As anime continues to get more mainstream attention, we’re seeing more and more anime be adapted into live-action. However, the medium has a history of not translating to real-life well. Why are live-action anime so bad?
There are a few reasons why many live-action anime adaptations have failed up to now. However, some lessons can and should be learned, especially with more live-action anime on the way!
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Not Enough Investment
Some anime adaptations have suffered due to a perceived lack of investment in the film or TV series. This issue can be particularly prevalent in Japanese cinema, which often doesn’t have the enormous Hollywood budgets to pull off extraordinary special effects.
However, to simply say live-action anime fail because of a lack of money is incorrect. The infamous Dragonball Evolution adaptation, for example, had a budget of $30 million.
More likely, the issue is just as much with time as with money. There is a sense that anime adaptations are signed off by big companies with little understanding of the amount of time it takes to sufficiently adapt an anime into a live-action series that does both justice.
Format Changes
Perhaps the biggest issue with live-action anime adaptations is tempo. Not only are creators trying to tell an animated story in live-action, but they’re also trying to squeeze a wealth of storylines into a smaller format.
Any live-action series needs to appeal to those that have never seen the series before. Therefore, any background or lore that is dispersed naturally across a season’s worth of anime episodes tends to be forced into a much smaller space.
Ultimately, 24 or more 24-minute episodes being put into a five-hour mini-series or two-hour movie just isn’t going to do work without some serious changes.
Unsurprisingly, it’s often the longest-running series that suffer in this regard. Adaptations like Cowboy Bebop or Avatar are notable examples where deep characters and backgrounds have been minimalised in their adaptations.
Action Scenes
There are some things that anime can do better than any other medium, and one of them is action. In many cases, it’s the blistering speeds, immeasurable strength and beautiful movements of anime characters that make the shows so enjoyable.
Even with a huge budget, there are some things that live-action adaptations simply can’t do, at least to the same extent as in anime.
As action anime tend to be the most popular series, and those most likely to be adapted, this is an issue that comes up a lot. Live-action adaptations either have to change the nature of any action scenes, which can dilute the impact of the original, or completely reimagine the action scenes, which comes with even more risks.
Character Designs
Similar to the action scenes, one of the great attractions of anime is its larger-than-life characters. A lot of visual cues are given to highlight anime characters’ individualities, and many of these are simply unachievable for mere people like ourselves.
Anime characters often have bright-coloured hair, impossible proportions and, in some cases, aren’t human at all. Also, these features tend to be the most-loved aspects of characters, making them an almost impossible task for adaptations.
It often takes a great budget, casting and makeup to bridge the gap between characters in anime and live-action.
Unrealistic Expectations?
Ultimately, the issues above are all huge hurdles to overcome, but it’s not impossible. The Marvel Universe has proven that adaptations can be done successfully with the right approach.
The main issue appears to be a disconnect between live-action expectations and reality. Many live-action producers speak about wishing to create a new story separate from the original anime, yet achieving such a separation is almost always impossible.
By contrast, the Marvel Universe has succeeded by taking inspiration from the source material and then creating a significantly separate world that’s primarily designed for an audience unaware of the origins. Perhaps, a similar approach for anime adaptations will be needed.
It’s best to end this by saying not all anime adaptations have been a failure, and even those that are generally seen as bad have been enjoyed by some groups. There is still hope that a great adaptation will be on the horizon.
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