Someanimeclassics were genre-defining and set new standards for the industry. However, many of them were also underwhelming and deviated from the source material greatly. A few had good direction and excellent fillers, but they didn’t give the same satisfaction you get from the manga.
A lot of reboots improved characterization and pacing for many shows. The showdowns that were previously unseen in animated form were also brought to fruition. Some remakes like Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fruits Basket, and Dororo became even more popular with their modern adaptations.
10Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Full Metal Alchemist may not have been entirely faithful to the manga, but it was not a bad adaptation. It’s enjoyable, especially if you prefer classic direction that takes its time developing characters and themes. It also had a much darker tone than Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
However, if you like sticking to the source material, you willenjoy the Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood remakemore. It has issues with its inconsistent tone and pacing, but it covers arcs more faithfully.
9Rebuild Of Evangelion
Evangelion is one of the most praised classical anime even after decades. However, the series had the Rebuild of Evangelion movie series, which isalmost on par with the original.
The classic Evangelion is character-driven, like other anime from the 90s. It focuses greatly on Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, and the fun moments between them. The movies focus more on narrative and is paced faster.
8Rurouni Kenshin
The 90s version of Rurouni Kenshin did well with a few earlier arcs of the manga series. It took its time with direction and character development. At times, it was overloaded with fillers and did not adapt the canonical final arc, which made the final result underwhelming.
The modern adaptation intends to be more faithful to the manga events with excellent cinematography and animation quality. Although its pacing is slightly off and might seem underwhelming to you. Things happen more quickly, and many scenes feel rushed.
7Fruits Basket
The 2001 version of the anime isn’t too faithful to the source material, which also disappointed eager viewers. Its tone was significantly off as the events in the manga were much more serious.
Fruits Basket modern adaptation does more justice to the relationship between Kyo and Tohru. It has wholesome moments, but they don’t overshadow the darker nature of the series. It also took its time to develop more characters, such as the Zodiacs, which made them more likable.
6Clannad
Before the Clannad anime series was a thing, there existed a Clannad Movie that adapted the story of the video game. However, it ended up deviating significantly, especially near the ending.
Kyoto Animation adapted the modern version of the Clannad anime in two seasons with a total of 50 episodes. This volume gave them more room to do justice to the events in the video game. The direction of the series really immerses you with the animation even more than the Visual Novel.
5Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure original anime consisted of only a few OVA episodes that did not do Part three of the manga much justice. Almost no one watches that version, as the modern adaptation of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is the superior adaptation for multiple reasons.
It has amazing animation quality, which makes the intense battles between stands much more engaging. There is more focus on the bizarre and silly moments that the squad encounters as they continue their journey across the world.
4Dororo
Dororo was an underrated classic as an original anime, and many fans didn’t even know it existed. The anime was brought into the limelight after its modern adaptation.
The original anime was colorless, and the character design was more cartoonish. Dororo’s modern version is more gritty and evokes more emotions from the viewers. It is rewritten to add more depth to Hyakkimaru and Dororo’s characters, which captured great attention.
3Hellsing Ultimate
The original Hellsing anime had an underwhelming ending due to the incomplete manga. Hellsing Ultimate was a reboot to the series that did it justice, and despite being a dark show, the classic wasn’t as intense compared to the modern reboot.
Hellsing Ultimate adds more depth to various characters, such as Seras and Alucard, by adding their backstories. It covers the events of the original anime and continues the story further by removing the non-canonical ending.
2Sailor Moon Crystal
The original Sailor Moon anime in the 90s was longer, with many episodes being filler. Sailor Moon Crystal adapts the manga more faithfully, but it lacks the fun momentsbetween Sailorsin between the additional episodes.
Sailor Moon Crystal is easier to dive into due to its shorter volume. It is packed with intense scenes and story moments that were never seen in the original anime. Not to mention the final showdown in the Sailor Moon Cosmos movie was way better than the original anime.
1Hunter X Hunter (2011)
Hunter X Hunter anime series went into a long hiatus due to the manga lacking enough chapters to adapt. So, the reboot of the anime in 2011 was long-awaited, and it gave fans exactly what they wanted from it.
It follows the manga more faithfully, although a few earlier arcs are much more lighthearted than the classic version. The modern adaptation also has a better animation quality andadapts more arcs, further continuing the story of Gon and Killua.
