Manga that Needs the Anime Make Over!!!!

Hey everyone! So while I did say I was gonna do a review on The Dreaming today, I'm still working on it. So instead I decided to make a list of manga that should and deserve an anime. It really confuses me how some manga haven't received the anime treatment. After all, anime studios keep making silly or stupid anime series that only last 10 episodes with no plot or character development. Yet there's a manga with amazing art, plot, and characters and so far no attempt at an anime. Case in point: Parasyte. In the 80's Parasyte came out and it was an interesting horror manga about aliens. Yet it was only in 2014 that we finally got an anime. By then some of the 80's fashion and technology had to be updated. So while it took a while for horror fans to get a Parasyte anime, the following manga I'm gonna list still hasn't got the anime make-over. Let's get to it.

15.) Magical Girl Apocalypse by Kentaro Sato

• So I haven't finished this manga. And chances are I won't. This manga actually started pretty damn cool. The idea that magical girls from another dimension come to our world and start killing people in a zombie-like apocalypse is extremely creative. There are zombies and they are also dressed as magical girls. You have survivors trying to find answers and plenty of gore. In fact lots of gore. The magical girls only say the word "magical". They come in different designs and again lots of gore. The reason why I'm not gonna continue reading it cuz the story gets confusing later on. Like after a very climatically event that looks like the ending, the story continues with a confusing plot about witches, genetics, and the future. However, I actually do want it animated cuz maybe as an anime if done right, it could do a better job of explaining the plot. I do want to see cute magical girls commit horrifying murders.

14.) Jack Frost by Jin Ho Ko

• Jack Frost is a Korean manga or "manhwa", yet I truly believe it deserves an anime adaptation. Basically, it's about a war between all kinds of monsters. Creatures like vampires, zombies, and other monsters. A girl who doesn't realize she's dead becomes part of the insane war as she has this strange immortal power. She has to join forces with an equally enigmatic student called Jack Frost who is quite powerful. There are plenty of intense scenes such as the girl keeps getting her head chopped off, but since she's immortal she gets healed over and over. I'm still reading the manhwa and so far it's really good. There's so much good action going on and good bloody moments. It's like someone took those old monster fight movies and combined them with martial arts movies and just added a school setting. The manga may have received mixed reviews but if you get a really good anime studio and a competent director, you could get an amazing anime out it this.

13.) Otomen by Aya Kanno

• Ok, so there is a live-action series based on this manga but still no anime. Strange. Anyways, unlike the previous entries so far on this list, this manga is a romantic comedy. So it's about this teenage boy who is trying to have this macho appearance in school. He's good at sports, has a serious attitude, and knows how to fight. Yet deep down he loves cute girly home economics. So he loves to knit, bake, sew ribbons and dresses, and plush animals. His favorite colors are pinks, yellows, and other light colors. Only two people find out his true personality and that is this one guy and a girl. The teenage boy gets involved with a girl who is more manly than him. This manga does an interesting snarky comment on gender stereotypes and how gender cliches should not be taken seriously. The whole manga is about gender equality as well as breaking stereotypes. A series that has good comedy and isn't just about romance. While there is romance, you can tell romance isn't the focal point of the story. It's more of a bonus. An anime adaptation is needed!

12.) Vampire Game by JUDAL

• This is a series I remember very well since I read it in high school. During the vampire craze that the (stupid) Twilight books created, there was plenty of good vampire anime. So I'm confused about how this manga got overlooked since, at the time, everyone wanted more vampire shows. The manga is about a princess living in a fantasy medieval land. Humans have been at wars with monsters yet the main threat the princess has to fear is family members who want to kill her so they can take the throne. Meanwhile, it turns out the Princesse's family are the descendants of the hero who killed the powerful vampire king. Vampire King Duzell is reborn as a wildcat who is given as a pet to the princess. She eventually finds out the wild cat's true nature as Duzell can transform himself into a male version of the princess. The two forge a friendship and Duzell helps Ishtar, the princess, figure out who's friendly and who's an enemy. It's not your traditional vampire series, but it's a fun fantasy adventure between a girl and a reincarnated vampire. The artwork is decent and the story is filled with betrayal and amazing plot twists. Not a lot of blood is seen, but just because it isn't bloody doesn't mean it shouldn't get a horror anime makeover.

