Summary
Many Manhwa series, likeSolo LevelingandTower of God,have alreadytranscended the barriers of trans-media, and have reached anime status. Doing that is 50% merit, and 50% good luck. A series needs to find the right producer that understands the potential, and make a decent offer to the author to elevate it to a wider audience.
But there are many other factors that might define which series are chosen for adaptations, and which are left in the shade, even if they’re good enough to have animation potential. This list spotlights several cases oflesser known Manhwa series that deserve an anime adaptation.
7The Lady And The Beast
A New Take On The All-Time Classic
The premise ofThe Lady and the Beastis basically the same as with the classic fairy tale written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, a lesser-known author responsible for creating one of the greatest love fairy tales of all time. But this Manhwa has been overlooked for years, despite having the potential to become a great anime.
Either the author (or authors) do not want it to receive the anime treatment just yet, or there are not enough open-minded producers available to see the raw potential ofthis romantic and tragical story. But the Manhwa is good, and getting better and better with each chapter.
6ELECEED
It Has Reached Top Quality
There are rare occasions when readers will find a manhwa with a lot of raw potential and wonder why it doesn’t have an anime series yet. Such is the strange case ofEleceed.It has all the good attributes of a killer action/comedy series, ideal for the Shonen demographic, and still, no anime series has been discussed.
When a Manhwa series exceeds 200 chapters and keeps going, it is because the audience demands more. And if the audience demands more of the adventures of Kaydenand his underdog disciple Jiwoo, they should get what they want. Sadly, it is a lesser known manhwa, and very niche. It will take some time before it climbs the world rankings in terms of comic value.
5The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide
A Decent Isekai, Something Really Rare
Everyone criticizes Isekai because the genre has been stagnating for years. Fortunately,The Extra’s Academy Survival Guidehas just what it takes to throw a breath of fresh air into the niche. This lesser-known Manhwa doesn’t follow the traditional broken character,or the harem route tropes.
But it is true that in the last few chapters, the main character, Ed Rothstaylor, has been accumulating the favor of many Academy students, many of whom seem to be fawning over him (male and female alike). Let’s hope it doesn’t turn into another cliché Isekai. So far, the narrative quality and the art style suggest it has reached a good status among fans of the genre, and is here to stay for the years to come. Perhaps an anime series will follow suit.
4Overpowered Sword
Romance, Adventure, And Peak Comedy
Some of the best fantasy manhwa serieshave the right balance between adventure, romance, action, and drama.Overpowered Swordhas the right levels of everything. Its characters are endearing, its world building is good, and it has reached a moment in its publication where everything seems to point out to a successful anime in the future.
But it is one of those lesser-known Manhwa series that seems too niche to find their time in the spotlight, or more appropriately: seen under the right light. In this case, a producer who is open-minded enough needs to come and grab it before it is too late and loses traction. The art is sublime, and the character designs are beautiful as well. It’s perfect for someone to try and animate.
3Infinite Leveling: Murim
All The Strong Points Of A Top 10 Shōnen
Infinite Leveling: Murimis a Manhwa that’s likeNarutomeetsSamurai X.It has lots of potential to become a great Shōnen anime series, but there are not enough people vouching for it, since it has been relegated to some obscure corners of the fandom.Strange as this might sound, the series is still popular enough to place itself among the top 100 in Korea.
The problem might lie elsewhere. As with many battle Manhwa, it might be costly to animate it appropriately. There’s lots of potential, but it may be outside the budget for the Korean anime industry.
2Standard Of Reincarnation
Has A Rough Start, But Gets Better And Better
Dark fantasy Manhwa is popularthese days, and with that in mind, a series likeStandard of Reincarnationshould be a prime candidate to becoming an anime series. With its unique take on reincarnation, and a thrilling plot with many dark twists, it holds readers' attention brilliantly, binge reading through its chapters for hours.
It’s not necessarily among the top 500 series in the world rankings (according to sites like Myanimelist), but it is among some of the fast-rising Shonen of 2024. That might mean it is reaching an acceptable level of popularity to be adapted into an anime.
1Transcension Academy
Peak Korean Comedy, Waiting For A Good Producer
Trascension Academymakes use of a good sense of humor, devoid of ill-intentions, cruelty, or disrespect to deliver a powerful and compelling story. It’s about a guy absolutely obsessed with money — for a good reason, of course.
Since the main character can convert money into lessons about reaching levels of superhuman strength, it makes sense that he invests millions on that. More so, with the fate of the world at risk. Readers will find an excellent manhwa series here, that is lesser known than other Shonen, but still good enough to deserve its own anime. And when that happens, it will surely be a blast.
