First post of the year waiii~!!

‘Cause some of us just want more.

I’m writing this, in light of the very recent airing of DuRaRaRa!! x2 Shou, a mouthy sequel to an otherwise great series that started in 2010. Being an anime adapted from a more than succesful franchise of light novels, fans alongside me hoped for a continutation when the lot of us found out that there was more to the story than what was left for us when the first run of the anime eventually ended twenty-four episodes later. Fast-forward five years, and our wishes are more or less granted.

This made me think of anime adaptations from way back that trailed off earlier than their source material. Shows that can actually come back with promising sequels if done right; shows that didn’t end on a note that felt like an ending, but more so of an unneeded cliffhanger; shows that give you false hopes for the future, thinking “man, I wonder when will season /x/ come out?”. I’m sure fans like myself have their own wishlist of season two’s or three’s, some out of sheer curiosity as to what comes next, others out of pure enjoyment of the series and have simply ended up wanting more. In my case it’s a mixture of both, starting with:

(1) Spice and Wolf – I can’t NOT lead off with this (pardon the double negative). Spice and Wolf is actually one of the first shows that I genuinely liked for its narrative. I fell in love with the story of Lawrence and Holo – a merchant and a deity, on a mercantile journey that can only lead back to the two as wayward companions. It’s a fact that there’s still more to this story, and although the novels are slowly making their way to us (thanks to based YenPress), I am still hoping that we get to see Lawrence and Holo’s travels animated once more (doesn’t have to be just once, lol).

(2) Ookami-san to Shichi-nin no Nakamatachi – This one’s here for pure enjoyment purposes. To those who are unfamiliar, Ookami-san is a quirky show about the fairy tale themed antics of a sket group; specifically the Taiga expy Ookami-san and the shy Morino-kun. Romance ensues over the course of the series as the two become a little closer to one another after each episode. Similarly to Spice and Wolf, there’s still more, and unlike Spice and Wolf, there’s very little chance we’ll get to even read the source material without first learning Japanese. Ookami-san is far from being one of the best anime features, but think of it as a very special show for me. One that I would like to see more of, hopefully in a future where I still continue to watch anime (which is still a ways to go, mind you).

(3) Medaka Box – At the time Medaka Box was announced for adaptation, I’d like to believe that I shared a similar fear with fellow readers. I’m sure a lot of people would agree with me that the Medaka Box manga starts terribly slow. The main meat of the series starts around the fourth arc, so to speak, and is about twenty or so chapters in. I had worried that the anime would follow suit and adapt the would-be pre-genre shift arcs to the dot, which they did. This resulted in a lack-luster first season, and a too-late-to-save-the-sinking-ship second season. To Gainax’ credit, they did all they can to try to maintain people’s interest in the series – even going so far as to show Anshin’in and Shiranui Hanten, two very awesome characters that show up way later in the fifth and six arcs respectively. Long story short, the main reason why Medaka Box should be given another shot – justice.

(4) Baccano!! – Well, DuRaRaRa!!’s getting love, so why isn’t Baccano! getting any? I’m one of those guys who thought Baccano was a tad bit better than DuRaRaRa!!. If anything, Baccano! actually has the best shot out of all the shows I’ll be mentioning to get a sequel. I don’t think you need me telling you how good this series is. It’s a very popular and well-received show even to this day. I’d go so far as to say that I even enjoyed Baccano! more than the first installment of DuRaRaRa!!. I’m willing to bet that it’s only a matter of time until we actually get this.

(5) Ookiku Furikabutte – Because you can’t leave a guy hangin’ when you make him watch a sports anime~!! Seriously though, they (and by they I mean Production I.G.), can’t stop the series just when it’s starting to get good. By the end of the Summer Tournament arc, we finally get a taste of some real development that proportionally impacts a lot of the general dynamics of the Nishiura baseball team as a whole. And I really really want to see that in animated form. I’ll admit, almost all sports anime have a way of keeping you on edge and wanting more, but Ookiku Furikabutte not only had that, but also had the realism factor that not a lot of its kind hold, and that to me makes this show a cut above the rest. It’d be a real shame if we didn’t get to see more.

Any shows you can think of that need some sequel love? 😀

*addendum – third (or fourth, or fifth and so on) seasons still count as sequels.. I think xD