As most anime are based on existing properties, some of them come in with a built-in audience. Hype is dangerous. Sure, that momentum should automatically attract viewers, and themost hyped animetend to get off to incredible starts. However, failure to live up to those expectations could result in a massive fall, causing the series to be viewed more negatively than if it had just come and gone. For example,My Deer Friend Nokotanstruggled to live up to the hype set by its trailer, whileThe Beginning After the End’s fanfare died down very quickly.
While somewhat rare in the grand scheme of things, occasionally a highly anticipated anime comes around that manages to fulfill that hype, or even surpass it. These anime are worthy of their source material, and they open up already popular names to a wider audience than ever before. Rather than focusing on disappointing adaptations, let’s highlight anime that met high expectations.
A few notes, criteria, and things to keep in mind:
Before proceeding, we should clarify what “living up to the hype” entails, andSolo Levelingis the perfect example. Although growing more mainstream by the day, manhwa is still fairly niche, and Chugong’s story is by far the industry’s most well-known property. When A-1 Pictures announced aSolo Levelinganime, the hype was through the roof, both from fans of the source material and newcomers who just knew the manhwa by name.
If somebody goes into the adaptation knowing nothing about Sung Jinwoo’s journey, they might be disappointed by the somewhat repetitive story and emphasis on action above everything else. However, that isSolo Leveling. The manhwa is all about hype moments, aura farming, gorgeous art, and exhilarating fights. The story is fine, but almost never the focus. A-1 did a fantastic job of bringingSolo Levelingto the small screen while changing a few elements (that can be somewhat divisive among fans), andseason 2 is particularly great.
Naoki Urasawa is comfortably among the most beloved mangaka of all time, but only a handful of his stories have received adaptations.Monsteris a classic, andMaster KeatonandYawarahave pretty good series; however, Naoki’sBilly Bat,20th Century Boys, andPlutoseemed destined to remain solely in manga (or live-action) form.
Plutoappeared particularly unlikely to materialize since the story is based on Osamu Tezuka’sAstro Boy, so an adaptation would need to jump through a few more hurdles than usual. That seemed to be the case for more than a decade following the manga’s conclusion, but things changed in 2023 when Studio M2 unleashed an 8-episode ONA series on Netflix. With each episode being roughly an hour long,Plutois a thorough and loving adaptationthat captures the tone and themes of the source material.
Nominated for Kodansha’s “Best Shonen Manga” in 2021, just a year after its debut,Frieren: Beyond Journey’s Endwas pretty much instantly recognized as one of the demographic’s greatest modern releases. That remained the case moving forward, andFriereneventually won the award in 2023, a few months before the anime’s debut.
Frierenwas a massive critical success and also shipped decent numbers in 2023, ranking inthe top-15 best-selling manga; in 2024,Frierenshot up into the top 3, demonstrating that the anime had the desired effect of bringing even more attention to the source material.
I loveSpy x Family, but the anime arguably lost a bit of steam during its sequels. Consequently, it can be easy to forget just how hyped the adaptation was before its debut; for example,two of the manga’s volumes cracked the top 30 bestsellers of 2020, a ranking otherwise consisting of justDemon Slayer,One Piece, andAttack on Titan.Spy x FamilyVolume 6 managed the same in 2021, existing alongside those three juggernauts andJujutsu Kaisen. While way more popular in Japan than internationally, Tatsuya Endo’s manga was well-known outside its home country as well.
The 2022 anime garnered near-universal praise for itshumor, action, characters (Anya and Loid, especially), and overarching political story.Spy x Familyeventually settled down into an episodic format that prioritizes laughs above plot progression, which can be somewhat frustrating if you are primarily interested in the latter; however, the comedy constantly hits the mark, and the anime is a faithful adaptation of the manga.
Yoshihiro Togashi’sHunter x Hunterreached a wider audience than ever before with Madhouse’s 2011 adaptation, but make no mistake, the manga was already a massive deal by that point. Although it feels somewhat like a footnote nowadays, the 1999 anime was successful in Japan and a few other nations, although it did not have much of a presence in the United States. More importantly,Togashi’sYu Yu Hakushois rightfully regarded as an all-time great shonen manga, soHunter x Hunterwas automatically hyped as the author’s other masterpiece.
