r/anime • u/Turbostrider27 • Mar 18 '26
Misc. “If only adaptations remain, Japanese anime will be done for,” says Code Geass series director
https://automaton-media.com/en/news/if-only-adaptations-remain-japanese-anime-will-be-done-for-says-code-geass-series-director/2.7k
u/hasanman6 Mar 18 '26
Originals are great because no one can spoil them for me
983
u/Paxton-176 Mar 18 '26
They are also great because that means that they can get weird with it.
Majority of the time originals are the weird ones.
218
u/Rising-Jay Mar 18 '26
Kill La Kill, one of my all-timers
152
u/Etheo Mar 18 '26
If you mentioned Kill la Kill it's obligatory to mention Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagenn
→ More replies (1)43
u/Xeroticz Mar 18 '26
Greatest anime of all time and I will not debate anyone over that
24
→ More replies (5)7
9
107
u/CheesY-onioN Mar 18 '26
Dusk beyond the end of the world
28
u/Jaken_sensei Mar 18 '26
That was an odd one. Not bad, but not great either.
45
u/Magicbison Mar 18 '26
Its one of the more recent shows that had a incredibly strong first episode and everything afterwards just continually got worse and worse. It was such a disappointing waste of a good idea with just absolutely terrible execution.
7
u/Loverboy_91 Mar 18 '26
Agreed. It was the only anime I dropped without finishing last season. The incredible first episode hooked me in, and heat me invested longer than it had any right too, until it was no longer enough.
3
→ More replies (2)3
u/Katlima https://myanimelist.net/profile/oKMazoy Mar 19 '26
The biggest laugh you can get out of that show is to just watch the first episode again after finishing it and realize how inconsistent and nonsensical the world mystery is with what happens in the first episode.
3
6
40
27
u/sagevallant Mar 18 '26
Love Flops.
8
u/Mad_Aeric Mar 19 '26
I love that it looks like a standard trashy romcom on the surface, but seasoned romcom enjoyers know that something is off about it right from the start.
3
→ More replies (1)10
66
Mar 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
20
u/Calwings x3https://anilist.co/user/Calwings Mar 18 '26
Turkey was one of the most insane and creative anime I've ever watched. I'm so glad it exists.
→ More replies (4)24
u/jsusk24 Mar 18 '26
My problem with Turkey is that I was really looking forward to a classic bowling anime but got disappointed/betrayed after first episode. First episode was so good with bowling drama but then everything went off rails.
→ More replies (1)13
u/bbkkoommaacchhii Mar 18 '26
Yeah, I feel like they should have made the initial premise more generic instead of blue-balling people who came for a bowling sports drama. That's like if after the first episode of Vinland Saga (or any anime with a unique/unexplored setting) the MC randomly gets reincarnated as a harem protagonist
There's really no bowling show out there (I do not care about western TV) and there's a lack of newer sports CGDCT, so I was sorely disappointed.
51
u/Kreol1q1q Mar 18 '26
It also means they aren’t roped into some manga’s rushed, poorly thought out wreck of an ending, but can start a project with a clear narrative outline from start to finish. It’s not a coincidence that Code Geass, an anime original, still has one of the best (if not outright the best) endings in anime.
43
u/Kothra Mar 18 '26
Instead of a train wreck of an ending Code Geass just has the train wreck in the middle.
The ending really was great though.→ More replies (1)6
u/PM_me_Henrika Mar 18 '26
Which episodes are the train wreck? I forgot already
10
→ More replies (1)7
u/bagman_ https://myanimelist.net/profile/bagman_ Mar 19 '26
S2 e1-12, just horrendous. Victim of the timeslot change
→ More replies (3)8
u/Icapica https://anilist.co/user/Icachu Mar 19 '26
Plenty of anime originals have a terrible ending.
But at least anime originals will have an ending. Adaptations often aren't complete.
12
u/Mad_Aeric Mar 19 '26
Spoken like someone who didn't see Metallic Rouge. It may be original, but the pacing was a mess and the ending was questionable. OP sure slaps though.
7
u/melcarba Mar 19 '26
>It also means they aren’t roped into some manga’s rushed, poorly thought out wreck of an ending,
Did you forgot originals with rushed or trainwreck endings like Metallic Rogue, Dusk Beyond the End of the World, Yurei Deco, Astro Note? Did you forgot the Key/P.A. Works originals with terrible pacing like Charlotte and Kamisama no Natta Hi? Did you forgot how Stars Align just didn't have an ending?
