ready or not here I come
huh these original anime series didn’t
get their start as manga yet for just as
successful and memorable as the best
stories out there you embarrassed me if
you keep talking like that it’s a part
of Bushido to help those in need here
thank you welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top 10 anime not based on manga let
me get behind you huh
you’re getting sloppy letting your guard
down like that for this list we’re only
considering series that are not based
off a manga light novel or began as a
visual novel what are you two doing some
series may have a manga that was made
after the fact but we’re still counting
them as long as the anime came first
we are also excluding anime films as
that is a list for another day number 10
well ammaji Madoka Magica let’s start
this list off with a reworking of the
magical girl genre at first glance the
series looks like any other magical girl
anime but takes the entire concept and
adds plenty of grim following high
school girls who in order to have a wish
granted must become magical girls as a
trade-off and trust us it’s not all
pretty skirts and tuxedo wearing
boyfriend’s book so pay up to stick the
puella magi madoka magica anime is
welcomed with acclaim across the board
spawning multiple manga novel film and
video game adaptations regardless of the
medium with this you can grab your
magical girl fix
number nine Pokemon good evening pallet
tomorrow’s the big day for the newest
class of Pokemon students I’d like to
introduce you to Bulbasaur Charmander
and squirtle each one is available for
new trainees our next entry should be a
stranger to very few for a quick
refresher this anime classic tells the
story of young boy Ash Ketchum and his
goal to be the greatest pokemon master
ever doctor sneakers and genies nice
clean shirts and underwear and your
favorite snacks and some hot chocolate
in case you want something high but be
careful not to burn yourself and a pair
of rubber gloves to do your laundry the
jury is still out on whether or not he
will be
while many are familiar with Ash’s
adventures in the world of Pokemon
through the anime this series started
off not as a manga but as a video game
franchise with a tie-in television show
while most of the anime is actually not
canon with the video game series
it sure provides yet another adventure
for every Pokemon fan ah of course you
must be Dawn’s partner Piplup right yeah
nice to finally meet you
number eight Wolf’s reign no matter how
far you walk it’s always the same road
it just goes on and on but in spite of
that why am I so driven to find it
wolves are perhaps the most majestic
creatures in the wilderness but these
wolves are a lot more than meets the eye
that was quite a stunt I was protecting
myself that’s all don’t be so quick to
kill what’s wrong with killing in wolf’s
reign we joined four wolves as they
clash with each other in their
adventures for the lunar flower
something that is supposed to hold the
key to paradise paradise huh that sounds
like fun originally planned is only in
standalone anime series Wolf’s reign
would later include a manga and an OVA
series unlike most manga the wolf’s
reign manga was released near the end of
the series offering a retelling of the
franchise’s events in greater detail
so tell me you still believe in it
believe in what paradise there’s no such
place
they said they’d been there and
apparently was no paradise number seven
Gurren Lagann
all right you two you better get back
it’s time to fight evil in the flashiest
and most over-the-top way possible
fans join teenagers Simone and kameena
as they take control of mechanized
robots known as gunmen and create the
mighty Gurren Lagann to free Earth from
the oppressive spiral King you see that
redefining the modern mecha genre Gruen
laggin proves that fighting with mechs
doesn’t have to be too serious and you
can have plenty of fun along the way the
mega successful mecha series with later
spawned many adaptations and sequels
across the anime board including manga a
light novel a film and video games damn
who knew that giant robot fights were
the key to success
all right Japan you like that general
fuzzball where as tall as you are now
Yoda hell
oh yeah well you far number six samurai
seven
facing its story loosely off the akira
kurosawa classic Seven Samurai this
series tells the story of a Japanese
village ravaged by bandits
I heard of another village where they
took their livestock and then they came
back and took their women two daughters
wives it didn’t matter they took them
all the villagers end up searching for
samurai to protect them from the annual
bandit rates I defined it even before
the crystal told me he’s the samurai
who’s going to save our village samurai
seven sports unique art style serving as
a treat for many fans of the series
unlike our other entries samurai 7 is a
standalone product this adds a sense of