A few divisive changes aside, 2011Hunter x Hunteris fantastic in nearly every area, including top-notch animation that blows away most other long-running shonen adaptations with more than 100 episodes. The adaptation was impressively consistent, all the while retaining the manga’s character depth and willingness to take risks.
Now, for something a touch different. While manga will always remain the most popular source for adaptations,light novels also frequently serve as inspiration. These stories are harder to find than manga, so their hype tends to be isolated to their communities rather than some widespread wave that takes over the internet. That said, I feel like86: Eighty-Sixwas probably the most highly anticipated light novel adaptation of all time, attracting interest from people who were not that familiar with the source material.
A-1 Pictures is, apparently, a safe bet when it comes to craftinganime that lives up to the hype, as the studio’s adaptation is a triumph in nearly every area. The animation is unsurprisingly brilliant, and it is backed by a stellar soundtrack and a well-paced story that feels fairly complete, despite not adapting everything.
Although his most recent series,Märchen Crown, hasn’t received that much international attention, Aka Akasaka’s previous two big manga were inescapable for a couple of years, and that goes beyond their anime versions.Oshi no Kowas hyped to the high heavens when the 2023 adaptation came out, which was successful enough to ensure the sequel garnered the same attention. Will season 3 enjoy the same fate now that the manga’s conclusion is common knowledge? Maybe, maybe not.
As exciting as the world was forOshi no Ko, that discourse was frankly muted next toKaguya-sama, an anime that was seen as a breath of fresh air for both the comedy and romance genres. The manga had been out for a couple of years by that point, earning acclaim for its lovable characters, strong humor, and gradual shift towards romance. The anime proved to be nearly as good as the source material.
One started self-publishingOne-Punch Manas a webcomic in 2009, garnering quite a bit of attention and love. In 2012, a manga remake was put into production, and both versions are still going strong more than a decade later. When Saitama achieved animated form in 2015,One-Punch Manwas not only reaching its peak popularity, but the anime was also debuting at the height of superhero fever. Coming off the success ofHunter x Hunter, Parasyte, andOverlord, Madhouse was in the middle of its hottest streak to date and, at the time, regarded as the best active anime studio.
One-Punch Manhad all the momentum behind it, and an exhilarating opening episode that showcased jaw-dropping action alongside theme-subverting humor put to rest any fears that the adaptation would fail to hit the mark. The first season is pretty much perfect, butOPMchanged studios for its sequel and, unfortunately, lost a lot of steam.
Mob Psycho 100’s hype mostly stemmed fromOne-Punch Man’s success, but the anime arguably surpassed expectations.
Exceptions likePlutoaside, most “masterpiece” manga receive anime during their heydays. Consequently, when an adaptation is announced years after the source material’s conclusion, it usually receives a mixed response due to fear that it could erase the original anime’s legacy.Trigun StampedeandKenshinboth attracted this type of discourse.
Fruits Basketis different. The 2001 anime is a cult classic in its own right and worth a watch, but it deviates substantially from the source material and, frankly, is an awful adaptation (but not an awful show). Consequently, the 2019 version presented an opportunity to set things right and properly translate Natsuki Takaya’s seminal manga. Nowadays, it is one of thebest shojo animeof all time.
Due to being utterlyovershadowed byBrotherhood,Fullmetal Alchemist’s 2003 anime does not quite get its due nowadays, and its popularity can be somewhat overlooked. Just to be clear,Fullmetal Alchemistwas not only one of the most popular manga of the 2000s, but the 2003 adaptation was also one of the most widespread anime of that decade. Sure, the industry’s output was not as accessible during that era as it is nowadays, but that does not take anything away fromFMA.
Brotherhoodwas the culmination of a decade of acclaim, love, and quality, presenting an opportunity to fully adapt the source material at its absolute peak. While Studio Bones rushed through the chapters that were already covered by the 2003 anime, the rest of the series stands up as one of the greatest anime of all time.
