As the popularity of anime continues to grow, new adaptations are being released each season. However, there’s an indescribable feeling when seeing classics that shaped viewers’ childhoods being reimagined with a modern style, which is why more and more anime are getting remakes.
Fortunately, 2025 has been full of anime getting a second chance in the form of remakes. From influential shōnen series to classics that defined the ’80s and ’90s, when looking back at the best of the year, viewers will find several anime remakes released in 2025, some of which have even surpassed the nostalgia of their original series.
Cat’s Eye
Cat’s Eye, a remake of the manga by the creator of City Hunter, recently premiered its first part on Disney+. Cat’s Eye’ original 1983 adaptation became popular for its charming and beautiful trio of sisters and its retro heist-movie atmosphere interspersed with romantic comedy, featuring phantom thieves searching for works of art and a detective trying to catch them, unaware that he’s dating one of them.
Cat’s Eye‘s remake brought its story to modern times, using current technologies for the heists instead of the old-fashioned diversion ways of the classic anime. However, while the remake tried to stay close to the original story, it lost the city pop aesthetic and appealing character design that many fans love about the classic.
Likewise, Cat’s Eye‘s remake has a much faster pace with back-to-back heists, which doesn’t help viewers connect as much with the characters. Although it lacks the soul of Cat’s Eye‘s classic anime and fails to compete with nostalgia, since only the first part of the season has been released, the Cat’s Eye remake could improve in its later episodes.
Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube
Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube is a Shōnen Jump series that achieved great popularity in Japan in the 90s and features an unusual but very passionate elementary school teacher who protects his students from danger by fighting evil spirits and other monsters from horror folk tales and urban legends that turn out to be very real.
While the new version doesn’t have exceptional animation quality, the remake of Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube has appropriately targeted a modern audience by removing much of the awkward fan service from its original material but retaining the best parts of the story, which are the comedy, the thought-provoking moral lessons, and the exciting fights that evoke childhood fears in viewers.
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance
Rurouni Kenshin is one of the best shōnen anime of all time, so its remake faced a tough challenge. While the first season of Rurouni Kenshin‘s remake was criticized for its direction and soundtrack, the second cour begins in earnest with the Kyoto arc, and the anime’s intensity increases dramatically.
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance is an improvement over the first installment, not only technically, but also because it adapts one of the manga’s best arcs, setting up the confrontation with Shishio Makoto. While it still lacks the excitement of the classic, the remake features original scenes and revamped animation, making it perfect for introducing Rurouni Kenshin‘s story to new anime fans.
Yaiba: Samurai Legend
Yaiba: Samurai Legend, starring a wild boy raised in the jungle who aspires to become a true samurai and faces opponents stronger than himself, is a remake of the manga by the creator of Detective Conan, heavily inspired by Dragon Ball. However, the remake has moved the story to the present day, toning down the gags while retaining the 90s style.
Yaiba: Samurai Legend‘s remake has great pacing, making some changes to develop the characters and draw viewers into the story. Yet, the remake’s biggest trait is the fights, which are full of flashy action, smooth camera movements, and explosive effects, making it one of the best anime remakes in recent years that will surely hook fans who enjoy intense battles.
Ranma 1/2 Season 2
MAPPA’s remake of the ’90s classic, Ranma ½ Season 2, was the perfect continuation, maintaining the wave of praise it garnered since its premiere. The challenge of the new season was expanding the cast of characters, as Shampoo, Ukyo, and Mousse had more screen time, further fueling the tension between Ranma and Akane in a series of increasingly intense and hilarious entanglements.
With vibrant pastel colors, its signature slapstick comedy, heart-pounding romantic moments, and touches of action, Ranma ½ Season 2 is a joyful experience just like the previous season, one that viewers can’t help but watch to see how Ranma and Akane’s love will turn out.
Anne Shirley
A modern take on Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the anime follows Anne Shirley’s childhood and adolescense after being adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Despite being a story grounded in reality, Anne Shirley is bathed in imagination, as she constantly loses herself in her fantasies, which she transmits with a magnificent poetic expression, enjoying each day with a contagious positivity.
Anne Shirley lived up to the legacy of the adaptation by the genius director of Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata, reintroducing the story to appeal to new viewers without overpowering melodrama, maintaining a suitable pace, and remaining faithful to the original novel, resulting in an audiovisual delight that leaves viewers more than satisfied.
- Release Date
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2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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NHK Educational TV
Cast
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Honoka Inoue
Anne Shirley (voice)
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Yasunori Matsumoto
Matthew Cuthbert (voice)
