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Best Incomplete Anime
Summary
Table of Contents
- Anime series can face premature endings due to low ratings, studio closures, or lack of source material.
- Promising series like Land of the Lustrous await a second chance, while others like Skip Beat! face unfinished fates.
- Challenges like studio closures and health issues can prevent beloved anime like Gangsta and Nana from continuing.
Keeping up with different anime can be frustrating sometimes. Shows that lost their mojo a while back can be kept going for years on end, receiving spin-offs and tie-ins, because it managed to build a big enough base to keep itself going. While promising series get cut down before their prime due to low ratings, peaking too early and running out of ideas for its finale, or their animation studio gets shut down.
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Some anime are lucky and get a second chance at life, like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure getting a rebirth via its 2010s adaptations. Conversely, certain shows get a season or two and are left unfinished, destined to forever exist in that incomplete limbo. At least some of them have a manga or light novel to fill in the blanks left after their end, but some projects were anime-only and have no other source. Maybe they’ll get their own Jojo-esque resurgence in the future, but it’s likely these anime series will remain unfinished.
Updated on February 21, 2025 by David Heath: An anime’s quality isn’t always enough to keep it going. Fans have been waiting on tenterhooks for No Game, No Life to get a second season, but there hasn’t been any news on it for a while now. Not beyond series creator Yuu Kamiya dispelling fresh rumors that it was coming up soon back on Twitter in 2025. Even so, it still has a better chance of coming than the new additions to this list, as their front has been just as silent for much longer. All entries have also received a few touch-ups, from extra info, to some mild format edits, and have been reordered by how likely they might get their second chance. Some have some mild hope, but others are definitively done by circumstances beyond its control.
18
Land of the Lustrous
Studio Is Left Waiting 8 Years and Counting to Make a New Season
Land of the Lustrous‘ chances of a second season aren’t completely shot, even after nearly a decade since it first hit the airwaves. It followed the Lustrous, gemstone-infused immortal humanoids who live on the last spot of land on the meteorite-ravaged Earth. They protect the land from their Moon-based rivals, the Lunarians, who seek to harvest the Lustrous for their gems. Phos, considered too weak to fight, is left to clerical work, but hopes to find someway to prove their worth to the group as a whole.
Fans loved it, and critics felt it was an inventive breath of fresh air in the seinen genre, and certainly one of the best CG animes. But it only lasted for 12 episodes, covering just a fraction of the manga’s 12-year run. Its second season is long overdue, and Orange are apparently willing to do it, but they haven’t been given the greenlight for it by the execs. In the meantime, they’ve been working on other projects. Hope remains low, but if The Devil is a Part Timer could get a second season a decade after its first, there’s a chance for LotL.
17
Skip Beat!
Studio Closure Closes Classic Shojo Series’ Chances of a Sequel
Skip Beat!
- Release Date
-
2008 – 2009
- Directors
-
Kiyoko Sayama
- Writers
-
Mayori Sekijima
Yoshiki Nakamura’s Skip Beat! manga debuted in 2002 and is still ongoing, accumulating more than 50 volumes by this point. Both it and its anime adaptation centered around Kyoko, a girl who joins the entertainment business out of revenge so she can outshine her ex-boyfriend, Shotaro Fuwa. Hilarious, charming, and emotional, the anime managed to hit the same beats as the manga, and even managed a DVD/Blu-ray release with a fresh English dub thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign.
However, the anime ended in 2009 after 25 episodes, which only scratches the surface of what its source material has to offer. It may have received a second season if its original studio, Hal Film Maker, didn’t go defunct in the same year, merging with Yumeta Company to become TYO Animations Inc. It’s not impossible for a show to get a fresh sequel series years later, even by other studios. But chances are, if Skip Beat! comes back, it’ll re-adapt the material from the beginning instead of continuing where HFM left off.
