Five Anime Series That Studios Cancelled But Shouldn’t Have – Fantasy & Isekai

Ever Felt Robbed of a Really Great Story?

One thing I have always hated as an anime fan is how anime gets made in Japan. Too often, publishers treat anime as nothing more than bait. They produce a single season, then cut it off, hoping viewers will chase down the original manga or light novel.

That strategy might work in Japan, but it falls flat in America and, I assume, in other countries as well. Here, people focus more on media consumption than literary works. We want to watch anime, not hunt down source material. When a series ends after one season—despite having more story to tell—or feels rushed, it leaves fans feeling cheated. For many of us, when the anime ends, so does the story. It’s dead to us.

Here are five phenomenal isekai anime series that were likely canceled but deserve a comeback. These shows are years old, yet they still have devoted fans hoping for more.

The 8th Son Are you Kidding Me?

I’ll be the first to admit—the title of this series doesn’t sound all that exciting. It seems like it was meant to hook the viewer, but in reality, it falls flat. As you probably guessed, our main character, Wendelin, is reincarnated from Earth into a noble family. However, instead of wealth and prestige, he finds himself in a household of eight children, struggling with poverty, corruption, and the threat of collapse.

Despite these hardships, Wendelin carves out his own path. He learns magic, builds relationships, and rises to nobility through his determination. The story takes familiar isekai elements and delivers them in a surprisingly entertaining way. The pacing keeps things engaging, and watching Wendelin overcome obstacles makes for a satisfying experience.

The series wrapped up in 2020, and since then, there’s been no news of a continuation. This series had so much more to explore, so its abrupt stop felt disappointing. It didn’t even receive a Blu-ray release—something I’ll probably have to create on my own

On MyAnimeList (MAL), users rated it a 6.27 out of 10, which feels like a travesty.

How A Realist Hero Rebuilt a Kingdom

Another isekai series that deserves more attention is How a Realist Hero Rebuilt a Kingdom. This one stands out because the protagonist doesn’t just face the usual fantasy-world dangers—he also tackles the real struggles of ruling a nation. As you may have guessed, our main character, Souma, gets teleported into a new world. But instead of going on a grand adventure, he’s randomly made king, engaged to a princess, and told to fix an entire kingdom. Okay, you probably didn’t guess that.

Either way, Souma immediately gets to work. He builds up his kingdom, pulls it out of poverty, navigates internal politics, and even fights a civil war just to secure legitimacy for a job he never wanted in the first place. The series has a much larger story at play, but the big reveal doesn’t come until the end of Season 2. Clearly, Season 3 was supposed to set the stage for the final act, but since 2022, fans have heard absolutely nothing.

Truthfully, I loved this one. It’s the kind of anime I don’t mind rewatching. I own both seasons on Blu-ray, and I want more. On MAL, it holds a 7.25 out of 10—a fairly decent score, at least by MAL standards. I guess I’ll just have to keep waiting.

In Another World With My Smartphone

Then we have In Another World With My Smartphone, which sounds like yet another lazy isekai that throws random, ridiculous gimmicks into the mix just to keep the genre alive. But here’s the thing—it’s not. This show was surprisingly wholesome, super fun, and even had enough fan support to spawn a pretty decent abridged parody. I loved it.

Our main character, Touya, gets killed by God in the dumbest possible accident. As an apology, God reincarnates him into a new world with overpowered strength and abilities. From there, Touya goes on to unify the regions, marry about nine different women (some of whom—like Sushie—seem a little too young, but let’s not dwell on that), and eventually, he’s set to become a God himself. Or at least he would have if the story had continued!

The last time we saw this series was in 2023, so it’s not a lost cause yet. But given the radio silence since then… it’s not looking great either. There’s still a ton of content left in the source material, and I’m really hoping the studio gets its act together and gives us more. MAL users gave it a 6.12 out of 10, which is honestly a garbage rating for such a fun series. At this point, I should probably stop quoting MAL scores.

Parallel World Pharmacy

As someone who spent a good part of his life working in healthcare, I can say I really enjoyed this anime—even though I admit it’s a pretty niche topic. When it comes to isekai, you don’t see many series about medicine or pharmacies (though a few exist). Maybe that needs to change! Medicine is fascinating, people! You hear me?

Anyway, our main character, Falma de Médicis, starts off as an overworked doctor who dies on the job. He then reincarnates into a noble and prestigious family of pharmacists in a fantasy world. (By the way, I love the Italian Renaissance themes in this show.) Not only does Falma retain all his medical knowledge, but the Gods also bless him—maybe a little too much. He might even be the reincarnation of a God. Hard to say. The story never got far enough to confirm it.

Season 1, which aired in 2022, followed Falma as he opened his own pharmacy, rejected the corrupt practices of noble doctors, and took on a deadly plague—one that was highly evil, sentient, and out to destroy the kingdom. The series had so much more to explore, and it should have continued. Even the notorious whiners over at MyAnimeList (MAL) gave it a 7.28 out of 10, which is pretty solid by their standards.

But since 2022? Nothing. No news. No updates. And with this much time passing, a second season seems unlikely. Which is a shame—because this one deserved more.

Lord Marksman and Vanadis