10 Anime Shows That Make More Sense After Reading the Manga (2024)

Anime has been a booming industry for over a decade. While few anime have popularized the industry—Dragon Ball, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece—many others have solidified fans for life. And while the original fan-favorite anime were battled-focused, other anime that have been realized focused on more unique plots, such as fighting dystopian leaders, discovering the truth behind a curse, and even exacting revenge by summoning a demon. Many of these anime are fun to watch, and they can leave viewers wanting more.

However, at the same time, while these anime are adaptions of a manga series, not all of them get the same treatment. In fact, a lot of anime adaptions of manga are limited to twelve episodes, and no intricate or deep plot can be summed up into ten episodes. This is the first mistake studios and directors make, which is unfortunate for these anime since it leaves viewers confused or even unsatisfied due to the poor retellings of manga stories. Here are a few that suffer from a mediocre anime adaptation.

10 'No.6' (2011)

Written by Atsuko Asano

No.6 takes place in a dystopian city called No.6. Shion lives a privileged life as an elite in this dystopia, and one day, he risks it by granting shelter to a homeless and hurt kid named Nezumi. Despite being a fugitive, Shion still helps Nezumi get better through the night. The next day, after the police discover his partake in helping a fugitive, he and his family are stripped of their elite status and live in an underprivileged society. Four years later, after being accused of murder, Nezumi saves Shion.

Though the manga and anime play out the same way, the manga delves deeper into the intriguing universe that is No.6. Though the anime does a fine job of explaining the basics of the rules of the world they live in, the manga allows viewers to see the full setting of this world, showing it in all its beauty while also showing the ugly side of it. Overall, the manga provides the details that the anime doesn't, and the setting makes more sense when viewers read the manga.

9 'Another' (2012)

Written by Yukito Ayatsuji

In the year 1972, a young girl named Misaki passes away. Despite this, the students and teacher in her class pretended she was still alive, devastated by the sudden loss. Then, an odd phenomenon occurred, when she showed up in the class photo. Two decades later, Kōichi Sakakibara transfers into the same classroom where these occurrences took place. There, he learns of a Misaki Mei, who the entire class ignores. Kōichi befriends Misaki, and then their classmates begin dying off in mysterious ways.

Though the Another manga came after the anime, the anime was only twelve episodes, and the original story spanned over three novels. This creates a rushed anime that does not explore certain relationships, backstories, or characters properly, creating an enjoyable experience but not one that can be enjoyed nor understood to its fullest. The manga explores the calamity that strikes Kōichi's classmates more in-depth, allowing viewers to understand the curse much better, and the tension is at its absolute highest, which the anime could only barely achieve.

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8 'Noragami' (2014)

Written by Adachitoka

Hiyori is a high school student. Yato is a God working for coin. One day, they have a chance encounter, and Hiyori attempts to save him from getting hit by a truck. In the process, she turns into a half-phantom, which leads her to have out-of-body experiences as she goes on adventures with Yato and his shinki Yukine.

Noragami follows the same case as many not-so-popular anime that are produced shortly after a manga's release: some of it is anime-original content. This is not always a problem, and in Noragami's case, it definitely isn't. However, while this might be the case, the world of gods and their individual arcs are important, which the anime does not explore properly. For example, the Bishamon arc is not explored or explained to its fullest, leading to a lack of understanding between viewers of the anime and of the manga. Not to mention, the anime adds arcs that don't exist in the manga, such as the Rabou arc, and because of this, many viewers confuse Rabou for Kugaha, who is an extremely important character in Bishamon's story arc. This type of confusion can only be avoided by reading the manga.

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7 Devils and Realist (2013)

Written by Madoka Takadono

In England in 1889, William Twining accidentally summons a demon named Dantalion. In this chance encounter, he learns from Dantalion that is the elector, which determines who the temporary ruler of Hell is while Lucifer rests. This leads William to a game of politics between demons as they try to gain his favor.

Another anime with twelve episodes, Devils and Realist is extremely undeveloped in its anime setting. The basics of the plot can be understood, but the more deeper and complex intricacies of it are not, leading viewers to not fully understand things like how William is Solomon's reincarnation, why William's butler is actually an archangel, and what the purpose behind the story really is. The show is too short to really get into the deeper plot, other than that William must pick the next temporary ruler of Hell. There's a lot to the story, and it only makes sense when viewers read the manga.

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6 Inu × Boku SS (2012)

Written by Cocoa Fujiwara

Ririchiyo Shirakiin is a young girl with demon ancestry within her. Because of this, she has decided to move into a high-security apartment complex known as the Ayakashikan. There she meets her bodyguard, Sōshi Miketsukami, who is the descendant of the nine-tailed fox. The two help each other with their insecurities and problems, all while forming a bond with one another.

