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Hollywood loves Anime?

(14 posts)

  1. lifepoint1
    Member

    With all the adaptation rights being tossed around in Hollywood right now, It definitely looks like Hollywood has the hots for anime.

    I can only think of 3 western films that were already anime / manga adaptations;
    Crying Freeman, Fist of the North Star, and more recently Speed Racer. All of them were mediocre in my opinion, but now we have some heavy hitters coming up like, Dragonball, Ghost in the Shell (Rumored), Akira, Battel Angel Alita, and Blood the Last Vampire.

    I'm sure there are more on the way. I just hope they'll treat all those IPs properly. Though.. I recently saw some production stills for the Dragonball movie, and I gotta say that I'm a bit worried. :/

    It still begs the question. What other animes would be cool as live action hollyood adaptations. I guess cynics will say "none". :P

    Posted 3 years ago #

  2. Ann
    Key Master

    Dragon Ball looks absolutely horrible! I think the slice of life drama-type anime/manga adaptations turn out okay as live action films or television shows... but it's hard enough to do sci-fi/fantasy live action NOT based on any anime/manga that isn't completely rehashed or cheesy!

    Battle Angel/Gunnm is one of my favorite mangas of all time so I'm pretty upset about it going to Hollywood especially with Cameron in the director's seat. But at least it's supposedly CG and not live action. Then again it could turn out like the second Appleseed which was downright painful to watch (although the first movie was action all the way through and pretty cool).

    Ghost in the Shell?!! There's no real person in existence bad-ass enough to play Kusanagi!

    Anyway... so add me to that list of cynics... or give me another Blade Runner (not based on any anime/manga, but it sure did the original book justice)!

    Posted 3 years ago #

  3. Mark W
    Member

    Hmmmm, some of these could get really good, or really bad, depending on the director. I'm fairly opposed to a Battle Angel Alita film, it's probably going to be dumbed down to a campy action flick, which is sad when the series is so much more. I could so a few being ok. Akira could be a really amazing film, but I doubt that would happen. I really doubt we'll see a good western adaptation of an anime film any time soon. It seems to me like it is far too difficult to carry over a lot of the plots and elements of an anime into live-action without making it overtly camp :/

    Oh and I'd have to agree with Ann. Dragon Ball looks absolutely dreadful

    Posted 3 years ago #

  4. Sailor Moon
    Member

    I also agree with ann that dragon ballZ will be not so good , the actor who might be goku just does not fit the character. My friends and I were jokingly saying that if dragon ballZ wanted to look realistic enogh they would have to use WWF wrestlers to have those huge muscles LOL.
    I think also that the story will be changed so much that it will not be DBZ any more.(;_;)
    I wish that the writer of the manga was actually directing the film .

    Posted 3 years ago #

  5. lifepoint1
    Member

    I wouldn't have minded it too much if they'd just stayed closer to the original character designs. I don't see what's so bad about Bulma having blue hair, Piccolo being green, and Master Roshi being old and bald.:P

    Piccolo looks like a Nosferatu reject.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  6. Ann
    Key Master

    Resurrecting this thread as I just saw this article online:

    Live action Cowboy Bebop with Keanu Reeves...
    http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/12/17/keanu-reeves-eager-to-do-something-good-with-cowboy-bebop-movie/

    While I respect his personal taste in anime, I don't think he's nearly cool enough to play Spike! Speaking of which, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was garbage... probably one of the worst movies I've seen all year and such a disappointment! What happened to good sci-fi?

    Posted 3 years ago #

  7. lifepoint1
    Member

    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo~~~~!!!
    Although I will try to keep an open mind, since it's you know.. Cowboy Bebop.
    Hopefully it doesn't turn out like this.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64fZMN2Qu0w

    Posted 3 years ago #

  8. Ann
    Key Master

    lifepoint1 - 1 hour ago  » 

    Hopefully it doesn't turn out like this.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64fZMN2Qu0w

    BARF!!!!!!

    I watched an older trailer that was just awful but somehow this managed to make it look even worse! EVERYTHING is WRONG! I just hope it tanks so that Hollywood stops trying!

    Posted 3 years ago #

  9. ultramike
    Member

    wow -- after watching things like that dragonball trailer, it makes me wonder:
    there's hundreds of people involved in making a big budget movie...from the director, to the cast, to the producers, etc. etc., doesn't ANYONE notice during the process that they're making a terrible movie?!?!
    just thinking about the wasted man-hours that were put into this effort is depressing...

    Posted 3 years ago #

  10. MoFoQ
    Member

    I think I'm gonna be sick....ewwww

    well...that settles it...hollywood is just out of ideas.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  11. ultramike
    Member

    i just saw this a few min ago...i had no idea this was being made...
    http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/astroboy/large.html

    Posted 3 years ago #

  12. lifepoint1
    Member

    Oh yea, I forgot about Astroboy..
    But I for one hope that Hollywood keeps trying and keeps making these adaptations.
    I'm a firm believer that even bad publicity = good publicity (depending on how you utilize it).
    Whether all these movies are good or bad, there will inevitably be a larger increase in fans, if not just overall awareness for anime. That's gotta be a good sign for websites that are involved with anime culture. The questions is how do we take advantage of this trend?

    Posted 3 years ago #

  13. Rainbow Ichi
    Member

    Uh don't forget the rumored Neon Genesis Evangelion Movie that's being sponsored by WETA.

    And the Akira and Macross is being produced by LeoDiCaprio?
    And I think Battle of the Planets will come out 2009
    And I believe rumors are going around with Toby Maguire going for one hit robot anime (I forgot the name).

    I'm already feeling the downside of re-reproducing these hit animes. A feeling that it will be horrible. Disatrous news indeed especially coming from Hollywood.

    I've just watched Twilight a couple of weeks back, and I didn't find it bad. But critice mentioned that they did not stick to the book. A friend of mine mentions that 'When has any movie stuck, line-by-line to a book?'
    It made me think that he's right. But altering the story and design to the point that it no longer has the essence of the orignal story will be worse.

    What will become of the industry? I bet there will be a lot of skeptics who will not watch any of it based on their judgement of the trailer. *sigh* the times...

    Posted 3 years ago #

  14. Ann
    Key Master

    I think people are pretty aware of anime in general these days, though not specific series. I'm worried that a bad live action version will turn people off to the anime it's based on, and then if it happens repeatedly to people who don't watch anime already then they will start assuming all anime is crap.

    Speed Racer came and went so quickly and I didn't see or hear of any renewed interest in the anime series it was based on.

    Wow, seriously Eva live action??? I need to find out more about that one...

    Posted 3 years ago #

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