Isekai Manhwa that may be difficult to adapt into anime

Key conclusions

• The detailed animation and special effects of the Isekai manhwa make it difficult to adapt them into an anime.
• Animated bright manhwa
  Druid of Seoul Station
  can be a nightmare even for experienced crews.
• A manhwa like adaptation
  The skeleton soldier failed to defend the dungeon
  is difficult due to the animation of the skeletons.

Isekai manhwa has some characteristics that make it unique: they are flashy, their fight scenes are always focused on close-ups with high eye detail animation, and they are quite heavy on special effects. All things considered, animating one of these pieces in an Isekai anime could result in a masterpiece (eg Alignment of the solo or The comeback magic must be special) or an absolute failure.

The risk is too high and the rewards are not as great as they seem. So, with that in mind, here is a list of Isekai Manhwa that could be difficult to adapt into anime. From Reverse Isekai's story about a crazy and powerful druid/birdman to a story about a skeleton caught in an endless loop of death, which would be a killer series if it weren't for the fact that animating skeletons is a nightmare and the cost is too high .

Updated on November 9, 2024 by Lucas Simons: Since The Beginning After The End was excluded from this article due to it becoming an anime (against all odds), some adjustments were necessary. First of all, a new contender joins a manhwa club that would be difficult to adapt into anime: the Druid of Seoul Station. On the other hand, we also have Seoul Station Necromancer, a similar series but with a different story and focus (They love Seoul Station for some reason). A series that recently ended and was discussed to become an anime on its own terms, but due to its similarities to many series (including Solo Leveling), it's hard to see that it will be animated anytime soon.

6 Druid of Seoul Station

The art style and vivid story make it nearly impossible to animate

• Genres: Action adventure, fantasy, science fiction
• The author: Jin Saul W
• Artist: Mun Sung-Ho, liveBear

Druid of Seoul Station about Pak Soha, an ordinary man who is sent to a world full of wild beasts, where the survival of the fittest is pushed to the extreme. In this Beast World, he became the King of all Beasts, gaining druid-like powers and control over the elements. When he was returned to Earth for mysterious reasons on the fateful day, he discovered that he was just one of many “Abujalls” who returned in a similar fashion.

Now he has become one of the most powerful beings in the world, a dangerous beast-like king who answers to no one and whose only goal is to create a paradise for the coexistence of all beasts and people on the changed planet Earth. There are many amazing things in this manhwa; a mix of Usia, action, and adventure, featuring vampires, zombies, and elves from the world of martial arts. The art style as well as the effects of Seohoo's spells are extremely vivid, so animating this would be a nightmare even for an experienced team. It's hard to imagine this manhwa becoming an anime in the near future.

5 Necromancer of Seoul Station

Similarities with other series scare the producers

• Genres: Sword and sorcery, dystopia, urban fantasy
• Author: Jin Saul W
• Artist: Jin Saul W

With so many titles, manhwa writers seem obsessed with using Seoul Station keywords. However, this is not the main thing in this series, which recently ended (leaving fans with a bitter feeling) and became one of the main topics of discussion among connoisseurs of the genre. It's too similar to Alignment of the solo? Or does it have its own identity? There is no simple answer to these questions, but the truth is that though Necromancer of Seoul Station may be similar to other reverse isekai/awakener stories, it also has its own quirk. This is a revenge story, in contrast Alignment of the soloat the center of which is the struggle for power and survival.

Unlike Seoul Station Druid, this series has a more polished art style and a more concise story. The character development is also more refined. The problem is who dares to create a series that has to compete with a mega-hit like Alignment of the solo? To make matters worse, there is a new spin-off series based on the world created by Chu-Gong, so if this manhwa wants an anime, it will have to compete with that series as well. It's hard to imagine that this will come close to being an animated series anytime soon.

4 I transformed into an evolving space monster

Her gruesome scenes would surely be toned down, plus the legal issues

• genre: Science fiction, action, blood, terror
• Authors: FearTurtle (Gongpouigeobug-i)
• Status: Continued

The main character of this story is transported to the game reality, where he is transformed into a space monster, very similar to An alien xenomorph, and is immediately overjoyed at the prospect of going on a rampage and starting to evolve into a full-fledged space monster. The manhwa is really great, with near-perfect designs, great atmospheric horror images, and, well, lots of creepy scenes.