authenticity as the epic storytelling
has not been duplicated on any other
medium in the genre maybe we should hire
some samurai of her own watch out
comments section ah well there’s an
obvious one I’ll test them see me say
good get a minute to spare
number five samurai champloo
have you mastered welcome to a different
kind of Japan this action classic forces
fans to follow Ronin Mugen and company
as they travel to land in order to
complete their personal goals I believe
you have need of a bodyguard watch and
I’ll show you my skill say what you
third-rate samurai headed by Cowboy
Bebop director Shi knee shadow Watanabe
samurai Champloo quickly earned acclaim
in the anime community for its spin on
the traditional samurai story what’s up
halfway through the series is run
samurai Champloo would also gain a
two-volume manga adaptation further
increasing its fanbase take Japanese
history and culture add a splash of hip
hop and you have a unique story worth
telling
number four paranoia agent nana mizuna
Sean and Beth Ania social soon a bottle
let’s take a step into the mind of
surrealist anime master Satoshi Kon
focusing on the sociological impact of
the little Slugger phenomenon paranoia
agent tells a surrealist story about the
implications of fear and guilt on
society unlike most of the other entries
on this list paranoia agent has had no
manga or light novel adaptations since
its release
Danya coin yonezawa Nanoka so yeah oh oh
zap hmm not for lack of trying
as one novel written by Satoshi Kon
himself was actually adapted and added
to the franchise no matter how much you
want to do not fall victim to little
Slugger number three Code Geass
lelouch of the rebellion I can only
assume you’ve dug that obsolete relic
out of some scrap heap not to mention a
filthy eleven who spurns the compassion
of our glorious
morality is a tricky thing and one of
the most powerful themes in this series
is that nothing is black and white and
freedom comes with a huge price tag you
became a Britannia soldier yeah and what
about you Europe what are you saying no
one knows this better than code geass
protagonist Lelouch VI Britannia who
receives the power of Kings known as the
Geass I Lelouch VI Britannia command you
now all of you die early your highness
fire
using this power to free Japan from the
oppressive Britannia Empire he is
branded as a hero by some and a
terrorist by others Code Geass quickly
became a super popular must-see for any
anime fan also spawning a multitude of
adaptations across the majority of
mediums anime has to offer
number two darker than black Specter
damn dog
darker than black takes place after the
anomalies Hell’s Gate and Heaven’s Gate
appeared in Japan and South America both
of which vastly impacted both the land
and sky around them hard to remember now
that the city wasn’t always like this
that it wasn’t always here what it is
where it came from why it came no one
knows shortly afterwards we’re the
appearance of individuals with
superhuman powers known as contractors
this series explores just how much an
individual will give up in order to
wield absolute power it’s a useful
lesson though truth is I have no idea
why I do this the significance of it I
stopped trying to find the meaning a
long time ago it’s the price I pay for
my contract darker than black quickly
gained fans due to its unique take on
film and warm becoming a hidden gem
amongst the modern anime community while
many adaptations have followed after the
anime success we still recommend the
original for the full effect what would
you do to become a contractor
I can’t believe Louie got himself killed
by this guy I really thought he would
have put up more of a fight he will and
when he does you might want to keep in
mind he doesn’t wear that coat as a
fashion statement it’s bulletproof
before we unveil our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
please feel scared sweetiepie
huh I won’t hurt you
too much
huh number one neon genesis evangelion
time let’s go the apocalypse is not
actually it already happened in this
mind-blowing mecha classic neon genesis
evangelion tells the story of teenage
boy shinji as he is forced to defend an
apocalyptic earth from the encroaching
angel threat
created as an original idea during the
creator’s depression this series has
spawned multiple adaptations to the
franchise including the equally popular
end of evangelion anime film sorry kid
nothing personal
hey no offense taken
Neon Genesis has become one of the
best-selling anime series of the 1990s
introducing anime to an entirely new
audience Evangelion is one of the
biggest and most acclaimed series in
anime and earns even more points for
being an original series not based on a
manga do you agree with our list ah
what’s your favorite non manga anime for
more original top 10s published every
day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
