Ask John: What’s John’s Opinion on the Live Action Evangelion?

Question:
I’m interested on what your opinions on live action adaptations of anime are? Are there some that you particularly like or dislike? And more specifically, what do you think of the upcoming live action Neon Genesis Evangelion movie?

Answer:
There’s been a great deal of debate over AD Vision’s announcement of the live action Evangelion movie- ironic considering how little about the film has actually been said or revealed by any sources actually involved in the project. At this point, AD Vision has confirmed that ADV Films, Gainax Studios and Peter Jackson’s WETA Workshop visual effects studio will collaborate on the production of a live action Evangelion movie. And the July issue of Newtype Magazine (Japanese version) has published 5 pre-production art/concept design photos. Everything beyond that right now is mere speculation. There is no information available about the cast or staff, story, production plans, distribution plans, or tentative release date.

Before I provide my own opinions on the available information, let me put my thoughts in context. There are quite a number of live action film adaptations of anime and manga. Some of them are very good; some of them are very bad; and I honestly haven’t seen a large percentage of them. Just a handful of examples of live action adaptations of manga and anime include the Guyver movies, the Crying Freeman movies, the Fist of the North Star movie, the GTO TV series and movie, the You’re Under Arrest TV series, the Ichi the Killer movie, the multitude of Lone Wolf & Cub adaptations, the Hana Yori Dango movie, the Video Girl Ai movie, the La Blue Girl movies, the Blackjack movies, the Kekko Kamen movies, the Weathergirl Report movie, the Wicked City movie, Flower of Flesh & Blood, Sharkskin Man & Peach Hip Girl, Blue Summer, the Gundam G-Savior movie, and Jackie Chan’s City Hunter movie. Among just the titles adapted from manga that I’ve seen, Toho’s “baby cart” films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama are exceptional. Takeshi Miike’s Ichi the Killer is a revolting and challenging little gem. And Katsuhito Ishii’s Sharkskin Man & Peach Hip Girl was wonderfully entertaining. But none of these films seemed particularly like “anime.” If I limit critique to only live action adaptations of animation, the Canadian Crying Freeman movie was simply brilliant, but I’d be hard pressed to name a second example that really excelled. And still, the Crying Freeman movie was still a contemporary human drama with no sci-fi elements whatsoever.

Unfortunately, as an adaptation of pre-existing work, there’s simply very little to compare the live action Evangelion movie to. The only thing that comes close is the Gundam G-Savior movie- the only live action/giant robot movie I know of that’s directly based on an anime series. (The Japanese Gunhed movie doesn’t count, because if I’m not mistaken, the movie preceded Kia Asamiya’s manga adaptation.) The G-Savior movie was, to be kind, bad. However, there’s no reason to expect the Evangelion movie to follow in the footsteps of the Gundam movie. WETA Workshop has already proven its competence in special effects production with the first two Lord of the Rings films. As long as there’s money to fund WETA’s work, the quality of the special effects in the Evangelion movie should be beyond reproach. Gainax has not co-produced a visual effects heavy live action work since the mid 1980s when the studio was still relatively poor and unknown. And early co-production on Ultraman movies may not be an accurate reflection of Gainax’s input and influence on the Evangelion movie. AD Vision has never produced any live action film. The company’s two original productions so far are the animated works Sin: The Motion picture, and the upcoming Lady Death animated movie (for which a trailer is available on the AD Vision site). Perhaps the less said about these two works the better.

Considering that there have been no announcements of the staff of the Evangelion movie or in what capacity AD Vision and Gainax will be involved, it’s impossible to make speculations. So rather than make haphazard guesses or predictions without foundation, I’ll make only a few observations.

The original Evangelion animation was a highly personal philosophical analysis of Japanese youth culture clothed in the guise of a giant robot adventure story. It was a story that unfolded and evolved primarily over the course of 26 TV episodes, or roughly 12 hours of animation. A large part of the personal aspect of the production came compliments of the unique directorial style of creator/director Hideaki Anno, who created a unique visual style for the Evangelion animation as a result of his personal creative vision and external limitations imposed on him by a small production budget and a strained, rapid production schedule. All of these factors need to be considered in respect to a live action Evangelion.

With a production spread over three continents and the profile of this particular project, it should be safe to assume that the live action Evangelion movie is aimed at massive, mainstream worldwide release and not just straight to home video release for American and Japanese anime fans. If that’s the case, the Evangelion movie will have to be written as to be accessible by viewers that haven’t seen the 8+ year old 12 hours of original animation. That means that the movie will most likely have to be either an origin story or a loose adaptation of the first 2 animated TV episodes unless the film is part of a multimedia project, like The Matrix Reloaded’s Enter the Matrix video game and The AniMatrix. So far there’s been no mention of any such plans in association with the Evangelion movie. Director Hideaki Anno has publicly confirmed that Evangelion is an analysis of the social alienation unique to Japanese youths resulting from the distinct nature of contemporary Japanese society. If the characterizations are to be kept intact, they may need to be revised or somewhat re-written to seem natural and accessible and believable to mainstream American movie watchers. A major theme in the original Evangelion animation is the desire for recognition and companionship and communal unity. This lies in direct opposition to the natural American desire for independence and singularity and individuality. Beside the fact that the goals and motivations of the characters may be difficult for mainstream American viewers to sympathize with, the live action Evangelion movie will require real actors to convey the desperation and loneliness and frustration of the characters in a way viewers can sympathize with. The animation makes it easy for viewers to empathize with the characters because they’re accessible. Because they’re not real, it’s easy for viewers to interpret them and vicariously live through them. That sort of total immersion and belief may be much more difficult to create with real actors because viewers will instinctively critique and criticize their finest nuances. And speaking of fine nuances, it remains to be seen if the live action film will attempt to replicate Hideaki Anno’s distinctive, deliberate directorial style heavily influenced by classical Japanese cinema. Mainstream American filmgoers are not used to long camera cuts, extended atmospheric establishment shots and quick, non-linear edits. In order to be appealing and accessible to mainstream viewers, the Evangelion movie will almost certainly have to employ a more conventional directorial style than the original animation used.

At this point, there’s no telling how much, if any of these factors will be applicable to the forthcoming live action Evangelion movie. At least until more official information is revealed, there’s no concrete benefit to speculating about the film. To the best of my knowledge, there’s never been an unqualified good live action film of this nature, but there’s always a first for everything.