The landscape of anime has changed drastically over the years. Seasonal anime have become the norm, CG is used for more complexly-designed characters and props, the art of storytelling has been refined and new animation techniques have been pioneered. All these changes and more have created a much better environment for certain classic anime to really shine, which makes them prime for a reboot.
Anime reboots have helped a lot of older anime become the iconic landmarks of the industry they were always meant to be. Anime like Hellsing, Hunter x Hunter, Shaman King, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure may have had decent initial runs, but with improvements to the animation and a more faithful retelling of the stories, these series have become truly great. Fullmetal Alchemist's reboot is even seen as the best anime of all time according to MyAnimeList. Here are some more classic anime that would benefit from being retold as modern anime.
Rave Master (2001)
Hiro Mashima's original hit series is a fun thrill ride for any fan of his and newcomers alike. Rave Master follows Haru Glory on his quest to gather the Rave Stones and use their immense power to defeat the terrorist organization, Demon Card. This series has a lot of the things that make Hiro Mashima's later works like Fairy tail and Edens Zero so popular; it has cool fight scenes, cute girls, and Mashima's unique brands of comedy and storytelling. Furthermore, any hardcore Mashima fans will notice that several characters from his later works are modeled after those from this series. If a reboot were to come out now, its popularity would undoubtedly be bolstered by Mashima fans who know of his writing. Whether somebody is a fan of Fairy Tail or Edens Zero or just wants to see a fun action-fantasy anime, this series' reboot would satisfy them greatly.
Excel Saga (1999)
This anime's absurdist humor holds up nicely. Excel Saga follows the evil organization Across as they attempt to take over the city of Fukuoka and the Department of City Security's efforts to stop them. Of course, since this is a comedy series, both parties use ridiculous means to achieve their goals, and, ultimately, neither side is successful.
Excel Saga is like the Gintama of its time. Not only does it have an insane sense of humor, but there are all sorts of references, fourth-wall breaks, and defiances of common sense. Things can get so out-of-hand in this series that a divine being occasionally intervenes and resets everything. This series would work perfectly as a reboot. Not only does the humor works now as well as it did in its time but there's more content from the manga to adapt. A reboot could introduce modern anime fans to Excel Saga's madness.
Trigun (1998)
Trigun is a classic anime with a unique premise. It follows Vash the Stampede on his sci-fi western adventures across a desert planet. It has well-choreographed action, a good sense of humor, a well-balanced display of emotions, and fun characters. As far as westerns or anime go, it's a real hoot. It's worth noting that the original anime had a fairly satisfying ending. It tied up all of its major conflicts nicely, dealt with all of its antagonists, and explored its themes and morals extensively.
However, there are still some avenues left to explore. The anime, for all its strengths, omitted a lot of manga material. The manga included character motivations, story developments, and further explorations of Vash's abilities that are never touched upon by the anime. If Trigun were to receive a full reboot, it would be a good chance to give anime-watchers a look at the whole story.
Slayers (1995)
With the meteoric rise in popularity of fantasy and isekai anime, the reintroduction of some old-school fantasy would be much appreciated. In Slayers, Lina and her friends Gourry, Zelgadis, Amelia, Xellos, and others travel the lands on magical adventures. They battle monsters, discover new forms of magic, and meet all sorts of crazy characters. The unique atmosphere of this series feels like a blend of early Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Quest, and all sorts of nostalgic 90s anime, all while feeling completely like its own thing.
A Slayers reboot would absolutely thrive in the modern anime market. Even with the modern anime community's refined taste for fantasy anime, Slayers sticks out for its great sense of humor, character interactions, zany antics, and surprisingly-engaging overarching plotlines. Furthermore, the light novel series has been ongoing since 1989, so a new anime adaptation would have plenty of source material to draw from.
Saint Seiya (1986)
Saint Seiya is in desperate need of a good anime adaptation. The original anime had a lot going for it; beautiful music, exciting battles, an epic story, lovable characters, and a unique atmosphere. Unfortunately, when the anime entered a long filler arc, it caused sales for the manga to plummet, so both were cut abruptly short. It's a shame because the manga had at least one more good arc before it could be considered complete.
A good reboot would be the perfect way to rekindle interest in this classic of shonen anime. There have been attempts made, but they are often lambasted for being unfaithful, CG monstrosities. The CG is understandable and forgivable considering how complex the character designs get in Saint Seiya. However, a faithful retelling is necessary to capture the feelings and atmosphere of both the source material and the anime. Done right, Saint Seiya can be phenomenal.
