Not all anime comes in the form of TV shows. Anime films and movies are just as important to the cultural impact of anime as TV shows are, and some of the most beloved anime creations are films, such as Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, and many of Studio Ghibli's works.
While many anime films are great just as they are, sometimes a movie comes along that might work better as an animated series instead. Whether it's because of a lack of detail or more opportunities to expand the world building, some narratives are better suited to long-form storytelling. Here are some anime movie projects that would have been better as a series instead.
10 Summer Wars
Kenji Koiso is a young high school genius with a particular specialty in math. While visiting his friend Natsuki Shinohara's grandmother for her 90th birthday, Kenji accidentally releases an AI called Love Machine, which starts wreaking havoc on the virtual world.
The plot of Summer Wars does not really need much expansion, but the concept itself could lend itself well to a variety of sci-fi tales. Developing an animated series around Kenji Koiso and the virtual world of OZ could provide more opportunities for that.
9 Persona 3 Quadrilogy
The Persona 3 movie series is one of the many animated adaptations done for the Persona video game franchise. The movies follow the group S.E.E.S., a group made up of high school students with the ability to summon Personas. Together, they must explore the mysterious Tartarus while fighting off mysterious creatures called Shadows.
While the Persona 3 movies are great, the number of movies it took to adapt the whole game demonstrates that it might have been better to adapt the game as a television series, the same way Persona 4 and 5 were. This could make it much easier to digest, while still including all the detail from the games.
8 The Boy And The Beast
After his mother's death, nine-year-old Ren decides to run away from home. While walking around town, he happens upon a beastman named Kumatetsu, who decides to take him in as a disciple. The two head to the Beast Kingdom, where their relationship blossoms from a master-student relationship to one of true friendship.
The worldbuilding behind The Boy and the Beast provides ample opportunity for a lot of different adventures for Kumatetsu and Ren. Even a short twelve-episode season could provide more opportunities to expand the world of the Beast Kingdom, and develop the relationship between the main characters.
7 Vampire Hunter D
A woman named Doris Lang is attacked by a vampire, but is saved by a vampire hunter known only as D. Afraid of becoming a vampire due to being bitten, Doris asks D to save her from turning by killing the vampire who bit her.
Vampire Hunter D was initially a series of novels, meaning that there is a lot of material for an anime serial adaptation. The setting is also incredibly unique, set in a futuristic world leveled by nuclear radiation. With an increase in novel-based anime adaptations, it's surprising that such a series has yet to be made.
6 Steamboy
Steamboy takes place in an alternate reality 19th century Earth, where steam-powered technology remained supreme. The movie follows Ray Steam, who must deliver a mysterious device received from his grandfather, but gets embroiled in a family conflict that could endanger the world as they know it.
The world of Steamboyis classic steampunk, and would set a great stage for a fully-fledged animated series. A series would give the story a chance to explore the strange, interesting dynamic between Ray, his father Edward, and his grandfather Lloyd.
5 Vexille
As robotics and cybernetics become more advanced, the United Nations decides to place a ban on such research. In protest, Japan withdraws and isolates itself from the world. Worried that Japan is still developing cybernetics, special agents are sent to infiltrate Japan in order to investigate.
Vexille presents a dystopian cyberpunk world that could provide a great backdrop for an animated series. Exploring the pitfalls of cybernetic technology could make for an interesting show, and the series could expand to problems outside the movie's main antagonist.
4 A Silent Voice
Shoya Ishida spent elementary school bullying deaf girl Shoko Nishimiya, an act that eventually leads to him becoming an outcast. Wanting to make amends for his cruel actions, he befriends Shoko in high school and tries to reconnect her with her old elementary school classmates.
A Silent Voice was an incredible movie, but an animated series might have given the main characters some more time to develop their relationship. A short twelve-episode anime would suffice to expand on the relationships between the characters in meaningful ways.
3 Mobile Suit Gundam F91
While many Gundam entries are usually animated series, Mobile Suit Gundam F91 is a movie set thirty years after Char's Counterattack. The movie follows Seabook Arno and Cecily Fairchild, who suddenly join up with the Crossbone Vanguard, who want to overthrow the corrupt Earth Federation.
While Gundam F91 was fairly successful, it never received a continuation. However, its story was continued in the manga Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam, which serves as a sequel. An animated series covering the events of F91 and Crossbone Gundam might be interesting to watch.
2 Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind
After an apocalyptic war destroyed most of society, the world is slowly beginning to heal even as it is being consumed by the Toxic Jungle. A young princess named Nausicaa wants to find a way to live peacefully with the new creatures that walk the earth, but the neighboring countries think only of war.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is one of the earliest films created by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, and it is based on a manga he created. Given that the manga explores the world of Nausicaa further than the movie, an animated series would have the chance to explore all the ideas within it.
1 Promare
The Great World Blaze kills half of the population, while granting several other humans pyrokinetic abilities, turning them into Burnish. Galo Thymos, a firefighter working to stop flames created by Burnish, meets a man named Lio Fotia, who reveals a dark conspiracy persecuting the Burnish.
Promare has an interesting premise, but a television series would give the story a chance to expand and develop the world around it. The Burnish provide a chance to create a lot of unique foes, and that could create an action-packed show.