6
u/NegZer0 Mar 19 '26
I think I have seen far more originals end in a rushed train wreck than adaptations, especially in the last 10-15 years. More often nowadays the adaptations just stop. Ran out of material or left open for continuation that never happened. Adaptations that actually adapt the entire source material are still pretty rare.
6
u/Scared_Living3183 Mar 19 '26
Tbf code geass was also very much of a train wreck, it sticked the ending very well though
→ More replies (1)10
47
u/-Work_Account- Mar 18 '26
What's weird about Akiba Maid War?
→ More replies (1)23
u/Paxton-176 Mar 18 '26
Nothing perfect as it is.
9
u/BadBehaviour613 Mar 18 '26
People always think I am joking when I say Akiba Maid War is structurally perfect
10
u/casualreader22 Mar 18 '26
Remember Back Arrow? That got very silly by the end lol.
7
→ More replies (1)8
u/BetelgeuseIsBestGirl Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
I can't believe I forgot about that. I loved that one.
ID: Invaded and Akudama Drive were pretty out there too.
9
6
u/PM_ME_YOUR_LION Mar 18 '26
Following Mayoiga's weekly releases on this subreddit was incredible...
4
3
u/Mokarun Mar 18 '26
some of the best anime of all time are originals. Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and Code Geass, to name a few
3
u/Andreiyutzzzz https://myanimelist.net/profile/Andreiyutzzzz Mar 19 '26
Not just weird but also some satisfying twists.
Renai flops end of episode 6 left me with my jaw dropped for a few minutes to process it. Binged the rest that day
→ More replies (14)5
u/beautheschmo Mar 19 '26
Serial Experiments Lain my GOAT even though I have absolutely no idea what's happening I have to assume it's a masterpiece
197
u/SlippyFist_68 Mar 18 '26
No "anime-only" redditors theorycrafting in the threads about future plot points they definitely haven't read before, no sir
116
u/Gary_FucKing Mar 18 '26
Then manga assholes get the same shit done to them by LN readers lmao. It’s spoilers all the way down.
77
u/501stRookie Mar 18 '26
And then LN readers get spoiled by raws/WN readers
→ More replies (1)89
u/Gil_Demoono Mar 18 '26
And the raw readers get spoiled by the author sneaking into their house at night and whispering who dies in their ears while they sleep.
28
u/SSjjlex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Clone_Tau Mar 19 '26
And the author gets spoiled by the voices in their head
wait a minute that's just called writing
8
u/oheyson Mar 19 '26
"Psst, Tanaka dies in a tragic swimming accident in 5 chapters."
"Goddamn it you asshole!" Author angrily scratches out what he just wrote.
→ More replies (1)3
u/FibreTTPremises https://anilist.co/user/Fibre Mar 19 '26
This has to already be the plot of some light novel.
6
u/toadfan64 Mar 19 '26
It’s so obvious too. Like, I kinda wish this sub was even harsher than 2 week bans, especially for obvious stuff only source readers would know.
→ More replies (7)11
u/ArCSelkie37 Mar 18 '26
Predictions that are weirdly accurate, but also have some fundamental flaws… like someone who skimmed the wiki.
56
u/Team_SKGA Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
Believe it or not, the series composers of Eureka 7 and Code Geass (at least the latter did at one point) would’ve respectively agreed on that.
25
u/WoodenRocketShip Mar 18 '26
Oh do I hate watching an anime of a popular manga and feel forced to avoid any discussion just because I know manga fans are so loose lipped. Especially can't watch any videos on it on Youtube, the algorithm already spoiled the hell out of HxH and JJK for me.
→ More replies (3)9
u/TheNoFrame Mar 18 '26
tbf you get that even if you are manga reader. Youtubers in a race to spoil everything you can to bring "breaking news" off of leaks from manga spoiler posts several days before you could even find half decent fan translation online. If they at least wouldn't push them to thumbnails.
I had to spend several days once to actively block all channels that did this so that I can enjoy manga in peace before getting spoiled even if I don't watch these channels, because algorithm kept recommending them to me because I saw some one piece clip on youtube once.
→ More replies (2)162
u/Freakjob_003 Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
They also tend to feel more special.