Though this anime features a not-so-pleasant age gap—one that is rather questionable—the story itself is so complex that the anime only focuses on the love story between Ririchiyo and Miketsukami. This leads viewers to wonder what the overall plot may be, but before the anime can delve into its complexities, it ends. The series focuses on the reincarnation that these characters continuously face, where their lives are taken from them at an incredibly young age, and they struggle to stop this neverending cycle. The fans of Inu × Boku SS would not know this had they not read the manga; the fact that the plot is hidden beneath a love story is a questionable decision in itself. So much so that some fans will never know the deeper, complex story beneath it all.

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5 Tokyo Ghoul: re (2018)

Written by Sui Ishida

Two years after the events of Tokyo Ghoul, Haise Sasaki—previously known as Kaneki Ken—is the leader of the Quinx Squad, a group of ghoul-human hybrids used to take on and defeat ghouls.

Tokyo Ghoul is known to not be the best anime adaption of a manga, be it due to awful animation, poor character development, or a lack of original manga content. For Tokyo Ghoul:re, poor character development is a key factor as to why viewers do not fully understand this sequel series. Not to mention, the series was definitely rushed, leaving viewers little room to enjoy what plot there was.

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4 The Promised Neverland (2019-2021)

Written by Kaiu Shirai

Emma is one of the siblings in Grace Field House, where she and her siblings play and study. At a certain point in their lives, they are adopted out. However, after one of their siblings, Emma learns the truth: that the children at the Grace Field House are being raised as cattle for demons. She decides to take their future into their hands.

The Promised Neverland has been one of the most controversial anime series to date, and for good reason. While the first season was a massive success, garnering fans everywhere, the second two had a worse reputation. In simple words: The Promised NeverlandSeason Two was undeniably rushed. It skipped certain, important arcs and changed other arcs, creating a rushed mess that even anime-only fans noticed the degradation in quality. Those who loved Season One of The Promised Neverland will want to read the manga to clear up any confusion that the anime may have caused.

The Promised Neverland

TV-14

Anime

Adventure

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

January 11, 2019

Creator

Kaiu Shirai

Cast

Mariya Ise , Lynn , Yoshino Aoyama , Hiyori Kono

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

3 Pandora Hearts (2009)

Written by Jun Mochizuki

Oz Vessalius is the heir to the Vessalius dukedom, but one day during his birthday, he is sent to the abyss by a mysterious group of strangers known as the Baskervilles. In the abyss, he makes a contract with a chain known as Alice, or otherwise B-Rabbit. He returns to his world, only to learn that ten years has passed since the incident.

Pandora Hearts is another intriguing anime that did not get the anime adaption it so desperately deserves. It has a beautifully complex story, one that the anime covers only a fraction of. In the process, it establishes the main plot and subplots, only for many of these plotlines to never be resolved by the end of the anime, which also has an open ending. This creates a confusing mess of plotlines, never untangled. Though it had potential as an anime, too much was left unresolved, and viewers were better off reading the manga to begin with.

Pandora Hearts

Action

Release Date

April 2, 2009

Cast

Junko Minagawa , Ayako Kawasumi , Daisuke Ono , Hideyuki Umezu , Kaori f*ckuhara

Main Genre

Action

Seasons

1

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2 'Yashahime' (2020)

Written by Takashi Shiina

Student Towa learns that she is not a normal human by any means; she is part demon, and her family exists in the feudal era of Japan. She leaves modern-day Japan to join her sister Setsuna and cousin Moroha as they uncover the mystery of their missing parents and must survive the threat of their grandfather's rival.

Yashahime was the anime sequel that InuYasha fans waited for. However, the anime was rather disappointing; it established a whole new story focused on the new generation of half-demons and quarter-demons, the children of Sesshomaru and InuYasha. While this creates an interesting premise, the anime drags the "missing parent" plotline far too long, making viewers confused as to what really happened following the birth of Moroha, Towa, and Setsuna. It creates a mysterious and thrilling premise, though it never follows through on the first season. Not to mention, the plot in general is just confusing, almost as though the anime doesn't quite know what it's doing. The manga, on the other hand—ironically written after the anime series debut—delves deeper into the intricacies of the plot. It adds to the much-needed character development, and it explains the plot and subplots more clearly than the anime ever did. If only the manga came first, then maybe the anime would have had a stronger backbone.

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1 'Black Butler' (2008-2010)

Written by Yana Toboso

Black Butler follows young Earl Ciel Phantomhive, who made a contract with a demon named Sebastian. In exchange for helping him achieve revenge, Sebastian can devour Ciel’s soul.

The anime isn’t too difficult to understand, as the first season is pretty straightforward and follows the manga well enough. However, during the second half of the first season, the show follows an anime-original plotline, featuring villains and antagonists who are not in the show. Additionally, with the anime-original Season 2, things get even more confusing, with viewers wondering why Ciel’s soul wasn’t devoured since he technically achieved his vengeance. The Book of Circus season all starts off abruptly, which will confuse fans of the anime who watched the previous two seasons. Reading the manga will help clarify a lot of plotlines in the show, which the first two seasons make a mess of.

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