So far, in 2017, we’ve seen a slew of Live Action Anime
adaptations, both in Japan and in the U.S.
While some projects like Gintama have apparently been box office
successes, others…specifically two U.S. made Anime films have been less than
stellar. Ghost in the Shell tanked
entirely and Death Note…well take a look at last weeks Top 5 for more on
that. And the year isn’t over yet. Believe it or not Fullmetal Alchemist is
seeing its live action debut towards the end of the year. Whether overall success or failure, Live Action
Anime Adaptations are not stopping anytime soon. So on todays Top 5, I’m choosing the Top 5
Anime I Want to see as Live Action Films.
One of these is a bit of a cheat as it has had a live action adaptation
already but it was so bad no one remembers it and it’s best kept that way. These films could either fill a void that’s
been growing in certain genres or replace certain similar franchises all
together, but I’ll get to each of those in due time.
#5-Spirited Away
In a weird way, I feel like this would have been ripe for
a Jim Henson production back in the day.
A little girl trapped in a world of magic, as well as ghosts and spirits
as creative as a vast imagination can provide.
All that’s missing is an element we cant have, David Bowie somehow doing
a version of No Face (We miss you Goblin King).
I cant imagine Miyazki ever giving anyone a greenlight on this,
especially since the US has been screwing up adaptations left and right. If it were to be done, I feel like this would
be a Guiellermo Del Toro dream come true and we know he can pull off that kind
of visual aesthetic with Hellboy 2 and Pan’s Labyrinth. Of my five choices, this one seems the least
likely, even if the story and visual promise is sound.
#4-Durarara
Set in Ikebukero, Durarara centers on a community of
outcasts, headless demons, gangsters, otaku, shady doctors and a sharp dressed
Hulk like debt collector. And they’re
all connected to one another in some way shape or form, eventually they all
come together too, more or less. This is
basically the Anime equivalent of Love Actually meets TV’s Twin Peaks. There’s comedy, action, deep character study,
paranormal elements, a small town whose safety stakes keep getting upped and
upped. You could have a blast picking a
director and cast to bring this epic series to life. Heck, id say it could be a collaboration of
directors (im thinking Christopher Nolan for some reason). You’d come to Ikebukero as a tourist but
quickly find yourself looking for an apartment so you could keep an eye on all
the action.
#3-Hellsing
With the Resident Evil film series (finally) done and the
Underworld franchise showing a bit of a dull edge, the time is right for a new
supernatural action franchise to jump into the ring. What better one to choose than an Anime that
features a bad ass Dracula in a red trenchcoat with the greatest guns even made
by modern man? Hellsing brings
everything to the table fans of horror action films expect: bullets, monster
scares and oceans of blood. And you’ve
got the most ghoulishy delightful interpretation of a classic monster ever in
the form of Alucard. Do some really
careful casting for the most beautiful women in the world for Integra and Seras
and you could revitalize a genre that didn’t do so hot this past year (Underworld:
Blood Wars and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter both faired poorly compared to
their previous entries outings…that’s saying a lot). Alucard’s time has come and you’d have to
work really hard to screw him up…like DMC: Devil May Cry bad.
#2-Mobile Suit
Gundam
I’ll never stop pushing for this, you knew it was
coming. Yes, there was a live action
Gundam special made for the 20th anniversary called G-Savior and it
sucks something truly terrible. Bad CG,
bad acting, no story, you call that action?
No Gundam needs to be done right.
The Gundam Multiverse is the ultimate sandbox. While it would be wise to just adapt the
original 0079 series into a trilogy, you could go literally anywhere from Wing
to G to X to Turn A. So many worlds, so
many design choices. With the return of
Star Wars roaring life into the scifi genre like never before, Gundam could
take advantage of that and become a franchise worthy of standing alongside it. Just be sure to treat whatever story you
choose with mature hands. The last thing
we need is Divergent in space
#1-Neon Genesis
Evangelion
This almost got going about a decade ago and I’m sorry it
never saw the light of day. Following
the success of The Lord of the Rings, WETA Workshop was commissioned to do some
pre-viz, drawings for a potential Evangelion film and they looked awesome (you
can find them if you Google them I’m sure).
Back in the day, after seeing Eva for the first time, this was the one I
really wanted to see in Live Action form and I still do. The story is an easy trilogy option with
plenty of time to focus on the important things…besides the mind blowing
visuals. The scars of the cast run deep
and you could find plenty of actors who could bring out the hurt and fight
against that hurt from every character.
Cudos if whoever does the screenplay keeps the ending intact. This has David Lynch written all over it for
directing choice. Not sure how he
handles action but the bizzare imagery seen in Hideki Anno’s classic series
pretty much resembles some of the out of this world DA FRAK-ery of Twin Peaks:
The Return. If nothing else, I hope WETA
is still up for it should the project see the light of day. They put quality work into The Lord of the
Rings and made Middle Earth feel 100% real.
There’s no reason Tokyo-3 and the war against the Angels with Giant
Robots could feel any less possible.
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