Ask John: What’s John’s Opinion of Live Action Manga Adaptations?

Question:
What do you think of live action adaptations of manga and anime series? For you, what is the most successful adaptation of a manga or anime series that has both stay loyal to the original work and expand the storyline and popularity. What significant works or series you would like to see that will be adapted into a live action show?

Answer:
Honestly, I’m a little bit hesitant to address this question because it’s one which I don’t think I can answer with any significant informative value. In other words, my opinion on this particular topic is no more of less valid or educational than anyone else’s. However, this question is periodically presented to me, so I feel some obligation to answer it.

I know of people that are fundamentally opposed to the adaptation of manga and anime into live action films. I don’t share that opinion. I’m quite an avid fan of live action genre cinema, so whenever a live action adaptation of a manga or anime is announced I always hope for the best rather than expect the worst. Of course, there are titles which seemingly lend themselves to live action adaptation more suitably than others. Character driven works like GTO, Nana, Honey & Clover, Love Com, You’re Under Arrest, Princess Princess, and Golgo 13 have successfully made an effective transition into live action because their source manga were already fairly realistic in the first place. However, there have also been fairly realistic live action adaptations that haven’t quite been as successful. For example, Jackie Chan’s live action City Hunter movie, based on the popular manga by Hojo Tsukasa, is certainly a unique and entertaining film, but it’s neither a faithful adaptation of City Hunter nor a film which objective critics consider “good.”

There are a few live action adaptations of manga which I think deserve special attention, either because they’re especially good or especially bad. The 1991 American live action Guyver movie and the 1995 American Fist of the North Star movie are especially bad, but neither of them is as awful as the hideous 2004 Japanese live action Devilman motion picture. Ironically, the American Guyver: Dark Hero sequel picture from 1994 is quite good, albeit limited by its small budget. Even better, in my opinion, is the 1995 Crying Freeman movie directed by Brotherhood of the Wolf & Silent Hill director Christophe Gans. This stylish and sexy action film is especially faithful to Kazuo Koike & Ryoichi Ikegami’s original manga, and has become a cult hit despite never being officially released in America. The live action Death Note movies are justifiably acclaimed for effectively distilling the manga story into a pair of engaging features. The 2008 Speed Racer movie is a bit over-long, and its ability to stay involving in uneven. The movie also reflects much more American nostalgia for the American version of the Mach Go Go Go anime than faithfulness to the actual Japanese spirit of the original work. But the film must be regarded as an impressive live action adaptation of manga regardless.

In my opinion, the finest live action adaptations of manga are Chan-wook Park’s 2003 adaptation of Oldboy and Toho studio’s 1972-1974 series of Kozure Okami movies staring Tomisaburo Wakayama. Both of these entries are faithful to the spirit of their original works, and both adaptations brought international attention to their source works. Oldboy is a strikingly beautiful and simultaneously disturbingly grim drama that succeeds because of its director’s skilled composition and the treatment of the film as a serious drama rather than as a “comic book movie.” The “baby cart” films are not exactly a literal adaptation of Kazuo Koike’s original manga, but do an exceptional job of capturing the spirit of the original work. Protagonist Ogami Itto literally steps off the page through the performance of veteran samurai drama actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Toho’s Kozure Okami sextet – especially the first four films – perfectly recreates the breathtaking swift and merciless violence, the naturalistic and historical beauty, and the tone of unwavering determination that characterized the original manga series. The original Toho Kozure Okami movies may be the pinnacle of live action adaptations because, despite not following the story progression of the original manga exactly, the films flawlessly transpose the printed page onto the screen.

In terms of upcoming live action adaptations, I’ve stated before that I don’t expect the live action Evangelion film to ever be produced. While I have high hopes for James Cameron’s planned Gunnm film, I similarly fear that the production will never actually occur. Director Chris Nahon helmed one of Jet Li’s best pictures, Kiss of the Dragon, so I have high hopes for his adaptation of Blood: The Last Vampire. I must regretfully admit that the early production images of James Wan’s live action Dragon Ball picture have not been encouraging, but I don’t want to dismiss the picture without giving it a chance. The plan to adapt the entire six volume Akira manga into a pair of live action films sounds impossibly ambitious to me, but again, I want to refrain from reaching conclusions prematurely.

As an anime fan, I’m absolutely content to see anime remain anime, and see manga adapted into animation. I’m much more happy to be surprised by announcements of live action manga and anime adaptations than make predictions of my own. It took many years of cheap and bad American super hero comic book movies before we reached exceptional films like The Crow, X-Men 2, Spider-Man 2, Batman Begins, and Iron Man. I only hope that the increasing frequency of international live action adaptations of manga and anime leads to a steady increase in the average quality of all live action adaptations of manga and anime, as has happened with American comic book movies.