This rarely happens, but when it does, fans become interested in the prequel series as well.
It might sound strange, but sometimes, sequels actually get more traction than the original series. These 5 sequels have proven that you don’t always have to rely on the earlier content.
Jujutsu Kaisen is a very famous case of this, but it doesn’t make it less interesting. Originally, the manga by Gege Akutami, Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical School (Tokyo Toritsu Jujutsu Koutou Senmon Gakkou), didn’t have a very long run — it only had four chapters.
With the success of Jujutsu Kaisen, however, the interest toward that manga (which is the backstory of JJK) was revived. It was heavily expanded and turned into a movie, called Jujutsu Kaisen 0 — and fans were extremely happy about it.
Shonan Junai Gumi! is your typical delinquent manga of the 90s. Two young bikers are riding their motorcycles and picking up women — cool, but nothing particularly unique. It got an anime adaptation in the form of an OVA, but it was not particularly popular.
Great Teacher Onizuka is actually a sequel to that manga, with one of the protagonists, Eikichi Onizuka, becoming a teacher for a class of delinquent students himself. Surprisingly, he’s great at his job and is able to teach them many life lessons.
GTO was such a hit that Shonan Junai Gumi! was actually licensed in the West. Also called GTO: The Early Years, or Young GTO, it’s still considered very much an optional read/watch, unlike Jujutsu Kaisen 0.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is almost the exact same case as GTO. Except this time, it ran along its prequel in the manga magazine. The prequel, Code Name wa Sailor V (or just Sailor V), was released at a much slower rate — it only got 15 chapters over 6 years.
Despite that, it technically started publishing a few months prior to Sailor Moon. Sadly, it was never big enough to get an adaptation — while it’s not long enough for a series, an OVA or a movie would suffice.
Paradise Kiss
The classic josei staple of the 00s, Paradise Kiss boasts a realistic and mature take on the fashion industry — as well as gorgeous direction, combining animated sequences with real-life background art.
A lesser known fact is that it’s a sequel to an earlier anime and manga series, Neighborhood Stories (Gokinjo Monogatari). Despite being fairly popular in Japan, Neighborhood Stories was never popular in the West, although Paradise Kiss fans consider it a nice bonus to their anime.
You probably aren’t very surprised now, considering the anime adaptation of Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation (Monsters: Ippyaku Sanjou Hiryuu Jigoku) aired just recently. However, just a year ago, it would be incredibly shocking to many that there were actually works in the One Piece universe before One Piece itself was a thing.
Monsters adapts an earlier one-shot by the same name, also drawn by Eiichiro Oda, the mangaka of One Piece. It covers the story of Ryuuma Shimotsuki before he became an undead — and One Piece is much more popular than that one-shot ever was.
This rarely happens, but when it does, fans become interested in the prequel series as well.
It might sound strange, but sometimes, sequels actually get more traction than the original series. These 5 sequels have proven that you don’t always have to rely on the earlier content.
Jujutsu Kaisen is a very famous case of this, but it doesn’t make it less interesting. Originally, the manga by Gege Akutami, Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical School (Tokyo Toritsu Jujutsu Koutou Senmon Gakkou), didn’t have a very long run — it only had four chapters.
With the success of Jujutsu Kaisen, however, the interest toward that manga (which is the backstory of JJK) was revived. It was heavily expanded and turned into a movie, called Jujutsu Kaisen 0 — and fans were extremely happy about it.
Shonan Junai Gumi! is your typical delinquent manga of the 90s. Two young bikers are riding their motorcycles and picking up women — cool, but nothing particularly unique. It got an anime adaptation in the form of an OVA, but it was not particularly popular.
Great Teacher Onizuka is actually a sequel to that manga, with one of the protagonists, Eikichi Onizuka, becoming a teacher for a class of delinquent students himself. Surprisingly, he’s great at his job and is able to teach them many life lessons.
GTO was such a hit that Shonan Junai Gumi! was actually licensed in the West. Also called GTO: The Early Years, or Young GTO, it’s still considered very much an optional read/watch, unlike Jujutsu Kaisen 0.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is almost the exact same case as GTO. Except this time, it ran along its prequel in the manga magazine. The prequel, Code Name wa Sailor V (or just Sailor V), was released at a much slower rate — it only got 15 chapters over 6 years.
Despite that, it technically started publishing a few months prior to Sailor Moon. Sadly, it was never big enough to get an adaptation — while it’s not long enough for a series, an OVA or a movie would suffice.
Paradise Kiss
The classic josei staple of the 00s, Paradise Kiss boasts a realistic and mature take on the fashion industry — as well as gorgeous direction, combining animated sequences with real-life background art.
A lesser known fact is that it’s a sequel to an earlier anime and manga series, Neighborhood Stories (Gokinjo Monogatari). Despite being fairly popular in Japan, Neighborhood Stories was never popular in the West, although Paradise Kiss fans consider it a nice bonus to their anime.
You probably aren’t very surprised now, considering the anime adaptation of Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation (Monsters: Ippyaku Sanjou Hiryuu Jigoku) aired just recently. However, just a year ago, it would be incredibly shocking to many that there were actually works in the One Piece universe before One Piece itself was a thing.
Monsters adapts an earlier one-shot by the same name, also drawn by Eiichiro Oda, the mangaka of One Piece. It covers the story of Ryuuma Shimotsuki before he became an undead — and One Piece is much more popular than that one-shot ever was.
