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With the recent news of the Dandadan anime series from Science SARU studios, fans of author and illustrator Yukinobu Tatsu’s original manga have excitedly been reading up on the studio. Likewise, general anime fans who’ve seen Tatsu’s series get heavy praise and anticipation and are also looking into what the series could potentially look like.
While there aren’t many purely Science SARU anime properties to look at in this regard, those which do exist are very encouraging. From Devilman Crybaby to Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, there are plenty of quality and encouraging series from the studio to check out while waiting for the Dandadan anime’s premiere.
Science SARU anime’s young history is full of rich, high-quality titles
1) Ping Pong the Animation
A particularly unique entry on this list, Ping Pong the Animation serves as a short television anime adaptation by Science SARU of author and illustrator Taiyo Matsumoto’s original manga. The series follows high school boys Peco and Smile, who’ve been friends since childhood and are both talented members of Katase High School’s table tennis club.
However, Peco’s decisive loss to a Chinese student devastates him to the point of quitting the club and no longer practicing the sport. Smile, meanwhile, finds himself unable to win against Peco due to his personality. Coach Jo, the two’s instructor, discovers Smile’s potential shortly thereafter, motivating him to overcome his psychological obstacle with Peco seemingly no longer in the club.
2) Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
The most recent and one of the most well-known full-fledged Science SARU anime productions is none other than Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off anime. The alternate retelling of the franchise’s original graphic novel series by author and illustrator Bryan Lee O’Malley was met with critical acclaim and public praise upon its mid-November 2023 debut.
The series sticks with the titular character, his love interest Ramona Flowers, and the other central cast fans of the live-action film and other adaptations are familiar with. However, the series follows a completely different narrative trajectory, removing Scott from the picture mostly in order to focus on the heroine Ramona instead.
3) Tatami Time Machine Blues
The Tatami Time Machine Blues anime by Science SARU is actually an adaptation of the 2020 sequel novel to author Tomihiko Morimi’s original The Tatami Galaxy varsity novel. The sequel series takes the characters from the original novel and combines them with the plot of Makoto Ueda’s play and film Summer Time Machine Blues.
The series follows protagonist Ozu, who gets the student apartments’ only air conditioner remote control wet, breaking it on a scorching hot midsummer day. As the students discuss a plan for the remainder of the summer, an unstylish male student from 25 years in the future arrives in a time machine. This causes Ozu to travel back in time to try and retrieve the remote control before it is broken, creating a host of issues and events.
4) Yurei Deco
Also known as You 0 Deco, the Yurei Deco anime series from Science SARU serves as a totally original anime series from the studio. While a webtoon adaptation of the anime does exist, this is not source material used to create the anime series. Likewise, it’s also the most recognizable anime-original property Science SARU has created to date.
The series is set on Tom Sawyer Island, where the citizens’ lives revolve around the use of the Deco augmented reality system and a currency known as Love. The protagonist Berry, an average girl with a damaged Deco that allows her to see what others cannot, meets tomboy Hack. Berry gets involved in Hack’s Yurei Detective Club, learning about the mysterious Phantom ZERO figure and deciding to track him down and reveal the truth of the island.
5) The Heike Story
The Heike Story is a unique entry on this list of Science SARU anime series for the source material it adapts. The 2021 anime series is based on Hideo Furukawa’s 2016 translation of The Tale of the Heike, a 13th-century historical epic focused on the rise and fall of the Taira clan. The series is likewise set during the Genpei War, a devastating civil conflict which divided Japan.
Protagonist Biwa, a young girl and traveling biwa minstrel, finds herself meeting Taira no Shigemori, the heir of the Taira clan, following the death of her father. Shigemori also has the ability to see the ghosts of those killed in the war and thus understands his clan’s role in the killing of Biwa’s father. After Biwa restates a prophecy of the Taira clan’s downfall, Shigemori invites her to come live with him after realizing she may have the same powers as him.
6) Japan Sinks: 2020
Like The Heike Story, Japan Sinks: 2020 is also an extremely unique entry relative to the other Science SARU properties on this list. Again, this uniqueness stems from its source material, which is a 1973 disaster novel by Japanese author Sakyo Komatsu. While the novel has been adapted into several other mediums and forms, Science SARU’s anime adaptation is arguably the most internationally notable.
The anime follows Mutou siblings Ayumu and her younger brother Gou following a major Japanese earthquake shortly after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The two attempt to escape the city with their family and friends, but find it complicated by the sinking island nation at every turn. Via their utmost effort and blind faith, the two struggle to survive the extreme conditions before them.
7) Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Returning to more traditional television anime adaptations, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! serves as Science SARU’s adaptation of author and illustrator Sumito Owara’s original manga. The still-ongoing manga has been regularly serialized since July 2016, but the 2020 anime adaptation's second season is yet to be announced.
The series follows first-year high schooler Midori Asakusa, a diehard anime fan who insists “concept is everything” in the medium. Despite her love for the format, she has yet to take the first steps in creating an anime series since she can’t do it alone. Her money-loving best friend Sayaka Kaanmori and their classmate Tsubame Mizusaki come to her rescue, starting an animation club and aiming to create the “ultimate world” that exists in their minds.
8) Devilman Crybaby
Without a doubt, the most well-known and violent of the Science SARU anime offerings, Netflix’s Devilman Crybaby anime is an infamous series. The brutal reimagining of author and illustrator Go Nagani’s original, Devilman manga puts a seinen spin on the original Shonen series. Various adult themes and levels of violence and gore are implemented at multiple points throughout the series, both for shock value and legitimate narrative purposes.
The series follows high schooler Akira Fudo, who lives with his only friend and longtime crush, Miki Makimura, and her family. After defending Miki from a gang, Akira reunites with childhood friend Ryo Asuka, who asserts that demons exist and that he wants to expose them. However, Akira’s assistance in this effort leads to him becoming something akin to a demon himself, beginning the series’ brutal and heartbreaking story.
Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
