To fans, an anime switching staff or studio in between seasons is a bad omen. More often than not, changes like these lead to a dips in quality in both storytelling and animation. One of the most recent examples of this was One-Punch Man, which went from a blockbuster to a dud after Madhouse passed the series to J.C. Staff.
Thankfully, this isn’t always the case. At times, what a floundering franchise needed all along was a new staff member or team to realize their source material’s full potential. These series and movies wouldn’t be as good or even legendary as they are now if not for the massive staff shake-ups they went through during production.
1 Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
Lupin III’s first movie was The Mystery of Mamo from 1978 but, to most people, its sequel The Castle of Cagliostro is the one that got them into the anime. Both were animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, but there’s a clear gulf between their artistic ambition and quality. This could be attributed to the sequel being directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Soji Yoshikawa’s direction of The Mystery of Mamo wasn’t bad, but it was serviceable at best. Conversely, Miyazaki’s direction and vision for The Castle of Cagliostro were so revolutionary that they set the standard for the entire Lupin III franchise. As far as most fans are concerned, Miyazaki’s movie is Lupin III’s true beginning.
2 Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
The original Vampire Hunter D isn’t bad, but it’s nothing noteworthy. Ashi Productions’ 1985 adaptation of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s light novels was as edgy and stylized as any other OVA released in the ’80s. Contrast this to Madhouse’s 2000 sequel, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, which is now hailed as an irreplaceable feat of animation.
Unlike the 1985 movie, Bloodlust boasted a distinctly Gothic atmosphere and style that few animation studios could replicate. Bloodlust’s animation was superior to its predecessor in every way. It also helped that Bloodlust was directed by industry legend Yoshiaki Kawajiri of Ninja Scroll and Wicked City fame.
3 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012)
Before David Production’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure became one of the biggest anime of the 2010s, it was best known as an obscure OVA from 1993. A.P.P.P. brought to life with by adapting Stardust Crusaders. The anime was so truncated that it took from 1993 to 2002 to release 13 episodes.
In A.P.P.P.’s defense, this was the unavoidable result of the anime industry’s shift from traditional to digital techniques in the ’90s. This understandable delay, however, didn’t mitigate the fact that their Stardust Crusaders adaptation was a disappointment. David Production didn’t just save the arc, but the JoJo’s franchise with its 2012 anime.
4 Highlander: The Search For Vengeance
The unfortunate truth about Highlander is that it only has one good movie. After the 1986 original became a cult hit, the franchise devolved into a mess. The series couldn’t catch a break even if some of the first movie’s creators came back. Highlander only bounced back when Madhouse turned it into an anime in 2007.
Besides Madhouse’s animation, The Search for Vengeance was a success because it had almost no involvement from the original creators. This let the anime be its own story that was free from the established constraints. Today, the anime movieis considered to be one of the best Highlanders since the original.
5 Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods
Although it’s standard for a mangaka to leave the animated adaptation of their works alone, Dragon Ball creator 706z87″ title=”akira”>Akira Toriyama took this to the extreme. Toriyama was famously reclusive. At most, he’d give Toei Animation some advice and concepts. This changed when the terrible Dragonball Evolution pushed him out of the sidelines.
Dragonball Evolution was so bad that it almost scuttled the legendary anime. Toriyama wanted to restore the surprisingly subversive Dragon Ballto its rightful glory, so he became more hands-on in the movie Battle of Gods. Since then, Dragon Ball‘s goodwill has been revived, and Toriyama is more active than before.
6 Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Despite creating Bleach, Tite Kubo had almost nothing to do with Pierrot’s anime. This is fairly standard in the industry, but Kubo’s absence was detrimental. Bleach added too many filler and sanded the manga’s edge. Without Kubo’s input or permission, the anime deviated from his lore and characterizations.
These contributed to Bleach‘s downfall and poor legacy. For The Thousand-Year Blood War, Pierrot brought Kubo on board as a writer and consultant. Kubo’s inclusion dramatically improved Bleach in ways even the most jaded fans never expected. Fans and Kubo consider the final arc to be what Bleach should’ve been from the start.
7 Hellsing Ultimate
It goes without saying that Hellsing’s anime had a chaotic production cycle. Hellsing was first adapted as a 13-episode anime by Gonzo in 2003. The anime diverged heavily from Kouta Hirano’s manga, much to his displeasure. Before Hellsing Ultimate began production, Hirano forbade any potential animated adaptations.
In 2006, Statelight revived Hellsing through the more faithful and better-received Hellsing Ultimate. Due to production issues, the OVAs were passed between three studios. Madhouse and Graphinica did a good job of improving Statelight’s groundwork, but the constantly changing studios delayed the episodes by years.
8 Blade Of The Immortal (2019)
In 2008, Bee Train adapted Blade of the Immortal as a 12-episode anime, but Hiroaki Samura’s Manga wasn’t done at the time. The anime dropped many plot threads and characters. It also had an anti-climactic ending that teased the final war instead of showing it. This was just another blow against Bee Train’s already tarnished reputation.
Blade of the Immortal was seen as a wasted opportunity for years before Liden Films gave Samura’s manga the adaptation it deserved. In 2019, Liden Films released its take on Blade of the Immortal through Amazon Prime. The new 24-episode series was well-received, and it effectively buried Bee Train’s anime for good.
9 Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle: Tokyo Revelations & Spring Thunder Chronicles
Thanks to NHK’s unrealistic deadlines, Bee Train’s adaptation of CLAMP’s Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle became one of the all-time worst adaptations. Tsubasa’s first season was so poorly received that the second season was limited to damage control. Things got so bad that Bee Train and CLAMP willingly scrapped all plans for a third season.
Because of the terrible experience, CLAMP switched animation studios. From 2007 to 2009, CLAMP worked with Production I.G. to create two OVAs Tokyo Revelations and Spring Thunder Chronicles. Unlike the 2005 anime, the OVAs were more faithful to the manga and better received. These, unfortunately, still didn’t save CLAMP from its descent.
10 Rebuild Of Evangelion
When Hideaki Anno began working on the Rebuild of Evangelion movies in the 2000s, he and his newly founded studio Khara worked with Gainax. Since Neon Genesis Evangelion and Anno started with Gainax, this made sense. However, the Gainax who helped make Rebuild wasn’t the same studio of passionate animators from the ’90s.
Many Gainax executives were found guilty of financial crimes related to Evangelion’s profits. The stress from the legal proceedings and feelings of betrayal negatively impacted Rebuild’s production and releases, and Anno’s mental health. Both vastly improved after Khara bought complete control of Evangelion in 2014.