huh these original anime series didn’t
get their start as manga yet for just as
successful and memorable as the best
stories out there you embarrassed me if
you keep talking like that it’s a part
of Bushido to help those in need here
thank you welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top 10 anime not based on manga let
me get behind you huh
you’re getting sloppy letting your guard
down like that for this list we’re only
considering series that are not based
off a manga light novel or began as a
visual novel what are you two doing some
series may have a manga that was made
after the fact but we’re still counting
them as long as the anime came first
we are also excluding anime films as
that is a list for another day number 10
well ammaji Madoka Magica let’s start
this list off with a reworking of the
magical girl genre at first glance the
series looks like any other magical girl
anime but takes the entire concept and
adds plenty of grim following high
school girls who in order to have a wish
granted must become magical girls as a
trade-off and trust us it’s not all
pretty skirts and tuxedo wearing
boyfriend’s book so pay up to stick the
puella magi madoka magica anime is
welcomed with acclaim across the board
spawning multiple manga novel film and
video game adaptations regardless of the
medium with this you can grab your
magical girl fix
number nine Pokemon good evening pallet
tomorrow’s the big day for the newest
class of Pokemon students I’d like to
introduce you to Bulbasaur Charmander
and squirtle each one is available for
new trainees our next entry should be a
stranger to very few for a quick
refresher this anime classic tells the
story of young boy Ash Ketchum and his
goal to be the greatest pokemon master
ever doctor sneakers and genies nice
clean shirts and underwear and your
favorite snacks and some hot chocolate
in case you want something high but be
careful not to burn yourself and a pair
of rubber gloves to do your laundry the
jury is still out on whether or not he
will be
while many are familiar with Ash’s
adventures in the world of Pokemon
through the anime this series started
off not as a manga but as a video game
franchise with a tie-in television show
while most of the anime is actually not
canon with the video game series
it sure provides yet another adventure
for every Pokemon fan ah of course you
must be Dawn’s partner Piplup right yeah
nice to finally meet you
number eight Wolf’s reign no matter how
far you walk it’s always the same road
it just goes on and on but in spite of
that why am I so driven to find it
wolves are perhaps the most majestic
creatures in the wilderness but these
wolves are a lot more than meets the eye
that was quite a stunt I was protecting
myself that’s all don’t be so quick to
kill what’s wrong with killing in wolf’s
reign we joined four wolves as they
clash with each other in their
adventures for the lunar flower
something that is supposed to hold the
key to paradise paradise huh that sounds
like fun originally planned is only in
standalone anime series Wolf’s reign
would later include a manga and an OVA
series unlike most manga the wolf’s
reign manga was released near the end of
the series offering a retelling of the
franchise’s events in greater detail
so tell me you still believe in it
believe in what paradise there’s no such
place
they said they’d been there and
apparently was no paradise number seven
Gurren Lagann
all right you two you better get back
it’s time to fight evil in the flashiest
and most over-the-top way possible
fans join teenagers Simone and kameena
as they take control of mechanized
robots known as gunmen and create the
mighty Gurren Lagann to free Earth from
the oppressive spiral King you see that
redefining the modern mecha genre Gruen
laggin proves that fighting with mechs
doesn’t have to be too serious and you
can have plenty of fun along the way the
mega successful mecha series with later
spawned many adaptations and sequels
across the anime board including manga a
light novel a film and video games damn
who knew that giant robot fights were
the key to success
all right Japan you like that general
fuzzball where as tall as you are now
Yoda hell
oh yeah well you far number six samurai
seven
facing its story loosely off the akira
kurosawa classic Seven Samurai this
series tells the story of a Japanese
village ravaged by bandits
I heard of another village where they
took their livestock and then they came
back and took their women two daughters
wives it didn’t matter they took them
all the villagers end up searching for
samurai to protect them from the annual
bandit rates I defined it even before
the crystal told me he’s the samurai
who’s going to save our village samurai
seven sports unique art style serving as
a treat for many fans of the series
unlike our other entries samurai 7 is a
standalone product this adds a sense of
authenticity as the epic storytelling