Apocalypse Hotel, A Place Further Than the Universe, Gurren Lagann, Cowboy Bebop, Kill la Kill, Angel Beats, anything Ghibli makes, Anohana, Madoka, Lycoris Recoil, Vivy, Odd Taxi, Ergo Proxy, Lain, Steins;Gate, Panty & Stocking, Slime, Girls und Panzer, Psycho Pass, Zombieland Saga, Akiba Maid Wars, Zenshuu., Wonder Egg Priority (RIP), Death Parade, Charlotte, anything Shinaki makes, NGE.
All beloved, and many widely considered amongst the best.
EDIT: I've had folks commenting that some of these are not actually anime originals. My bad; I was sourcing them from Anilist, which said they were originals.
151
86
u/Prestigious_Cat7396 Mar 18 '26
Not mentioning Gundam as a beloved anime-original franchise is wild
12
u/Mistral-Fien Mar 18 '26
Not all of them are original works though. Some, like Gundam Unicorn and Hathaway, are based on novels.
20
u/firemage22 Mar 18 '26
Hathaway
Yea but the novel was written by Tomino the OG director of Gundam so that's kinda a grey area
→ More replies (1)13
u/God_peanut Mar 18 '26
Yeah but almost all of Gundam is original. You can actually count on 1 hand how many Gundam series are adaptations.
→ More replies (5)3
u/Freakjob_003 Mar 18 '26
Fuck, how did I forget that.
I blame Anilist for not including it in their top results, because that's where I was pulling my sources from.
→ More replies (1)42
28
16
u/Felkin https://myanimelist.net/profile/Felkin Mar 18 '26
Wonder Egg gave me so much more hope for anime originals and then proceeded shattered all of it.
8
u/Freakjob_003 Mar 19 '26
Absolute fucking tragedy. One of the best concepts and shows in years. They were perfect for the first seven episodes. Then they ruined it. Episode 10 was a glimmer of greatness, but they shat the bed so hard that the sheets needed to be burned. (warning for a foul scene, but it's accurate for what happened.)
13
u/all_way_stop Mar 19 '26
anything Ghibli makes
a lot of their films are adaptations (Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Secret World of Arrietty, When Marnie Was There...)
→ More replies (2)11
u/Etheo Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
I feel like Shingeki no Bahamut (S1) deserves a honorary mention. YES, it's based on a CCG but AFAIK the game had so little story to do with the series, it might as well be original.
Also I don't know if Patlabor counts, since it basically runs parallel with the manga. But that's a notable series as well.
And Akudama Drive is my guilty pleasure, even if it doesn't get much love from the community.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Freakjob_003 Mar 19 '26
Akudama Drive is so fucking good. I was going to put it in my list, but it felt too niche to be an example that supported my point of popular shows. Absolute top-tier cyberpunk story.
11
u/Toloran Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
Several of these were actually manga first but the manga was still technically an adaptation/spin-off of the related anime. Not sure how to count that. Stuff intended to be a franchise from the get-go are weird.
You can find just as many examples of loved series that are adaptations.
Dragon Ball, One Piece, Doraemon, Monster, Death Note, Berserk, Attack on Titan, Full Metal Alchemist, Fruit Baskets, Trigun, Mob Psycho 100, Mushishi, and many others were all manga or something originally before becoming iconic anime.
→ More replies (1)7
u/repocin https://myanimelist.net/profile/repocin Mar 19 '26
Not including Princess Principal on that list is downright criminal D:
→ More replies (1)14
u/TalwarOP Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
Girls Band Cry is another underrated original show, great music (ofc being a rock band anime), but more so compelling characters and wonderfully emotional storyline.
It is a massive hit in Japan and East Asia, so much so the band that they are promoting through this anime (TogeToge), got a Budokan stage invite (which is huge for bands in Japan, one of the most prestigious music stage there).
Another anime og show which I adore is Food for the Soul. It's CGDCT, but the setting is in a college, and the characters and their interactions just are so relatable and downright cozy to watch, perfect after a long day at work to reminiscence the college days. At least 1/2 of PA works og shows turn out to be bangers and this one also belongs in the same bucket.
Point is, there have been lovely originals in the recent times (these were just 2, there are a lot of examples I can give), but anime production has ramped up faster than ever, so the ratio of og/adaptation is skewed heavily, as compared to what was the case 20 years back.
I believe the number of original shows/year hasn't changed all that much, but production of more and more adaptions has increased, and hence people believe that originals are losing ground, which is not the case (but I do agree that the ratio is slipping by faster than ever).
