Shaman King (2021)

Here's my thought and review SO far, but before here's some info i want people to know. To begin with general info the manga as 300 chapters and it will be adapted in 52 episode confirmed so it's a lot to cover for the manga. Studio (we can see in MAL but still) is Bridge which isn't super renown already, so those are few important info it will come back later on. I watched old anime then got into the manga and became my fav manga of all time.

Now for old anime, it had 64 episodes and the story started to diverge from manga in ... the US arc(trying to not spoil or less possible for new fans). The old anime added a lot even in what the manga cannon stuff was (some good and bad not not really to go much more in depth regarding the add-up) and the latest part was just anime original.

Now back on the new adaptation haha (sorry this is a roller coaster) is more manga accurate on how stuff happen. Now, sure some stuff were cut still but really minor stuff. The new anime seems to be more and adaptation on what the old anime never had a chance to do.

Now, i think people are overpraising the old anime it wasn't bad but not amazing either... i feel people have a lot of nostalgia towards it. So i understand why people can complain to it. I re watched recently and yeah i mean early is more developed but im so use to manga that it doesn't bother me too much character development are made later in the books. To me it misses on how the character were develop in the manga in the og adaptation they lost their core i find. In the manga we see great things that happens (i know old anime couldn't put it coz catching up manga etc... just trying to say how it is) we have Horohoro backstory, Joco/Chocolove arc and important fights, Jeanne secret, how Anna and Yoh met AND the real ending was great but the epilogue MADE it great for real.

Now the anime so far is really mid-tier sadly the animation is often stiff so it makes weird and because its so condensed it does feel rushed by moments. Now i wanna say since episode 8 and onward the pacing is WAAAYYYYY better. Still could maybe be slightly better but its getting on a real decent normal anime pacing. Some part are getting a bit more well animated but its not MAPPA or UFOTABLE for sure so sadly we cant really expect the best animation of the year but we can hope for an improvement.

It is one of the first paranormal shonen so people can easily make some parallels with newer one. Although if you expect something darker like Jujutsu this really isn't dark its very light but gets a bit more philosophical later on.

Finally overall, i recommend it even if early it makes it feel a bit too shonen cliché sometimes (it's a bit like that early in the manga but with the extra panels and everything it does change the perception of it and makes a bit better) overall if you are new and want to get into the story it works. If you are an old anime fan only dont get surprised early you gonna feel like they just cut everything but remember old anime added a lot of original. Once again when we get to the US arc you should be able to see new things and enjoy. After all tough, in all fairness it is way better to read it none of the anime adaptation gets Takei spirit and ambiance that well and i think its hard to do. If you cant get into the new anime try to read maybe you'll be able to like the story. It just keeps on getting better, but i understand its not for everyone. I want to point that like any other review this is an opinion and you should really watch for yourself and judge most of the time. There's so much more i wanna tell but that's it for now. I hope it was helpful to give you a good idea. I'm a simple man and im just happy we getting a new anime and merch haha. Take care

I really loved this adaptation! I had a blast watching it every week and was always excited for each new episode. Of course, it's not perfect, it does have some flaws which, depending on your preferences, may affect your opinion really negatively, but I personally had an overwhelmingly positive experience!

I loved the story, though that's kind of a given, since I'm a fan of the manga in the first place. Nevertheless, it's worth mentioning that this anime does a great job adapting the whole story of the manga and very faithfully at that. There are very few things that have been changed or cut, but ... they're really inconsequential. I absolutely adored the "Osorezan revoir" arc in particular (which shows Yoh and Anna's backstory), easily the best part of the anime for me and one I've wanted to see animated for years! And it did deliver beautifully, it actually made me cry. Another thing I adore is the ending - not gonna spoil anything, but I love how the main conflict gets resolved and how different of an approach it takes compared to other shounen that people are used to. The story has some very interesting themes and lessons that it wants to showcase and Yoh's catchphrase "Everything will work out" is really soothing and definitely something I needed to be reminded of.

