Much like Digimon Adventure, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and Hellsing Ultimate, Shaman King is the latest anime franchise to reboot its series with a fresh take on the original events of the Shonen series, and one fan has taken the opportunity to break down the differences in animation between the original anime released in 2001 and the latest television show. With the latest season being created by the animation studio, Studio Bridge, the latest anime episodes have taken the opportunity to dive into familiar territory by showing us the early days of Yoh who is attempting to gain the Shaman King title.
In the case of Hellsing Ultimate and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, the reboots of these individual anime franchises created new series not simply to retell the classic anime stories, but also follow their individual manga series more closely. The original Hellsing and Fullmetal Alchemist anime series had to create original endings that differentiated from the manga that acted as the source material, and it seems as if Shaman King is taking a similar approach, with the original series put together in 2001 and being unable to follow the ending of its manga. With this new anime season set at fifty-two episodes, it might be less than the original adaptation, but that isn’t stopping fans of the original from diving into this new take.
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Reddit User Unprecendented Wolf created a video that shows the new anime series produced by Bridge and the older series produced by Xebec, showing that while the animation might be different, the newer series is sticking to the events of the original faithfully:
If you haven’t heard of Shaman King before, it’s a strange combination of series like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, Pokemon, and Yu Yu Hakusho, wherein its heroes and villains can call on great spirits to fight their battles for them. Yoh and his fellow competitors are aiming to win the Shaman Fight, which would grant the victor power over the “Great Spirit”, in a tournament that takes place once every five hundred years.
Which style of animation do you prefer when it comes to Shaman King of the past and present? Are there any other anime franchises that you think need a reboot? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of supernatural Shonen franchises.
