Fans of the Bungo Stray Dogs anime had been eagerly anticipating its fifth season, but the outcome was met with mixed reactions due to its unconventional approach. The decision by Bones Studio to diverge from Kafka Asagiri's manga, despite the anime catching up to it, resulted in a completely new storyline being introduced in the adaptation.
As a result, this situation has sparked numerous questions about the future seasons of Bungo Stray Dogs and how they will be handled. While it is acknowledged that the manga can be slow-paced at times, the original success of the adaptation was largely attributed to Asagiri's source material. Thus, this new direction taken by the anime is seen as a highly contentious move.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Bungo Stray Dogs anime.
Analyzing the Bungo Stray Dogs anime and the controversy surrounding the fifth season
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The return of the Bungo Stray Dogs anime generated much excitement. However, disappointment followed when fans discovered that the series was taking significant creative liberties. In the end, Bones Studio chose to deviate from the original manga and crafted a storyline that diverged from the source material.
It's worth noting that making significant changes to the source material or adding unnecessary content is becoming less common in the anime industry. The recent Thousand-Year Blood War arc of the Bleach anime did have some modifications compared to the manga, but these changes were guided by Tite Kubo, the author of the series. Kubo made these alterations to improve the final arc due to his health issues and editorial pressure while drawing it.
The decision regarding Bungo Stray Dogs seems quite peculiar and could potentially cause frustration among fans. Many manga readers were anticipating seeing their favorite story arcs adapted into anime, but now it seems likely that the adaptation will continue to have its own direction, although it will still draw some inspiration from the original manga, of course.
The validity of this approach
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In the past, similar occurrences to what transpired with the Bungo Stray Dogs were much more frequent. However, this does not hinder the possibility of the series continuing with additional seasons that still draw from the original source material. It sparks an intriguing debate about the credibility of this particular approach. Ultimately, deviating from the established canon does not necessarily guarantee a negative outcome for the series, from a technical standpoint.
Bones Studio has already attempted something resembling this in the fifth season of My Hero Academia, where they primarily expanded and condensed two out of the three story arcs derived from Kohei Horikoshi's manga. Although this approach seldom yields satisfactory outcomes, the reception towards the Bungo Stray Dogs anime thus far has been largely positive.
Final thoughts
The Bungo Stray Dogs anime is poised to prioritize incorporating elements from the source material going forward. However, there is a possibility that these may be overshadowed as the adaptation embarks on its own unique journey, presenting both advantages and disadvantages.