Anime Live Action Adaptations - How would you go on about it?

[Teal]

Okay, so it's clear that live-action adaptations of japanese animes are going to become a thing now, perhaps a trend that will rival live-action superhero films in the near future. But unlike comic books, mangas and animes in general are a whole lot trickier to adapt, especially considering how most of them take place in Japan and in order for Hollywood to make sense of it, they'd have to make cast changes and deal with accusations of whitewashing and what not. But that's not even the worst - it's nearly impossible to recreate the feel of a Japanime. The only films I've seen that's come close to that were the Rurouni Kenshin live-action films (if you haven't watched all three of them, quit everything and do it), but even them were made in Japan for a Japanese audience. Not to say Japan's got a grip on live-action anime. The new Attack on Titan films are so cringeworthy you'll have to clench every fiber of your being to make it to the end.

What I'm talking, however, is a Hollywood production.

To get to the point, if you were given the right to adapt an anime, any anime to the big screen, and you were given a hefty budget, how would you go on about it? Who would you cast? What would you change and what would you leave unchanged?

 

[DragonMaster2010]

That would depend on the anime being adapted, how large the fanbase for it is, and what kind of company or budget am I working with?

Because if its a well known anime that requires a lot of special effects, and set pieces, then that might be a bit difficult without coming off of relying too much on CGI. Say for example, a Gurren Lagann anime would need not only a lot of explosions, a budget just to make the CGI for the robots, and a very large scale green screen for all the space battles, but also we would need to find a balance and draw a line in the sand between what can be done in live action, and what can be done in anime.
Plus there comes the issue of cultural difference. Yoko being 14 while wearing what she wears would be a difficult thing to bring to Hollywood. Plus the anime's dramatic tendencies could work for Hollywood, but it could also come off as the bad kind of ridiculous too. So one would need to be careful as to how they do that.

The other thing to keep in mind is with anime, there are fans. If the anime is obscure enough that not many people would be vocal about it, then it could get away with a little bit more creative integrity then most. For example, Haganai got a live action adaptation and took a LOT of creative differences from the source material. However it didn't have as big of an uproar cause it's fanbase was small enough.
Now look at a powerhouse anime as Dragonball. We all know how that went.
Now let's look at Rurouni Kenshin's live action movie. It took some creative integrity, but didn't do too much that it deviate from the source material. It took a method of showing off the attacks, the story, and the characters from the anime, and placed them into a more live action filter.

I could go on for hours with this, but this is what I think.

 

[WolfOD64]

Given the flamboyant and borderline-ridiculous nature of some anime, I think the best thing to do would be to adapt the kind of anime that CAN be adapted without losing its identity when transferred to a three-dimensional scale with actual actors, props, and set-pieces.

One of the reasons Japan itself doesn't adapt most anime properties into live-action films is because the colorful or exaggerated nature of most shows would come off as kind of silly in live-action form--what with characters being disproportionate, dressed impractically, or performing abilities that defy anatomy and that would look somewhat ludicrous on-screen. And don't take this as me being some kind of snob, either: I like shows like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and One Piece fine, but I wouldn't want to see them adapted to live-action format because of how unrealistic they are in terms of setting and art style.

If Hollywood were to adapt seinen manga and shows, with a more grounded art style, like say...Vinland Saga, Vagabond, Berserk or the like...something that tends to attempt realism in how its characters look, I can see it happening.

But at the end of the day, most anime satisfy the definition of the medium pretty aptly: that is, being a cartoon. There's only so much you can do with that when transferring it to another format, especially live-action films.

 

[Lain]

If Hollywood were to adapt seinen manga and shows, with a more grounded art style

Just give me Monster already Del Toro. My body is ready.

But seriously, it all depends on the show and the genre. I'd be curious to see what something like Lain or Steins;Gate would look like in Live Action.

 

[WolfOD64]

Just give me Monster already Del Toro. My body is ready

I'd rather Del Toro make a Gundam movie.

 

[Lain]

I'd rather Del Toro make a Gundam movie.

Do ya think Del Toro could handle a Gundam movie? I haven't watched many of his movies so I'm unsure.

All I know is that we haven't heard anything on the progress of the Monster adaptation for about 6-7 months and I'm getting agitated.

 

[WolfOD64]

Do ya think Del Toro could handle a Gundam movie? I haven't watched many of his movies so I'm unsure.

He has an eye for scope and detail, and can bring out the more human aspects of characters if he wants. But above all, if the source material commands it, he knows when not to take something too seriously.

That last part is crucial for something like Gundam.

 

[Teal]

I believe that even anime that are considered impossible to adapt (Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece) can be adapted. Sure, they'd have to undergo a lot of changes, but they probably wouldn't lose their identity in the process. It's all about budget.

