Why are there no live-action anime adaptations?

[djcribage]

I was having a discussion with a co-worker today about why there aren't any live action American adaptations of anime films/shows. She thinks that it must be because companies feel that there isn't an audience and that it is an easily untapped resource. I however feel that there must be a practical reason for this (perhaps the rights are too expensive?) since anime is a big enough niche that it is surprising that they haven't made any. I mean J-Horror couldn't have been THAT popular in the US for there to be all these remakes. Why not anime?

I'd also like to state that I don't think that it is necessarily a good idea to remake anime into American live action but rather that I am very surprised that they haven't and feel there must be a practical reason rather than just ineptitude on the studio's part.

I thought I'd post this discussion on here to hear other people's thoughts on the matter. What do YOU think?

[Seppuku]

A: Because it would probably cost about 40 million dollars alone to buy that much hair-gel for the actors.

[Chairman Kaga]

Technically Transformers is live action from an original Japanese show that happened to be dubbed and exported to US.

[djcribage]

Technically Transformers is live action from an original Japanese show that happened to be dubbed and exported to US.

Yeah but that's different, Transformers was very very popular in an americanized form. It was engraved into American popular culture. I mena, the toys were everywhere. Akira, Ghost in The Shell, etc are popular for sure but not in the same way as transformers. They are a bit more cultish, so to speak. But good point, technically Transformers was an anime adaption.

[djcribage]

oh yeah and before someone gets to it, speed racer doesn't count either! Same thing as Transformers!

[buster00]

It's really hard to find actors who have eyes the size of toilet seats.

[LaDracul]

Well, there's "Speed Racer" being released next year, with possibly "Death Note" and "Monster" to be made. Other ones (Like "Sailor Moon" and "Real Bout High School") never made it past development...but considering they were going to set "Sailor Moon" in Los Angeles, that would've been a good thing.

[djcribage]

Well, there's "Speed Racer" being released next year, with possibly "Death Note" and "Monster" to be made. Other ones (Like "Sailor Moon" and "Real Bout High School") never made it past development...but considering they were going to set "Sailor Moon" in Los Angeles, that would've been a good thing.

Yeah but what about the big ones like Akira, Ghost in The Shell, Cowboy Beebop? I feel like i read that the Cowboy Beebop guy is very protective, perhaps it is the same with the others. I mean Hollywood has made disney rides into movies, it just seems surprising they haven't pushed more on anime as they have with comics or even amusement park rides.

[Adam Balm]

Well, there's "Speed Racer" being released next year, with possibly "Death Note" and "Monster" to be made. Other ones (Like "Sailor Moon" and "Real Bout High School") never made it past development...but considering they were going to set "Sailor Moon" in Los Angeles, that would've been a good thing.

Plus Neon Genesis Evangelion has been stuck in development hell forever. For the same reason Akira was: The budget requirements of a faithful adaptation scares off a lot of folks.

[DennisMM]

There were two American live-action movies based on Bio-Booster Armor Guyver, the first of which starred Mark Hamill. Admittedly, the anime was an adaptation of a manga, but it was a popular anime television series and anime movie. The US productions were lower-budget affairs, but there have been plenty of good lower-budget action films of various sorts and some lower-key anime probably would do well as small live-action productions. The space war and other super-tech stories are, as teh Balm and others point out, expensive. Economics say that unless you're getting Tom Cruise for Evangelion or Shia for Akira (j/k) the project will not fly.

[Fievel]

Don't forget Cameron's upcoming Battle Angel Alita!
I'd guess that if it's a success that studios will be raping and pillaging the anime catalogue like the greedy whores they are.

[bastard_robo]

There have been a few, Guyver was named, There was also a Fist of the North Star one made, A crying Freeman by Chris Gans.


The problem is that as huge as a lot of the animes are, I dont think studios really graps the concepts on half of them or even figure that they're really that big.


This is way im so bumbed that Cameron has decided to make Battle Angle Alita after Avatar and not before, I would of boosted Anime movies like Transformers is doing for 80's toons.

[Fawst]

This is what happens when you make live action anime. Everyone wants a Dragonball movie? Enjoy.

[stereosforgeeks]

Aeon Flux? Not Japanese but similar. Remember how that one turned out!

[bastard_robo]

and on a side note, I belive that Transformers is an AMERICAN cartoon, from a Japanese toy line.

[LaDracul]

Yes, but I think the animation was produced in Japan, like "Thundercats".

[Chairman Kaga]

This is what happens when you make live action anime. Everyone wants a Dragonball movie? Enjoy.

What is Drangonball-ish in that clip?

[instant_karma]

This may just be pointless pedantry , but some of the series mentioned so far like Speed Racer, Akira and Crying Freeman were done as manga before being adapted to anime.

