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There are anime that go on and on for eternity, never to end, like One Piece and Naruto. But there are also anime that don’t get as many episodes as they deserve. They end when there’s clearly more story to be told or end well before the manga they are based on. Either way, fans are left hanging and wanting more, but never see their beloved stories wrap up in full color and motion.
Let’s take a look at a few anime that could use some more seasons. Be sure to talk about anime you’d like to see more of in the comments and discuss any of your personal favorites that didn’t make the list!
#1- The Yona of the Dawn Anime
Yona of the Dawn is a compelling story of a princess fighting tooth and nail to survive after a violent takeover of her throne, accompanied by a group of dragon-dudes. It has everything- action, romance, drama, intense character development, a dynamic lead- but for whatever reason it doesn’t seem to have done well enough to get a second season, leaving the exciting quest hanging.
The Yona of the Dawn manga is currently over 120 chapters and still going, and the anime only covered the first 41. There’s still a ton of great arcs for the show to cover before it even gets close to catching up with the manga. Sadly, the possibility of a full continuation seems to have been dashed with the announcement that a standalone animated bonus special covering one of the dragon-dude’s backstories is going to be released since it’s the only way the story would ever get animated.
The only sliver of hope there is for all the other arcs getting animated is this special selling well enough they decide to do more. Though a sudden spike in sales from audiences overseas could also do it, so on that note, I definitely encourage everyone to check out the anime. It’s really a great adventure and it deserves another season and you can find it on Crunchyroll and Funimation’s website.
#2- The Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Anime
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is a beautifully animated epic about a bodyguard named Balsa protecting her charge- a young prince possessed by a strange spirit. The first season seems like a pretty complete story, but the anime is actually based off a series of light novels by Nahoko Uehashi. There’s about nine of them. The second light novel, dealing with Balsa’s past, is a tense and fantastic tale that could make a great second season for the anime. But since it’s been years since the first season, it seems unlikely that will ever happen. It is some consolation that there is a live action series coming out that aims to adapt the novels.
#3- The Twelve Kingdoms Anime
The Twelve Kingdoms is one of my favorite fantasy stories ever, thanks to it’s great character development and stunning worldbuilding. It shows a meek, submissive girl named Youko get transported to a strange alternate world and get put through the wringer as a result, embroiled in demon fighting, intense political struggles and magical shenanigans.
As cool as the story is, both the anime and the novels it was based on are tragically unfinished. The anime adapted most of The Twelve Kingdoms novels, but the last one was never animated. This is a bit understandable, however, since the last novel ends on a cliffhanger and there is yet to be a followup novel, even 15 years later. Some short stories were released three years ago, however, and the novels have been newly reprinted, so the author is still alive and she hasn’t completely abandoned the universe.
So I guess this is my desperate plea is for Fuyumi Ono to give the series a proper conclusion and for Studio Pierrot to animate that conclusion afterwards. A story this rich shouldn’t remain unfinished.
#4- The Baccano Anime
Baccano! is an exciting mystery-slash-drama-slash-fantasy anime set in New York during the roaring 20s with a huge cast of characters. It’s a wild ride that’s a whole lot of fun, and the sixteen episodes we got were great. However, there’s a whole lot more story to be told. The anime was based on a light novel series and there are currently 21 of them, giving us a lot more information and adventures with this wacky cast of characters. There could definitely be several more seasons of the anime adapting these.
But for now, fans will simply have to look forward to the English translations of the novels Yen Press is supposed to be rolling out this year.
#5- The Little Witch Academia Specials
Little Witch Academia is the charming, nicely animated tale of girls attending a witch academy. Thus far the series has gotten a short special and a movie, but I think it deserves to be continues as a full anime series.
The fact that the movie was produced at all shows how much fans love this story- when a kickstarter was released for the movie, the project met its goal within five hours. That sort of enthusiastic reception deserves a full anime as a reward.
#6- The Moretsu Pirates Anime
The Bodacious Space Pirates anime was pure fun, ridiculous sci-fi adventures starring kickass ladies. The first season definitely ended on the impression there was more stories to be told and there was a movie follow up, Abyss of Hyperspace. Considering the light novel series the anime is based on is currently twelve novels and still going, I really doubt all those stories were covered by the anime and movie. So bring on another season!
#7- The Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Story
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind is an incredible story of a girl who aims to save some giant insects from a warlike kingdom. It’s a near-perfect stand-alone animated movie that ends on a great note. Many people would say it doesn’t need a continuation at all, but many people are not aware there’s a Nausicaa manga written by Miyazaki himself. The Nausicaa manga goes way past the point where the movie ended and the story it presents is full of darkness and moral ambiguity compared to the movie- it also explores a lot of the supporting characters in a more in-depth way and shows Nausicaa herself making some pretty brutal decisions.
I’d love to see an animated series adapting the rest of the manga, or even a reboot. However, it would feel really weird if it wasn’t animated by Miyazaki himself, and considering he’s had years to do such a thing and hasn’t, odds are he’s not interested. Still, a girl can dream, even if it’s vain.
#8- The Shirobako anime
Shirobako is an anime about…making anime. It follows a bunch of (mainly female) animators and other workers in a struggling animation studio as they struggle to pull off their latest moe magical idol anime and what not. The show gave anime fans a lot of insight into how their favorite anime gets made and the struggles animators’ face- while featuring a cast of likeable characters, lots of humor, endless references to great fantasy anime and lots of ridiculous dramatic scenarios.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like a second season isn’t planned any time soon as the director is swamped with other anime. Too bad, but at least the characters of Shirobako are well used to the pain of their anime not being renewed.
#9- The Story of Saiunkoku Anime
The Story of Saiunkoku centers around a girl named Shurei in a fantasy world based off Imperial China. Shurei aims to take the imperial examinations and become a governor, despite the fact the post is forbidden to women. The story has high action, drama, a rich world and lots of romance as well.
Unfortunately, the anime ended at a point before the conclusion of the light novels it was based on, leaving the story hanging. The light novels have ended now, so it would be good to get a proper conclusion!
