Now more than ever, anime seems to have entered an era of sequels. While it’s still often a complete toss-up on whether certain anime will get sequels, nowadays, they’re announced almost as soon as the previous seasons end, and even seemingly inactive franchises like Bleach, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt are returning with new content to close out their stories for old and new fans alike.
As good an era as it might be for anime sequels, that isn’t the case for everything. There are still many times when an anime will simply end with no proper follow-up, and as is often the case, many anime will never receive second seasons, despite how much story was left for them to tell and the overall high quality of their productions. A few anime like that especially stand out, and while there’s always hope that they’ll get second seasons someday, that gets more and more unlikely with each ing year.
10 The Disappearance Of Nagato Yuki-Chan
Anime Series By Satelight; Based On The Manga By Puyo
Satelight’s The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan is a spinoff of Haruhi Suzumiya based around the alternate reality of its feature film, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Unlike in the film, the characters are just normal kids going about their lives, and the story is primarily focused on shy bookworm Yuki Nagato trying to get Kyon to like her with from her best friend Ryoko Asakura.
The anime being the first new Haruhi Suzumiya content in five years was one thing, but more than that, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan was a fun anime because of how much it played with the original series to create an entertaining romcom with plenty to offer beyond fanservice. The anime ended before it got to the point where Yuki and Kyon became a couple, but with the Haruhi franchise still being incredibly popular, there’s always a chance it could come back.
9 No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular
Anime Series By Silver Link; Based On The Manga By Nico Tanigawa
Silver Link’s No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular stars Tomoko Kuroki, an antisocial otaku who believes that she can use her expertise in otome games to become the most popular girl in school. Predictably, Tomoko becomes isolated due to her social awkwardness, thus leading to her becoming a misanthrope constantly the victim of various forms of cringe comedy.
As much as the series sold itself on cringe comedy, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular truly comes into its own when it transitions into a more straightforward slice-of-life series, albeit while maintaining a crude sense of humor, and the transition was perfectly organic thanks to the strong character writing, as well. The anime ended before that could happen, however, and with that being over a decade ago, it’s unlikely to ever return.
8 Dark Gathering
Anime Series By OLM, Inc.; Based On The Manga By Kenichi Kondo
Dark Gathering
- Release Date
- 2023 - 2023-00-00
- Directors
- Hiroshi Ikehata
- Writers
- Shigeru Murakoshi
- Franchise(s)
- Dark Gathering
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Clint Bickham, Natalie Rial, Karlii Hoch, Alyssa Marek
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Creator(s)
- Kenichi Kondo
- Seasons
- 1
OLM, Inc.’s Dark Gathering stars Keitaro Gentoga, a college student trying to live a normal life, despite his ability to sense the supernatural. All of that changes, however, when he meets Yayoi Hozuki, a girl with similar supernatural abilities who uses them to capture and enslave violent spirits to prepare for battle against the spirit that stole her mother’s soul, and much to Keitaro’s dismay, he gets dragged into the dangerous and horrifying battles she undergoes for her mission.
While Dark Gathering didn’t get much attention during its run, the series was still plenty fun to watch thanks to its fun cast and great artwork and animation, especially for the monsters. Dark Gathering ended on a cliffhanger for the manga’s biggest arc, and while it’s only been two years, with OLM, Inc. busy with The Apothecary Diaries season 2 and other projects, it probably won’t return anytime soon.
7 Nichijou
Anime Series By Kyoto Animation; Based On The Manga By Keiichi Arawi
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Nichijou - My Ordinary Life
- Release Date
- 2011 - 2011
- Directors
- Tatsuya Ishihara
- Writers
- Jukki Hanada
- Franchise(s)
- Nichijou
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Morgan Garrett, Leah Clark, Brittany Lauda, Monica Rial, Jad Saxton, Anthony Bowling
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Creator(s)
- Keiichi Arawi
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Kyoto Animation’s Nichijou is about the daily lives of people in the fictional town of Tokisadame, the most prominent being the trio of high schoolers Yuko Aioi, Mio Naganohara, and Mai Minakami. They and everyone else in town, however, are extremely eccentric, and most stories in the series typically revolve around how their personalities cause otherwise mundane scenarios to evolve into over-the-top and often cartoonish and surreal moments of comedy.