And therein lies the big question of how to handle a possible adaptation: Will the producers tone down the gore to prevent breaking the rules, or will they stay true to the original material? Most fans of this series probably understand that body horror and gore go hand in hand, so if they notice something like censorship in the possible animation of this series, they won't appreciate it. On the other hand, the similarities between Ridley Scott An alien and I transformed into an evolving space monster could be a hindrance to its production, though the story deviates greatly from a horror film, and the monster has many different abilities, such as mimicking the human voice, that no xenomorph has ever displayed.

It would break the special effects budget

• Genre: Action, Isekai, Sword and Sorcery, School Life, Shonen, Drama
• Authors: Karita (story), Girin Gurin (art)
• Status: In progress

Transformed into the game's low-class villain, Ed Rotteylar, the Korean gamer begins to use his knowledge of the game's plot and episodes to try to survive in the ruthless world of sword and sorcery. He openly decided that he would keep a low profile, barely intervening, so as not to change the course of history and thus prevent bad endings. But he does not know that even the smallest change can cause unpredictable consequences.

then, Butterfly effect –style, his shenanigans begin to alter the plot disastrously, forcing him to assume a previous role instead of a secondary one and placing him at the center of a hurricane of problems. Even though he knows all the outcomes and possible bad endings of every action in the game he's transported to, he can't help but find himself in the spotlight, knowing also that it will completely change the outcomes in unpredictable ways and twist the patterns to the greatest extent. dangerous situations. Adaptation of many flashbacks, subtleties and flaws Extra Academy Survival Guide would naturally be difficult to perform. Also, the sheer number of summoning creatures, magical combat, and visual effects to replay will be a major challenge. Toning it down could be a solution, but the author of this manhwa would have to make a big compromise to cut out a few parts that might cause a budget problem. However, investing in it will result in a wonderful isekai anime.

2 Academy of Magic Genius Blinker

Great Isekai of school life, but the MC animation can be a problem

• Genre: Action, Isekai, Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, School Life, Shounen
• Authors: Eunmilhi (Story) Seoyu (Art)
• Status: In progress

The gamer is transported into the gaming reality of the popular high-fantasy role-playing game, and he is embodied by none other than Pek Yu-sol, a character that many consider trash for his unique play style: he is an expert at using the Blink spell. something difficult to control and theoretically weak compared to other magic. Since the MC is aware of all possible future events, he will do whatever it takes to prevent the eventual bad ending, as this is his main quest and the reason he entered the game world.

While the story is great, fun and easy to read, the animation can be a nightmare even for experienced studios. Especially when they consider that the MC's ability is basically to jump all over the place at the speed of light and attack with focused spell blade traits. This story also shares a common point with Academy Survival Guide Extra: Her flashy scenes can be difficult to keep within a balanced budget and will need to be toned down considerably before anything else.

1 The skeleton soldier failed to defend the dungeon

Animating a skeleton is not as easy as it seems

• Genres: Dark Fantasy, Drama, Isekai, Action, Adventure
• Authors: Sosori (story), Ant Studio (art)
• Status: In progress

For an audience experienced in Isekai and other fantasy genres and tropes, seeing a skeleton is commonplace. Especially when watching series in which adventurers delve into dungeons and meet such creatures in almost every corner. And even then, when we do see the animation of these creatures, they look clunky and extremely low-budget. And why so? Well, they're usually cannon fodder for heroes, or XP bags as they like to call them.

But from a production point of view, animating a full skeleton can be a nightmare, trust me, so imagine having to animate an entire skeleton for hours and more: showing it in different planes (except for a short fight sequence or a close-up ) in full armor, in capes, fighting like an experienced warrior and so on. If you pay even more attention, in the fight scenes, they are hardly shown to be moving, they are practically lying static waiting for the heroes to attack, and sometimes they are shown walking en masse, approaching in a medium-long shot. No legs, no knees, no full body shots. Therefore, in the case of The skeleton soldier failed to defend the dungeon which is one of Isekai's highest rated anime, and with great storytelling and world-building, it can be notoriously difficult and unlikely for it to become an anime series.