When an anime has a plot too intense for just a handful of episodes, fans know it's bound to get a Season 2. This extension makes a lot of sense for anime adapted from the source material, such as manga, light novels, and even visual novels. Thankfully for fans, most multi-season adaptations become worth the watch, or perhaps tolerable at the very least.
Unfortunately for some anime, a multi-season run just isn't worth the risk, no matter how long the storyline. Sometimes, certain anime just lose their shine after a few seasons, and perhaps even after Season 1. These anime would have ended on a high note had it not been for season extensions.
10 Sword Art Online (2012)
Fans can consider Sword Art Online as the anime that gave the “virtual world isekai” genre a refreshingly modern take. When the VR MMO “Sword Art Online” made a record-breaking launch, Kirigaya Kazuto (Kirito) and 49,999 others found themselves unable to leave the virtual game. It doesn’t help that dying in the MMO also meant dying in real life. Thankfully, Kirito just so happens to be the best player in the game.
While the first season gives a solid pace about getting out of “Sword Art Online,” the subsequent seasons exacerbate the first’s original issues. It doesn’t help that other seasons involve new MMOs, new additions to Kirito’s harem, and the knowledge that Kirito will always power through without any solid character development.
9 K Project (2012)
In K Project, seven psychic Clans of Color hold a secret dominion over Japan’s affairs. These Clans, led by the Seven Kings, are recently grieving over the murder of Tatara Totsuka, a pacifist from the Red Clan’s HOMRA. Unfortunately for regular student Yashiro Isana, he bears an uncanny resemblance to the murderer of Tatara. K Project chronicles Isana’s journey as he, with the help of swordsman Kuroh Yatogami and feline Neko, tries to unravel what truly happened in the recent past.
Fans adored K Project for its interesting take on Clan aesthetic and character designs. Its solid first season did quite a decent take to Isana’s story as well. Unfortunately, the second season relied too much on shonen tropes, which ended up affecting the series’ charm.
8 Tokyo Ghoul (2014)
An interesting take on the supernatural genre, Tokyo Ghoul centers around an alternate reality where ghouls - human-looking creatures that survive eating flesh - coexist with normal humans. Tokyo Ghoul begins when student Ken Kaneki finds himself transformed into a half-ghoul after a date gone wrong. Regardless of the help of his new companions, Kaneki will struggle to meet the balance between his human and ghoul nature.
Despite its typical shonen anime approach, Tokyo Ghoul charmed viewers with a gripping and fast-paced storyline for its first season. Sadly, its second outing lacked the same strength and failed to keep the momentum it originally initiated.
7 Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! (2013)
Anyone who’s ever had their “make-believe” stage extended into their early adolescence has something to call this life phase: chunibyo. In Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, Yuta Togashi enters high school with the hopes of getting past his chunibyo phase. Sadly, Rikka Takanashi learns of Yuta’s past as the “Dark Flame Master” and drags him into her own chunibyo phase.
Fans will appreciate the series for its sheer charm and hilarity, especially those who can relate to the chunibyo condition. Sadly, the second season lacked the character development of the first. And while the second season relied on the series’ slice-of-life aspect, it didn’t prove enough to appease fans throughout its run.
6 The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006)
Despite its slice of life premise, The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya packs quite a punch in its context. When Haruhi Suzumiya drags Kyon to form the SOS Brigade, she does so in the hopes of finding aliens, time travelers, and espers. Unknownst to Haruhi, the three new members they’ll obtain are the very three things she’s been seeking. As they’ll reveal to Kyon, they’ve been tasked by their respective organizations to observe and keep life entertaining for Haruhi, as the latter has latent reality-warping powers that can destroy the world.
With this interesting premise, it’s such a shame fans gave its second season quite the thumbs down. Moreover, it’s more unfortunate that its second season suffered particularly due to a short story that got dragged into eight episodes, leading to mixed reception.
5 Bleach (2004)
With 366 episodes that didn’t even get to touch the manga’s final season, fans can cry foul with the thought of Bleach having only one season. When Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki stumbles upon Ichigo Kurosaki, the latter takes on the mantle of a Substitute Shinigami. However, Ichigo didn’t expect to get dragged into the secret war of Soul Society against Hollows and other supernatural threats.
Fans can argue that this first Season has showcased Bleach at its strongest. These include its stylistic punk-ish take on the Shinigami and the Quincy, and author Tite Kubo’s knack for mechanically wonderful techniques and fights. Sadly, fans could describe the latter Bleach arcs as repetitive and lacking the feel of the first season.
4 Psycho-Pass (2012)
Psycho-Pass is set in near-future Japan, where the enigmatic Sibyl System achieved order in society through managing everyone’s mental states. Through a person’s Psycho-Pass, the Sibyl System can determine a person’s Criminality Coefficient, or their propensity to commit a crime. Upon reaching a certain point, the Public Safety Bureau will have to intervene. And like any cyberpunk story, the entire concept has more than meets the eye.
Psycho-Pass easily became a great addition to thriller cyberpunk anime genre among the likes of Ghost In The Shell. Its solid first season perfectly encapsulates the societal and philosophical ramifications of a system governed by “emotional control.” Sadly, its second season extends the Psycho-Pass narrative where it’s not necessarily needed.
3 Log Horizon (2013)
Anime fans displeased with Sword Art Online and its take on the “trapped inside an MMO” can appreciate Log Horizon. Following a similar premise, protagonist Shiroe and his friends Akatsuki and Naotsugu find themselves trapped in the hit MMO “Elder Tale” after its 11th update. Unlike battle-heavy SAO, Log Horizon tackles the more mundane yet serious aspects of everyday life in an MMO - especially in terms of a functioning game economy.
After finishing a strong first season, fans of Log Horizon were, unfortunately, let down by a lackluster second season. Instead of showcasing a narrative as heavy as the first, the second Log Horizon season relied on slice-of-life events that soon lost their charm.
2 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002)
Despite its rather “lighter” take on the Gundam concept, Gundam SEED arguably popularized Gundam to a modern audience outside the philosophical Neon Genesis Evangelion. In SEED, Kira Yamato accidentally pilots the Strike Gundam in a last-ditch effort to save himself and his friends. Unfortunately for Kira, his talents will drag him into the ongoing war between ZAFT and the Earth Federation. It doesn’t help that Kira will inevitably clash with his friend, Athrun Zala, who joined ZAFT Forces.
Fans praise Gundam SEED for remaining relatively grounded in its philosophical arguments vis-a-vis its depiction of war. Sadly, Gundam SEED Destiny did become somewhat of a shadow of its former self. Despite its attempts, SEED Destiny never quite captured the allure of Gundam SEED, and Shinn Asuka as a protagonist felt overshadowed by SEED originals Kira and Athrun.
1 The Promised Neverland (2019)
The Promised Neverland gives a refreshingly new take on the “humans versus demons” dynamic. In its setting, the year 2045 marks over a millennium since humans and demons created “The Promise.” According to this agreement, both species would step out of each other’s business, except humans would create “breeding farms” to feed demons with intelligent humans. Emma and other orphans were led to believe that reaching a certain age would make them suitable for adoption. And once they realized that their “adoption” meant being eaten by a demon, Emma and the other orphans begin fighting for their life.
Its premise and riveting storyline were enough to make its season a wonderful hit. Sadly, its subsequent seasons shifted the story away from the manga’s gripping narrative, hurting its reception. To add insult to injury, the anime strayed away from the manga’s captivating ending.