The pacing was a bit of a problem at times, it was rushed during the first 12 episodes (because they were adapting things which were already done in the first anime adaptation) but after that I had no issues with it, except for some of the episodes closer to the end. It does have a faster pace than usual, but it genuinely didn't bother me - I prefer a faster pace to having to slog through filler episodes.

Something I definitely need to mention is the soundtrack - the music of the show is absolutely phenomenal! Yuki Hayashi did an amazing job with this, the music is original and very memorable, I listen to it all the time and it's quickly become one of my favourite soundtracks ever! I literally can't praise it enough, the show would not be what it is without it!

Speaking of sound, let's also mention the VAs - they were all amazing, they really fleshed out the characters and conveyed their emotions beautifully. The show even managed to bring back some of the VAs from the first anime, which was great and really took advantage of the nostalgia aspect. Overall great performances! The characters themself have always been my favourite part of the story - each of them having a distinct personality and motivation, and each of them being given their time to shine. Unlike some other shows, this one does not focus solely on the main character while sidelining everyone else, it gives opportunity for each character to have their own moments. I also love the relationships between all of them.

I really liked the art and the colour scheme they used. The animation, though, is admittedly a bit of a problem. It's nowhere near as good as one would expect from an anime from recent years and the fights don't look as good as they should. This and the pacing are, in my opinion, this anime's biggest issues. Other than that, though, I think the adaptation did a great job!

It's inevitable that a lot of people will try to compare this to the original anime from 2001 and, while I'm sure that nostalgia is a factor and a lot of people will prefer the old one based solely on that, I can say that I definitely think this one is better. It tells the story the way it was intended to be, unlike the old one which had a good beginning while following the manga and later got bogged down with fillers and ended in the most typical shounen fashion.

Overall, I had a great time watching this, it reminded me how much I love this story and these characters and I'm really happy it exists in the first place. I may be really biased but it is what it is - this anime brought me immense joy, flaws and all, and I'm really going to miss it! Thank God they've already announced a sequel!

Unpopular opinion, but this is the anime of the year for me. It. Is. Amazing.

Shaman King is a masterpiece with loveable characters and new takes on classic tropes. Every character (with a few exceptions) has their own fleshed out goals and motives, making you get invested in each and every one. When someone has a tragic backstory, it's not just tacked on for extra drama, it adds nuance to their actions and helps define their ambition. This series also starts off light-hearted but gradually gets darker, kinda like Hunter x Hunter.

The power system, summoning ghosts and channeling their power into things with one's own ... spiritual energy, is very unique (ik a lot of people have been comparing them to JoJo stands, but more on that later) and makes the fight scenes and superpowers interesting. However, due to the series' focus on stuff like characters' philosophies and the true nature of goals, there's a lot of talking during the fights, so if you're looking for a series with high-action non-stop fights this one might not be for you.

As for the soundtrack and voice acting, both of them are just... BEAUTIFUL! They managed to bring back a lot of the 2001 adaptation's legendary voice cast and songs, and added some new equally boppin ones as well.

The animation/art style, while nowhere near the level of *insert whatever shonen is popular nowadays*, is very smooth imo. They managed to get a perfect bridge (ba dum tss) between the style of 2001 and fairly modern production values. Call me a boomer, but I'm a sucker for retro animation, so this was a very nice surprise for me.

While I personally don't have any problems with this show, I'll address the pacing because i know this puts a lot of people off it. Some episodes go through a LOT of manga chapters, so some stuff might not hit as hard as it should, but bear in mind this is a remake. Both Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Hunter x Hunter did the same, but slowed down when they reached the part of the manga which their predecessors didn't adapt. And the recent episodes of Shaman King 2021 have been getting a less choppy pace, so it's clear they're going for the same thing here.

Overall, Shaman King 2021 is a gift from the Great Spirit. Pompadours off to Hiroyuki Takei and Studio Bridge!

