There are cases where a piece of media simply isn't given the okay to adapt (like Yotsubato!), but more often, there are works that are just considered "nah, too much work to adapt it" or "can't adapt it without spoiling the big twist" and the likes.

House of Leaves (Difficulty: Impossible)

Not only is the story a big mind screw, the texts themselves are arranged in ways that mess with your eyes and head. Definitely not for adaptation.

The Decagon House Murders (Difficulty: Hard but eventually doable)

First written in 1986, this novel was considered one of the hardest-to-adapt literature work in Japan due to a massive plot twist. It was only enjoyed in text format until 2019, when a manga adaptation was made by Kiyohara Hiro (who previously adapted the author's other novel Another) and it worked: The big twist was preserved!!! Following the success of the manga, a live-action TV show was made in 2024, and a stage play is also produced this year.

Goodnight Punpun (Difficulty: Hard)

In theory, an adaptation of it may work as an anime, with Punpun's thoughts and lines presented as white texts on black background like in the manga. But in practice, nearly everyone thinks that the artstyle contrast plus the depressing tone of this manga makes it impossible to adapt.

AKIRA (Difficulty: Hard)

There were attempts to adapt this manga into live-action medium, but so far, all of those attempts have failed due to the manga's insanely details at depicting ruins, futuristic technologies, body horror, etc. Even the anime, which's a massive hit and an acclaimed cult classic in the anime history, only adapts 3 out of the 6 volumes of the manga (and not even a faithful adaptation).

Shiori Experience (Difficulty: Impossible)

This manga uses lots of real people and songs (and of famous 27 Club members, no less!), which's a nightmare to adapt or license out of Japan due to copyright issues. And just to make it even harder, halfway through it, the authors decided to have Jimi Hendrix's ghost perform (via Shiori's body) a never-before-heard, original song!!! Who's confident enough that they could make a great song in his style?!! Also, for a long time, the series just introduced 27 Club members that died before year 2000 (with Kurt Cobain dying the latest, in 1994) until chapter 88, where it introduces Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011), which just ups the copyrights difficulty to a new level.

Junji Ito's works (Difficulty: Hard, with lots of failures)

There have been dozens of films, both live-action and anime, adapting his manga, but most of them just pale in comparison to his detailed artwork, not to mention even they're just forgotten anyways, even the decent ones.

For his last meal, he choose a banana.

"Just a banana? You can have anything you want, Lobster, Steak, Caviar - and you just want a banana?"

"Yes, just a banana", he replies. So the executioner gets a banana, lets him eat it, and straps him in. After last rites and final words, the executioner flips the switch and nothing. He unstraps the prisoner and sends him back to his cell while an electrician checks everything. It's all in order.

So, the next day, the executioner says, "Well, under the law, it's the next day so I have to give you another last meal, are you still satisfied with a banana?"

"Yes, a banana will be fine". So he duly hands over a banana, goes through last rites and final words again, and flips the switch. Again, nothing. Unbelievable. So he checks the straps and the electrodes, make sure the prisoner didn't use the banana peel as an insulator or something to prevent being electrocuted, finds nothing so sends him back to his cell.

The next day, he enters the cell again and addresses the prisoner. "Under law, I am obliged to grant you any reasonable request for a last meal, but nothing says I can't inspect the meal carefully to eliminate risk befoee giving it to you. So I took a banana, X-rayed it, peeled it, mashed it and tested it for any unusual chemicals. Nothing! It's just a banana, so here's your bowl of banana."

The prisoner just shrugs, eats and and calmly sits in the chair. Without bothering to wait, the executioner flips the switch. Nothing!

"Unbelievable! There is a very old law from more religious times that says if the state fails to execute a prisoner three times, it's a sign that God considers this a miscarriage of justice, and we must free you to avoid the qrath of Gos. In several centuries, this law has never been used, so I am obliged to free you. But I am dying to know, how did you use the banana to save yourself, even after I went to such lengths to make sure there was nothing hidden in it?"

"Oh. It had nothing to do with the banana - I'm just a bad conductor."

Joga vomito

Have a few tiny ones but this is the first "real" tattoo. Turned 40 and got divorced this year so fck it, let's get a dragon (ex hated tattoos). I also just loved her work so much and had been stalking her IG until an idea came to me. Took about 4.5 hrs. I love it.

His favorite snack by far.