has not been duplicated on any other
medium in the genre maybe we should hire
some samurai of her own watch out
comments section ah well there’s an
obvious one I’ll test them see me say
good get a minute to spare
number five samurai champloo
have you mastered welcome to a different
kind of Japan this action classic forces
fans to follow Ronin Mugen and company
as they travel to land in order to
complete their personal goals I believe
you have need of a bodyguard watch and
I’ll show you my skill say what you
third-rate samurai headed by Cowboy
Bebop director Shi knee shadow Watanabe
samurai Champloo quickly earned acclaim
in the anime community for its spin on
the traditional samurai story what’s up
halfway through the series is run
samurai Champloo would also gain a
two-volume manga adaptation further
increasing its fanbase take Japanese
history and culture add a splash of hip
hop and you have a unique story worth
telling
number four paranoia agent nana mizuna
Sean and Beth Ania social soon a bottle
let’s take a step into the mind of
surrealist anime master Satoshi Kon
focusing on the sociological impact of
the little Slugger phenomenon paranoia
agent tells a surrealist story about the
implications of fear and guilt on
society unlike most of the other entries
on this list paranoia agent has had no
manga or light novel adaptations since
its release
Danya coin yonezawa Nanoka so yeah oh oh
zap hmm not for lack of trying
as one novel written by Satoshi Kon
himself was actually adapted and added
to the franchise no matter how much you
want to do not fall victim to little
Slugger number three Code Geass
lelouch of the rebellion I can only
assume you’ve dug that obsolete relic
out of some scrap heap not to mention a
filthy eleven who spurns the compassion
of our glorious
morality is a tricky thing and one of
the most powerful themes in this series
is that nothing is black and white and
freedom comes with a huge price tag you
became a Britannia soldier yeah and what
about you Europe what are you saying no
one knows this better than code geass
protagonist Lelouch VI Britannia who
receives the power of Kings known as the
Geass I Lelouch VI Britannia command you
now all of you die early your highness
fire
using this power to free Japan from the
oppressive Britannia Empire he is
branded as a hero by some and a
terrorist by others Code Geass quickly
became a super popular must-see for any
anime fan also spawning a multitude of
adaptations across the majority of
mediums anime has to offer
number two darker than black Specter
damn dog
darker than black takes place after the
anomalies Hell’s Gate and Heaven’s Gate
appeared in Japan and South America both
of which vastly impacted both the land
and sky around them hard to remember now
that the city wasn’t always like this
that it wasn’t always here what it is
where it came from why it came no one
knows shortly afterwards we’re the
appearance of individuals with
superhuman powers known as contractors
this series explores just how much an
individual will give up in order to
wield absolute power it’s a useful
lesson though truth is I have no idea
why I do this the significance of it I
stopped trying to find the meaning a
long time ago it’s the price I pay for
my contract darker than black quickly
gained fans due to its unique take on
film and warm becoming a hidden gem
amongst the modern anime community while
many adaptations have followed after the
anime success we still recommend the
original for the full effect what would
you do to become a contractor
I can’t believe Louie got himself killed
by this guy I really thought he would
have put up more of a fight he will and
when he does you might want to keep in
mind he doesn’t wear that coat as a
fashion statement it’s bulletproof
before we unveil our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
please feel scared sweetiepie
huh I won’t hurt you
too much
huh number one neon genesis evangelion
time let’s go the apocalypse is not
actually it already happened in this
mind-blowing mecha classic neon genesis
evangelion tells the story of teenage
boy shinji as he is forced to defend an
apocalyptic earth from the encroaching
angel threat
created as an original idea during the
creator’s depression this series has
spawned multiple adaptations to the
franchise including the equally popular
end of evangelion anime film sorry kid
nothing personal
hey no offense taken
Neon Genesis has become one of the
best-selling anime series of the 1990s
introducing anime to an entirely new
audience Evangelion is one of the
biggest and most acclaimed series in
anime and earns even more points for
being an original series not based on a
manga do you agree with our list ah
what’s your favorite non manga anime for
more original top 10s published every
day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
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