entertainment

Five anime that fans hope never get live-action remakes

9 Comments
By Casey Baseel, RocketNews24

While they haven’ quite reached the same level of ubiquity as American comic book adaptations, more and more anime are being turned into live-action movies recently. Over the last year or so, we’ve seen the release or announcement of such projects for "Ruroni Kenshin," "Lupin III," "Tokyo Tribe" and "Attack on Titan."

But while having an existing fan base and the broad strokes of the plot already in place make an anime adaptation attractive to producers, not all fans of a series are particularly pleased at the prospect of seeing real actors and actresses stepping into the anime shoes of their favorite heroes and heroines. Japanese website Nico Nico News recently asked 500 adult men and women which anime they hope never get the live-action treatment, and here are their top five responses.

5. "Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure" (5% of responses)

Between the success of its new TV series and a manga that’s been running continuously for almost 30 years, there are no shortage of people willing to tag along on Jojo’s illustrated adventures, and in anime form it’s a consistently entertaining cocktail of bombastic flamboyance and musical act references.

In live-action, though? Fans worry about poor CG for the brawling cast’s supernatural Stand partners, plus the admittedly high chance that all the crazy costumes and poses would come off as corny with real people.

4. "Mazinger Z" (6% of responses)

If you’ve watched much anime, you’ve probably seen dozens of determined protagonists strapped into the cockpit of their giant robot, fighting to save the earth from invading aliens or a tyrannical dictatorship. Every single one of those mecha jocks owes a debt of gratitude to Mazinger Z, the very first anime to feature a heroic robot that wasn’t automated or remote-controlled, but actually had a pilot inside the machine.

But that significance should also give you an idea of "Mazinger Z’s" age. Initially broadcast from 1972 to 1974, Go Nagai’s giant robot classic is clearly a product of the ’70s, and much of what was considered heartfelt pathos at the time would come off as cheesy melodrama today. And while the anime’s line art, coming from the early days of anime as it did, could be pretty rough, that doesn’t mean fans are any more eager to see it replaced by “clunky CG,” as one respondent feared.

3. "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (7% of responses)

Rumors of a live-action version of hit psychological drama/mecha story/bath salt inspiration "Evangelion" have been bouncing around for the last two decades. So far, nothing has come to fruition, and many people are just fine with that.

“This is a series that is what it is because it’s anime,” proclaimed one respondent. “It isn’t something that would be compelling in live-action, and it’d be a black mark on the franchise’s legacy.”

While Nico Nico News didn’t specify whether the hypothetical live-action adaptations it was asking about would be produced by Japanese or foreign companies, in the case of Eva fans seemed to be reacting to the on-again, off-again interest Hollywood studios and New Zealand’s Weta Workshop have shown in such a project. “I don’t want to see a buff Shinji and slutty Rei,” said one fan in voicing his casting fears. More directly, another said, “I think it’d end up being a disappointment, like [the live-action] 'Dragon Ball Evolution.'”

2. "One Piece" (10% of respondents)

Casting concerns once again reared their heads in relation to the Straw Hat Pirates and the colorful characters they encounter. Creator Eiichiro Oda’s artwork is extremely stylized even by the standards of anime and manga, and one respondent said she thinks you could scour the entire global acting community and still not find good matches.

Even if producers could somehow find performers who look like Luffy and crew, there’s still one more huge hurdle: their voices. The "One Piece" anime episode count is just about to soar past 700. After 16 years of watching and listening, one fan thinks moviegoers wouldn’t accept anyone but the anime voice cast reprising their roles for the live-action version, something that’s not likely to happen.

1. "Slam Dunk" (14% of respondents)

It’s actually a bit of a surprise to see "Slam Dunk" at the top of the list. All four of the other top five entries have either magical powers, giant robots, or characters who can make their limbs stretch to ridiculous lengths, which would mean tons of CG, something more critically minded movie fans are growing vocally tired of. They’d need sets of cities to be smashed up or vast oceans rigs to film on.

But "Slam Dunk?" It’s about a couple of good-looking dudes playing high school basketball. That movie can’t be that hard to make, right?

Maybe not, but fans think it’d be hard to make well. As one of the most enduringly popular anime ever, expectations for any new addition to the franchise would be sky-high, and one respondent just doesn’t think there’s any way a live-action version could live up to the original. Another believes that shoehorned casting would ruin the movie. "Slam Dunk" was equally popular with men and women, and casting archetypical pretty boys as the leads would likely alienate male moviegoers, just as giving the roles to actors with legitimate basketball skills but who couldn’t also be on the front cover of a fashion magazine would be enough to keep many female fans of the series away.

Looking over the list, we see that time and again, it’s casting and special effects that fans are worried about. And while you could come to the condemning conclusion that this is a clear sign that movie studios need to step up their game, maybe it’s also a testament to how skilled Japan’s best animators are at making something that just couldn’t be done in real life.

Source: Nico Nico News

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Live-action Attack on Titan posters show new characters and weapons, plus one huge absence -- Otaku generation gap – Fans in their teens, 20s, and 30s reveal what got them into anime -- Doreamon get his first ever CG overhaul in upcoming movie, “Stand By Me: Doraemon”

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9 Comments
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Slam Dunk is cool (even tho Japanese cannot REALLY play basketball). If put on the big screen, where are they to find 6'3" "good-looking" Japanese guys replicating Rukawa or Sendo who can ball?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I've never seen the point of any live action remake of anime (or Western animation, either). There has yet to be an animated film acclaimed enough to draw that kind of attention that has been improved by rendering it in live action. You just get a watered-down version that pleases even fewer people than the original animation. Law of diminishing returns.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Where there's money to be made, they will make a live-action movie of anything. Maybe not now but definitely in the future. But I hope they do a much better job than Kiki's delivery service and Lupin III.

I saw a fan made project for Ghost in the Shell that looked fantastic. If any movie is that quality, by all means go ahead: https://vimeo.com/96559833

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@Wc626 Rukawa is 187cm, 6 feet 1.6 inches, apparently. Here is a list of tall Japanese male actors. http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2136468462787916801?&page=4

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6'1" / 6'3", whatever. What about Gori-jiji? Some things are just best if left as is, in the pages of a book.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I've never seen the point of any live action remake of anime (or Western animation, either). There has yet to be an animated film acclaimed enough to draw that kind of attention that has been improved by rendering it in live action. You just get a watered-down version that pleases even fewer people than the original animation. Law of diminishing returns.

Yeah, the entire Batman series of movies, the X-Men movies, the Ironman movies, and the Avengers movies all were total flops. (rolls eyes)

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I don’t want to see a buff Shinji

Gendo: "Shinji, pilot the darn robo..oh he's already doing so and kicking butt."

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Fadamor-- Those are comic book adaptations, not adaptations of animated cartoons. More like Speed Racer, Avatar/Last Airbender, the Smurfs, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Scooby-Doo and the Flintstones. The last few made enough money to spawn sequels but does anyone love them nearly as much as the iconic animated originals? Jsut disposable marketing place-holders. Would Spirited Away be improved upon (or even equaled) by casting a real live girl as Chihiro and rendering No Face and Yubaba with CGI? Nausicaa? Totoro? They're talking live action Akira and can't even please anyone with the casting and they haven't even come close to filming yet.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They could probably do Evangelion, I mean studios have the tech. But like the one comment said, the story wouldn't carry over right and it would be a mess. The boy in does come out watching huge robots fight on the big screen. (not saying they were good movies)

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