TLDR: If you want high budget action, skip this. If you can't be bothered to wait for a series to get better as it builds up, also skip this. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and check it out!

Also to anyone calling it "JoJo for kids" because of the power system, you're laughably wrong (this is coming from a guy who's #1 anime is JoJo and #2 is Shaman King). Ghosts are their own separate characters rather than just a projection of the user's spirit, and they're used in a completely different way in fights. It's like calling Hunter x Hunter "Naruto for kids" because their characters both fight with innate energy, or Spider-Man "Batman for kids" because they both hide their identity with a mask.

As a background: the original shaman king was a huge part of my childhood, even before I was aware of anime. I used to watch it in primary school with my classmates. I re watched it a few months before the 2021 version aired so I think I can make a fair comparison. I will not give any spoilers in this review.

I actually like this version a lot. It has a faster pacing, but in a good way. It has a more modern, fresh shonen vibe to it. The characters also have stronger personalities and their reasons to fight are highlighted more than in the ... original.
So the story up until now was within the expectations. I look forward to see how they will adapt some arcs later in the story. Fingers crossed
The art is very good. It kept the important aspects of the old shaman king, while giving it a contemporary and fresh vibe. The animation is very good, however I can still spot some scenes where the animators were a bit lazy. That said, it doesn't ruin the mood though.
The sound is ok. I am not a huge fan of the anime themes (with some exceptions like Mirai nikki, golden wind and bleach), but the opening song is pretty nice
The characters are a forte. They were done very well in this version. Their reasons and backstories seem more clear and they have more potential for development, if you look past the superficial tsundere personality of half of the characters (which I think it's a nice touch)
I genuinely enjoy this show and I always look forward to the next episode. The fights are well done, and usually there's at least one per episode.


Story: 7
Art: 8
Sound: 8
Characters: 9
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 8

I'm not entirely sure where I stand with this new version of Shaman King given that the original show has such a banger of an opening theme and was an equally decent show, this new one already had the deck stacked against it. But in fairness, it's not overly terrible, it's not overly amazing either but I digress. The story is okay, art equally so. The sound design and music is pretty damn good all things considered but the characters seem to be a noticeable step down from the original show, a shame since I’m getting a ridiculous amount of enjoyment out of this one.

Overall, ... I’d recommend viewing this one with significantly lowered expectations but I guess we’ll have to see how this one improves.

I was really excited to watch Shaman King because this was one series which I was sure that I have heard about, but knew next to nothing about.

Although this remake was all over the place in terms of pacing , with the first 12 ep being speedrun of the part which the old series adapted from the manga, ep 13-37ish something being nice and slow adaptation of Manga, also containing my FAVOURITE arc Osorezan le Voile and MATAMUNE. And the final stretch of it being just so much cut content, averaging at around 6-7 chapter per episode.

One thing you can't complaint about is the ... Theme Songs, especially the 4 Ending Themes, each better than the previous. And there was no doubt the soundtrack is gonna be epic when you have Hayashi Yuuki on board.

All in all this was far from a perfect adaptation, but it did introduce me to this story about Shamans, of which I definitely am gonna read the manga, cause the Manga is just great from what I heard.

And do hope that somewhere in the future we still get another proper remake, atleast 75+ episodes, cause the story, atleast for me personally is something that can work even in the future

1. I am an actual Shaman.
2. I have never seen the original Shaman king.

With that in mind, this review may be biased.

I loved this anime. Absolutely loved it. I've never even seen an anime about Shamans before. I've seen anime about Onmyoji, which are Japanese mystics, but I've never seen an anime that covered the entire global Shaman diaspora before. I loved how they really did a great job going all over the world and giving representation to everything from the Druids of Europe to the Shamans of North America. Granted, it's not like it's a compendium of knowledge for true ... Shamanism, but it's nice to see that whoever made this film really has a knowledge of various Shamanic cultures, histories and ideologies. They also have an even greater depth of knowledge about New Thought. (The Afterlife concepts found in the Great Spirit portions of the anime.). I wouldn't be surprised if the creators of this anime were practitioners of New Thought.