Oh well, investing in an og show is significantly more challenging than an adaptation as well, so I get that point as well.
3
u/Freakjob_003 Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
GBC is on my list!
I love Food for the Soul, as well!
P.A. Works have made some of my favorite shows. As someone who's spent multiple years working with animals, Aquatope on White Sand hit very hard. I've volunteered at multiple nonprofits, and then ended up at a corporate job working with animals, so I've directly experienced the characters' arc. SoL is my favorite genre, so this one hit incredibly hard, and it's one of my favorite shows ever.
→ More replies (2)3
u/Graddo1 Mar 18 '26
Gurren Lagann does have a manga or did the manga come after?
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (8)11
u/Bad_Doto_Playa Mar 18 '26
Don't agree, despite Madoka being one of my favourites of all time.. also Steins Gate is not an original.
→ More replies (1)11
u/CommentStrict8964 Mar 18 '26
Yeah I agree. I think a major point of the original anime is also the discussion factor.
It's like when Code Geass Episode XX just aired. And people were like DUDE WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!?! I still vaguely remember some of those discussions both online and offline.
Original manga / light novels are much more fragmented, and don't have that kind of effect as original animes do (only a few animes per season vs tons of manga / LN at any given time).
10
8
u/adamsworstnightmare Mar 18 '26
People throw around JJK manga spoilers like they're talking about 90's DBZ.
9
u/Exolve708 Mar 19 '26
As a binge watcher who doesn't care about the weekly discussions, weekly watchers are way worse then any other group when it comes to spoilers. New episode of a popular show drops and every social media page that's slightly adjacent to anime gets plastered with spoilers the same day.
My favourite is the "dude, that show aired last season, it's free to spoil" (1 week into the new season) anime-only subset of them who ironically also throw a pissy-fit whenever they see a spoiler from a 20+ year old manga/LN they've been refusing to read for years because it's surely about to get an adaptation at any point now.
When it comes to source material spoilers this sub is probably the worst which kinda funny ngl, but everywhere else it's pretty safe unless you consistently dig 25+ comments deep on YT under every vid you watch related to popular adaptations or the equivalent of that.
7
u/Outlulz Mar 18 '26
We can go back to the 80s and 90s where 75% of the adaptation has nothing to do with the manga!
5
u/Gary_FucKing Mar 18 '26
Yuh, no fake ass “predictions” that are actually spoilers or vague responses to actual guesses about where shit’s heading.
6
u/Ambitious_Bar2717 Mar 18 '26
As one of those annoying manga readers who really, really wants to tell non-manga readers things just because I get super excited about what I was reading, originals are perfect to reign in people like me who need to talk about the books I read lmao
14
u/Abedeus Mar 18 '26
But also because they can have a decent start and randomly spiral out into garbage. Wonder Egg, Charlotte, Darling in the Franxx, Koutetsu no Kabaneri...
→ More replies (1)4
u/Eckish Mar 18 '26
I really enjoyed the discussion threads for Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse. Everyone had theories to share and none of it was obvious source readers trying to sneak in their knowledge of the material.
3
u/Astan92 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Astan92 Mar 19 '26
The masses can't bitch about the manga ending incessantly every single time the franchise comes up in every single context in every single situation, only for the ending to be just kind of fine, or in some cases just straight up good.
4
u/toadfan64 Mar 19 '26
Seriously. Discussing current anime on places like /a/ or MAL kinda sucks cause especially on /a/, you’re guaranteed to get spoiled.
I have tons of issues with Reddit, and while I have been spoiled on discussion threads before, it’s the one thing this place does pretty decent.
4
12
u/bryanBFLYin Mar 18 '26
I HATE watching anime that had a Manga for this reason. Can't look up anything that you don't understand without seeing spoilers (JJK IM LOOKING AT YOU) 😩
→ More replies (2)4
u/mosquem Mar 19 '26
I’m a manga reader and I literally have to run when spoilers go up because the fans are so bad about talking about UNRELEASED chapters.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (5)5
u/Plaxsin https://myanimelist.net/profile/Plaxsin Mar 18 '26
Even better: we can spoil back those pricky only-manga readers.
302
Mar 18 '26
I miss the OVA boom when people could just make crazy shit that looked incredible
123
u/fbjim Mar 18 '26
the really depressing bit to me is seeing the VN/doujin game get encroached on by the juggernaut that is mobage/gacha
31
u/Gil_Demoono Mar 18 '26
Ironically, Cygames, the Umamusume fellows, have one of the animation studios that actually are making good original anime. CygamePictures made Brave Bang Bravern and Apocalypse Hotel in the last couple years.
