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10 Anime Series That Would Work as Prestige HBO Dramas, Ranked

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Shinichi Izumi and Migi in the anime Parasyte: The Maxim.

TV comes in many shapes and sizes, but one of the most popular media as of late is anime, with hit series such as One Piece becoming a worldwide phenomenon. However, on the other side of the spectrum are TV dramas, and HBO is the king of series, award-winning shows. From modern hits like Succession to all-time classics such as Game of Thrones, HBO is home to some of the best TV.

There isn’t much crossover between anime and HBO, but that doesn’t mean these stories can’t intertwine, which is why this list will rank ten anime that could become great HBO dramas. This list will rank these entries based on how well their story can translate to an HBO drama, including factors such as setting, storytelling, characters, entertainment value, originality, critical acclaim, and how good a drama it is.

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10

‘Parasyte: The Maxim’ (2014–2015)

Shinichi Izumi and Migi in the anime Parasyte: The Maxim.
Shinichi Izumi and Migi in the anime Parasyte: The Maxim.
Image Via Crunchyroll

HBO has many different types of shows, but sci-fi isn’t the most common. One series that might work is Parasyte: The Maxim. When an alien fails to take over his brain, it inhabits Shinichi’s hand to survive. Alerting him of an alien invasion, the duo tries to find others like them while stopping the onslaught of hidden creatures before they take over the world.

An HBO adaptation might be difficult since Parasyte is set in Japan, but an alternate story somewhere in the West could work perfectly. The dramatic story is mysterious, emotional, and riveting from start to finish. There is already a live-action Netflix spin-off, meaning that if HBO handled it, they could make an even better drama that could enhance the story.

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9

‘Lazarus’ (2025)

Lazarus crew starring at camera in Episode 7.
Lazarus crew starring at camera in Episode 7.
Image via MAPPA

As mentioned, sci-fi isn’t really HBO’s thing, but they could absolutely pull off an adaptation of Lazarus, Shinichiro Watanabe‘s latest creation. Hapna is a miracle drug that cures any pain, but when the creator reveals that it will kill everyone who takes it, the world goes into a panic. A select team is now on the case to find the doctor and get the cure, but they discover a lot more on the way.

Other Watanabe anime are better, such as Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, but those wouldn’t work as well for HBO compared to Lazarus. The plot spans across the globe, investigating various things related to the cure, the virus, and its creator. The anime was a bit of a letdown, meaning a live-action HBO series could very well be an improvement.

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8

‘My Home Hero’ (2023)

A group of intruders cleaning up a body in My Home Hero
A group of intruders cleaning up a body in My Home Hero
Image via Tezuka Productions

Action and adventure series are more popular than dramas, meaning anime like My Home Hero don’t get the recognition they deserve. When a father learns that his daughter is being abused by her Yakuza boyfriend, he takes matters into his own hands. Now, he and his wife must clean up the mess and stay out of the Yakuza’s sight as they search for the boss’s missing son.

Like Parasyte, My Home Hero presents the problem of being set in Japan, but HBO could easily switch it to a family of gangsters or Italian mobsters, potentially being a successor of The Sopranos. The anime had poor production, but with a healthy budget, this show could be the best new thing. My Home Hero has a magnificent story and plot that is suspenseful and gripping. Any fan could fall in love with this dramatic masterclass.

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7

‘Orb: On the Movements of the Earth’ (2024–2025)

Rafal looking at the moon with a doorway of light in Orb: On the Movements of Earth.
Rafal looking at the moon with a doorway of light in Orb: On the Movements of Earth.
Image via Madhouse

Most anime are naturally set in Japan, even the historical ones, but a few take place in foreign settings, such as Orb: On the Movements of the Earth. It follows multiple protagonists in Poland trying to prove the theory of heliocentrism. However, the church forbids such thinking, trying its hardest to silence the heretics.

The story may not be real, but this historical masterpiece is one of the best anime series of the 2020s anyway. Orb was one of the biggest recent surprises, highlighting a remarkable story about the beauty of humanity and its indomitable will for truth, knowledge, and progression. With these themes and story, HBO could make a masterpiece.