Wasn't there talk of a US remake of Battle Royale a couple of years back?

[bastard_robo]

Yes, but I think the animation was produced in Japan, like "Thundercats".

Then by that statement, Simpsons is a Korean Show as its Animated in Korea.

[Chairman Kaga]

Yes, but I think the animation was produced in Japan, like "Thundercats".

Then by that statement, Simpsons is a Korean Show as its Animated in Korea.

But unlike the Simpsons it was developed in conjunction with Takara in Japan under Sunbow.

[LaDracul]

Anyway, I'm the type of person who'd totally watch an "Excel Saga" movie. And I'd base it on the episode with the giant robot panda terrorizing the City of F with Excel and Hyatt at the controls.

Richard Roxburgh as Il Palozzo...that would rock out loud. And they'd better have the bit where he's trying to learn how to play the guitar.

[Wolfpack]

Because no human being has eyes that large.

[Adam Balm]

Because no human being has eyes that large.

Down low.

Too slow.

[Wolfpack]

Because no human being has eyes that large.

Down low.

Too slow.

Dammit! Oh well, won't be the first time my failing to read every post in the thread has lead to a cyber-faux pas. Let's just say I concur heartily with buster00.

[Adam Balm]

I make the same mistake at least twice a day, so don't sweat it. I was only funnin...

[DennisMM]

There are other posts above yours, Balm?

[Fawst]

This is what happens when you make live action anime. Everyone wants a Dragonball movie? Enjoy.

What is Drangonball-ish in that clip?

The fact that the movie is called Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins. The kid in the red gi is "Monkey Boy" or "The Boy Monkey King." It's a live action Dragon Ball movie. *shrug*

[Chairman Kaga]

This is what happens when you make live action anime. Everyone wants a Dragonball movie? Enjoy.

What is Drangonball-ish in that clip?

The fact that the movie is called Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins. The kid in the red gi is "Monkey Boy" or "The Boy Monkey King." It's a live action Dragon Ball movie. *shrug*

Wow......just Wow.....

Though I remember a US tv miniseries recently starring the guy from Dharma and Greg that was a loose adaptation of the Monkey King myths that Dragonball is based on....

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

It's really hard to find actors who have eyes the size of toilet seats.

But not impossible, eh?

[bastard_robo]

It's really hard to find actors who have eyes the size of toilet seats.

But not impossible, eh?

GAH! Satan reappears!

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

GAH! Satan reappears!

Calm down, eh paisan? It's a not like she's a the mexican or a something...

[DennisMM]

I have no idea who we're lookin' at there. Alba?

[stereosforgeeks]

I have no idea who we're lookin' at there. Alba?

Alba didnt screw Eminem in 8 mile

[DennisMM]

Never saw 8 Mile, but IMDB says ... oh, is that what Brittany Murphy looks like?

[LaDracul]

At this time, I want to point out Paulie Litt, who was cast as Spritle in "Speed Racer"-

Now that is one eerie resemblance...

[DennisMM]

Can he talk like a middle-aged man screeching at breathless speed? That's the real test of Speed Racer. Does anyone know why the US performers talked so quickly? Is Japanese a much more compact language, if you know what I mean?

[LaDracul]

I'm thinking that because they didn't have the Word-Fit technology then, they had to probably take the entire translation.

[kid on an escalator]

Why do you want a live action anime? Isn't the anime itself good enough for you?

[Al Shut]

I might have missed something but I didn't hear much voices clamoring for live action animes in here.

That said I do want americanized live action versions of Bubblegum crisis and Doomed Megalopolis.

[stereosforgeeks]

I think they are making a live action version of Monster, which was fantastic and if you havent seen it do so!

[minstrel]

Live action would just make anime even worse.

[godzillasushi]

Why do you want a live action anime? Isn't the anime itself good enough for you?

You're just too content with everything. Why don't you want something revolutionary and fresh? Why not something we have never seen live action before? Anime has some of the best storylines out there. Stuff we can only imagine. Why not transfer that to the big screen with special effects that are on par with Transformers. Eh?

Sweden is just to content with itself in the first place.

I'd like to Americanize Sweden personally....force you guys to drive SUV's and eat unhealthy.

[Fawst]

There are some animes that would be a really amazing experience were they to be done in a live action format. Akira lends itself well to the idea. People have shot me down for saying it in the past, but come on. Akira as the holy grail of anime does not a good argument make. Let's remember, Akira the anime was RADICALLY different from Akira the manga. Live action Akira is absolutely possible. It just needs to have a LOTR sized budget, be cast entirely with Japanese actors, and be subtitled. Other than that, it's not that tough.

And it would be fucking amazing.

[stereosforgeeks]

Why do you want a live action anime? Isn't the anime itself good enough for you?

