Anime Series We’d Like to See Get a Live-Action Adaptation
With the release of Netflix‘s One Piece: Season 2 this week (read our review here), I’ve got anime on the brain. Together with Tomorrow Studios, Netflix is bringing live-action adaptations of beloved anime to another level, and I cannot help but wonder: What other anime series would make for a great live-action experience? While Hollywood has butchered some live-action adaptations in the past, like Aeon Flux, Jem and the Holograms, The Last Airbender, and Snow White (to name a few), One Piece stands out as something special, and an example of how, if you embrace anime for all its wackiness, over-the-top action, and outrageous characters, you could strike cinematic gold.
Hence, it would be fun to imagine some of my favorite anime series as live-action presentations. As much as I’d like for Tomorrow Studios to lend its expertise to all of these titles, seeing as they understand the assignment, I’m willing to give other filmmakers a shot, as long as they’re true to the source material, celebrate what makes anime unique, and are uncompromising when it comes to authenticity.
Let’s Play
Let’s Play is a slice-of-life story about Sam, the creator of an online game called Ruminate (read our series launch review here). When Sam decides to launch her game on a GOG-like platform, it becomes labeled a success. That is, until Marshall Law, a popular game reviewer and online influencer, trashes her efforts. Marshall’s destructive remarks cause Ruminate’s overall game score to plummet, sending Sam into a downward spiral. How can Sam get Marshall to try the game again? Oh, wait. He’s just moved in next door! That’s not going to be awkward at all!
I’ll admit I don’t think we need Tomorrow Studios for this adaptation, because aside from scenes set in a role-playing game Sam plays with her closest friends, Let’s Play doesn’t demand elaborate sets, effects, or exotic locales. The majority of the series takes place in Sam and Marshall’s apartment complex, Sam’s place of employment (a massive corporation owned by her father), and a cozy coffee shop. While a show like One Piece focuses on action and adventure, Let’s Play is a romantic comedy with endearing characters, a great outlet for high-fantasy hijinks through Sam’s RPG club, and a deep story about coping with anxiety and pushing beyond your limits. The show also gets steamy, so audiences looking for some Heated Rivalry action could be in luck, depending on how far the creators want to take the show’s intimacy.
Soul Eater
Okay, let’s get Tomorrow Studios on board for this one! An adaptation of Atsushi Ohkubo’s Soul Eater is exactly the project I could see getting a live-action adaptation after the success of One Piece. Sure, Tomorrow Studios has already announced plans to adapt Shinichirō Watanabe’s Samurai Champloo, but who’s to say they can’t add this to the list of possibilities?
Set in the Shinigami technical school, Soul Eater revolves around a partnership between a weapon master and a human weapon. To reach a ranking of “Death Scythe,” they must collect the souls of ninety-nine evil humans and one witch. Sounds easy? It won’t be, especially with the cast of characters assembled for Ohkubo’s psychological teen drama. The characters in Soul Eater are deeply unhinged, with Soul Evans and Black Star going to great lengths to spread ennui and enthusiasm in equal measure. Who doesn’t want to see a skilled hair and makeup team take a crack at recreating Death the Kid for live-action? His black-and-white striped hair and dual upside-down pistols are just a small part of his killer design. Imagine the acrobatic choreography for Tsubaki, Excalibur shouting “Fool,” and, if the stars align, and how could they not, a magical fight with Blair the Witch. Pumpkin bombs for all, my friends!
Witch Hunter Robin
Although a live-action adaptation of Witch Hunter Robin failed to get off the ground in 2004, who’s to say we can’t draw another summoning circle and try to pull one from the ether? Imagine a series, revolving around witchcraft, that’s somewhere between The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer in its exploration of the occult, and all the creepy-ass things that come with the territory.
In Witch Hunter Robin, witches exist, and it’s up to the mysterious organization SOLOMON to hunt and burn them down. Throughout the horror-fantasy adventure, we follow Robin Sena, a SOLOMON trainee with evolving powers, who investigates both sides of an ongoing supernatural war. The deeper Robin ventures into the rabbit hole, the less she trusts the people she’s working for. What’s to stop them from labeling her a witch? How does she hone her powers while being watched?
I could see Witch Hunter Robin working as a monster-of-the-week series, with episodes gradually building to a larger, overarching plot. There’s also potential to expand the series beyond the 26-episode anime, provided audiences are digging what they’ve seen so far. The premise features an ensemble cast of badasses, and the show’s overall look could mimic True Detective or Supernatural through Fringe. With spooky undertones, a solid script, and the right cast, an adaptation of Witch Hunter Robin could be as sweet as a new interpretation of Boogiepop Phantom or Ergo Proxy.
Which anime series would you like to see get a five-star live-action adaptation? Who would you want to produce the series? Let us know in the comments section below.
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