16
Gantz
Edgy Murder Anime Stops in Its Tracks
Gantz
- Release Date
-
2004 – 2004
- Network
-
Fuji TV, AT-X
- Directors
-
Atsushi Nigorikawa, Hirotaka Endo
Gantz is a unique and interesting manga, one that, prior to the release of its anime, had everything going against its success. The series is violent, bloody, philosophical, and at times massively brutal. People who loved it enjoyed its story, as Kei and his childhood friend Masaru fight for a second chance at life by taking part in Gantz’ alien-murder-based game. Those who hated it felt it was the epitome of edgelord fodder. The anime wouldn’t have changed either side’s minds, as it gave fans more of the carnage and moral debates they wanted.
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The only problem was its ending, as it concluded in 2004–9 years before the manga ended in 2013. It left off on an ambiguous note that was meant to keep viewers guessing, but left most of them feeling like the show just stopped in its tracks instead. Still, the manga was popular enough to get live-action adaptations, a CG movie in Gantz: O, and spin-offs in Gantz: G and Gantz: E. There’s a chance it might get a fresh adaptation that’ll adapt the manga’s own bizarre conclusion, but it’s not due to happen anytime soon.
15
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
2000s Anime Phenomenon Is Unlikely to Make a Comeback
People didn’t even have to be otaku during the mid-2000s to have heard of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. They might’ve had to be at least otaku-adjacent to know it was about an after-school club keeping their president happy in order to keep reality intact. But clips from the show became a global phenomenon when the dance during its ED, ‘Hare Hare Yukai’, went viral. It even saw a resurgence during the 2020 lockdown when Haruhi’s VA Aya Hirano posted a video of her showing others how to #HareHareYukaiAtHomeWithAllYourMight.
The anime ended in 2006, but was followed up with plenty of OVAs, ONAs, spin-offs, and feature-length flicks that continued adapting Haruhi’s story. But the original light novel that got the ball rolling is still ongoing, book by book, so there’s still plenty of material to work with. But things have changed a lot in the 15 years since The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (10 if one counts The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan). With Kyoto Animation’s staff changes, let alone its arson attack, it’s unlikely they’d be able to continue where they left off.
14
Rave Master
Show’s Faithfulness to Manga’s Slow Start Curtailed Its Momentum
Rave Master
- Release Date
-
October 13, 2001
One of the saddest things in the world is missed or wasted potential. In the case of Rave Master (aka Groove Adventure Rave), the anime ended just as the manga was hitting its stride. As evidenced by his earlier work, Fairy Tail, creator Hiro Mashima knows how to tell a gripping story. Rave Master saw Haru Glory take his friends Ellie, Musica, and his dog Plue on a globetrotting adventure to gather the Rave Stones and use their power to stop the evil Demon Card organization.
The show took a bit of time to find its footing, as the earlier chapters and storylines of its source material were quite slow and meandering. But then it hit its stride in its second half. Alas, it didn’t make a strong enough first impression for it to get a second season. If it did, it might’ve clicked better with viewers as the following chapters would’ve kept up the momentum the first season’s second half was building up.
13
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
Fought to Stay Animated, But Ultimately Lost
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
- Release Date
-
October 8, 2006
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple is much like its title character, as it’s no masterpiece. But the shōnen series had plenty of potential with its great action, hilarious humor, and likable characters. It got plenty of chances to catch on too, with a 50-episode anime and 11 OVAs. That’s more than most up & comers get. Yet they still covered less than half of the full manga, as the OVAs really rushed through its plot beats. As such, they make it hard for viewers to get invested in the story, but at least they have great fight scenes.
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After so many tries, there’s not much incentive for other studios to give it a fresh go, even after the manga was completed in 2014. 2000s nostalgia is growing, so some viewers might miss Kenichi‘s turn-of-the-century look and shameless approach to fanservice. But until that demand for mid-2000s action-anime fun grows, those ecchi enthusiasts will have to get their fill from Food Wars or Dress Up Darling.