11.) +Anima by Natsumi Mukai

• Another series I read back in high school and again I'm surprised that there's no anime adaptation. For god's sake, it's a story about animal-human hybrids. You have a boy with raven wings, a girl with bat ears and wings, and a boy with a fish tale, for god's sake think of the amazing cosplay that could come with a successful anime. The story is about a world where these hybrids have to co-inhabit with normal humans. A group of hybrids come together and journey from town to town. They face prejudices from humans, danger from angry insane hybrids, and past crimes they have committed. If you really love the X-Men series, then hell you would love this manga. The art is cute and vibrant while the different human-animal hybrid designs are creative. Again imagine the fanart that will come with a successful anime? I think the manga lasted about 10 volumes, enough for, 20 episodes maybe? Come on! This is a far better story than that Monster Girls anime! Fewer boob shots too! D:

10.) Kami Kaze by Satoshi Shiki

• Kami Kaze is a mystical manga about elemental knights, fighting evil beasts, and people with amazing and horrific powers. I'm actually surprised that Champ didn't make this manga. It really sounds like a typical magic champ story. The two main characters must defeat a group of powerful warriors and as it turns out these warriors want to unleash monsters into the world. You have the main girl Mikogami who at the beginning of the story finds out she has water powers. Then you got Ishigami who is the earth warrior and vows to protect Mikogami. The art is pretty interesting and handsome in detail. There are intense moments like when the villains attack Mikogami's high school and many kids get killed in graphic ways. Just to let you know, if this manga does get an anime adaptation, it must be an R rating since there is plenty of nudity. Really an anime about warriors and monsters, it's a no-brainer!!

9.) The Legend of Chun Hyang by Clamp

• Ok, so this is only a one-shot manga. It's not a series. But holy cow it should be. The story is about a girl named Chun Hyang who is the daughter of a famed medicine woman. She is a lively girl who is not afraid of fighting for the poor and she is very honest. Chun lives in a town who are suppressed and cruelly treated by its warlord. After her mother is kidnapped and dies thanks to the warlord, Chun joins Mong Ryong who is a government supervisor, and they roam the country stopping more terrible warlords from terrorizing their people. The manga only contains three stories of Chun and Mong's adventures. Which is why it should have been a series. If not a movie then an anime. The artwork, being Clamp, is gorgeous! The character designs are truly good. The first story where Chun's mother dies made me cry. The Clamp women really know how to capture powerful emotions. And since this is based on Korean folklore and legends, it's very refreshing to see and learn all this Korean culture. I really think this manga should get its own anime. If not a full series then please a movie adaption of the manga!

8.) Franken Fran by Katsuhisa Kigitsu

• Let's get back to the horror and gory stuff with Franken Fran! A wonderful horror comedy that has creepy images and story elements. To be fair, the art never goes too far in intense imagery. Yeah sure you get blood, body parts, and strange mutations but somehow it never reaches extremes like Junji Itou would have. The story is about a girl scientist (named Fran) who is the successor to an infamous mad scientist. Many times Fran is called to do surgery or crazy experiments where she's promised to get paid. Plenty of times she is used by horrible people who are looking for physical power or eternal youth. Fran has a no-nonsense attitude and always figures people understand the consequences of their requests from her. The manga really does have this karma-like "you get what you deserve" tone. Many victims of Fran's experiments usually brought their own misery. If anything Fran is only providing a service. Reading stories like The Monkey's Paw would give you a better sense of Franken Fran. Again while it is considered a horror manga there's still plenty of funny comedy that Fran and her weird monster friends provide. An anime adaptation, hopefully, should be in the future!