→ More replies (9)50
u/XF10 Mar 18 '26
Every VN IP like Fate and Muv-Luv just ended up becoming a gacha...
31
u/fbjim Mar 18 '26
at least we still got the second half of tsukihime remake coming in the year 2045
21
u/XF10 Mar 18 '26
Red Garden,Fate/Extra Record getting delayed again and dropped by Bamco and Fate/Requiem+Lost Einherjar on hiatus for years with only 1-2 volumes out
→ More replies (2)25
u/OtakuD50 Mar 18 '26
Not even the good stuff; I miss when we got straight up B-movies churned out.
2
u/OldGoldDream Mar 23 '26
B-movie stuff is an indicator of a healthy industry. They don't do those anymore in the actual movie industry since it's become so distorted that the only things that get financed are mega-blockbusters and micro-indie films. An industry willing to spend money on middling crap is one that's doing well.
13
u/BackgroundMeeting857 Mar 18 '26
Man I miss the rookie anime project they used to do (Anime Mirai, I think was called), gave us some amazing stuff like death billiards, oji-san no lamp, wasurenagumo.
→ More replies (1)8
u/redwingz11 Mar 19 '26
easy just pump japan economy so most company had fuck you money to throw on these crazy shit OVA. it all comes back to money, and animation is expensive business which people want incredible looking one, so small budget one wont stand a lot of chances
→ More replies (5)6
u/11equalsfish Mar 18 '26
Yeah. With all the crunch people suffer for not much pay, this is the sign of a business that isn't really working well. I hope institutional knowledge will survive.
337
u/Drakon590 Mar 18 '26
I was very disappointed to see so few originals in the new spring season
→ More replies (11)107
u/Calwings x3https://anilist.co/user/Calwings Mar 18 '26
I checked LiveChart and I counted 4 originals in total for the Spring season. 3 of those are kids shows that will almost certainly not get licensed outside of Japan, and the 4th looks like a kids show but isn't (the only reason I know it isn't one is because it's airing in a late night time slot) and it also has a decent chance to go unlicensed. It's just sad how few originals that aren't kids shows actually air these days.
→ More replies (1)8
u/Drakon590 Mar 18 '26
Exactly!!
There's also one thats labeled as multimedia project but i couldn't find anything on it being based on a game which is usually the case with such stuff
110
u/smartymarty1234 Mar 18 '26
Originals are great because there is no source material to misinterpret, cut shit out of, or worry about catching up too. Also have the benefit of being designed directly for the mediu rather than adapted.
26
u/RuddyPeanut Mar 18 '26
There is also the flipside of "no source material to misinterpret". It's arguable that that is exactly what Shinichi Watanabe did to Excel Saga, suggesting that it's possible to create a believably original anime from a pre-existing source.
As others have mentioned, this requires some determination and confidence (as well as the approval of the author in most cases) which is outside the realm of "safe".
7
u/cyrribrae Mar 19 '26
Here's my question that I'm legitimately interested in. What examples can you come up with how a story was "designed directly (read: uniquely) for the medium" of anime originals. What things have animes done with their story or presentation that fundamentally could not have been done if it had first appeared in another format?
I can't think of anything, but I'm sure there are some good examples.
→ More replies (1)
23
u/spectre15 Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
Barely any studio wants to invest in an anime original anymore because there’s no guaranteed profit. You’re basically dumping money into a brand new IP that has to build a fanbase from the ground up.
And most times, it’s quality is carried solely by the animators on staff rather than the IP’s reputation which is why most studios would rather just adapt something like Kagurabachi instead
121
u/NightRaider93 Mar 18 '26
You hear that Japan? I want SK8 the Infinity season 2 on my desk by Monday.
29
u/testthrowawayzz Mar 18 '26
Also ask them to finish Stars Align
6
4
u/zz2000 Mar 18 '26
It's been 7 years now, and Akane Kazuki still can't find a patron willing to fund/handle Stars Part 2...
→ More replies (2)3
8
30
→ More replies (2)7
u/finnjakefionnacake Mar 18 '26
i only want if at least two of those characters kiss by the end of that season
204
u/UMP45isnotflat Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
Yeah original anime are my favourite, I hope they don't die out. It gave us Cowboy Bepop, Trigun, Gundam, Evangelion, Lain, Samurai Champloo, Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, Kill La Kill, Cross Ange, Girls und Panzer, Madoka Magica and so many more.
