The early 20th century saw the appearance of first Japanese cartoon series in the newspaper with the name Manga that is now popular for it. Later on these mangas inspired Anime, a form of 2D animation film. With time popular anime were turned to series with different seasons. As they grew in popularity, so did the relevance of Mangas as fans lapped up all content about their favourite shows. Here are some popular shows that are based on Manga.
Naruto to Fruits Baskets: Most popular Japanese anime based on Manga
Naruto
The show currently streaming on Animax on JioTV in Japanese language with English subtitles has been a fan favourite ever since it debuted in India. It is based on the manga series by the same name that has been written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The story divided in two parts showcases the pre teen and teen years of Naruto who aims to become the Hokage or the leader of the village. On the path to reaching his goal, Naruto is seeking recognition from friends and also winning over hearts with his behaviour. Ingrained with interesting life lessons this show brought to India by KC Global Media is a fan favourite.
The Seven Deadly Sins
Available for streaming on Animax+GEM through Amazon Prime, this anime TV series is an adaptation of a Japanese fantasy manga with the same title, created by Nakaba Suzuki. The story takes place in a kingdom named Britannia, which bears resemblance to the European Medieval Ages. Within this realm, a powerful order of knights known as the Seven Deadly Sins wields immense strength. The world is filled with magic, mystical creatures, and even talking animals, adding to the enchanting atmosphere. Falsely accused of a crime they are innocent of, the warriors embark on a journey to seek redemption, forming the core of this heart tugging story.
Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is streaming on Netflix. It is based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga. It follows the life of teen Tanjiro Kamado who has trained to become a demon slayer ever since his baby sister turned into a demon. He finds ways to protect his sister and keep her off other demons. The Manga series ended in 2020, while anime started in 2019. A sequel Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train was also released in 2020.
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
It is a series authored by Dojyomaru. Satoshi Ueda is responsible for illustrating the manga adaptation of the same title. The anime version of the manga series also known as Re:CONSTRUCTION – The Elfrieden Kingdom Tales of Realistic Brave, can be currently streamed on Animax+GEM through Amazon Prime. The narrative revolves around Kazuya Souma, who, despite being a humanities student, unexpectedly finds himself thrust into the role of a hero.
Equipped with this knowledge of realism and Machiavellian tactics, Kazuya embarks on a mission to rebuild the kingdom. The story was further expanded through Satoshi Ueda’s manga adaptation, which premiered on Overlap’s Comic Gardo manga website in July 2017, offering another captivating aspect to the tale.
One Punch Man
Brought to India India by KC Global Media as part of its endeavour to bring traditional Japanese to India, the show is streaming on Animax on JioTV. This one is based on webseries written bu Tomohiro also known as ONE and illustrated by Yusuke Murata. It started as a webcomic and today the protagonist of this anime, Saitama has become a favourite of young and old alike.
This super hero can beat any villain with a single punch. Bored of the perks, he goes on to find more challenges in life and hunts monsters. With a quirky sense of humor and realistic approach, the anime gives great life lessons of challenging yourself all the time. The Manga continues to release new chapters while the anime lovers have to suffice with re runs of episodes.
Death Note
Death Note is a popular anime, streaming on Netflix. It is based on the Manga by Tsugumi Ohba. It tells the story of Light Yagami, who stumbles upon a notebook with ‘Death Note’ written on it. He realises that when he writes a person’s name, the person dies. He turns into a maniacal sociopath and kills of his enemies. Detective L is after him, to find him before he can murder anymore people. The Manga also had a live-action remake but it didn’t become as popular.
Fruits Baskets (Seasons 1 to 3)
Fruits Basket, also known as Furuba, is a Japanese manga series by Natsuki Takaya that can be streamed on Animax+GEM via Amazon Prime. The story revolves around Tohru Honda, a high school student who finds herself temporarily homeless. She chooses to keep her situation hidden from her friends, quietly residing in a tent. However, her life takes an unexpected twist when she encounters the landowners of her tent’s location.
It is revealed that the Soma family harbors an astonishing secret—they can transform into animals from the Chinese zodiac. This revelation raises the question of whether the show is a delightful comedy that revolves around the humorous and transformative adventures of zodiac animals in a home environment.
Gintama
This humorous and tear jerking drama currently available on Crunchyroll is grabbing loads of eyeballs. Based on the manga Gin Tama, this original animation follows freelance samurai Gintoki Sakata as he works with his new pals Shinpachi and Kagura to pay his rent. This hilarious anime offers viewers a distinctive experience because it takes place in an odd version of the Edo period in which Edo has been overrun by aliens known as the Amanto. The characters were likeable and the plot was engaging, and the show enjoyed considerable popularity throughout its nine-season.
