One Piece’s live-action adaptation opened Hollywood’s eyes to the potential that anime holds. The world remained a witness to its phenomenal success and quick ascension to one of the most-watched Netflix series. But ever since then, a new race has begun.
Every other day, there is news about a new live-action adaptation of an anime series. Netflix itself has announced new adaptations for Kakegurui and Mobile Suit Gundam. Kakegurui is a highly addicting anime, while Mobile Suit Gundam is already an established franchise.
Hollywood’s rat race for live-action adaptations of anime
There are multiple live-action adaptations of anime series that are already on the horizon. Some are dropped, while others stay in production hell for years. One example is Warner Bros. Pictures’ attempt to create an action film out of Akira. The live-action remake was first announced in 2002, but even after two whole decades, there is no news of progress.
One Punch Man was also approved to be turned into a movie by SONY, and fans are unsure how the over-the-top action moments will be translated. In fact, anime as a whole is difficult to adapt to live-action versions, which is exactly why there are more failures than successes.
Some of the legendary failures are Dragon Ball Evolution, Death Note, Ghost in the Shell, and Cowboy Bebop. All of these are adaptations of highly successful anime, but alas, they were not adapted properly due to various reasons. One Punch Man is a single success story, the likes of which are tough to recreate.
The latest in the live-action race
The latest series to receive a similar live-action adaptation news is Claymore. A live-action series has been announced for the fan-favorite anime, but not many are excited about it. After all, the precedent which has already been set is bleak, to say the least.
But in the pursuit of profits, Japanese and Hollywood studios are forgetting that not every successful anime needs a live-action adaptation. Live-actions are a different medium that works best for films and series. But anime is also another medium and not just a genre that can be taken by anyone to translate according to their wishes.
It doesn’t matter whether an adaptation is good or bad or has a ton of resources dumped into it. The same resources could have been used for more original anime or the production of better-quality ones. But instead they are being used to translate a series into an unlikely medium that adds nothing to the source material.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