Nichijou’s surreal and absurdist comedy, combined with some of the best art and animation in anime, make it one of the best Kyoto Animation anime, by far, and even if there was never any sort of overarching narrative, it’s nonetheless a shame that it never received a second season. City, the spiritual successor to Nichijou, is getting an anime in 2025, but as great as it will be, it’s not the same as having more Nichijou, itself.
6 Dean Wonderland
Anime Series By Manglobe; Based On The Manga By Jinsei Kataoka & Kazuma Kondou
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- Cast
- Monica Rial, Kana Hanazawa, Greg Ayres, Romi Park, Kanehira Yamamoto, Aaron Dismuke, Kôzô Dôzaka, Jessie James Grelle
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
In Manglobe’s Dean Wonderland, ordinary middle schooler Ganta Igarashi is framed for the murder of his class and sent to Dean Wonderland, a privately owned prison that secretly serves as a gathering place for people who can weaponize their blood in various ways. Ganta is one of those people, and now Ganta is forced to fight for his freedom and to learn the truth about what happened to his classmates.
Dean Wonderland has become a cult classic thanks to its great animation and bloody and gory action, something especially helped by the phenomenal English dub and it being one of the first anime in Toonami’s revival, but unfortunately, it ended after only adapting a small portion of the manga. Much of that can be attributed to Manglobe going bankrupt in 2015, but unfortunately, the fact that no one else picked it up means it’s unlikely to ever return.
5 Aoashi
Anime Series By Production I.G; Based On The Manga By Yugo Kobayashi
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- Cast
- Kôki Ôsuzu, Clifford Chapin, Ricco Fajardo, Ciarán Strange, Austin Tindle, Marcus D. Stimac, Ry McKeand, Mitchell Stephens, Tatsumaru Tachibana, Seiichiro Yamashita, Maki Kawase, Hiroki Yasumoto, Taku Yashiro, Chikahiro Kobayashi, Marisa Duran, Douglas Gill, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Reina Ueda, Wataru Kato, Shoumaru Zouza, Hiromichi Tezuka, Yuuki Tamai
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Creator(s)
- Yugo Kobayashi
Production I.G’s Aoashi stars Ashito Aoi, a young soccer player who has a chance encounter with a legendary coach that leads to him ing Tokyo Esperion, one of the most prestigious youth teams in the country. At Esperion, Ashito has the best chance in his life of becoming a professional, but Ashito is quick to learn how that road is far more complicated than he could have imagined.
Aoashi’s great animation and character writing make it one of the best sports anime in recent years and an overall great adaptation of Aoashi manga, but unfortunately, almost three years have gone by without a second season being announced, despite the major development in Ashito’s career season 1 ended on. The series is still very popular, so a second season is still feasible, but there’s no way to know when that could happen, or if it even will.
4 Berserk
Anime Series By OLM, Inc.; Based On The Manga By Kentaro Miura
Berserk is the classic dark fantasy series about Guts, a wandering swordsman with a giant sword on a journey to exact revenge upon the evil God Hand while killing any demonic Apostles he encounters along the way. There have been several adaptations over the years, but the most famous is the original 1997 anime by OLM, Inc., which focused primarily on Guts’ backstory in the Golden Age arc.
The original Berserk anime is still heralded as one of the greatest anime of all time thanks to its dark storytelling and overall phenomenal direction that still holds up over 20 years later, but even so, the anime ended on a notorious cliffhanger that was never resolved thanks to a lack of a second season. OLM, Inc.’s adaptation remains the best Berserk adaptation, by far, and it will never not be disappointing that it ended the way it did.