12
Claymore
Studio Creates Lackluster Ending to Conclude Ongoing Series
Technically, Claymore did end. Clare, a warrior known as a Claymore, kills off demons called Yoma across the land in the hopes of avenging the death of her mother figure, Teresa, on the Awakened Being Priscilla. The 26th and final episode saw the two clash, and Clare learning what revenge can cost a person. But the manga was still ongoing at the time the anime was broadcast, so this was an original ending made by Madhouse, and fans hated it.
It’s a shame, as it’s an otherwise strong adaptation of the manga. But Madhouse’s hands were tied, and they chose to give Clare a sudden strength boost to give fans its Rocky-style ending, instead of adapting the subsequent arcs. The manga also helped develop the characters the anime left rather flat, like Clare’s kiddy companion Raki. Any second season would either have to work with the studio’s truncated ending, or it would have to do what Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood did and truncate its early chapters to reach the unadapted content quicker.
11
My Little Monster
Open Ending Forces Viewers to Pick Up the Manga for Answers
My Little Monster
- Release Date
-
October 2, 2012
Ambiguity is all fine and good, but sometimes there needs to be some concrete answers. My Little Monster is an anime that thrives on unanswered questions, as the cold and quiet Shizuku ends up in a will-they-won’t-they kind of relationship with the violent troublemaker Haru. Each time they seem to get closer, something happens that drives them apart. On the one hand, it’s good to challenge viewers’ expectations and give them food for thought, as opposites don’t always make for good pairings.
On the other hand, the anime ended after 13 episodes, with Shizuku reflecting on her times with her friends and Haru, and how she still had more stories to tell about them. Stories that were never animated as, aside from an OVA, the show ended there. Viewers seeking a concrete conclusion had to pick up the manga, which ended in the same year as the anime, in 2013. It’s a frustrating note for romcom fans to leave off on, but after 12 years of radio silence, Shizuku and Haru’s stories are likely to remain in print.
10
Noragami
Does an Anime Need to Fully Adapt a Manga to Be Complete?
Noragami (2014)
- Release Date
-
January 5, 2014
- Directors
-
Kotaro Tamura
- Writers
-
Deko Akao
Noragami is a good series that just seems to continually come upon bad luck. It told an intriguing story, as the minor god Yato finds a new (if reluctant) partner in Hiyori, a middle school girl who saved him from a car accident. Together, they take on odd jobs in the hope Yato will get a shrine of his own. The anime series felt rushed at times, even though the animation was always good. It even managed to get a second season in Noragami Aragato.
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Combined with its original animation DVDs (OAD), it did manage to reach a conclusion of sorts. But that was back in 2015. The manga continued past then, despite the occasional hiatus, until Adachitoka finally brought it to an end at the start of 2024. As such, there’s an additional 9 years’ worth of material Studio Bones or another animator could cover for a fresh season or two. But with Aragoto ending on a sweet note, a revival could risk spoiling that if it failed to live up to expectations.
9
Akagi
Mahjong Anime Ends Partway Through the Longest Game in Manga History
Akagi
- Release Date
-
October 5, 2005
- Network
-
Nippon TV
- Directors
-
Yuzo Sato
During the 2000s, Madhouse got a craving for some gambling anime. The studio produces the three definitive entries in the genre: Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor, One Outs, and Akagi. None of these series are full adaptations of their source material, with Kaiji fans still waiting for a follow-up. But both it and One Outs at least had stop-off points. Akagi‘s anime abruptly stops in the middle of perhaps the most epic (or at least longest) match in manga history.
The manga followed its title character as he dove into the criminal underworld to beat yakuza of all stripes at mahong. It culminated in a duel with Iwao Washizu, which lasted for 20 years’ worth of chapters, concluding in 2017. The anime lasted for one year in 2005 and ended 4 rounds into Akagi and Washizu’s duel. Needless to say, Madhouse weren’t going to keep their anime going on one mahjong duel alone. There hasn’t been any news on a potential second season or a fresh adaptation in the years since the manga’s end, and it’ll likely stay that way.
