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There are several great anime adaptations that faithfully adapt the source material, ensuring that these amazing stories get the mainstream success they deserve. A major reason why so many manga have become so popular lies with stellar quality of the anime adaptations that brought more eyes towards these amazing works. However, there are some exceptions to this norm, which is especially saddening when the source material is absolutely brilliant.
Unfortunately, there are several anime adaptations of excellent manga that simply don't live up to the mark. It's a shame since, these manga deserve more attention and a good anime have brought them the success they rightfully deserve. Here are ten such amazing manga whose anime adaptations failed to live up to the opportunity to become the next big thing.
10 Tokyo Ghoul
The first season of Tokyo Ghoul was certainly an entertaining watch, although the ending veered off the tracks somewhat. However, it's the sequel to this anime that was nothing short of a complete trainwreck.
Tokyo Ghoul √A was an absolute mess. Certain plot points didn't get the time to breathe, and others weren't even touched upon. The fact that Kaneki actually joined Aogiri Tree instead of fighting against it is a major source of annoyance for most fans to this day.
9 Junji Ito's Work
Junji Ito is easily one of the biggest and most celebrated horror mangaka out there. So, when the Junji Ito Collection was announced, fans were eagerly waiting to see how his masterful work would be adapted in this anime.
Unfortunately, the Junji Ito Collection was an absolute mess. For starters, the artwork was extremely disappointing and destroyed some of the most iconic panels painstakingly drawn by this mangaka. This, coupled with poor direction across the board, resulted in a subpar adaptation that most fans prefer to write off.
8 Claymore
Claymore is easily one of the most underrated manga of all time. The story is surprisingly captivating and makes for one of the most fascinating shonen reads around. While the ending of the manga might've been questionable at best, it's still miles ahead in terms of quality when compared to the anime.
For what it's worth, Claymore's anime was actually a decent adaptation...all the way to the very end, where it turned into an absolute mess. The ending was hard to digest, with most major plot points being discarded in favor of mindless action and nonsensical developments.
7 Akame Ga Kill!
Akame ga Kill's anime had a strong opening that was bound to hook most fans. However, the speed at which the plot moved in this anime was simply too fast for most viewers. It was a far cry from the relatively better-paced story of the manga.
The anime spoiled parts of the manga by absolutely barrelling through these story beats, which was also a major source of annoyance for viewers. People who want to get into Akame ga Kill should check out the manga, instead of wasting their time with the anime.
6 Rosario + Vampire
Anybody who wants to see likable manga characters absolutely destroyed in the anime should look no further than Rosario + Vampire. Fans of the manga were elated to hear about its anime adaptation, but this excitement fizzled out soon after the anime aired.
Not only did the adaptation completely changing the personality of characters, it also took unnecessary liberties with the story. All in all, Rosario + Vampire is a lesson on what not to do while adapting a manga for the anime.
5 Soul Eater
Most anime adaptations tend to falter right when they catch up to the source material. Often, shows tend to branch off into filler instead to give the manga some breathing space. However, there's something way worse that these anime adaptations can do instead — continue onwards with an original story, which is bound to be worse than the source material.
Soul Eater falls into this latter category, which is a shame since the anime was brilliant when it was faithful to the manga. However, as the series branched off into an original story, the show lost its appeal and fizzled out over time.
4 Deadman Wonderland
There are viewers out there who enjoy the Deadman Wonderland anime, and it does have some strength going for it. However, the manner in which it completely misses the point of the manga can make it a disappointing watch for fans of the source material.
The horror themes of the manga were replaced by an emphasis on generic action and cheap thrills, which annoyed fans to no end. This, coupled with the half-baked story and the omission of important characters, turned Deadman Wonderland into a subpar anime that most people would prefer to avoid.
3 The Promised Neverland
The Promised Neverland was an excellent and unique manga. So, fans were happy to see that the first season of this anime was an absolute treat to watch.
However, the second season of the anime completely dropped the ball. The story moved at a frenetic pace, rushed through major developments, and outright skipped major portions of the manga. It was a disappointment in every sense of the word, with the hype surrounding the series slowing down to a crawl as a result.
2 Fullmetal Alchemist
There's no denying the fact that Fullmetal Alchemist has a brilliant adaptation in the form of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. However, it's the original adaptation of this incredible manga that is on trial right now.
The problem with this anime is similar to the one discussed with Soul Eater. The show was perfect when it was adapting the manga, but fell off the tracks after veering off into an original story of its own. Thankfully, unlike other manga that received the same treatment, this atrocity was corrected with the release of the faithful Brotherhood adaptation.
1 Berserk
Kentaro Miura was one of the most talented mangaka of all time, with his iconic series Berserk widely regarded as one of the greatest manga ever made. While the adaptation in the 90s was excellent in its own right, the modern adaptation of Berserk is nothing short of a travesty.
To put all the blame solely on the 3D models might be an easy move, but it doesn't capture all the atrocities committed by this adaptation. The framing of most shots is poor, and the direction is clearly wayward. The end result is one of the ugliest anime ever made, and a shameful adaptation of Miura's amazing work.