I, personally, loved the characters as well. In seeing other reviews, it would appear that the character personalities are different from how they were in the original. Because I never saw it, I'm not jaded by the nostalgia of how they used to be. I only appreciated who they were. I loved Yoh's relaxed attitude mixed with a little cockiness, he might be a favorite MC for me. I also really loved Anna, who was my favorite character. Either her or Hao were my favorites. And yes, Hao, is the villain, but his completely untouchable attitude and demeanor, I really liked it. It was different. (MILD SPOILER): I've never seen an Antagonist so confident that he'll jump into the bath with his enemies buck naked, knowing no one is nuts enough to attack him. And then go to sleep in their home, while unwelcomed. That was a flex so strong it could pop a vein.

But, with all that being said, as much as I loved this anime for how its resonated with me, it has a LOT of flaws. If I was not biased as a practitioner of Shamanism myself, I would probably have scored this much lower because of the many, MANY mistakes they make in this anime. (SPOILERS AHEAD!)

The biggest mistake BY FAR is their penchant for spoiling their own show with the OP and mid-show credits. I know OPs can be spoilerish, but their openers were INSANELY filled with spoilers. They showed all of the first season's enemies hanging out with Yoh episode 1. Why would you do that? Showing Ryu, Ren, Faust and Lyserg standing shoulder to shoulder fighting Hao in episode 1 totally destroys any suspense when they show up as enemies in the anime. You automatically know that they're going to lose, and end up turning good, so nothing they do as a villain really matters. (Still, what Faust did to Manta when they met was pretty shocking. I didn't see that coming.) In addition to that, they would have the commercial break slides spoiling evolved forms before they actually ever used the forms in the show, thus spoiling the forms. But, as bad as that was, nothing was worse than the second opener. They literally showed Hao with the Great Spirit, and the Five Warriors with the Elemental Spirits. I mean...what the hell? You basically gave away that Hao becomes Shaman King 20 episodes before it happens. And then it sucks out the suspense at the end when Hao does the (admittedly awesome) awakening. As much as I liked that, do you know how much more I would've loved it, if I didn't see it coming? I would've really thought, especially being at the end of the anime, that it was one of those ultimate swerves where the heroes actually lose. Just horrible spoilage.

Beyond that, there were tons of mistakes in the story itself. Such as Yoh expressing zero knowledge of Furyoku to Silva when they meet, and then later providing the Matamune flashback showing that the Spirit taught him how to Spirit Integrate and attack to defeat an opponent in the exact same way he passed Silva's test. So, he should already know all about Furyoku. How could he even grow up as an Asakara and NOT know about Furyoku? He was trained by his grandad, and his wife was Anna the Itako, how would they not tell him once? How could he not even see Anna's Furyoku when everyone else was seeing it and freaked out about it? The show was filled with little holes like this.

Another critique of the show is the pacing. Man, the pacing was atrocious. It's like they spent so much time on fights that didn't even matter, that they ran out of time and had to rush through the ones that did. I was so disappointed when the final fight of the first round that pit Yoh, Ryu and Faust against Ren, Horohoro and Chocolove, was rushed and done in like 2 minutes without even a conclusion. And then it was just Ren vs. Yoh pt. 3, in those 2 minutes. But, the pacing issues became really bad when it was time to go through the 10 chambers to try and reach Hao before he awoke. His guardians were the strongest fighters in the anime. So strong they were dropping the heroes like flies through the first three chambers. But, then it was like: "Oh no, we've only got the budget for 4 more episodes, we better hurry up and finish." And so the later more important fights were done in a couple of moves. Silva vs. Yoh should've gone MUCH longer. And it would've been nice to see them fight Goldva.

