Ever had that moment when you wanted more of something but unfortunately, you just could not? Well, it surely happens to all of us. In the world of anime, many series, even the popular ones get canceled or discontinued. Some even get's discontinued without having told the full story yet (Hello, "Slamdunk" and your Nationals arc cliffhanger).
There are many reasons for an anime series to get canceled. The most usual reason is the lack of sales. An anime series can become popular but without sales, it will be impossible to survive. Sometimes, it's more personal, like when a creator gets sick or injured making it impossible to continue. Or another reason is that the manga creator and the anime series director just could not see eye to eye.
Some anime, on the other hand, were used to promote the manga series. After all, a manga is cheaper to produce than the animated version. Here are some beloved and quite popular anime that ended sooner than expected.
"Fruits Basket" (2001-2001)
The anime is based on the highly acclaimed manga series made by Natsuki Takaya. The manga was still being made during the production of the anime and some parts of the story were changed in the anime. It follows the story of the orphan Tohru Honda who works a janitor to have a roof over her head. It sounds quite depressing, but really, it is not. "Fruits Basket" is a combination of magical, weird and funny, but in a good way.
The show got canceled because the manga creator, Natsuki Takaya was not too happy with the director of the anime series. She promised not to create another season as long as Studio Deen has the rights to the anime. The manga was in publication from 1998 until 2006.
"Full Metal Alchemist" (2003-2004; 2009-2010)
Based on Japanese manga series by Hiromu Arakawa, "Full Metal Alchemist" contains the first seven volumes of the original manga series. After which, the story took a complete turn and deviated from the story written in the manga. The manga creator wanted to keep the endings different and she also wanted to prolong the manga version further.
The end result was two completely different stories. It does not mean that the show was unsuccessful, the anime did have 51 episodes, one movie, a few OVA's and others. However, there is more to the manga series that was not tackled and I'm sure fans will agree that another season of "Full Metal Alchemist" would not hurt. The manga ran from 2001 until 2010
"Inuyasha" (2000-2004; 2009-2010)
The highly popular anime series follows the story of Kagome Higurashi who fell into a well and met a half-demon dog named Inuyasha. The anime was based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi (who also made Ranma ½) and ran from 1996 until 2008.
The team had to stop production for the anime since Takahashi was still unable to figure out how to end the relationship of Kagome and Inuyasha. The fans were left in the smoke until in 2009 "Inuyasha: The Final Act" was released. Fans can watch these episodes again by November 15 since it was announced that Adult Swim will air it on the Toonami block. Still, it would have been more awesome if "Inuyasha" completed its plot during its original run.
Hunter X Hunter (1998-?)
This Japanese animation series was based on the manga created by Yoshihiro Togashi. It follows the story of Gon Freecss who found out that his father is still alive after believing that he had died years ago. He learns that his father is an accomplished hunter and Gon leaves home to pursue the same fate as his father has.
The manga has been put in hiatus several times since 2006 due to the bad health of Yoshihiro Togashi. It has greatly affected the anime series as producers do not want to pursue another season for a manga that is unfinished. Several writers had already been hired to help Togashi finish the manga however, none seems to pass his very high standards. Rumor has it that his wife, Naoko Takeuchi who made "Codename: Sailor V" and "Pretty Soldie Sailor Moon" was tapped to continue Togashi's work.
Which canceled or discontinued anime series would you want to watch more of?