8
Princess Jellyfish
Beloved Romcom Leaves Viewers Wanting More
Princess Jellyfish
- Release Date
-
2010 – 2009
- Network
-
Fuji TV
- Directors
-
Katsumi Terahigashi, Masahisa Koyata, Nanako Shimazaki
It takes a talented team to look at the world of anime through the eyes of an otaku. At least in an honest, straightforward way. There are plenty of otaku who live up to the worst stereotypes. But if an anime dwells on them too much, it can end up insulting their main audience, and putting off casual viewers. Yet one great series managed to delve deep into the minds of several otaku women. Princess Jellyfish managed to tell a touching and emotionally resonant story about Tsukimi, a jellyfish enthusiast, and her otaku roommates.
They forbid their members from associating with shallow hipsters and men. But things take a turn when Tsukimi finds a common interest in Koibuchi, a crossdresser who seemingly stands for everything her roommates resent. Its 11 episodes captured the hearts and minds of viewers worldwide, while also leaving them wishing it had another season to cover more of the manga, which continued for seven years after the anime’s end. But chances are it was intended to be a one-off series meant to encourage viewers to pick up the manga instead of fully adapting it.
7
Hinamatsuri
Psychic Girl Yakuza Anime Likely Meant as a One-Off from the Start
Hinamatsuri
- Release Date
-
2018 – 2018
- Directors
-
Masashi Ishihama
- Writers
-
Masashi Sogo, Yûsuke Kishi
The Hinamatsuri manga lasted a decade, and followed mid-level yakuza Yoshifumi Nitta as he became the guardian of a mysterious girl with psychic powers called Hina. It starts off simply, but only gets trickier when they come across more super-powered girls who each aim to capture Hina or take her own. It finally got animated in 2018, and clicked well with viewers. But it only lasted 12 episodes, and left room for more episodes to come.
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Even then, it rushed through a lot of the manga’s plot beats to tell a more action-packed tale at the cost of the story overall. The anime is still a fine viewing experience, though one that could’ve done with more time and episodes. Instead, the series feels like a taster meant to promote the source material, as it hasn’t been followed up on since its 2018 debut, but it did help get the manga an international publisher.
6
Gangsta
Crime Anime Gets Brought Down by Bankruptcy
Gangsta
- Release Date
-
July 2, 2015
Gangsta was a fun, well-animated, and captivating anime that amassed a large fanbase fairly quickly. It saw ‘handymen’ Nicholas and Worick get involved in a wider conspiracy that could turn their city of Ergastalum upside down when they opt to protect prostitute Alex Benedetto from the criminal underworld. The series could have easily spanned multiple seasons, especially since the manga is still being published. Albeit sporadically as its creator, Kohske, came down with lupus, which limited her ability to keep drawing.
As such, fans would likely accept the manga coming to a premature end, as making manga takes a harsh enough toll on the healthy. But Gangsta‘s anime got shut down 12 episodes in when its animation studio, Manglobe, went bankrupt, leaving the show as their final anime altogether. It must’ve taken a toll on the anime’s production, as its latter episodes do peter out towards the end. They leave too many plot threads open, and until another studio gets the chance to continue where the show left off, they’ll remain open from then on.
5
Deadman Wonderland
Prison Anime with Potential Falls at the First Hurdle
Some anime end just as they are beginning to get good. Deadman Wonderland saw Ganta get framed for the murder of his classmates on a school trip to the titular amusement park-like prison. In an ironic twist, he ends up as an inmate in the place he visited. His only hope of freedom is to find the real murderer hidden in the park before the collar around his neck kills him. Its death grip can only be slowed by winning the park’s different deadly games.
It sounds exciting and fun, and it is…in the manga. The anime, despite its strong animation, got lost in its plot, rushing through the details that left viewers feeling lost. That’s despite the adaptation cutting out two characters, and only covering five of the manga’s 13 volumes. With its studio, Manglobe, going out of business 4 years after its release, it’s unlikely to get a follow-up to help complete its leftover mysteries. The fans’ best bet is to stick to the manga, or hope it can get a fresh adaptation someday.
4
Btooom!
Limp Ratings Lead to a Limp Ending
Btooom!