Think about it; half the reason why DBZ Evolution sucked was that, aside from being a story mess, it didn't have the necessary budget to make a DBZ movie. When Man of Steel came out, I couldn't help but wonder how the VFX team behind that movie could have spawned a superb DBZ film, with the right direction of course. I do have to agree with @DragonMaster2010 when he says that we must mind the cultural differences, since Japan is a lot more...liberal, when it comes to those type of things. But those are a small price to pay. Besides, we've seen weirder adaptations of popular books come to life - like Harry Potter. Or Scott Pilgrim. Hell, I could actually see the Naruto franchise get adapted in a way similar to JK Rowling's books - starting with child actors and then watching them grow.

I'm not gonna say it's not hard. It's hard as ****. It doesn't help that most anime adaptations in the past have been treated horribly. And with news that a VFX director is getting behind the camera for the first time to direct a Naruto film, you can't help but feel like this one's also going to bite the dust.

Say whatever you will, I'm still holding out hope for Ghost in the Shell to finally break this taboo. And I still want to see that Death Note film with Shane Black.

 

[absolitude]

anime like gungrave could easily be adapted to live action hollywood production

and like @WolfOD64 better only the anime that could be adjusted to hollywood's sense of production and beyond, and if they want to white wash, change the character's name..

 

[WolfOD64]

1. Hire the anime/manga creator & translator to be the on-hand go to consultant.

Very few anime have the tendancy to have this. I highly doubt the exploitative money-mongerers in Hollywood will have the decency to do so once they have the rights to the property in their grubby hands.

 

[Lain]

That last part is crucial for something like Gundam.

Going back to Gundam for a sec, which series do you think Del Toro should adapt as several series differ in tone and style.

I've been reading the "Gundam: The Origin" manga and I would love for it to be adapted. It's basically a director's cut of the original anime and it's really good.

 

[WolfOD64]

Going back to Gundam for a sec, which series do you think Del Toro should adapt as several series differ in tone and style.

I've been reading the "Gundam: The Origin" manga and I would love for it to be adapted. It's basically a director's cut of the original anime and it's really good.

I'm not really a fan of Wing, so I'd say either the augmented version of the OG series you're talking about or 0083.

 

[Lain]

I'm not really a fan of Wing, so I'd say either the augmented version of the OG series you're talking about or 0083.

I haven't seen Wing yet so I can't comment on that.

Hmm, if a possible adaptation is trying to draw a new crowd then it's probably best to go with a simpler premise. While "Turn A Gundam" wasn't my favourite, it's probably the easiest to adapt and has the most mainstream appeal.

 

[WolfOD64]

I haven't seen Wing yet so I can't comment on that.

Do yourself a colossal favor...don't.

Hmm, if a possible adaptation is trying to draw a new crowd then it's probably best to go with a simpler premise.

That's why Gundam 0083 would be ideal. It was more simple than typical Gundam shows, and had a bit less camp than the older series.

 

[Teal]

3. With a handpicked cast ready i'd head to japan & start filming.

I agree with most of your points, however I have to meddle in this for a little bit. Beware; there are all personal, subjective opinions of mine, so don't take them close to heart.

First of all, I'd be content if some materials like One Piece or Naruto were adapted in the West rather than the East. Main reasoning behind this is that it would be easier to find talented child or adult actors with the same facial and physicals features of the main characters in America, than it would be in Japan. Although the source material would have to be Americanized to be enjoyed and understood by American audiences, the anime wouldn't lose it's identity - which is like the main issue with Hollywood adaptations of anime. Of course, that's assuming that the source material is treated right. This especially rings true for One Piece, in which all of the characters have American/English sounding names even though all the places are fictional, as they should be.

We also have Darker than Black, which I don't think many of you have seen. The events in that anime take place in Japan, however most if not all of the main characters are foreigners, so it wouldn't cause any harm if the location was switched too.

It goes without saying this only applies to a certain bunch. There are some anime which delve so DEEP into Japan weirdness territory that when adapted for American and International audiences, they're bound to either turn into total disasters or extremely loose adaptations of that source material.

 

[Chancey289]

A lot of anime can be adapted properly if you just get a good writer and director on board. When you do, great stuff like the Rurouni Kenshin trilogy and Edge of Tomorrow happen.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

Depends on the anime.

If I were adapting Hellsing (My favorite anime) into a film.
Action and cinematography I'd be aiming for something like Sin City (In color). Over the top violence and gore, with some pretty intense shots.
As for the script, gimme like half a year, and some snacks and drink, and sit me in-front of my laptop and hope to god I can pull something off.
It would be an exercise, the scripts I've written so far have been very suspense based.

 

[Chancey289]

Hellsing Abridged is better than the actual series.

I can do Alucard's voice from that show almost perfect.

Yo, I wanna see that new Death Note movie that's coming to Netflix.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

Hellsing Abridged is better than the actual series.

I can do Alucard's voice from that show almost perfect.

 

[Lain]

Y'know, I'm surprised Hollywood hasn't tried adapting "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time". It's a classic and it wouldn't require much in the way of special effects.

The Japanese have already made it into a live action film three times.