10 Worst Anime Adaptations of a Manga

Many of the greatest anime series in history are adaptations of equally impressive manga. Long-running mega-hits like One Piece and Naruto held or continue to hold spots in the Weekly Shōnen Jump lineup, while shows like Attack on Titan or Vinland Saga ran in other established magazines well before they first appeared on screens.

When an exciting manga begins its run, readers immediately begin to prepare for the inevitable anime adaptation to follow. When that anime premieres, the manga will typically receive a major popularity boost in return.

However, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes an adaptation will come along that not only fails to give the manga a boost, but is so bad that it leaves countless fans incredibly disappointed. Underwhelming anime series appear in bunches every year, but these 10 completely failed to live up to the great manga on which they’re based.

Blue Period

Animated by Seven Arcs, Based on the Manga by Tsubasa Yamaguchi

Blue Period is one of the most underrated and underappreciated currently ongoing manga titles. In its 17 collected volumes, the series follows student Yatora Yaguchi, who struggles with his own sense of purpose, until he finds himself captivated by his classmate’s painting and decides to pursue art.

Through his final days of high school and into college, Yaguchi slowly discovers himself while finding his own artistic voice. Blue Period was adapted by studio Seven Arcs, which unfortunately failed to replicate the highly stylized and expressive art that defines the manga. The look of the anime was incredibly flat, which simply did not compliment a series about art.

Blue Period has not been renewed for a second season after its disappointing performance in 2021.

Pandora Hearts

Animated by Xebec, Based on the Manga by Jun Mochizuki

Pandora Hearts, despite being rather popular during the manga’s serialization, has faded somewhat from the collective consciousness of the global anime and manga community, and some of that has to do with its 2009 adaptation. In a tale as old as time, the anime came to an end before the manga finished, and that created issues.

Studio Xebec’s version of Pandora Hearts was forced to stray from the manga and come to its own original conclusion, a development that has haunted manga readers for as long as anime adaptations have been around.

The series gained popularity and established itself as a modern dark fantasy classic, following Oz Vessalius as he plunges into the Abyss and embarks on a journey with the mysterious Alice. Unfortunately, the anime just couldn’t deliver on the hype the manga built for itself.

Chobits

Animated by Madhouse, Based on the Manga by Clamp

In the early 2000s, Chobits was huge, and for good reason. The series was animated by the illustrious studio Madhouse, and was based on a manga series by the all-female artist collective Clamp, who made a name for themselves with 1996’s hit series, Cardcaptor Sakura. Today, however, it’s rarely discussed outside of communities of veteran anime fans.

The hype behind Chobits was warranted, and though anime-only viewers were satisfied, fans of the manga were not. The Madhouse version of the series scaled back just how seriously the manga took itself, instead focusing on fan service-driven comedy before attempting to return to a serious tone in the finale.

20-plus years on, Madhouse’s take on Chobits hasn’t aged all that gracefully, and likely would have had the studio faithfully captured the tone of the source material.

Deadman Wonderland

Animated by Manglobe, Based on the Manga by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou

Deadman Wonderland was another popular dystopian manga during the latter stages of anime’s 2000s edgy period, gaining popularity for its exploration of topics like cruelty in prison systems. In 2011, the series was adapted by studio Manglobe into a single 12-episode anime series.

Unfortunately, at the time, that 12-episode season was tasked with covering over 10 full volumes of manga, a task that proved far too great for the studio to handle. Deadman Wonderland established its world and characters, but simply did not have the runtime to resolve much of anything, eventually coming to a close while still being largely unfinished.

Hellsing

Animated by Gonzo and Digimation, Based on the Manga by Kouta Hirano

Hellsing is a manga that makes use of familiar names like Van Helsing and Alucard, but explores an alternate England in which the vampires fight on the side of humans against supernatural forces. The series is dark, violent, and endlessly entertaining, while featuring a gothic style that appealed to dark fantasy fans around the world.

However, the 2001 anime series had no intention of adapting the manga faithfully. Instead, the series went off-track with its own original narrative, which predictably left fans incredibly dissatisfied. Fortunately, the series would return in Hellsing Ultimate, which was animated by a number of high-profile studios and faithfully adapted the source material.

Soul Eater

Animated by Bones, Based on the Manga by Atsushi Ohkubo

Soul Eater was one of the defining anime and manga titles of the 2000s. Stylish, comedic, and with an unmistakable edge, the series garnered a massive following during the manga’s original run. Countless fans wanted nothing more than to see Soul Eater come to screens, but what they got wasn’t exactly what they wanted.

Somewhat ironically, studio Bones brought Soul Eater to its own anime-original ending in 2009, the same year the studio released Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, a series which came about to correct another of their own original endings. Fans were disappointed with the anime’s finale, and felt the series failed to capture the depth of the manga overall.

The Flowers of Evil

Animated by Zexcs, Based on the Manga by Shuzo Oshimi

Though he might not have the name power of someone like Junji Ito, Shuzo Oshimi has more or less been the leader of horror manga for the last number of years, releasing more than a few of the most acclaimed titles in the genre. His breakout hit, The Flowers of Evil, is a disturbing coming-of-age psychological drama that introduced the world to less fantastic, everyday horrors.

However, Oshimi is known for his supreme talent at distorting his character’s faces into uncanny, off-putting expressions. When studio Zexcs adapted the series with rotoscoped visuals, that quality was lost. The anime had a wildly different look than fans were used to or expecting, and it has since gone down as one of the most divisive anime series ever.

Tokyo Ghoul

Animated by Pierrot, Based on the Manga by Sui Ishida

When Tokyo Ghoul arrived on the scene in 2014, it didn’t take long for the anime community to dub the series as the next big thing. Sui Ishida’s manga had already garnered quite a following, and Pierrot’s take on the source material excited fans in its earliest goings. Though season one had minor hiccups, there were clear skies ahead for Tokyo Ghoul.

Unfortunately, for one reason or another, Pierrot decided to take the series completely off the rails with an entirely original second season. The Tokyo Ghoul anime arrived at a conclusion no manga reader was satisfied with, and when Tokyo Ghoul:re arrived in 2018, it built on manga-exclusive events the anime never covered, confusing fans even further.

Uzumaki

Animated by Fukaku and Akatsuki, Based on the Manga by Junji Ito

There may be no more recognizable name in manga than Junji Ito. For decades, the master of horror has traumatized readers with over-the-top, disturbing displays of body and cosmic horror that have ingrained themselves in the minds of audiences. His most popular work, Uzumaki, features the artist at the peak of his powers.

When it was announced that Uzumaki would be adapted into a wholly faithful miniseries, fans could hardly contain their excitement. However, when it finally arrived, they also couldn’t hide their disappointment. 2024’s Uzumaki was an absolute, unfinished mess, and by the time it reached its finale, it caused more laughs than it did screams.

Berserk 2016

Animated by Gemba and Millepensee, Based on the Manga by Kentaro Miura

Berserk is one of the all-time greats, and its lasting success speaks for itself. The dark yet hopeful journey of Guts has both traumatized and inspired readers for decades, and all fans ever asked for was an adaptation of the story beyond its Golden Age arc. 2016’s Berserk was exactly that, but not in the way anyone wanted.

The anime’s CGI-heavy, largely low-quality visuals did a disservice to the masterful artwork by Kentaro Miura, while strange sound design choices led to the creation of memes the anime community has yet to stop laughing at.

It seems fans will have to continue waiting for a proper Berserk anime, and after the controversy of the 2016 series, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if studios are a bit weary about the prospect of tackling the source material.