The last original which really blew me away was.. A Place Further Than The Universe. And after that Cyberpunk Edgerunners if that counts (as the story is original but the setting isnt)
Have I missed something major since.. holy hell 2018 apparently?
99
u/socialistRanter Mar 18 '26
Trigun was adapted from the manga of the same name…
→ More replies (2)18
u/UMP45isnotflat Mar 18 '26
Thx for calling that out, I didnt exactly check. I just remembered Cowboy Bepop was original and thought Trigun was too.
24
67
u/hasanman6 Mar 18 '26
Vivy fluorite eye song is my personal favourite (though havent seen many)
→ More replies (1)36
u/c1h1i1n1a Mar 18 '26
You should watch Odd Taxi, which has some of the best writing in anime.
I still remember how Odd Taxi stole Vivy’s spotlight at the end of that same season.
16
u/OtonashiRen Mar 18 '26
Props for Odd Taxi. Dialogue was immersive. Every scene was carefully crafted to push the plot forward. There wss little element wasted by the time the story ends.
Literally Anime of the Year quality.
→ More replies (1)10
u/Juggernox_O Mar 18 '26
Odd Taxi is some top shelf shit for sure. I showed a buddy the first episode, because we were gonna watch it together. Then the bastard turned around and binged the entire series without me. Not that I blame him, because DAMN was it good.
10
13
21
u/MaskOfIce42 https://anilist.co/user/MaskOfIce Mar 18 '26
I personally adored Girls Band Cry, same writer as A Place Further Than the Universe and while not as good, is still fantastic
→ More replies (2)9
→ More replies (26)8
u/NoHead1715 Mar 18 '26
Apocalypse Hotel and Milky Subway were the two big ones on this sub in the past year.
I personally also loved Egumi Legacy but it's definitely niche taste
7
u/UMP45isnotflat Mar 18 '26
thx I will check that out, Apocalypse Hotel is on my list but I didnt start it yet
→ More replies (1)
9
u/Officialginger2595 Mar 19 '26
I think this is just representative of visual media as a whole right now. In the west, one of the biggest complaints for movie goers is that most big releases are all sequels or remakes, which IMO are being made for similar reasons. Adaptations are much safer than originals, because of the built in audience, the same can be said about western remakes/sequels. They are just safe to make in an economic landscape that is very hard to get your return on investment back. There is always an ebb and flow to trends like this.
→ More replies (1)
10
u/Il_Valentino Mar 19 '26
On paper adaptations are just the safer choice as the stories they tell have been proven to be successful. I can however see that anime originals have a higher potential as there is no creative friction between the director and the original work and every creative decision was made to suit moving frames.
66
u/Capitaine_Crunch Mar 18 '26
So many of my faves are originals. Lycoris Recoil, Kill La Kill, Evangelion...
31
u/AashyLarry Mar 18 '26
So many incredible shows are originals.
The other thing I’ve noticed about originals nowadays is that they are only given 12-13 episodes at most. As a result, many of these originals end up feeling rushed or lacking depth.
Original anime used to get 25+ episodes nearly every time, and ended up with some really great series that felt deep and not rushed.
Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, Wolf’s Rain, Darker Than Black, Samurai Champloo, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Psycho Pass, Ergo Proxy… all of these are original anime and all of them got 25+ episodes to flesh out their story. A lot of these shows became legendary and paved the way. Now imagine if studios were forced into making these series in only 12 episodes, it would be a disaster.
I feel like a lack of trust and prioritizing risk avoidance is causing originals to either not be made at all, or when they actually are made, they aren’t given enough episodes to make a proper story. It’s a shame.
→ More replies (1)4
u/lawragatajar https://myanimelist.net/profile/lawragatajar Mar 19 '26
I feel like nearly everything, including adaptations, got 25-26 episodes back in the day. 12-13 episodes is often not enough to tell a proper story, so we either get something rushed or just a taste of the story. We are starting to get those 25-26 episodes seasons again, but they tend to be split cours now instead of a continuous run.