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6

‘Monster’ (2004–2005)

Dr. Tenma confronts Johan in 'Monster.'
Dr. Tenma confronts Johan in ‘Monster.’
Image via Madhouse

Naoki Urasawa is arguably the most prolific manga author of all time, with some of the greatest series ever, and his magnum opus is Monster. Dr. Tenma saves the life of a child instead of the mayor, but years later, that same child grew up to become a serial killer. Tenma must now take matters into his own hands and kill Johan, but will he be able to do that when he learns of his dark past?

Monster is mostly set in Germany, spanning across the country while investigating where Johan is, as well as his history. The story is full of twists and turns as well as intricate details and memorable moments that blend to create one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Monster is a masterpiece in any medium, meaning it would be among the best HBO dramas.

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5

‘The Fable’ (2024)

Akira Satou shirtless holding a pistol in the poster for The Fable.
Akira Satou shirtless holding a pistol in the poster for The Fable.
Image via Tezuka Productions

Comedy drama TV shows are becoming more prominent in the West, but not in Japan, which is why the Western audience would appreciate an HBO drama of The Fable. When a hitman is too good at his job, he and his assistant need to take a vacation and wait for the heat to die down. However, they get into trouble everywhere they go while trying to relax.

The Fable takes place in Japan, but a simple change of scenery would make it perfect for HBO, and the plot is easily transferable. This anime is one of the funniest, most action-packed, and engrossing modern shows all at the same time. With compelling story arcs and well-crafted humor, The Fable is begging to be made into a live-action series and flourishes with its dramatic absurdity.

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4

‘Baccano!’ (2007)

Isaac, Miria, Jacuzzi and Holystone sitting in train car enjoying food in Baccano
Isaac, Miria, Jacuzzi and Holystone sitting in train car enjoying food in Baccano
Image via Brain’s Base

There aren’t a lot of anime set in America, but any of those few would naturally make a good HBO drama, including Baccano! From a scientist and his assistant looking for their missing immortality elixir to a war between mafia groups to a train full of criminals, this anime interweaves these seemingly disconnected plots into one epic story.

Baccano never received a complete adaptation, which is why an HBO drama would make an interesting way to conclude the series. HBO series are known for their storytelling, and there aren’t many anime with better stories than Baccano, weaving a complicated set of stories together to create something even greater. It is a masterpiece that should gain an even larger audience.

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3

‘Vinland Saga’ (2019–Present)

Thorfinn swiping a dagger at Askeladd in Vinland Saga.
Thorfinn swiping a dagger at Askeladd in Vinland Saga.
Image via Wit Studio

The second historical anime on this list is Vinland Saga, whose manga recently came to an end in 2025. When the Vikings murder his father, Thorfinn joins their crew in order to get revenge, but he first needs to grow stronger. After years of staying on their crew, he is a completely different person and must now reflect and understand what he actually wants in life.

Vinland Saga is regarded as one of the best-written anime series ever, with remarkable character development and philosophical themes. With its outstanding writing, magnificent stories, compelling characters, and European setting, Vinland Saga is one of the easiest and best anime for Hollywood to adapt. This anime has the potential to be a prestigious HBO that could win awards.

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2

‘Kaiji’ (2007–2011)

A man bleeding from the ear holding a card to the camera in Kaiji
kaiji-ultimate-survivor-featured
Image via Madhouse

Gambling is unfortunately becoming more common nowadays, but some of the best stories around this topic come from anime, such as Kaiji. The titular character is hopelessly in debt, but when he gets a proposition to clear his debt, he instantly takes up the offer. However, he must compete in and win a series of twisted games for the purpose of entertaining the rich.

Like a couple of other anime on this list, Kaiji is also set in Japan, but the setting isn’t necessary, meaning an HBO drama could easily be set anywhere. The story, tension, characters, and plot are simply too good to be only in anime, and with shows such as Squid Game becoming worldwide hits, Kaiji can be just as popular, but even better. This story is a non-stop thrill ride that will excite, exhilarate, and leave fans wanting more.

