T5W#14-Top 5 Superheroes who need an Anime adaptation

The world of Japanese Manga and American Comics are not so totally different as most would think.  I mean ok, Manga tends to be a bit more graphic with well…everything, whereas mainstream Marvel and DC can have some intensity but for the most part keep it PG-13 for younger readers.  But still, they push the limits of creative imagination and more often than not, we want to see them leap from page to screen.  Both DC and Marvel seem to have this down in the TV and film realms (DC striking big with Arrow, The Flash and most recently Supergirl while Marvel’s film roster gets stronger each year with The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy).  Now, at least Marvel has taken the test plunge into the world of Anime with…mixed results (X-Men the Anime, Iron Man: Rise of Technovore-see image above).  But im curious, what other heroes or heroines could benefit (properly) from their own Anime Adaptation, Marvel, DC or otherwise.

 

#5-Green Lantern

Talk about endless possibilities, Hal Jordan’s ring is the picture in the dictionary definition of such an aspect of life.  A mecha? A giant blaster, a vacuum, or even an old school giant fist.  Not to mention it’s a big universe out there, lots to see and lots to explore.  Throw in a cool cast that would allow us to see Anime versions of John Stewart, Kyle Raynor and Kilowag and even some fun appearances by Hal’s on again/off again love interest Star Sapphire (who’s costume just begs to be tampered with in an Anime world), and you’ve got a potential Star Wars of Anime right here.

 

#4-The Punisher

No villain is safe from his hail of bullets and sense of judgement.  But while the movies were decent enough, you know an Anime version of the trials of Frank Castle is where the Punisher could truly be unleashed.  He could be as violent and bloody as he wants to be, no restrictions, no restraints.  Plus could allow for some truly awesome action sequences and gun play.  If Hellsing could provide us all that carnage and at least look great, no reason The Punisher couldn’t share in the same blood soaked glory.

 

#3-Guardians of the Galaxy

We’ve seen it done a little bit in Outlaw Star, Cowboy Bebop, hell even Trigun: a band of rag tag individuals who cant really get along trying to eek out a living on the edge of space while keeping the universe safe.  So why not bring over the stars of one of the biggest revived titles of the last decade?  While they have existed for a long time, it wasn’t until the kick ass movie arrived in 2014 that the world began to look closely at Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.  The mix of classic space age adventure with an instantly lovable cast and one of the best soundtracks ever assembled was something everyone could get behind.  So yeah, an anime adaptation with a cute Chibi Groot and the wildest voice actor you could get for Rocket Raccoon plus maybe a mix of music from all across the Japanese music map (orchestra by Yoko Kanno or Kenji Kawaii and throw in Aimer, Nami Tamaki, TM Revolution, Kalafina or Aoi Eir) or be bold and continue the classic 70’s-80’s rock music.  As I said, the possibilities are endless with this one and it’s bound to work.

 

#2-Zenoscope’s Grimm Fairy Tales

It’s the stories you grew up with as a kid with sexy versions of your Disney Princesses (not affiliated with Disney) and language, gore and sex and awesome violence.  GFT is the Fairy Tale equivalent of Heavy Metal, faithful in respects to the source material with a hard edge twist mixed in.  The lives of Sela Masters, Robyn Hood and Britney aka Red Riding Hood amongst others are wrought with horrors beyond imagination and beautiful images to balance the evil they fight.  And the evil they face they fight with an assortment of weapons, spell and sexy costumes.  This has Ninja Scroll potential written all over it.  And the wide world around it opens the possibility of spin offs and other tales to tell, especially since the main GFT series is Sela’s territory. 

 

#1-Batgirl

This might cause a bit of controversy but please hear me out.  I’ve always been a fan of the Dark Knight Damsel since I first saw her.  I didn’t start reading BG regularly until the DC New 52 launch.  While I did enjoy Gail Simone’s run, it was still very much surrounded by the darkness that was the New 52 as a whole-too much evil, very little hope and heroes pushed to their absolute limits.  The new post Gail Simone run is where I really began to fall in love with this series all over again.  The art style of the comics remind me of Scott Pilgrim vs the World (which has it’s own Manga vibe to it’s comic book art style) and the feel of it is just very Anime: Babs’s reactions to things, her quirkiness, her energetic and amusing battles with her new Burnside adversaries.  The new direction has given Batgirl a new lease on life and yes I love the costume as well.  This seems like another no brainer for an animated adaptation, so why not Anime so the wide range of awesome can run free?