The anime industry continues to surprise and amaze in unprecedented ways, which has made it an extremely exciting time to be a fan of the medium. Hundreds of new anime series hit television screens each year and there are more diverse genres than ever before that cater to unique interests. Seinen anime series refer to material that’s designed for older male audiences.
There’s no set length for seinen series, but these shows are often shorter and don’t overextend themselves in the same ways as shonen series. A lot of seinen series have the luxury of finishing their story, but there are still more stories to tell and fresh ideas to explore. There are many well-respected seinen series that could become even stronger with an extra season of storytelling.
10 Space Dandy Is Unpredictable Seinen Storytelling At Its Wildest & Weirdest
Space Dandy is 26 episodes of fearless, genre-breaking storytelling that plays out across two seasons. There’s an almost unassuming simplicity to the premise of the series as Dandy and his misfit bounty hunters float through space on the hunt for their next big score. Each planet in Space Dandy becomes an inspired opportunity to lampoon a different type of anime series and art style.
The chaotic quality of the series makes it a highly entertaining episodic show, and yet the final episodes reveal a grander arc that’s been in place the whole time. The ending to Space Dandy is perfect, but more episodes could hit even greater heights.
9 Death Parade’s Emotional Premise Has A Lot More To Say
There are countless anime series that take a strong premise and endlessly dilute it into nothingness. Then there are anime like Death Parade that only scratch the surface of their rich concept. Death Parade is an elegant, contemplative character study where each episode pits two deceased people in mundane recreational activities for the eternal fate of their souls.
Gripping backstories and parables are examined while tense individuals compete in billiards, darts, or air hockey. There’s a sense of finality to the ending of Death Parade, but at only 12 episodes, there’s still so much more to explore.
8 Fans Are Still Waiting For Answers To Land Of The Lustrous’ Questions
Aesthetics continues to evolve in the anime industry, but CG-centric series still face an uphill battle. The effectiveness of CG anime varies case-to-case, but Land of the Lustrous from Studio Orange is frequently viewed as a turning point in terms of the success of this style in a more mature action series.
Land of the Lustrous focuses on delicate female characters who are essentially made from gemstones and hunted by deadly aliens for this very reason. Land of the Lustrous is a sublime blend of storytelling, tone, and visuals. Unfortunately, the single-season doesn’t conclude this saga and fans have patiently waited for a follow-up.
7 Erased Could Easily Engage In Another Time-Displaced Mystery
Erased unpacks a graphic murder mystery that connects on a personal and emotional level, but the anime also incorporates science fiction elements to turn this into something more special than a standard crime thriller. Admittedly, Erased wraps up its serial killer mystery in one season, but it also feels like the type of anime that could make a return after a prolonged absence.
A new season of Erased could explore a totally original mystery and learn from its predecessor’s mistakes. Erased could turn into the anime equivalent of True Detective with the proper rebranding and return.
6 Elfen Lied Leaves Humanity On A Nihilistic Note
Elfen Lied is an extended exercise in sorrow that begins in tragedy and only gets progressively nihilistic. It’s a popular anime trope for powerful aliens to lose their memories and become friends with humans, but Elfen Lied rarely allows such an idea to be fun. Instead, Lucy is a deadly member of an alien race who’s unable to rise above her destructive instincts.
Elfen Lied trades in perpetual pain, even with its human characters, and it’s notorious for a melancholy conclusion that condemns humanity. There’s still a lot more to learn about the Diclonius species and a second season of Elfen Lied could at least end in a more uplifting place.
5 Gleipnir Brings Brutal Body Horror Into A Reluctant Hero’s Journey
Gleipnir is an oddity that needs to be seen to be properly believed. The series pulls from both mecha staples and body horror iconography as its protagonist, Shuichi, discovers that he has the ability to don a powerful dog suit that’s equally furry and foreboding.
Gleipnir balances a lot of disparate ideas, including action sequences and tender romance at its core that have a lot to offer. Gleipnir is a breath of fresh air, but the anime may have been too weird for most audiences since the single 13-episode season leaves the seinen story unresolved.
4 Parasyte: The Maxim Is Ready For Another Alien Apocalypse
Parasyte – the maxim- riffs on the anime staple where a lackadaisical teenager becomes a pivotal player in a war between man and monster. Shinichi’s attempts to adapt to Migi taking up residence in his hand are initially nightmarish body horror, which makes it all the more powerful when a legitimate friendship forms between them.
Parasyte is such a moving story because it has the courage to go out on a tragic note and an immediate follow-up to Parasyte would have robbed its ending of its weight. However, nearly a decade after the anime’s conclusion, it wouldn’t be out of place for the Parasite aliens to once again set their sights on Earth, whether Shinichi is involved or not.
3 Samurai Champloo’s Misfit Martial Artists Deserve Another Ride
Samurai Champloo is an electric blend of influences from Shinichiro Watanabe that does for the wandering samurai genre what Cowboy Bebop did for science fiction. There’s a patient and methodical pacing to Samurai Champloo that relishes every interaction and emotion. The anime also uses a hip-hop soundtrack in inspired ways that make music its own character.
There’s a bittersweet finish to Samurai Champloo that feels fitting when Fuu, Mugen, and Jin ultimately part ways. This relatively open-ended finish is appropriate in a series that’s always been more about the journey than the destination. However, enough time has now passed that a reunion between these wandering warriors would come across as cathartic, not desperate.
2 Future Diary Ignites A Vicious Game To Be God
Future Diary takes a page out of Death Note‘s book and throws in a dose of chaotic deities to create a deeply engaging seinen series. A dozen high schoolers are forced to compete against each other to be the last one standing and ascend to martyrdom.
There’s a sense of closure and accomplishment when Future Diary finishes, but it’s a series that’s so consumed with universal ideas that its cycle starting over again wouldn’t feel out of place. Plenty of death game anime make effective uses of their second seasons to redefine their rules or filter events from fresh perspectives and Future Diary could do the same.
1 Drifters Throws Fantasy, History, & Action Into A Blender With Extreme Results
Isekai storytelling has found tremendous popularity during the past decade and Drifters is a more mature take on the fantastical concept of individuals being whisked away to new worlds. In the case of Drifters, impressive warriors from different time periods and places throughout history are assembled together to fight for control of an alternate Earth.
Drifters is a total of 15 episodes if its three OVA entries are included, but this only covers the first three volumes of Drifters‘ six-volume story. It’s been more than five years since the conclusion of Drifters‘ first season, which means that the anime-only crowd is unlikely to receive any closure for this subversive history lesson.