- Release Date
-
October 4, 2012
Btooom! was filled with a lot of potential, as it saw Ryota, a failure at life but a success at the titular online game, is forced to play the game in real life with real bombs and weapons on a deserted island. It had some pretty good action sequences, but ultimately ended after 12 episodes in 2012, four years before the manga ended. These things happen, but it could’ve lasted longer than 12 episodes, or span off into a different ending.
-7.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=422&h=268&dpr=2 "Best Incomplete Anime 171")
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Studio original endings aren’t always the best, as Gantz and Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) show. But it would’ve at least given fans some closure. Btooom! didn’t even have an ambiguous ending like Gantz did. The show just stopped. Madhouse had hoped its ratings would be high enough to lead into a second season, but they weren’t, so it was left unfinished. The closest it got to a second season was via the Btooom! mobile game, where execs hoped it would spark interest in a new anime. However, it also failed to catch on, scuppering any potential revival plans as a result.
3
Berserk
Iconic Seinen Manga Proves Too Extreme to Adapt In Full
Berserk
- Release Date
-
October 8, 1997
The mini-tag above refers to the 1997 Berserk series, but this entry is going to figure in its Golden Age movies, its remastered and expanded TV adaptations, and the infamous 2016 CG series. In print, Kentaro Miura’s epic is one of the most famous and influential seinen strips ever printed, but also one of the hardest to get into thanks to its extreme content. At its best, it can put the reader through an emotional rollercoaster. At its worst, it subjects them to a series of assault scenes that even Miura would come to regret.
Its hardcore scenes, complex plot, and highly-detailed artwork meant any anime adaptation would ultimately be compromised to one degree or another. That doesn’t mean it’s completely impossible to adapt Berserk, as people loved the 1997 series, despite it being considerably trimmed down compared to its source material. But knowing what to sacrifice without messing up what makes Berserk an engaging tale isn’t an easy task. It’s bound to involve some hard decisions that’ll still irk some fans one way or the other.
2
Nana
Producers’ Solidarity with Mangaka Puts Show On Hiatus
Nana
- Release Date
-
2006 – 2007
- Directors
-
Morio Asaka
- Writers
-
Tomoko Konparu
Through Nana, Ai Yazawa crafted a tale of love, friendship, joy, and sadness like no one had done before her, as Nana K and Nana O try to achieve their dreams of love and fortune, respectively, in Tokyo. For 21 volumes, Yazawa examined numerous themes that still resonate with people. The anime did a great job of adapting the manga too, with some wonderful voice performances and animation to match. Though it ended in 2007, it looked like it had room to continue.
Then the manga went into hiatus in July 2009, and has stayed there ever since. It was in that year that Yazawa suffered health complications that left her hospitalized for nearly a full year. Her condition hasn’t been fully disclosed. Not beyond the fact that it makes long-form work like making continuous manga installments difficult. She hopes to finish the series off someday, and the anime’s producers said they won’t make another season of the show until she gets to complete her strip. So, it’s going to be a while before either reach their conclusion.
1
Dreaming Machine
Esteemed Director Dies Before Completing His Final Picture
- Director: Satoshi Kon.
- Production Companies: Madhouse, MAPPA.
There has never been an anime creator like Satoshi Kon. All of his works, from Perfect Blue to Paprika, were complex, beautiful, and wondrous pieces of art. His impact will be felt for years and years to come, with his films serving as examples of the heights that anime can reach. His sudden death in 2010 from pancreatic cancer left the world of animation stunned and his planned project Dreaming Machine unfinished.
Kon planned for it to be a “road movie for robots”, as its robotic leads Ririco, Robin, and King explore a world where humans have died out, but their machines live on. Producer Masao Maruyama tried to complete the picture after Kon’s passing, and had chief animation director Yoshimi Itazu try to pick up where Kon left off. But Kon proved to be an irreplaceable talent. All that’s left of it are a few scenes that were featured in the French documentary Satoshi Kon: la machine à rêves, and storyboards in the book ‘Animation! Real Vs Dream’.
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