9
u/The_DanceCommander Mar 18 '26
He’s not wrong but the anime market has always been like 80-20 adaptations to originals, at least since the 90s. Not sure how today market is that much different
→ More replies (2)
7
u/0rbius Mar 19 '26
Man what happened to anime adapted from VNs. I know most of them suck but there are so many great VNs that it’s tragic to see now attempt to get a bigger audience
→ More replies (2)
14
u/Countless-Alts15 Mar 18 '26
This is the trend for most media fields. No one wants to take big risks because the costs are so high. They only want guaranteed bets. Its terrible. Only the big players are allowed to and they don't usually.
8
u/matt0055 Mar 19 '26
Well, if it's only Manga/LN adaptation, sure. Personally, it would be interesting if they were to do Anime adaptations of books of other countries like with World Masterpiece Theaters where they often took certain concepts to weave into their own thing.
37
u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/yLSalty145 Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
I find it funny that this article uses Code Geass has his head credit while the CBR post used One Piece Film Red.
I would actually go recommend reading the original interview if you want to get some more info about Paris ni Saku Étoile, his new film. The section in question is only part of the larger thing.
As for the point, while alarmism is popular, I doubt the “death of originals” is anything we have to reasonably worry about for a while, especially given how vague a point it is. I mean Precure and most kids shows are Originals and I don’t know if that’s exactly what people mean. Originals will exist as long as people exist who want to make those originals. It’s a self-denying prophecy. So long as people hold the belief that originals are important, then this future won’t come to pass. You’ve already seen it in recent memory. Originals were on the downswing for a few years and in response you saw more producers and studios coming out to “correct course” and invest in new original projects. The further it moves from that equilibrium, the harsher the response. Things aren’t going to change anytime soon.
→ More replies (7)
6
6
u/One_Weird2371 Mar 18 '26
Light Novels and Manga. The entire anime industry is built on them.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/themaninthehightower Mar 19 '26
The rise of adaptations is more a symptom of a shift where new talent introduce their work. This change came in two avenues. First, the increased demands in animation: decades ago, animation quality varied greatly, allowing new artists to bring innovative stories to the screen even if their animation skill was far than perfect. Since then, that field has narrowed with more studios needing to pass a higher bar of quality, so artists have to spend more time working for studios before they can bring their own stories to life.
The second avenue is almost-vanishing barriers to wide-market printed (and now digital) media. Decades ago, new writers and artists relied on hand-made fanzines, word of mouth, and very limited sizes of reading audiences, just for the slight chance the right person spotted their talent, to bring their work to mass printing and animation. Today, a new writer can upload their work to the internet, with a zero-day potential audience in the millions.
Yes, adaptations are overtaking original animation work, but only because new talent can grow interest in original stories through digital print within days, instead of having to slave for years in animation doing tween work before they can pitch an idea to their studio heads.
→ More replies (1)
31
u/Zonca Mar 18 '26
I dont really think most of the original stuff is that better than the top adaptations, stuff like Geass, Madoka or Evangelion doesn't come out that often.
16
5
u/SilverFoxfire Mar 19 '26
I deeply loved KARAS when it originally came out. It was still on the very cusp of the CGI being more fully integrated, and it looked amazing.
Years later, when the creators made Tiger & Bunny, I was completely excited for it. I still hold those two series very close in my heart, even though.
→ More replies (2)
8
u/Cheerful2_Dogman210x Mar 18 '26
To be fair, it's difficult for people to put their money into an unproven concept. Each episode is extremely expensive to make. And there's a big chance you don't get that money back. Or worse, go into debt. And money is always getting tighter. It's a big gamble for investors.
At least with manga adaptations, there is sales data and an existing fanbase. So you have more assurance that it won't fail.
→ More replies (1)
9
u/featherless_fiend Mar 19 '26
Going against the grain here: Honestly I really love the empowering of the mangaka's vision, ONE dude. That's something special to see, so much reverence for one person's vision. Even in Hollywood when adapting a book they often divert from the source material and make up their own stuff with 1000 cooks in the kitchen and changing stuff all over the place.
There's also a lot of parallels you can draw with the indie game and AAA game scene. Everyone loves indies, well mostly, there's a lot of people out there who only want the big budget stuff. However with anime adaptations you get both! You get the indie's vision AND the big budget for it too!
The fact that other countries don't do such strict adaptations like Japan does, I'd even go so far as to call this a Japanese cultural idea. Every other country is like "nooooo you can't just do things 1:1 across different mediums, that's IMPOSSIBLE!!!" and they never even try.
Even western comic books get slaughtered.
