T5W#378-Top 5 Anime Sequels That Took A Long Time to Arrive

We’re a few weeks away from the highly anticipated release of James Cameron’s sequel to his game changing scifi epic, Avatar.  Whether or not you’re looking forward to it (I’m not, Black Panther 2 is top priority atm), it’s hard to believe we’re finally gonna get Avatar: The Way of Water after almost a decade of delays.  The original was released back in 2009, which means come December 2022 it will be the end of 13 years of waiting.  It got me to thinking: as an Anime fan, I should be used to this.  After all, we’re still waiting on continuations of classic series like Panty and Stocking or Haruhi Suzumiya or that Yuri on Ice Prequel (that apparently has been shelved for now…crap).  The waiting game is nothing new to Anime fans which is why on todays Top 5 Wednesday I’m counting down the Top 5 Anime Sequels That Took A Long Time to Arrive.  Clearly I’ve missed a few so feel free to shout out titles you’re still waiting for or waited half a lifetime or more to see.  Anyway, onto the list.

 
#5-Evangelion 3.0+1.0-Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
Previously: Evangelion 3.33-You Can (Not) Redo (2012)

When you think about it, the entire Rebuild of Evangelion Saga probably shouldn’t have announced a full release schedule before the first film ever came out.  The original schedule saw 1.11 coming out September 2007, 2.22 in January 2008 and 3.33 and 3.0+1.0 coming out back to back in the Summer of 2008.  Well…that definitely didn’t happen.  After suffering severe burnout making 3.33, Hideaki Anno almost pondered giving up on the Rebuild Finale.  However, thanks to a turn directing a Godzilla movie, Anno jumped back into the saddle and gave us a final chapter worth the near 10 year wait.  Evangelion 3.0+1.0 is a new kind of Evangelion movie full of positivity, hope and all the giant robot carnage the franchise is best known for and might just, at the end of the day, be the best Evangelion movie ever made. 

 
#4-Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory (2018)
Previously: Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid (2005)

The end of Full Metal Panic’s Third Season (yes I count Fumofuu as Season 2, not a spin off) promised big things going forward for the series.  Sousuke and Kaname made their feelings more or less known and Tessa’s asshat brother promised that it was time for the gloves to come off in their personal war.  And then…nothing.  There was hardly a whisper of more Full Metal Panic until late 2017 when the first trailers for Invisible Victory dropped.  When the new season did arrive, it made good on those old promises.  Mithril was nearly destroyed and our heroes were in an even more desperate situation than ever before.  It wasn’t as close to perfect as The Second Raid but Invisible Victory was a fun thrill ride and one of my favorite Anime of 2018.  And now we’re back to waiting again for Season V, man this franchise cant catch a break, can it?
 

#3-Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (2020)
Previously: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society (2006)

The Ghost in the Shell franchise has had a pretty healthy lifespan with several different iterations for fans to enjoy.  The most popular of these projects (other than the original movie) has to be the Stand Alone Complex TV Series.  Between 2002 and 2006 we got 2 full TV Seasons and 1 sequel film.  While we had the unconnected Ghost in the Shell: Arise prequel, fans wanted more SAC in some form.  I’d personally kind of forgotten those wishes until Netflix announced Kenji Kamiyama would return to write and direct a Third Season, alongside fellow Shirow Masamune Anime Project auteur Shinji Aramaki.  The end result was Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, a full CG Anime aired in two halves between 2020 and 2022.  Said end result had a very mixed reception amongst the fanbase, mostly aiming towards the negative side.  While I’m not sure when exactly I’ll share my thoughts, I am aiming to tackle this one in 2023.  At the very least…Motoko still looks so hot, even in CG form, fight me.
 
 
#2-Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)
Previously: Vampire Hunter D (1985)

Vampire Hunter D is a character I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of in Anime.  The original Novel Series he comes from has over 40 entries.  And given how the story is basically Trigun on Earth with Vampires…yeah I’m just stunned there are only 2 Anime features.  D’s debut in Anime came in 1985 with an OVA that was very much in  the same vein of Fist of the North Star, right down to the rather stylish artstyle.  It was popular but apparently not popular to warrant a sequel in either the 80s or the 90s.  In fact, it would be 15 years before D returned in a bigger budget Anime feature film from the director of Ninja Scroll.  Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust received even more critical acclaim than it’s predecessor and it widely considered one of the best looking Horror/Action Anime out there.  Fun fact:  I’ll be looking at both Vampire Hunter D features next October.  Fun Fact: theyre both great and it really makes me wonder why D doesn’t have more adventures than these.
 

#1-Dragon Ball Super (2015)
Previously: Dragon Ball GT (1996)

Dragon Ball Z still remains today one of the biggest Anime hits in history.  Fans were excited to hear that the saga would continue past Z’s finale with Dragon Ball GT.  However, due to a lack of Akira Toriyama, a change in direction and attitude no one asked for, and not so great looking animation, Dragon Ball GT didn’t even break into the triple digit episode count like its two predecessors and was cancelled after one year.  While DBZ broke into the US big time, there was a severe lack of Dragon Ball in the Shonen Anime world…until 2015.  After two more DBZ films, Akira Toriyama decided the time was right to bring Goku and the Z-Fighters back for a brand new series that would continue where Z left off and totally ignore the events of GT.  While many still think of it as “Z” Dragon Ball Super proved the world could always use more Goku, Vegeta and the galactic level bouts they get themselves into week after week.  While the series did end in 2018, two more movies shows Toriyama still has more tales to tell, so more Dragon Ball (Z or otherwise) isn’t out of the realm of possibility…and I doubt we’ll have to wait 19 years for it.