The entertainment medium is always overlapping, as there are plenty of video games that become movies and anime that get video games. Despite all this overlap, one combination gets disregarded considerably: fantasy book anime adaptations.
We’ve seen some great examples of this already in Howl’s Moving Castle and The Twelve Kingdoms, with the former being one of the most celebrated anime movies of all time. Despite this success, the idea of adapting fantasy novels into anime is still almost nonexistent.
Instead, most series get bad live-action movies like Eragon or television shows like The Magicians that do poorly because of the limited scope that comes with having to use CGI. Very few of these adaptations can find success because the magic and fantasy within most of these books are hard to make realistic.
Anime has no such limitations, as the art form allows artists to create all sorts of beautiful and fantastical imagery through the magic of drawing and animation. That is why we think that there need to be more anime adaptations of fantasy and books. These are the five that would be perfect picks.
The First Law
If there was ever a series that could be the Game of Thrones of anime, it’s Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy. This grimdark fantasy takes place in a world ruled by magic, told from the perspective of seven unique viewpoints.
Through each of these POVs, First Law shows the different hierarchies and personalities of the world. It features everything from a spoiled rich kid to a down and dirty fighter, to a former swordsman who tortures people for the government. It’s a colorful cast of characters that give you all sorts of different perspectives of the settings and events of the story.
The story unfolds and intertwines between each of these characters, boasting a lot of fantastical settings and fights that would look amazing if they were animated. Between Logen Ninefingers and Bayaz alone, there is enough potential for sakuga to fill up multiple seasons.
Just like Game of Thrones, its world is also massive, brimming with potential for spin-off series or sequel anime. The best part is that there is already a foundation for that, as Abercrombie made three standalone books set in the same world. He is also hard at work on a sequel series, making this the perfect long-form anime adaptation.
Gentlemen Bastards
If Great Pretender taught us anything last year, it’s that anime needs more heist-centric shows, as the drama, twists, and writing that come alongside them are just a blast.
And you know what would make an anime heist even better? Cons that are set in a magical fantasy world like that of the Gentlemen Bastard series.
In this series, we follow Locke Lamora, a troublesome orphan who uses his talents for charm and thievery to work his way into a small organized crime syndicate that loves to pull off big capers. Amidst all of these robberies, though, a conspiracy is afoot that has the makings of rewriting the entire history of the world.
This interesting premise is backed up by some masterful writing and character work as well. Whether it is the bromance of Jean and Locke or the many supporting characters that help progress the story, Scott Lynch really knows how to write compelling characters that make you want more.
Kingkiller Chronicles
The Kingkiller Chronicles was made for anime. It’s got a complex magic system, colorful characters, an amazing setting, beautiful music, and insane fight scenes.
The series follows Kvothe, a renowned musician, scholar, and adventurer now living as a rural innkeeper, as he recounts his past adventures. His history is an interesting one focused on revenge, as he tried to find out more about the Chanderian — a cult-like, malevolent group that killed his family.
During his travels, he attended a magical school, learned more about music, and attempted to unlock the secrets of the world. It’s an amazing tale full of wonder and mystery.
The only knock against the series is that it’s been forever since the last book was released. As such, fans might not be too thrilled if we had another Game of Thrones or Fullmetal Alchemist situation on our hands.
Getting to see Kvothe, the Chanadrin, and the setting in animated format would quell those worries immediately, though, as it is hard not to get lost in its well-crafted setting and beautiful prose.
Dresden Files
The Dresden Files feels like what you’d get if Harry Potter was a private investigator armed with a trench coat and guns. Doesn’t that just sound like an amazing premise for an anime?
In this series, we follow Harry Dresden throughout a supernatural ride fueled by magic. This wizard specializes in unordinary cases, running into vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, outsiders, and other monsters along the way.
The Dresden Files starts out pretty tame, as Harry does villain-of-the-week-like cases to help establish the world. With each new book, things become more intertwined, as author Jim Butcher begins to explain the overlap between the real world and the magical world.
With Harry serving as the bridge, the books become more and more intricate, as he gets wrapped up in far more complex situations. As such, many more nuanced characters are introduced alongside stories full of plenty of twists and turns that thrive off of continuity from previous books.
But why would this work better in animated form? Well, just like a lot of the other entries on this list, the series’ magic system would be perfect as an anime. Dresden’s cavalcade of different spells along with the unique makeup of the world and creatures of the Fae would result in some opportunities for amazing sakuga.
Stormlight Archives
One of the best things about the anime medium is that there is always time to devote to worldbuilding. There are shows like One Piece that literally go on forever, building things up as it goes, and ones like JuJutsu Kaisen, which manage to succinctly create a world within 24 episodes without things feeling rushed.
It’s that commitment to worldbuilding that makes an anime adaptation of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives so tantalizing. Planned as a 10-book series, this epic takes place in the world of Roshar.
Roshar is a unique setting with violent highstorms that periodically assault its lands, forcing its people and creatures to adapt in order to survive. This makes for some interesting creations, including monstrous crab-like beings known as Chasmfiends that the rich hunt in order to procure valuable resources that help keep them in power.
These dangerous hunts are made possible thanks to magical armor and weapons known as Shardblades and Shardplate. They allow users to perform superhuman feats and deal damage that would otherwise be unimaginable. Usually, only nobles are allowed to use these though, and the society’s class structure is dictated by the color of one’s eyes. Light-eyes are high ranking while dark-eyes are usually servants.
Lastly, there is an entire magic system in place that assists in fighting and creating, largely centered around converting light into energy to give certain individuals superpowers. Though, gaining these powers is a lesser-known talent that was thought to be lost in time.
The sheer scope of the series is hard to put into words, as Sanderson is known for being a master of his craft when it comes to planning and building everything that makes up his worlds. In fact, the author is so detail-oriented that he includes drawings of many of the technologies and creatures he creates throughout the books, laying the foundation for what the series could look like if animated.
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