10 Best Anime That Never Got a Second Season

With the ever-growing anime industry, many series get overlooked for various reasons despite viewership continuing to grow and diversify in their interests. Especially in the last decade or so, anime popularity has skyrocketed, with more series being produced every year. However, that also means that the studios don’t put the same effort or investment into every series. Even though the story is amazing, with the shonen demographic dominating the anime world, most series don’t get the recognition they deserve. New action series like Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and Solo Leveling have gained massive global recognition, which is why fans often stick to one genre.

Sequels of these series get announced soon after the season ends. However, for underrated shows, the animation studios end up taking years to work on a second season, or, most of the time, just cancel it altogether. Some of these series even developed a decent fan base over the years, some of which have been waiting for over a decade for a second season.

Barakamon

Sei Handa, a renowned calligraphist, spent most of his life perfecting his skills and sought to earn recognition by winning as many competitions as he could. However, when his prize-winning art gets stolen by the director, Handa loses his cool and punches the elderly man. His behavior urged his father to send him to a remote island to work on himself and reflect on his actions. Little did Handa know that his life would be turned upside down as he found his own unique art style.

Barakamon follows a beautiful and hilarious journey of self-discovery as he gets used to the country life with the villagers. The first season of the anime was released in 2014 based on Satsuki Yoshino’s manga. The anime skipped a few scenes in the middle and didn’t adapt the full story. Not to mention, the story remains unfinished within the 12 episodes. The manga ended in 2023 with 150 chapters, split into 20 volumes.

Yona of the Dawn

A romantic story set in a historical, fantasy world is everything shojo fans could ask for. The story of Yona of the Dawn centers around Princess Yona and her bodyguard Hak, who escape the castle after King Il’s assassination. What’s worse is that the murderer is their childhood friend and Yona’s cousin, Soo-Won. After losing her only family member and being chased out of the castle, the sheltered princess sets out on a path to make her kingdom a better place without having the privilege of the throne.

With Hak, the legendary four Dragon Warriors, and a genius boy, Yoon, the group travels all across the kingdom to rid the land of corruption and tyranny. Season 1 was released in 2014 with 24 episodes. Meanwhile, the manga is currently in its final stretch, wrapping up the journey of Yona and her friends. The anime only covers the initial phase of the manga, but the real story begins after Yona gathers all four Dragon Warriors. However, it’s likely her epic story won’t be adapted for a long time.

Flying Witch

Comfort shows are often underrated, despite the beautiful and serene story, lovely animation, and, most of all, soothing OSTs. Flying Witch is one such show that never received enough popularity for J.C. Staff to announce a second season. The anime was released in 2016, four years after the manga’s debut. The story follows Makoto Kowata, a 15-year-old girl who moves out of her parents’ house to become a full-fledged witch. In the witches’ tradition, an apprentice must leave her home and become independent at the age of 15.

Taking her companion Chito, a black cat familiar, Makoto moves to Aomori, a region favored by witches due to the land’s affinity with magic. On the surface, Makoto attends high school like any ordinary teenager. However, her eccentricity and witchcraft make her everyday life much more interesting.

Hyouka

Released in 2012, Hyouka has a dedicated fan base for high rankings and positive reviews. However, despite its popularity, Hyouka’s intriguing story never received an anime sequel. The story follows Hōtarō Oreki, a high school freshman who prefers to spend most of his time “conserving energy,” which is simply another way of saying he’s lazy. He refuses to spend effort on things he can avoid.

However, after being literally forced by his sister to join the Classic Literature Club, one of the school’s oldest clubs, he finds himself getting mixed up in all kinds of mysteries. Initially uninterested in solving the unanswered questions, Oreki just can’t deal with Eru Chitanda’s never-ending curiosity, another member of the club.

Blue Period

Blue Period is one of those anime that hits different, where viewers are immersed in the beauty of art and the struggles artists face, contrary to the more typical shonen fare. The story focuses on Yatora Yaguchi, an unmotivated, second-year high school delinquent with excellent grades. He finds his true calling in life when he stares at the vibrant landscape of Shibuya. Yatora picks up a paintbrush, hoping to convey his thoughts on a canvas.

