Recently, there have been a lot of projects floating around involving live-action adaptations of anime series. These live-action adaptations have always been a thing (mostly in Japan), but now even western companies like Netflix are now jumping into the fray. However,many of these live-action adaptations simply do not pan out favorably, and fan response to many of these adaptations are mixed at best. Whether it’s poorly received like the recentCowboy BebopNetflix series or legendarily reviled like theDragonball Evolutionmovie, many anime fans have come to regard the concept of the live-action anime adaptation with derision.
While poor reception seems to be the default for live-action anime adaptations, there are several examples of live-action adaptations that have managed to do very well, even among their respective fanbases. The negative stigma surrounding such projects can make that hard to imagine, but that success depends on how the production company approaches it. The question here is, what do these successful adaptations do that unsuccessful adaptations don’t?
RELATED:Live-Action Movies Based On Anime That Are Actually Great
Case 1: Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshinis a historical shonen anime featuring a wandering swordsman named Kenshin Himura. The manga and anime follow him as he fights numerous foes that come after him due to his bloody past. The series received a live-action film adaptation in 2012, which adapted the first several arcs of the series into one unique storyline. When Kenshin protects Kaoru Kamiya’s dojo from being taken by thugs, he ends up in direct opposition to local drug lord Kanryu Takeda. Despite this large change to the storyline, the movie remained very successful, and it was highly received by fans.
Since the anime takes place in 19th-century Japan, the film took a period drama approach with its adaptation, turningRurouni Kenshininto a samurai epic like Akira Kurosawa’sSeven Samurai. The film specifically puts a lot of focus on the swordfighting, making for some extremely exciting fight scenes. The initial film was so successful that it was turned into a franchise,with four more movies being made. TheRurouni Kenshinmovie franchise is probably one of the most successful live-action anime adaptation projects, and most of that success comes down to the production company adapting the series in the way that would best suit the series.
RELATED:Netflix: All Live-Action Anime Adaptations, Ranked
Case 2: Gintama
Compared toRurouni Kenshin,Gintamais a very different beast in comparison. This series is a sci-fi adventure set in a world where aliens have invaded feudal Japan and revolutionized it with modern technology. The story follows Gintoki Sakata, a freelancing samurai with a checkered past. The series received a live-action adaptation in 2017, and it is based largely on the Benizakura arc, which is one ofGintama’s most popular story arcs. The arc concerns a mysterious sword called Benizakura, which Gintoki is tasked with finding and returning to its owner. However, there is more to the story than meets the eye.
Gintamais primarily a comedy anime with lots of references and parodies to not only other anime, but also video games, television shows, and many other parts of Japanese culture. This makes it a very different movie fromRurouni Kenshin, which was much more serious and down-to-earth. Naturally, the company in charge ofGintama’s live-action adaptation took a very different approach in its direction, doubling down on the show’s inherent goofiness and playing up its absurdist nature. The end result is a movie that looks incredibly silly and cartoony, yet it matches its source material extremely well. While the movie did not necessarily make waves in the west (largely due toGintamaitself not being as popular outside Japan), it was a massive success in Japan, being the third-highest grossing film in Japan in 2017.
RELATED:Iburi Gurashi Live-Action Adaptation Set To Premiere In April
Why Were These Adaptations So Successful?
There will always be anime fans who do not like live-action adaptations, but there will still be others who would like to see them happen. That’s why it’s always a shamewhenever such adaptations don’t work out. After all, nobody really wants such projects to fail, least of all the people working on the project itself. It can be useful to take a look at what successful live-action adaptations have done and see how they approach similar projects, such as the two films mentioned previously.
Rurouni KenshinandGintamaare two extremely different series that turned into two very different movies. However, there is one thing they have in common; the companies that worked on these adaptations managed to preserve the spirit fans enjoyed from the original work. Whether it’sRurouni Kenshin’s grounded, action-heavy swordfighting orGintama’s ludicrous off-the-wall comedy, the film adaptations got to the heart of what made them so great. These aren’t the only successful live-action adaptations either; movies likeSpeed RacerandAlita: Battle Angel, while not critically successful, have been praised for being faithful to the original work. Live-action adaptations might not be rising in popularity any time soon, but it’s definitely possible to do one well.