7.) Hellstar Remina by Itou Junji

• Yah another horror manga! Ok, this will be the second last creepy horror manga I'll put on my list. This manga is from the legendary horror mangaka Junji Itou. Ok, I'm so surprised that there is this amazing manga artist who could draw some of the freakiest, creepiest, downright disturbing manga series ever, and so far only one manga gets the anime treatment (FYI that manga was Gyo). While I'm suggesting Hellstar Remina, hell, in my opinion, every manga of Junji Itou should be an anime. Uzumaki, Black Paradox, Tomie, Mimi's Horror Stories, and the Museum of Terror anthology. It truly boggles my mind how none of these have become anime yet. Did Junji Itou just refuse to have his manga turned into anime? I'm not sure. Ok so back to Hellstar Remina. It's an acid trip of what if the earth was gonna be destroyed and how would everyone confront their own damnation. And a lot of people choose to use a girl as a scapegoat. Yes because of a certain naming of the evil star, one girl is tortured beyond belief by crazed people. You truly see the dark side of people as there is plenty of backstabbing and cringe-worthy betrayal. The horror imagery heightens up with people's heads melting. The ending is unbelievable, to be honest. I would love to see all this imagery turn into mind-splitting animation!

6.) Juvenile Orion: Aquarian Age by Sakurako Gokurakuin

• So this 5 volume book series didn't start out as a manga. Yeah, it started out as a trading card game known as Aquarian Age. I guess the card game got popular enough to receive its manga but not popular enough to get an anime. Life is tough. This is a fantasy series when a girl named Mana who returns to her hometown after years of absence, she knows things have changed, especially with her childhood friend Kaname. He becomes a recluse to her and soon she finds other people are drawing close to her. She finds out that Kaname and a few classmates from school are fated to become warriors with magic powers, and they must fight other warriors in an ancient battle called Aquarian Age. And as it always turns out, Mana has a bigger role in the war than she realizes. It kinda does remind me of Kami Kaze with the whole people with powers trope and I actually do prefer more of Kami Kaze but Juvenile Orion does a better job of keeping the magical stuff a secret. Like in Kami Kaze, the main girl finds out right away about what's happening. In JO, it takes a while for Mana to find out and come to terms with the whole war scenario. Also, there's this one chick who's obsessed with Mana and her reasons are well ever stranger. It's a cute more dialogue-driven fantasy that I think could benefit from an anime adaptation.

5.) Codename Sailor V by Naoko Takeuchi

• ...I consider myself to be a very reasonable person. I understand that not all things that made it in print can't be adapted on TV. In fact, I find that very logical. BUT NOT TODAY! Not when the sequel to this manga didn't just get one anime adaptation but two! I'm talking about Sailor Moon! Now Sailor Moon is my all-time favorite show. I love the manga and the anime equally. The new rebooted crystal version is also pulling me in. And Sailor Moon is successful. EXTREMELY successful. With movies, live-action shows, musicals, and more merchandise that even the Teenage Ninja Turtles would be jealous of! So with this new reboot and large fan base, you would think that Takeuchi's prequel: Codename Sailor V would have instantly gotten an anime to greenlight. Nope, so far no! WHHHHYYYY?????? It's a no-brainer Toei! When you have a mega-hit like Sailor Moon, anything connected to Sailor Moon will make you money! Is everyone at Toei Animations high from doing too much meth?!!! The prequel follows Minako Aino and her becoming Sailor V. In this manga, she's fighting evil alone and still tries to get a boyfriend. The story shows the origins of Minako's and Artemis's friendship and we get plenty of Sailor Moon easter eggs throughout the manga. You truly see how Minako gets her badass persona as Sailor V. There's even a sad love story Minako has to face. If you're a huge Sailor Venus fan then you have been asking for this anime make-over for so long and I'm truly sorry for you. There may be only two volumes but there are plenty of stories to give us a decent anime. Come on Toei! this is easy money! Cash in your pocket!!!! URGH! Moving on!!!. 

