WARNING: The following article contains brief discussion of suicide and self-harm.
The first animated film released in Japan -- and therefore the first anime -- had an estimated release in late 1916 or very early 1917 by Shimokawa Oten. It was made with chalk and less than five minutes long. Since then, anime has become a worldwide sensation. Unfortunately, along with the series that became successful mega-hits, there are those that never even made it past production or were removed from public access entirely. Here are five anime that could have been a big hit, but were unreleased, unfinished or simply had its episodes removed/banned.
Ghost Stories "Kuchisake-onna" (Unaired 2000 Episode)
Ghost Stories, also known as Ghosts at School, is a Japanese horror anime series based on books by Tōru Tsunemitsu. The series follows Satsuki Miyanoshita, who moves with her family to the hometown of her deceased mother. Joined by some friends with a penchant for the paranormal, Satsuki visits an abandoned school building and discovers it is haunted; as the danger soon threatens to envelop the town, it becomes the responsibility of Satsuki and her friends to put an end to the hauntings.
An unaired episode, "Am I Beautiful? Kuchisake-onna," sparked some controversy prior to its release from a preview that featured Kuchisake-onna. For those unfamiliar, Kuchisake-onna is a popular urban legend in Japan. Translated as 'the slit-mouthed woman', Kuchisake-onna (according to folklore) would stalk around in a large overcoat with a surgical mask on, asking children if she was beautiful or not. Despite their reply, she would normally kill them, but only after revealing her horrifyingly disfigured mouth -- slit from ear to ear.
Scheduled to air in Japan on November 5, 2000 as Ghost Stories' third episode, it was completed -- and even previewed as an upcoming episode -- but was ultimately pulled before airing, after a barrage of complaints from parents worried that her disfigurement would look too much like a cleft palate. It is unknown if the episode will be released in the future, nor whether Fuji TV even has a copy itself. Any rumors of this episode having aired once are untrue; as of now, the only footage from "Am I Beautiful? Kuchisake-onna" that has been seen by the public is contained in the above 15-second preview.
t.A.T.u. Paragate (Unreleased 2004 Anime Film)
t.A.T.u. Paragate was an anime movie set for release in 2004, based on the at-the-time popular pop group t.A.T.u. It was announced in 2003 and was to be animated by iMOVE (which did animation work on Death Note and Inuyasha, among other popular 2000s anime).
However, in early 2004 the t.A.T.u. duo broke their contract with their manager, Ivan Shapovalov, who they claimed was too concerned with drumming up scandals for t.A.T.u, and had allegedly based the duo's image off of the josei kosei erotic genre. After the contract split, the t.A.T.u Paragrate film ended up being shelved and its website was deleted in 2005. The girls of t.A.T.u. split in 2011, saying they were "very tired of each other," making it very unlikely t.A.T.u. Paragate will ever be released.
Kingdom Hearts (Unfinished and Cancelled Disney Show)
Shortly after its smash-hit release, the beloved popular Disney Japanese RPG video game series Kingdom Hearts was going to have its own animated series on the Disney Channel. However, Disney turned down the project and the early drafted pilot because they thought it was "incredibly dark" for a show for its channels and audience.
In 2014, the creator posted storyboard panels of the supposed pilot on his DeviantArt and a YouTube user by the name of Brandon Gonzalez interviewed Kearsley about his past project. Fans hold on to hope that Disney will have a Kingdom Hearts series air one day, especially since Gravity Falls became a popular series even with its dark and morbid premise. As of now, the only thing that exists from the Kingdom Hearts anime is the storyboard pictures and earlier drafts of the show.
Pokémon "It's New Year's Eve! Pocket Monsters Encore" (1997 Unaired Episode)
Scheduled to air on December 31, 1997 in Japan was a one-hour Pokémon New Year's special titled "It's New Year's Eve! Pocket Monsters Encore." It was believed by many to be the anime's intended 40th episode, but it was cancelled before broadcast. This occurred during the rescheduling that followed the infamous "Electric Soldier Porygon" incident in which bright, pulsating lights caused nearly 700 Japanese children to be hospitalized after suffering epileptic seizures.
"It's New Year's Eve! Pocket Monsters Encore" has never aired in any country, and no further information, trailers, or screenshots have surfaced. However, another two-hour New Year's special, "It's the New Year! Pocket Monsters Special," aired two years later and may have used material originally created for the 1997 special.
Alive: The Final Evolution (Existence Unconfirmed)
Alive: The Final Evolution is a manga series written by Tadashi Kawashima and illustrated by Adachitoka. When an extra-terrestrial flies toward Earth after sensing life, it becomes known the alien is composed of souls who were granted immortality but preferred to die -- except they could not do so without a body. These beings separate from each other and enter the bodies of humans in order to pursue death. As a result, a large number of people begin to commit suicide worldwide and the incident becomes known as Nightmare Week.
In February 2010, Kawashima finished writing the series from his hospital bed as the final chapter was being published in the March issue of the Monthly Shōnen Magazine, although he passed away shortly after. An anime adaptation for Alive: The Final Evolution was planned to be produced by Studio Gonzo and co-produced by Anime International Company, but it was canceled due to Gonzo being delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It is unknown to this day if the pilot, or any known storyboard, exists.
For more information on the warning signs and prevention of suicide, click here. If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you live outside the U.S., click here for a list of international hotlines.
