Manga Series That Need to be Anime

With all of the anime in circulation these days, it seems like just about every manga (Japanese comic book) is getting its own series. On the contrary, manga enthusiasts are well aware that there are still plenty of stories that have yet to make the jump from the bookshelf to the animation studio.

Reading through the black and white panels of word bubbles and the artwork is one thing, but it’s a whole other story getting to actually hear the voices of your favorite characters and watch a catchy opening sequence to kick off each episode.

In the spirit of wishful thinking, here is a handful of manga that is just begging for their own anime.

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Shinobi Life

Shinobi Life is a page-turning drama where nothing is left to chance. A doorway between timelines leaves a centuries-old ninja unexpectedly clashing with a present-day 17-year-old girl. While one of them lives a life of honor and loyalty, the other is a hard-headed pessimist who seeks out death.

The notion of time traveling sounds alluring enough to warrant its own anime, but it’s really just the catalyst behind the intricate relationship of two people stretching the limits of fate. Running on hope alone, they must search within themselves to overcome the impossibility that surrounds their happy ending.

A tale of forbidden love that is literally challenged by the test of time, this romantic comedy is begging to be animated.

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Clockwork Planet

Set in the distant future, Clockwork Planet has the kind of ultramodern twist that screams anime.

A thousand years after the earth has died, the planet is now a system of gears and motors that face the danger of decaying. Originally a light novel by authors Himana Tsubaki and Kamiya Yuu, the story sees an unlikely team of terrorist heroes infiltrate the deepest parts of their political system to wash out corruption. Newly assembled, their first order of business is stopping a city-wide purge that threatens to wipe out 20 million civilians.

This fantasy manga comes with all the materials needed to produce a character-driven anime, featuring a half-mechanized ex-soldier, a genius clockmaker, an expertly crafted automaton, and a mechanical-savvy student with extraordinary hearing. What an interesting combination of characters!

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Doubt

Not for the fainthearted, this horror manga sees six teenagers have a faceoff with death. What starts out as an innocent cell phone game of Rabbit Doubt turns into a living nightmare, as a group of players are trapped inside a psychiatric hospital and must win the game in order to survive.

This psychological thriller would be great as an anime and the concept has already proven to attract plenty of interest, sparking the live action adaption of the follow-up series Judge in 2013.

It’s never too late to get back to where the magic began and create a much-needed anime series for the manga that started it all.

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Namaikizakari

Why depend on someone else when you can handle it yourself? Such is the attitude of high school basketball manager Machida Yuki.

No damsel in distress, her hard exterior draws the interest of freshman basketball star Naruse Shou, whose smug persona rubs Machida in all the wrong ways. Much to her dismay, keeping a level head around the cheeky freshman proves to be impossible.

Straying away from the usual doe-eyed innocence of typical teenage romances, Namaikizakari. would fit right in with the likes of anime series like My Little Monster and Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama!.

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Amazing_Agent Luna

Luna is the kind of all-ages heroine who is easily marketable. Far from average, she is a secret agent who was grown in a lab for government purposes. As a weapon of espionage, she struggles to balance her gentle nature and duties as a superspy, wanting to remain loyal to both her friends and her agency.

If it weren’t for the fact that this was an original English-language (OEL) series, it would be surprising that this little assassin hasn’t already gotten her own anime. Unfortunately, OEL manga is rarely given due credit and have yet to make a dent in the anime industry. Hopefully, a series like Amazing-Agent Luna could possibly change all of that.