade. In fact, you could call it a staple for the industry just like it is for Hollywood. Yet, with the growth of seasonal schedules and streaming services it feels like we’ve been relentlessly pummeled with new one season anime that never get the time they need to mature. This is a new problem that has arisen with simulcasting.
Prior to the world of scheduled seasons, if you wanted to watch anime in the West you had to wait to see if the series would get exported at all. So, there were many series that had spinoffs, extra seasons, and movies that just wouldn’t be able to be seen widely in the West. Although these problems have been effectively phased out, it didn’t make every series easier to watch for new fans or old. Reboots have helped in bridging old fans with new and giving the authors the ability to release their projects in a better state. Most recently, we had “Fruits Basket” and “Spriggan” get the reboot treatment. Luckily times have changed, and it seems like 2022 could be a turning point in pushing more continuations and remakes for long-awaited and loved anime.
2022
“The Devil is a Part-Timer” and “Classroom of the Elite” both received their second seasons after making us wait nine years and five years, respectively. Just like several other fans, I never believed that we would get to see the continuations of these stories in anime. Both shows score above a 7.5 on MyAnimeList and are in the one-hundred fifty most popular. “The Devil is a Part-Timer’s” popularity puts it above “Overlord”, “Fate/Zero”, and “Mob Psycho 100 II” all of which have either had multiple seasons or spinoffs. What’s more, the wait time between new seasons or spinoffs were much longer for “Part-Timer” and “Classroom of the Elite” then for their less popular counterparts. “Yowamushi Pedal” also aired its fifth season, “Limit Break,” after four years. Despite cutting out some of the manga, the new season is just as entertaining as the previous ones.
The year’s continuation highlight was definitely “Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc.” After ten years in manga form, it was finally brought to life on screen on October 10th. The first few episodes of the “Bleach” continuation brought death and destruction to Soul Society with the arrival of the soul reaper’s longtime enemy, the Quincies. The animation is crisp compared to where it left off in 2014, and each episode ends with a cliffhanger, which left the audience impatiently waiting for the following week. Epic battles, such as the one between Captain Yamamoto and Yhwach, leave chills down spines with their slightly disturbing graphics. Despite the Disney acquisition, in which fans feared the show would be censored due to its family-friendly branding, the anime is as bloody and tragic as reflected in the manga.
“Tokyo Mew Mew” had a new adaptation for the manga’s 20th anniversary. The five main characters formed an idol group, Smewthie, in 2021 that gives off a classical J-pop vibe. The new animation gives off the same magical girl component as the original show, the only difference being the crystal-clear display and voice cast. The drastic change in animation quality and/or familiar voice casting for the anime will draw in new fans of the series while simultaneously entertaining the older ones. As long as the show sticks to its roots, whether from the manga or light novel, it’s more likely to be well-received compared to those who don’t. Although some series stray from the written form, the bond between character and audience is difficult to break.
“The Prince of Tennis”, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021, debuted an addition to the series with “The New Prince of Tennis U-17 World Cup”. While the story lacked a bit, it was refreshing and comforting for fans to see their favorite athletes animated after ten years. After 27 years of the end of the original anime series, “Slam Dunk” received a new anime film, “The First Slam Dunk”, that aired at the beginning of December. While the movie hasn’t made its way over to the US, the audience can expect unique and dramatic CG film featuring a new voicing cast starring Subaru Kimura (Todo, “Jujutsu Kaisen”, and Tendo, “Haikyu!”), Kenta Miyake (All Might, “My Hero Academia”), and Maaya Sakamoto (Haruhi, “Ouran High School Host Club”).
Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of “Hunter X Hunter”, even joined in on the host of new continuations by posting on his new Twitter account that the anticipated series will continue after a nearly four-year hiatus. Voice actresses Mariya Ise and Megumi Han, as well as other eager fans, expressed joy at the return on Twitter in May. This news brought out rumors and discussions on the return of the anime even though none were confirmed. All this news of returning anime and manga had the community in a frenzy eager to hear what cherished series would be brought back from the grave next.
2023
Throughout 2022, we learned of even more planned remakes and continuations that were in the works for the next year. “Rurouni Kenshin”, written by Nobuhiro Watsuki, is receiving a remake of the 1996 series. Watsuki was charged with possession of child pornography in 2017 but only received a fine of 200,000 yen (currently approximately $1,500). Despite its iconic status as a show, “Rurouni Kenshin” fans and new anime watchers will have to make the difficult decision to support or not support the new adaptation. So far, the new voice cast consists of Soma Saito as Himura Kenshin and Rie Takahashi as Kamiya Kaoru.
Studio Orange let us know that they will be doing a reboot for “Trigun” dubbed “Trigun Stampede” in the Winter 2023 season. This remake looks like it will be an entirely new spin on our space outlaw with some more sci-fi powers and a whole new 3DCG world. Producers for the anime, Kiyotaka Waki and PR Yoshihiro shared in an interview with Honey’s Anime, that “Trigun Stampede” has been their most difficult anime to make yet. They’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the manga and modernized a lot of the designs for the characters. “Trigun Stampede” is shaping up to be a whole new experience that should bridge fans of the original and new fans of the reboot.
2022 showed us that the remake and/or continuation that you’re hoping for just might still happen. Unlike past years we got more diverse anime being brought back for second seasons and whole new reinventions that could bode well for the community. 2023 looks to be following the trend with new reboots, remakes, and long-awaited continuations being announced by the week. Hopefully, next time an anime gets a new season we won’t have to wait almost a decade for it.