He soon decides to enter Tokyo University of the Arts, a competitive school that only accepts one in every two hundred applicants. The anime doesn’t sugarcoat an artistic journey, instead, it focuses on sleepless nights, artistic blocks, burnout, rejection, vulnerability, and the struggle to embrace your true self. The first season of the anime was released in 2021, receiving praise from fans and critics alike. Even so, the animation studio never renewed it for a second season.

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Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun

When it comes to romantic comedies, not a lot of series can be compared to Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun. It’s the perfect shojo series set in a high school, centering around all kinds of eccentric students. The story follows Chiyo Sakura, who confesses to her crush, Umetaro Nozaki, and accidentally calls herself his “fan.”

Unexpectedly, Nozaki hands her his autograph, completely baffling the girl before she realizes he’s a famous shojo mangaka using a pen name, Sakiko Yumeno. The strange turn of events leads her to become his assistant. As the story continues, Chiyo befriends several of Nozaki’s quirky friends, turning even the most normal situation into a humorous rollercoaster. The anime was released in 2014 and is still fairly popular despite never getting a sequel.

Sirius the Jaeger

Original anime series don’t often catch the public eye because they lack a built-in fanbase, unlike series based on manga, light novels, or even video game adaptations. The first season of Sirius the Jaeger, which was released in 2018, was extremely promising, with an intriguing plot and incredible animation. Set in 1930s Japan, the series follows a young werewolf (Sirius) named Yuliy, who is a member of a vampire-hunting group called the Jaegers.

The Jaegers’ latest mission brings them to Japan as they are tracking a group of vampires who are in search of a powerful artifact known as the “Ark of Sirius,” an ancient relic said to grant immense power to the one who holds it. However, Yuliy has a personal grudge against the vampires who destroyed his homeland. As the hunt continues, Yuliy begins to uncover the dark secrets about his past and the true nature of the arc.

Children of the Whales

Another series from J.C. Staff on our list that had all the elements to keep fans hooked since the first episode but still couldn’t get a sequel. Based on Abi Umeda’s manga, the anime debuted in 2017 and was praised for its unique world-building and gorgeous animation. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world covered by an endless sea of sand, following a group of people who live on a massive floating island called the Mud Whale. The Mud Whale is home to two kinds of people: marked and unmarked.

The marked people can use special telekinetic powers called thymia, but have a shorter lifespan, while the unmarked residents don’t have those powers and live ordinary lives. However, when the Mud Whale is attacked by the outsiders, the isolated citizens finally learn about the brutality of the world they’re living in. As the story continues, the disturbing secrets about the islands, including the Mud Whale, come to light.

Ghost Hunt

One of the most underrated anime shows, Ghost Hunt, is the perfect blend of comedy, horror, and thrill. The anime was released in 2006, dividing the 25 episodes into eight unique cases revolving around ghosts and people with psychic abilities. However, the anime excludes a lot of the in-between plot and doesn’t conclude the story like the manga. A second season could’ve been a proper way to wrap up this incredible series.

Following 16-year-old Mai Taniyama, we witness several unique cases she participates in as a part-time employee of the Shibuya Psychic Research, a company run by a 17-year-old Kazuya Shibuya. The cases explore real-life concepts and stories, including the horrifying tale of Elizabeth Bathory, Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, and more.

Hinamatsuri

This heartwarming hidden gem balances absurd comedy with surprisingly emotional moments about family, growing up, and finding a place where you belong. Yakuza member Yoshifumi Nitta finds his life turned upside down when a strange metal egg drops into his apartment. Inside the egg is an emotionless girl named Hina, who has telekinetic powers but is clueless about how normal life works.

Unable to leave the girl to fend for herself, Nitta reluctantly agrees to let he live with him, without knowing he will eventually create an unbreakable bond with a girl as his father figure. With Hina’s special abilities, every day brings a new set of surprises, and despite his peaceful life being over, Nitta couldn’t be happier.