While there are some great anime adaptations of manga, some of the medium’s best manga aren’t anime at all. Many popular anime adaptations are shounen series that focus on the action-adventure genre with its dynamic power-ups and top-notch battles. Therefore, there is still a lot of room for anime adaptations of manga of different genres such as seinen or shojo.
While it can often be difficult to really capture the atmosphere of some works, here are some of the best manga to date without an anime adaptation released or currently in production:
5. Billy Bat
Written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa, Billy Bat is a mystery manga that tells the story of Kevin Yamagata, a Japanese-American manga artist who created a character named Billy Bat. Yamagata later discovered that he may have accidentally plagiarized an existing character from Japan when he heard rumors about a character that looked exactly like him. This leads Yamagata back to Japan, where he hopes to meet the creator of the original image that Billy Bat is based on, but instead, he encounters a dark conspiracy that sends him shivering to death. the end. Yamagata is drawn into a tangled web of intrigue, death and money as he tries to find out the truth behind Billy Bat’s birth and what that means for his own work. . This story is an excellent horror film and fully deserves its own manga adaptation, leaning towards a bold and humorous noir style.
4. Goodnight Punpun
Written and illustrated by Inio Asano, Goodnight Punpun is a coming-of-age manga that tells the story of a boy named Punpun as he overcomes the trials and tribulations of growing up. The manga is filled with surreal visuals, extremely dark humor, and touching moments that explore the complexities of human relationships and the struggle to find meaning and one’s place. people in the world when they reach adulthood. Punpun has been praised for its unique art style, relatable characters, and realistic depiction of the human condition. Although it has yet to get an anime adaptation, the manga has garnered a near-cult following, and is sure to be a hit in the modern era.
Punpun’s absurdist humor combined with incredibly raw emotions allows for a completely unique form of storytelling, perhaps matched only by the writing style of Chainsaw Man mangaka, Tatsuki Fujimoto. However, Asano’s writing style is not to be taken lightly, as the series revolves around themes of religion, sex, death, and depression without affecting even the slightest element of absurdity.
3. 20th Century Boys
Another excellent manga series written and illustrated by Nokia Urasawa, 20th Century Boys is a mystery thriller that takes place in the 90s and early 2000s. It tells the story of a group of friends trying attempt to prevent the destruction of the world by a cult they believe they may have inadvertently created as children. The main character, Kenji, and his group of now-adult childhood friends must find their way through a disturbing cult that seems to be directly related to their childhood memories.
20th Century Boys manages to tap into childhood nostalgia while also being filled with mystery, suspense, and poignant social commentary. This series is considered to be one of the best manga of all time undisputed. The series has won numerous awards and is praised for its intricate plot, insightful characters, and thought-provoking themes that include questions of religion, honor, and friendship. With Urasawa’s Astro Boy adaptation, Pluto, set to get an anime adaptation, hopes remain high for this upmarket manga to receive the proper treatment it deserves.
2. Vagabond
Written by Takehiko Inoue, creator of Slam Dunk, Vagabond is a historical manga series set in feudal Japan. It tells the story of Musashi Miyamoto, a legendary samurai who is considered by many to be the greatest swordsman of all time and one of the most influential figures in Japanese history. The manga is based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s novel Musashi, and it’s a beautifully detailed portrait of life in Japan in the late 1600s. Vagabond is truly an unforgettable story, as it deals with themes of people, desires and inner conflicts while weaving the story of the man who became ‘The Underworld’. Wandering does not shy away from brutal violence but also does not immerse in the blood and blood of samurai life. Instead, the story of Musashi is a story about facing life and death, depicting a wandering young man’s journey towards enlightenment. Outside of its storytelling, Vagabond is a beautifully illustrated work of art and fully possesses the cinematic qualities needed to make a worthwhile animated film adaptation.
1. Fire Punch
Fire Punch by Tatsuki Fujimoto is an engaging and intense manga that has won the hearts of many readers thanks to its unique blend of dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic world-building, and outright absurdism undaunted, acting as a conduit for originality and at times even unpleasant emotions. Fujimoto, best known for Chainsaw Man, started publishing Fire Punch in 2016, and he was clearly given full creative control.
Fire Punch follows the journey of a boy named Agni, endowed with the power to regenerate, as he wanders through a snowy hellish region while being forever burned alive. The series is one of the darkest shounen manga ever, but not without good reason, as the story essentially acts as an extended metaphor for living with evidence. depression. While the story may seem winding at times, the full weight of the story can only be understood when looking back and really putting some heart into it. The supporting characters are memorable and endearing, and Agni himself is an incredibly quirky person, all of which fits Fujimoto’s writing style. This story deserves an anime adaptation because it is really touching at times and serves as a reminder of the strength one must have to shoulder the burden of living simply.
In the end, each of these series deserves an anime adaptation because of their high quality and captivating world. These five manga series feature some of the most interesting and nuanced characters out there, and an anime adaptation will allow a wider audience to experience and understand them. Even if these best manga never get an official anime adaptation, they are all special in their own right and are worth checking out.