4.) Bizenghast by M. Alice Legrow/The Dreaming by Queenie Chan

• Ok ok...I'm good, I'm good. Just had a mini-rant attack. (douchebag Toei) ANYWAYS let's move on to Number four on my list! We're almost at the final three. Ok so this is the last creepy manga, I swear! I'm actually gonna do a review of this manga later. It's an American manga published by the late Tokyopop Publications. If you want to hear more about Tokyopop and its American mangas go read my review of the manga Bizenghast. Because I'm gonna do a review on The Dreaming, later on, I'll make this reasonably brief. It's a good scary manga that has an interesting plot and a somewhat disappointing ending. The manga had a great build-up and created an amazing atmosphere. It's only 3 volumes but it hooks you right away. I really hope and wish there will be an anime based on this manga. Whether from a Japanese animation studio or an American animation studio, this manga truly deserves an anime, read my future review to understand why.
• I already did a review on Bizenghast and you can check it out on my blog. Because of this, I'm gonna keep this brief. Bizenghast is about a girl living in a broken-down town with a dark secret. There is good character development and depending on the reader, the ending could be either seen as creative or lazy. The art style is unique as my review shows this manga was made by an American mangaka. I really do want to see this manga turn into an anime. Again, like I said in the Dreaming summary, I really don't mind if it's an American or Japanese studio that does the animation. If it's done by a Japanese studio, I really hope the studio who did the Hellgirl anime gets to do Bizenghast.

3.) Godchild by Kaori Yuki

• Godchild is more of a suspenseful crime drama but it does have haunting gothic creepy art. Kaori Yuki is known for making gorgeous character designs and making fantasy manga like Angel Sanctuary. It's actually a sequel to Kaori's "The Cain Saga" and it follows an Earl named Cain who is cursed to be the black sheep of his family. This is because his father raped his mother and the two were siblings. Throughout the Cain Saga, Cain encounters the darker side of Victorian London and ever darker people with deadly secrets. In GodChild, only the early volumes follow the same story structure as the Cain Saga, however, later volumes begin a more consistent story of Cain facing his estranged and disturbed father and later Cain finds out his father is part of a larger cult determined to bring chaos to Victorian London. Cain's only companion is his butler and there's ever more secrets about his family. Both Yuki's Cain Saga and Godchild should get the anime treatment. And again I need to know why? You got an amazing character design, hello Lolita cosplay going on with Cain's sister! In my opinion, this manga series is far BETTER than Black Butler! That's right I said it! It has a stronger story, more despicable villains and the ending is not as cryptic as Black Butler. Victorian London is eery and has this atmosphere of doom and Cain is badass, a combination of Holmes and Batman, without the mask but Cain does have a cape! And a badass butler! With Japan having a love for Victorian England you would think this series got the anime to greenlight long ago, and just to let you know, I read (and finished!) this manga back in high school (2007) and there's STILL no anime adaptation yet....seriously what the hell?

2.) The Hating Girl by Rokunishi Koji

• If you ever read this manga you're probably wondering why I have this manga so high on the list? Koji's art isn't exactly polished. In fact, most of the characters look more like caricatures and while the background art is good, the overall tone is very simple. So the art isn't a masterpiece, how about the story? In my opinion, this is the best example of what a friendship story should be. Both characters learn to be friends by first going through periods of understanding trust, respect, and admiration for each other. Never have I seen a story where the relationship between a boy and girl is about absolute determination to make a friendship work first. In fact, if there was ever meant to be a romantic relationship between them that was put sooo in the back seat of thought. The story's main obstacle is actually strange but simple. A boy enters a new high school and finds that the girl sitting next to him is odd. Odd as in having an arrow in her head. You read right people, she has an arrow in her head. The boy is intrigued by this girl and her anti-social behavior. This manga has some amazing and great misunderstandings of comedy too. Think of Three's Company. I found myself laughing plenty of times and I still come back to this manga to enjoy the comedy repeatedly. An anime for this manga must come. Great story and great characters. I'll definitely do a manga review soon.

Honorable Mentions:

*Doll by Mitsukazu Mihara

*Model by So Young Lee

*Mars by Fuyumi Soryo 

*Alice 19th by Yuu Watase 

And the number 1 manga that should be an anime is!!!!!!!!!.....

You know what? No, this manga deserves a whole review rather than a simple explanation. This manga is so good and has such an amazing story and characters that I need to give a detailed reason by reason why this manga should be an anime! In fact, I'm so surprised and mad that this isn't an anime, that shame on the Japanese animation studios for not seeing it so far. Trust me, it brings Naruto to shame! That's right I said it!!! So join me again for my next manga review! I'm out!