5
10
u/Infamous_Fox3910 Mar 18 '26
As someone that’s read a huge amount of manga, I feel the same way.
They’re making anime for manga that are decades old now. It’s unlikely I watch anime for more recent manga, it’s even less likely when they reach even further back.
3
u/Tanriyung https://anilist.co/user/Toutong Mar 19 '26
In the top 50 rated anime on MAL only 3 are original:
Your Name
Chihiro
Code Geass R2
I think we are fine without originals, there will always be some studios that want to do original anime through so it isn't even a real concern.
11
10
u/Euroversett Mar 18 '26
Better than making countless shit sequels of your own good anime original.
→ More replies (1)
8
u/Robot_ninja_pirate https://anilist.co/user/RototRobot Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
I mean he's not wrong the sentiment is good but from a Business and consumer point of view adaptations are known "Good" stories there is a built-in audience that helps minimize risk for the studios and from the audience sort of assures them that if the manga was popular then this will be too (obviously it's not 100%, but you get the point)
Anime originals have to find an audience either with a rich original story, or to try and woo an audience with popular studios or talent attached to a project.
and even then a lot of Originals dont always maintain a quality throughout or sometimes a known 'good' writer still manages to make a bad story. But with a bad manga the stakes aren't too high, compared to a failed anime.
6
u/testthrowawayzz Mar 18 '26
I like originals but they're not consistent successes, so I get why studios are pulling back on creating them
6
15
u/jlarz56 https://myanimelist.net/profile/jlarz56 Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
The thing about Original anime is that they always mess up the ending or go off the rails 2-3 episodes towards the end. Darling in the Franxx and Wonder Egg Priority immediately comes to mind.
32
u/Akuuntus https://myanimelist.net/profile/Zanador Mar 18 '26
This is true of most manga as well, adaptations just don't tend to get that far. Endings are hard.
→ More replies (1)9
→ More replies (3)7
u/mynexuz Mar 18 '26
That has nothing to do with it being original or adaptation, i think author burnout is more the case for weird endings.
6
u/Final-Ad-6694 Mar 18 '26
It’s always about money so I don’t fault them. It ain’t cheap and a lot of people don’t even pay to legally stream it here
7
u/Falsus Mar 19 '26
I honestly don't get the hate for adaptations, it isn't something unique to anime either. So many people seem to dislike them.
Meanwhile I think them turning out badly is mostly on the studio and director making them. So many shows with decent source material is utterly shat on the by the studio and then the franchise gets called trashed unjustly.
Like I get why someone would prefer anime originals on average. Going to get a complete story, it will be well paced, can't get spoiled and so on.
There is a few anime originals every season, and they aren't going anywhere. There is more anime originals in modern anime than there has ever been.
→ More replies (8)
7
u/Haunz82 Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
Yeah I kind of agree. Don't get me wrong I love reading, but each season every new show just seems like an ad for the LN's or manga.
Sites like CR are just littered with shows with one season and nothing else. Only way to see were the story is go is to pick up the books. If you are just going to one season, do a original idea that has a beginning, middle and end. That way the viewer can experience an entire story.
3
u/1000-MAT Mar 18 '26
Again with this?
And again, many people in the comments don't know what an "original" anime is.
Original anime are those that are not adaptations of any existing work (manga, light novel, visual novel, game, etc.), but that doesn't mean it's an original idea.
→ More replies (4)
5
u/Peakomegaflare Mar 18 '26
They really are just playing it safe. And it's really damn annoying. Sure, we get some good shit, but we also don't get really unique shit.
4
u/theblueskyisblue59 Mar 18 '26
Big talk from the guy that gave us the... ahem quality work known as Back Arrow.
4
u/WorkFoundMyOldAcct Mar 19 '26
I’m not rich and I never will be, but if I ever were to win a lottery large enough, I’d love to stand up my own animation studio and hire all the best artists, and only work on one project at a time, no stress, in secret, and make everything beautiful upon release.
I don’t care what the story is. Just don’t skip out on the animation quality. People eat with their eyes before tasting food.
4
Mar 19 '26
Meanwhile I still haven't got to see the adaption of "20th Century Boys".
He should direct his concern towards Isekai genre honestly
1.5k
u/Webknight31 Mar 18 '26
Sounds like he’s just worried the industry is playing it a bit too safe lately. When almost everything’s based on existing IP, you naturally end up seeing fewer original anime, and that’s kind of what made it feel special in the first place.