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1

‘Banana Fish’ (2018)

A man pointing in Banana Fish-1
A man pointing in Banana Fish-1
Image via Prime Video

The best anime that would work as an HBO drama would be set in America, and while there are a handful, Banana Fish is the best. A Japanese reporter comes to America to write an article about gangs, but he gets involved with the young leader of a street gang and a conspiracy. They must now stop the devious plot while trying to stay alive.

While a lot of the anime on this list could be adapted into an HBO drama, Banana Fish already feels like one, meaning the transition would be easy. The plot is dark, dramatic, bleak, gripping, and bathed in Western storytelling. Banana Fish is a gang drama and a drug conspiracy that is a narrative close to prestige crime dramas. With gritty, unflinching realism, Banana Fish is an anime masterpiece that deals with heavy topics and mature subject matter, and has a cinematic pedigree that makes it the best anime that could be an HBO drama.


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Banana Fish


Banana Fish

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Release Date

2018 – 2018

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Directors

Hiroko Utsumi

Writers
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Hiroshi Seko


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  • Cast Placeholder Image

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Amy Schumer isn’t one to shy away from what some may consider to be an unconventional Valentine’s Day celebration amid her ongoing divorce.

“Give yourself all the love today,” Schumer, 44, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Saturday, February 14, sharing a selfie of the actress posing for the camera in a makeshift “crying corner.”

“Happy vday,” she added, showing off her “crying corner” complete with tissues, at least two water bottles and an appropriate “crying corner” decoration.

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Chris Fischer and Amy Schumer


Related: Inside Amy Schumer’s Split From Husband Chris Fischer: What Went Wrong?

Amy Schumer and her estranged husband Chris Fischer‘s seven-year marriage ended on good terms, a source exclusively confirms to Us Weekly. “Amy still adores Chris, just not romantically,” the insider shares. “He’s a great guy and an even better father.” Schumer, 44, announced her separation from Fischer, 45, in a since-deleted Instagram post on December […]

“Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after 7 years,” Schumer wrote via Instagram at the time. “We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son. We would appreciate people respecting our privacy at this time.” (The pair share son Gene, who they welcomed in May 2019.)

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Schumer added, “Amicable and all love and respect! Family forever.”

Schumer officially filed for divorce in at the beginning of the new year, submitting the necessary paperwork on January 6 with the New York Supreme Court, according to documents obtained by Us Weekly at the time. The case type is listed as “matrimonial — uncontested,” per the filing.

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(According to the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is a chronic health condition in which cells similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, often resulting in chronic pain, irregular periods, infertility and more.)

“Just found this from years ago. My trust self. Chris dug it,” Schumer wrote via Instagram at the time, captioning a throwback video. “I’ve been through a lot with endometriosis. Tell someone you love they shouldn’t have heavy excruciating periods. @endofound donate along with me today.”

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Hours later, Schumer announced the split.

“Amy still adores Chris, just not romantically. He’s a great guy and an even better father,” a source exclusively told Us at the time, adding that “there wasn’t some big, scandalous catalyst for their split.”

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The source added that the estranged duo have been “figuring out” what their split will look like for “months,” especially in regards to their son.

“The goal is to make it as smooth of a transition as possible so as not to disturb their son’s day-to-day,” the insider explained. “One of the many things they see eye to eye on is Gene and his happiness coming first.”

Despite the major life change, the source also told Us that Schumer — who recently revealed her 50-pound weight loss — is “in a good place and even cracks jokes about their separation,” adding that it has “been an easy adjustment so far.”

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Emerald Fennell‘s new Wuthering Heights movie is dividing critics right now.

Many books have gone on to receive loose adaptations for the silver screen, and Fennell’s take on Emily Brönte’s novel seems to be among them. Critics can’t agree on whether the shocking horniness, campy flair and vast diversions from the book are good or bad.