My final critique is against the logic of the show at times. The characters just fail to use logic. A great example of this, is that they know that they only have 15 hours to reach Hao. And then they actually decide to go to stop at one of the levels to replenish their mana. I get it, you're low. But, you stop and eat, hang out and talk, go to sleep ALL NIGHT, get up and have breakfast, when you have 15 hours to save the world...What an absolute shocker that you ran out of time and Hao had to come find you. Which is fine, I guess, since Hao coming to them was one of my favorite parts.
But the logic was all over the place. You're fighting for the fate of every life on Earth. There's 9 of you, and you're entering rooms where only one guy is there to defend. So...let's hang back and let one or two guys fight, instead of jumping every single one of these dudes 9 on 1 from the start. They should've jumped Luchist and then did the same to the Patch.

Man, the more I write about this anime, the lower the score in my head is going... I'm going to stop, because I really, really enjoyed this anime a lot. It's just got a lot of holes that makes it clear why its score is a high 6 instead of an 8. I would definitely recommend this anime. But, not to people who have seen the original Shaman King. From what I can see, you're probably going to hate it a lot. Again, this review is biased, because this is more than likely an anime that deserves the score it has, but it resonated with me personally, so my score is reflecting that.

This is much better from the first anime release as it is close to the source material.
Other's are complaining for the lack of character development and always keep on comparing this with the old version, when in fact the old version wasn't even canon. They should have rated this after 30 episodes.
I love how the story goes and they cut the first half since it was in the older version already and their trying to focus into the plot that was not fleshed out back then.
Cannot wait for how they will animate the last arc of the story.

I find this adaptation much more enjoyable than the first anime. It's made me love the characters more than I already do. It covers a lot of the manga the original did not. To me, it feels perfect to the manga and did it justice. It get right into the depths of the characters. The new animation is so crisp and clear. The only issue I have is the animators got lazy on the head portions, making them too big. But each episode just leave you wanting more! It may come off dull and rushed at first, but as it progresses it get intense and ... has a steady pace.

NOTE : I HAVE NOT WATCHED THE ORIGINAL SHAMAN KING

Ever since ep 1 I have been enjoying watching this show. It's honestly not bad. I've been on forums and comment sections often and I can't seem to find why people hate it so much. Every week I see the average score here on MAL drop (6.66 by the time of this review).

The story is alright, nothing more nothing less. There are some memorable characters like Ryu of the wooden sword and Ren. The action is good although it would be nice if the animation was better. The soundtrack is also pretty good and I ... find myself listening to it sometimes.

I think that Shaman king 2021 is a perfect example of people hating on something just because it is a remake of an original. I think people should view remakes in a more positive light and be more considerate and lucky that a franchise they love is being brought back after many years. Look at the cowboy bebop live action on Netflix for example. I've watched the original anime and it's also in my top 10 all time and I have no idea why people hate the live action so much. its really well made and I think they do a good job of re creating the different aspects of the show. Same thing with the demon slayer movie recap. A lot of people will give it a lower rating because they say it "wasn't necessary" or something and I just don't agree. But that's also not to say that they're some bad remakes out there but I'm sure you get my point.

I just think that we should all be thankful for remakes and appreciate that the thing we love are getting second chances.

Main plot:
So this kid named Yoh is a shaman and his family wants him to enter this shaman king tourney so that he can merge with the "Great Spirit" and rule for 500 years and so. Yoh however doesn't want to be shaman king so he just lazes around listening to music. Then one day the tourney starts and now he has to enter it along with his friends. There's also the main antagonist who is Yoh's twin brother who is a reincarnate of some super overpowered man 100 years ago. Yoh makes friends on the way to becoming shaman king to help him.

Review:
Ok first ... of all the voices of Yoh and Tao have voices that sound a bit wrong, and because of the audio Yoh's voice kinda pisses me off. I've never watched or read shaman king but the opening spoils the fact that 5 of the people he is supposed to be enemies with becomes friends with him so it has no actual suspense when I know that he's not gonna try to kill or try to not get killed by those guys.