3 Land Of The Lustrous
Anime Series By Orange; Based On The Manga By Haruko Ichikawa
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- Cast
- Tomoyo Kurosawa, Sarah Wiedenheft, Ai Kayano, Yumi Uchiyama, Ayahi Takagaki, Mamiko Noto, Shelley Calene-Black, Heidi Hinkel
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
Orange's Land of the Lustrous is set in the distant future following humanity's extinction, the sole inhabitants now being nonbinary beings made of gemstones called Lustrous. The Lustrous constantly do battle with the Lunarians, an alien race that wishes to make decorations out of their bodies, and while series protagonist Phos is deemed too weak for battle, they find value in their new assignment of creating a natural history encyclopedia alongside fellow outcast and poisonous Lustrous Cinnabar.
Land of the Lustrous' writing always strikes a perfect balance between the horrors of the apocalypse and the beauty of the natural world, all of which is rendered in some of the most gorgeous animation and 3D visuals of any anime from the past decade. Land of the Lustrous showed how good CG anime can be, and that makes it all the more bizarre that it never returned to finish its story.
2 Bocchi The Rock!
Anime Series By CloverWorks; Based On The Manga By Aki Hamazi
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Bocchi the Rock! follows Hitori "Bocchi" Gotou, a shy high school student with social anxiety who dreams of becoming a rock musician. Despite her introverted nature, Bocchi s a band called Kessoku Band and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and friendship. Set against the backdrop of a lively music scene, the series explores themes of personal growth, teamwork, and the power of music to connect people.
- Cast
- Yoshino Aoyama, Sayumi Suzushiro, Saku Mizuno, Ikumi Hasegawa
- Writers
- Erika Yoshida, Aki Hamaji
- Franchise(s)
- Bocchi the Rock!
- Creator(s)
- Aki Hamaji
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- CloverWorks
- Creator
- Aki Hamazi
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- Based On
- Manga
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.76
CloverWorks’ Bocchi the Rock! stars Hitori Gotoh, a young girl with crippling social anxiety who continually fails to use her guitar skills as a means of breaking the ice with people. One day, Hitori is suddenly asked to a band with girls her age, Kessoku Band, and as the band grows as artists, Hitori, now with the nickname “Bocchi”, slowly becomes a more confident person, as well.
While the anime initially seemed like another run-of-the-mill slice-of-life anime, Bocchi the Rock!’s incredible animation, combined with its surprisingly thoughtful look into social anxiety, helped it become one of the biggest anime of 2022. The suddenness with which Bocchi the Rock! took off is likely part of why it hasn’t received a second season, but since Bocchi the Rock! is still incredibly popular, that will hopefully change sooner, rather than later.
1 No Game No Life
Anime Series By Madhouse; Based On The Light Novel By Yuu Kamiya
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No Game No Life: Zero
- Release Date
- October 5, 2017
- Director
- Atsuko Ishizuka
- Writers
- Yû Kamiya, Jukki Hanada
WHERE TO WATCH
No Game No Life: Zero is a prequel to the No Game No Life series, depicting the origin of Disboard's game-based world. Directed by Atsuko Ishizuka, the film follows Riku, a young war survivor, and his android companion Schwi as they struggle to bring an end to a devastating conflict between races. This animated feature explores themes of war, alliance, and hope amidst a backdrop of intense strategic battles.
- Cast
- Yoko Hikasa, Ai Kayano, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Ryota Takeuchi, Yui Horie, Junichi Suwabe, Miyuki Sawashiro, Yukari Tamura, Lynn, Mamiko Noto, Nanako Mori, Rie Kugimiya, Yuka Iguchi, Tôru Ôkawa
- Main Genre
- Animation
Madhouse’s No Game No Life is centered around Sora and Shiro, two reclusive gamers collectively known as Blank transported to Disboard, a mystical realm where 16 races settle their disputes with elaborate and dangerous games. Immanity, Disboard’s equivalent to humans, is the lowest-ranked race in Disboard, and as such, the duo of Blank throws their lot in with them to show the other races why they’re the best gamers there are.
No Game No Life was a major hit thanks to its unique premise, colorful cast, and equally colorful art and animation, but despite its popularity, the only extra material it’s received has been a prequel film in 2017. No Game No Life never receiving new content has become something of a joke among fans, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing that it’s one of the best anime that never got a second season.
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