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Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbies Wuthering Heights Trailer Debuts


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Before Denis Villeneuve directed two Oscar-nominated adaptations of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel, Twin Peaks creator David Lynch took a crack at adapting it back in 1984. This was the art-house director’s big, bold move into the mainstream after his financial and critical success with The Elephant Man. Of course, the director of Eraserhead wasn’t going to give audiences another Star Wars, which is what executive producer Dino De Laurentiis wanted. Thus, the already strange story of giant worms, magic spice, corpulent, floating dictators and psychic witches was given a somewhat Lynchian treatment.

Sting plays a sexy sociopath clad in a Speedo, while most of the many, many monologues from all the characters are whispered rather than spoken. There’s also a mutated being that sits in a giant tank, grotesque heart plugs that the Harkonnens wear like it’s the latest fashion trend from Milan and a weirdo child (Alicia Witt who acts like she’s already lived a thousand years. Unfortunately, Lynch’s creative decisions and diversions from the source material forced his Dune to endure extensive cuts, which hacked the theatrical release down and created more distance from Lynch’s intended vision. It’s to the extent that Lynch publicly disowned the film and even removed his name or changed it to a pseudonym in the credits of certain releases. While Dune 1984 has established a cult following, it’s still quite divisive.

3. ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy (2012-2014)

Maybe it’s hyperbolic to claim, but Peter Jackson‘s three-film adaptation of the short children’s story prequel to The Lord of the Rings should go down as one of the worst decisions in filmmaking history. Jackson created a global pop culture phenomenon with his early 2000s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous fantasy trilogy, with each novel getting its own film shot back-to-back with the other in sequence. When it was revealed that The Hobbit would finally receive a live-action movie treatment too, the announcement stated that it would be split into two films directed by Guillermo del Toro. Then, del Toro exited due to delays and creative differences, and the production ballooned into three films, with original LOTR director Jackson at the helm.

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As is the reason for turning every single-book story into multiple parts, turning the simple, 300-page The Hobbit into three extremely long movies was obviously done out of greed, not out of respect for preserving the dignity and beauty of the story. Instead, The Hobbit became three weird, bloated spectacles. There is ultimately so much wrong with all three The Hobbit movies that it would take longer than this short list to get into it all, but things like adding a pointless love triangle subplot with Legolas (Orlando Bloom), making the overarching antagonist not be Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), heavy usage of overtly fake-looking CGI and unnecessary sidelining of Bilbo (Martin Freeman), the main character. Of course, perhaps The Hobbit films most unforgivable sin is how unbelievably boring it is.

2. ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’ (2009)

What if we remade Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (again) and we made it about a womanizing bachelor (Matthew McConaughey) who is visited by the spirits of his ex-girlfriends (who are still alive) to teach him a lesson about how to be a real lover? Perfect, that sounds amazing — here is $40 million to make it happen. That is essentially the premise of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, which adapts Dickens’ novella about a miserly, isolated old man who is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve and learns to appreciate life and everyone in it.

Instead, there’s no Christmas, no figgy pudding, no Tiny Tim or spirits covered in giant chains, and Matthew McConaughey learns about the value of monogamy and gets Jennifer Garner to fall in love with him. It’s likely that never in a million years did Dickens think his Victorian-era novel would be turned into a romantic comedy in which ghostly Michael Douglas (who portrays a version of the original character of Jacob Marley) tries to hit on the Ghost of Girlfriends Past (Emma Stone) who appears as a 16-year-old girl. In any event, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is funnier than it has any right to be, and it’s certainly a creative take on a story that has gotten too many adaptations to count.

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1. ‘The Cat in the Hat’ (2003)

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In Bo Welch‘s The Cat in the Hat, the Cat (Myers) is a wicked demon imp. To its credit, the movie does a great job at embracing Seussian aesthetics, with colorful, creative production design, costumes, sets and cinematography. It’s just a shame that everything else (script, characters, dialogue, acting, a pervasive feeling of dread and despair) makes the movie so borderline unwatchable. Alec Baldwin wears a girdle, the fish is entirely CGI, Thing One and Thing Two are creepy as hell and there’s far too much weird, double-entendre humor for a children’s movie.

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