Besides that, shaman king has so much originality to its power system and rankings. And the characters are pretty diverse and unique. I like how they made the main antagonist Yoh's brother who is just a reincarnated guy from a thousand years ago. Based on these reviews I think that maybe if I watched the original anime I might have more thoughts on this, but I'm not gonna watch the same story with different quality animation.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this as an original story and world is always an anime I'd recommend. I can't claim or compare this with the other anime but I prefer you watch the more recent shaman king than the old one.

So far, I am on the home stretch with the final episode of one of my favorite anime ever watched - Shaman King. Thus far, I find it amazingly put together where every piece of it is well-thought-out and considered to bits: from all the characters and their roles in a manga to the storyline and how it unfolds. It is surely a must to watch it and will be worth your time - you will enjoy it! Hope for the next season!!

Getting into more details, I can say that I liked that every character has its own personality and played some sort of role ... in developing the story. Each of them had something to come up with as far as the message and their story go. For example, Yoh was always the kind of person who was able to settle things down and approach them in a way that helped everyone to succeed eventually and take away a lesson off of it. In the event of battling the opponent, he was always trying to carry a message of finding the solution in a positive way so no one has to struggle or suffer out of a certain situation. Overall, the messages and principles every character lived by and displayed through the story spoke to me on how we, as humans, can resolve and work out a way out of any life problem that will be morally and righteously grounded.

Additionally, what also stuck out to me was the simplicity of the story and how all the characters are naturally mingled and interact with each other - there were no superfluously added details to the story. It was simple and easy to follow as long as one follows the storyline. Much as the pacing of some episodes were rushed on and off, the story was unique and compelling for me, especially when it comes to their fights and what other ideas and messages the characters can bring along with them when facing the challenges along the way.

This is my first review so don't attack me if i say anything wrong.

I enjoyed a lot watching this remake, even though i had never heard about this anime before. I still dunno what's the end though, but till now, i think the story is really good. The art is way more colorful in the 2001 version but i this one's made yoh and hao way more badass. The sound track is really enjoyable and the voice actor did a really good work. The character are really good, but i still wonder what role is "mantamune" have other than yoh's friend. I think it's a ... really underrated anime (even the 2001 ver) and it doesn't deserve a 5000 rank.

P:S: oh and also the 2021 version is really loyal to the manga.

I can think of only one reason this anime is so low rated. It's because people think about it just as I thought at the beginning - oh my lord what does it look like, the nostalgia tells me that this looks bad omg and it's just a reboot. But then I've read that it wasn't just a visual reboot, it was the actual anime adaptation and not only some childlish cartoon about 'friendship is magic'. It's great, it's actually awesome. Yeah sure the art is pretty mediocre and for 2021 anime it SHOULD be better but you can get used to it. Great story. ... It's awesome that it's gonna get a second season. Can't wait to see it!