You're just too content with everything. Why don't you want something revolutionary and fresh? Why not something we have never seen live action before? Anime has some of the best storylines out there. Stuff we can only imagine. Why not transfer that to the big screen with special effects that are on par with Transformers. Eh?

Sweden is just to content with itself in the first place.

I'd like to Americanize Sweden personally....force you guys to drive SUV's and eat unhealthy.

Just dont americanize their music. They have been making some of the best pop music lately.

[godzillasushi]

I always wanted to see Gundam Wing like that. But with the Gundam Wing storyline, not the other ones (Gundam, and the others).

Just picturing these huge machines doing battle with a smooth flowing style is awesome. I can picture those air battles and space attacks. And the main characters are more then just Japanese. They come from all over the world. Very cool stuff!

And the storyline was based around the colonies and all that stuff. I dunno, just would be incredible as a live action movie. Of course, the largest budget in history would be required and the CG would have to be 20 years from now good haha.

/My two cents, representing the amount of geek cred I still have left.

Why do you want a live action anime? Isn't the anime itself good enough for you?

You're just too content with everything. Why don't you want something revolutionary and fresh? Why not something we have never seen live action before? Anime has some of the best storylines out there. Stuff we can only imagine. Why not transfer that to the big screen with special effects that are on par with Transformers. Eh?

Sweden is just to content with itself in the first place.

I'd like to Americanize Sweden personally....force you guys to drive SUV's and eat unhealthy.

Just dont americanize their music. They have been making some of the best pop music lately.

Yea some nights I can hear him playing that stuff in the background. I assume that is what I hear. Swedish pop, taking Andy Moogle's house by storm.

[The Cockblocker]

They should make a live action Urotsukidoji!!!

[Fawst]

I always wanted to see Gundam Wing like that. But with the Gundam Wing storyline, not the other ones (Gundam, and the others).

Ugh, I can't disagree more. If you're going to make Gundam a live action movie (and they already have, poorly), you need to do 0080, 0083 or 08th MS Team. I personally would prefer 0083, as it's my favorite in the whole franchise, but 08th is incredible as well.

Gundam actually wouldn't be so bad to do either, I don't think. Transformers was tip of the iceberg compared to what Gundam could be. With Weta constantly (and I mean CONSTANTLY) updating their technology, it won't be very long at all before full-on CGI enhanced action/sci-fi films will be not only possible, but commonplace.

Oh, and I hate Gundam Wing, thought I'd clarify that.

One of the only animes I can think of that just flat out would NOT work as live action is Cowboy Bebop. Don't need it, don't want it.

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

The Dino, he always a thought that a The Matrix, she WAS a the live-action anime, no?

Maybe not a the adaptation of a the original work, but more like a the amalgamation of a the general themes, eh?

[Fawst]

The Dino, he always a thought that a The Matrix, she WAS a the live-action anime, no?

Maybe not a the adaptation of a the original work, but more like a the amalgamation of a the general themes, eh?

The Matrix was the proof-of-concept work to show that anime could work as live action

[godzillasushi]

I always wanted to see Gundam Wing like that. But with the Gundam Wing storyline, not the other ones (Gundam, and the others).

Ugh, I can't disagree more. If you're going to make Gundam a live action movie (and they already have, poorly), you need to do 0080, 0083 or 08th MS Team. I personally would prefer 0083, as it's my favorite in the whole franchise, but 08th is incredible as well.

Gundam actually wouldn't be so bad to do either, I don't think. Transformers was tip of the iceberg compared to what Gundam could be. With Weta constantly (and I mean CONSTANTLY) updating their technology, it won't be very long at all before full-on CGI enhanced action/sci-fi films will be not only possible, but commonplace.

Oh, and I hate Gundam Wing, thought I'd clarify that.

One of the only animes I can think of that just flat out would NOT work as live action is Cowboy Bebop. Don't need it, don't want it.

Well WTF then dude haha.

Gundam Wing is THE BEST incarnation of that entire brand. I would love to hear why Gundam Wing, which had just about everything perfect, wouldn't be a great choice. The politics were there, characters were great, storylines intertwined stunningly well. You sir, just made a die hard Gundam Wing fan upset.

And then you run with Gundam over Gundam Wing? You're crazy! At it's time it was fresh but the newer series are leagues above the original. I liked it for its entertainment value, but it has never been something I would go so far as to "care" about.

And you're right, with what they pulled of in Transformers, could you just imagine the chaos for a Gundam? Those are like Transformers on crack. One machine can wipe out 100 enemies.

Weren't they making an Evangelion movie at some point too?

I stopped watching anime a few years ago (besides Gundam Wing, AKA best anime series ever) but I always thought Escaflowne would be great as a live action movie.

Cowboy Bebop would be a dumb idea, definately.