Let’s all be honest for one second, live action anime are typically pretty bad and disliked by most. While live action films get the okay from their original creators, that doesn’t stop directors in charge of the film from taking our beloved series and messing with them in ways we end up not liking. The bottom line, live action films need to change. Yet, is this feat even possible? We here at Honey’s Anime sat down like Gendo does with his organization and began brainstorming ways to help live action adaptations do better. The first question we needed to solve ultimately was this. How Can Live Action Anime be Done Better!?
Focus On Source Material Please!
The first—and most important—element live action anime films need to do is look closely at the source material and keep close to it. We get it, creators want their vision for a film to be their own and thus take creative liberties. However, for anime live action creations, these liberties often go for the director/creator and don’t take into consideration the fans. We as fans don’t mind some changes here and there—since no wants a clone film of a series we’ve seen—but equally want the film to be like the anime series.
Budget Matters!
Honestly, anime is an expensive venture and most fans/creators know it. Movies though are even more pricey with special effects budgets, the need for hiring actors and the need for promotion, etc. When it comes to making anime live action films though, unless it’s a series more focused on slice of life elements or school settings, series like Shingeki no Kyojin or Dragon Ball Z need money for their adaptations to look at least somewhat like the original source material. Two live action movies that are quite close to the original works due to their budgets would be Parasyte and Tokyo Ghoul. Film makers, use those films as an example of how a budget can truly affect a film’s overall review from both fans and critics alike.
Actors Wanted
One of the few elements we don’t often complain about when watching a live action anime film is the actors/actresses used. These star born actors can truly do some impressive work with taking on the roles of the characters from an anime series. Future movies do need to be weary though. Actors can make or break a movie quite easily and that is especially true when it comes to live action anime films!
Outside Release
As of late, the success of a lot of live action anime films is that they are released outside of Japan. This is incredibly important to give a wider audience the ability to enjoy the film and to gain more revenue in the long run. We can guess this venture is a bit more on the creative team’s wallet—as well as the publishers—but it works in favor for all when a movie does well both in Japan and possibly in the US.
Final Thoughts
Live action anime is no easy creation, we understand that fully. Just looking at the cost of non-anime films shows that a movie can be millions of dollars but when you add more elements that cost easily sky rockets. Be that as it may, if anime studios and creators want live actions to continue to be lucrative business ventures, they need to put in the effort—and budget—to make these films succeed! Do you agree with us and our thoughts on How Can Live Action Anime be Done Better? Equally, what anime live action films do you think were done well? Comment below to let us know and for similar articles to enjoy, be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime!
Author: Aaron