There are many reasons a classic anime will get remade. Sometimes, it’s to incorporate new mediums, like sleek computer graphics to complement the animation, and sometimes, it’s to hopefully attract a new audience. Some anime worlds and characters are so beloved through generations that it makes sense to release more content.
Manga lovers always appreciate an anime adaptation that keeps close to the source material. Lately, there have been rereleases of classic titles that are even more faithful to the amazing manga source material. Remaking an anime gives creators a chance not just to incorporate more of the manga but also to help keep up with the mores of the time, cutting outdated filler episodes and properly reincorporating previously censored characters.
10 Chi’s Sweet Home
So many grew up watching Chi’s Sweet Home, and now a new generation of littles can enjoy the 2016 remake of the same name and its spinoff, Chi’s Sweet Adventure. Chi is a foundling kitten separated from her family and adopted by a little boy, Youhei, and his family. Both versions are equally lovely. The original anime is nearly the same art style as the popular manga it’s based on.
The 2016 Chi’s Sweet Home has entirely new 3D computer graphics animation, yet it still maintains the same character design and charm. Episodes are short, only about ten minutes each, and are perfectly suited for kids today.
9 Blade Of The Immortal
It can be difficult to revisit a classic story like Blade of the Immortal and do it justice, but the 2019 Amazon Prime version is well worth the time. The new animation is just as elegant as the original, if not more. The new version isn’t just a cash grab; it leans into animation advances to make a beautiful, consistent art style.
Blade of the Immortal’s new version doesn’t shy away from the dark themes and violence in the source material, either. Every scene really paints a picture of the historical samurai story, with the emotional beats hitting as hard as the action scenes.
8 Vampire Princess Miyu
There have been many revamps of classic anime over the last five-plus years, but revisiting series and classic movies is nothing new — Vampire Princess Miyu is a 1997 series remake of the 1988 OVA. The series is so well-liked that it often eclipses the movie in fans’ minds.
The OVA paints Miyu as a childlike, manipulative character, while the series adds more depth and maturity to the protagonist’s personality. Miyu isn’t overly flirtatious in the series, and she gives more consequence to her vampire state. Her internal conflict has far more nuance in the series. Maybe it’s time for another Miyu adaptation with even more events from the manga.
7 Revolutionary Girl Utena: Adolescence Of Utena
It’s hard to top such a beloved, well-written magical girl series like Revolutionary Girl Utena. Still, the movie remake, Adolescence of Utena, brings enough new material to the table that the movie stands on its own — even if it doesn’t surpass the original in quality. While there’s debate about whether the movie’s events are canon or not, the animation is beautiful, and the characterization is unique.
Adolescence of Utena exists on an alternate timeline in the story. The ending serves as an alternate ending to the Utena world, and fans of the romance may enjoy the symbolic finale.
6 Hellsing Ultimate
Alucard is back again in the ten-episode Hellsing Ultimate OVA, with plenty of time devoted to fleshing out each episode as compared to the original series’ 20-minute episodes. Since the new version’s episodes are so long, Ultimate acts out plenty more events and plot-points than in the original Hellsing series. There’s also an entirely new ending in the remake, which fans still laud as the superior version.
The manga didn’t finish until 2008, six years after the conclusion of the first anime series. Armed with a finished source material series, the OVA remake has better thought-out characters and the dynamics between them make far more sense. The OVA also gives more explanations for the way the creatures work and more extensive world-building.
5 Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution
One of the original first Pokémon movies, Mewtwo Strikes Back, was revolutionary for fans that grew up with the series. It introduced Mewtwo and featured his source-Pokemon, Mew, extensively. Fans were so excited about the movie, armed with holographic promotional Mew cards and plenty of questions about the new Pokémon clone.
Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution is practically a shot-for-shot and word-for-word remake, but instead of traditional animation, they use CGI. There are some minor plot tweaks, but nothing that takes away from the overall story. The only thing that’s missing is a remake of the prefacing film Pikachu’s Vacation.
4 Fruits Basket
Perhaps the only thing missing from the new Fruits Basket remake is the iconic opening and ending themes like “Small Prayer.” Nostalgic soundtrack aside, the remake brings an updated animation style to the same fan-favorite romance.
The remake also has nearly three times more content because the original anime was working from an unfinished manga series for the source material. The original anime series may be more concise, but the new Fruits Basket devotes plenty of time to character development and keeps true to the manga.
3 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
The newest JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure iteration is so well-liked that it far surpasses any concept of the previous 2012 “Phantom Blood” OVA. JoJo is a long story that spans generations, and the OVA creators had their work cut out for them trying to squeeze in every plot point, character, and bit of backstory necessary to tell the Phantom Blood arc.
The JoJo series not only fully fleshes out that arc, but it also covers most of the arcs thus far in the extensive classic manga series. The anime series is so expertly done that the JoJo fandom is bigger than it ever was previously.
2 Berserk: The Golden Age Arc
While the original Berserk anime still stands on its own, the three-film series Berserk: The Golden Age revisits the world with stellar animation. Griffith shines in silver armor and blue-toned white-blonde hair like a true fallen angel, and Guts has his same larger-than-life character design.
The 1997 anime likewise covers the same arc as Golden Age, and Golden Age also serves as a prequel to the 2016 Berserk anime. All versions of Berserk have something worthwhile to offer the story and characterization. They’re worth watching in succession, even with the plot overlap. And there’s no doubt that the manga is the true jewel of the classic seinen tragedy.
1 Sailor Moon Crystal
Normally, more content is preferable to less, but Sailor Moon Crystal avoids all the filler episodes that litter the original ’90s anime series. While filler episodes can be fun in their own right, Crystal’s tight pacing fully devotes itself to the original manga masterpiece.
Usagi and Mamoru have a far more believable romance in Crystal, erring away from the tsundere-tsundere back and forth and leaning more into sincere romantic connection and development. Crystal thankfully doesn’t fall victim to the censorship that plagued the ’90s English dub, either. The Crystal series continues with additional movies that explore the later Sailor Moon arcs.
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