As a big fan of the original anime series of Shaman King, I was pretty concerned about this reboot, since most of the time I tend to be a little disappointed when an old anime gets one (Sailor Moon or Hunter x Hunter, the only exception maybe is Fruits Basket), starting to watch this anime out of curiosity but always with the idea that "next episode it'll get this bad that I'll just hate it."
From my rate, you can deduce this didn't happen. In fact, I actually enjoyed this anime really much. It felt really nostalgic, as you can perfectly see that it's not a ... recent anime, since it has all the vibes and tropes of a typical 2000's shonen. Even the format of 52 episodes is something that makes me think of an old anime, nowadays it's really rare to have an anime of that lenght. Since it's a 2000's shonen, the tropes are the basic: power of friendship, many level up without a real sense to the plot, every enemy is a friend, etc... If you find these things annoying, then you wouldn't like it, but luckily I love these tropes so it's okay. I love when there is a battle tournament, so I couldn't not love Shaman King since it's literally the major plot point. And the message that "death is something that happens and you shouldn't be scared of it, since it stops your life but also it's the start of something new" is poetic.
The characters are as memorable as in the first season, really charismatic and lovable. I love the idea of so many culture both in the characterizations, the spirits and the morals, since it's based on the shamanic world and all the type of culture based on the spirits, it was very interesting to see the different way to approach the topics. Yoh is both very typical and unusual as a MC, but that's what makes him very interesting. And I love the team of main characters, though I would've liked to see more about some other characters that unfortunately have poor screen time.
The opening were both really beautiful, since I wasn't even skipping them most of the time, and it's really strange for me. About the ending- well, I watched it on Netflix, it just goes to the next episode without letting me listen to it, so I'll fly over this part.
And then, the real Achille's heel of the serie in my opinion, the character design. I honestly don't know why when they make a remake of an old serie, they just decide to have the worst chara design possible. It happened already some times and I really don't understand this, it feels like something cheap and plastic, also because those "neon colors" don't always go well with the vibes and the tone of a scene, seeming too bright for a maybe dark moment in the story. It doesn't completely ruins the experience, but they could've made something way bettere instead of this.
In general, for those who loved the first season, and even for those who never watched it or read the manga, if you like 2000's shonen, this is pretty much a must to watch. If you don't like the trope, well- you can still watch it, but I think you'll find really annoying the *power of friendship*.

Shaman King 2021 is the second anime adaptation of the Shaman King manga, this time promising to adapt the events of the manga all the way to the end. It is in some ways worse than 2001's adaptation, and in some ways better. In my opinion, a person's enjoyment of the show will largely depend on whether he/she has watched the 2001 series, and on how much he/she wants to see the manga's version of events.

To explain some basic situations around the production of this anime: this show, likely due to budget reasons, has been decided to span a total of 52 episodes. The complete ... edition of the manga, which this show adapts from, has a total of 300 chapters. This means the pacing is quite rushed and content has to be cut. Now that is out of the way, let's go over the pros and cons of the show:

pros:
- clean art and colours. The art is consistent with the author's updated art style
- the music is decent. While it lacks some iconic themes that 2001 has, Yuki Hayashi does a good job of composing fitting music for the various scenes and characters.
- it follows the manga, so character backstories and plot points not shown in the 2001 show is shown for the first time in anime form.

cons:
- rushed pacing. As explained above, the show only has 52 episodes, so some less important story points or scenes has to be cut. The pacing can be really bad in some episodes, and it does ruin the atmosphere sometimes, especially for people who liked some of the running gags and jokes used in the 2001 adaptation as well as the manga.
- lazy animations. A majority of the fight scenes are lazily animated with use of still frames or moving still images, which can take away from the enjoyment. Perhaps as a consequence of the rushed pacing, the animators animate just the content in the manga, thus not taking advantage of animation as a medium by fleshing out fights with extra animated scenes.

That's pretty much it. My biggest gripe as a manga reader of this show (I've read up to chapter 246) is that the pacing is rushed and that the animation isn't better. I'm not asking for Demon Slayer level of animation, just some more effort put into animating.

However I do still enjoy this adaptation. The art, voice acting, and soundtrack is done well, and Takei's story still has its charms. At its core Shaman King has some positive messages that I think both young and older demographic can appreciate.

I was always a huge fan of Shaman King and even though it has 52 episodes its... too short... i have to say it like that because this anime has a long story like really long and it got squeezed into 52 episodes which leaves out literally major plot details and will leave you many times straight out heavily confused. The story itself is great but a new person will be very confused what this was even about due to how squished and cropped the story got. This anime needs at least 150-200 episodes to tell the story at least in a way to clearly ... understand whats going on without leaving out major plot points. To summarise this: a great story, great characters, sound and art are great but they didnt do this anime justice by giving it only 52 episodes. This anime would be a true masterpiece if it got the amount of episodes this anime needs to cover just the BASIC major plot points. This anime is too shorthanded on the amount of episodes.