The world of Japanese animation covers a remarkable variety of literary genres. There’s an anime series for everyone, from macabre horror series to classic shonen action and dazzling romance series. Anime series often get their own animated features, and some may get live-action adaptations as well.
However, doing live-action anime is a tricky proposition at best, and many notable failures have soured anime fans on the very idea. The famous Dragon Ball Evolution was heavily criticized, and other anime series could be tarnished if they got a bad live-action remake. For some reason, it’s not a good idea to create a live-action adaptation of a beloved series.
ten Berserk would lose a few things in live-action
Medieval fantasy movies and TV shows can make great entertainment, and many moviegoers love period pieces set in medieval or ancient Europe. Not all fantasy anime series should get this treatment, including Berserk because serious sacrifices would have to be made.
The epic story and scope of this franchise would be lost in a movie or miniseries, and a live-action version would have to tone down or cut the graphic but compelling scenes that make Berserk what it is. Some scenes in the manga are fascinating but too brutal to be animated or turned into live-action.
9 Demon Slayer already has a great animation
Some animation studios, such as Studio UFOtable, offer jaw-dropping animation that has to be seen to be believed. If a UFOtable series like demon slayer was turned into live action, that high-level animation would be lost. While modern movies can do wonders with camera angle and CGI, it’s still not up to par. demon slayerthe visuals.
demon slayer would just look goofy in live action, with actors wearing weird wigs and swinging prop swords without the benefit of UFOtable’s excellent animation, and demons would probably look silly or good Marlet. demon slayer is better in anime form.
8 Food wars! Would be boring in live-action
The Culinary Animated Series Food wars! takes place in the Totsuki Academy where student chefs learn the ways of elite cuisine. Movies and TV shows can be made about food, as Gordon Ramsay and Rachael Ray would attest, but the Food wars! the recipe only works in manga and anime form.
Food wars! is thrilling due to its dazzling and fantastical visuals, which would be almost impossible to portray properly in live-action. Additionally, Food wars! often involves heavy fan service as a central part of its humor. Without those scenes, a live-action adaptation would look like a reality show based on cooking, flying Food wars! of his magic.
7 Jujutsu Kaisen would look silly in live-action
Exceptions do exist, but for the most part, fantasy and supernatural anime series would translate poorly to live-action movies. These franchises would lose more than they would gain in the process. A live adaptation is not necessary with Jujutsu Kaisen.
A live action Jujustu Kaisen the movie or miniseries couldn’t provide more than the anime and would likely see actors battling dumb CGI curses. Colorful and larger than life series like Jujutsu Kaisen are only acceptable in anime form.
6 My Hero Academia is not suitable for live action
It’s one thing to do a stage version of a show like my hero academia, but a live-action movie or miniseries would be a poor choice. Even though the MCU has set a new standard for superhero action movies, there’s no need to commit my hero academia on the big screen with live-action.
my hero academia because a live-action series would only depict cosplayers battling monsters and villains with clunky CGI, and it could only be marginally better than the anime. MHA fans already have the vigilantes spin-off manga and three anime movies to satisfy their appetites.
5 Vinland Saga’s themes and pacing would suffer
Vinland Saga stands beside Berserk as one of the best medieval seinen manga series. Vinland Saga has a pretty good anime to its name, with a second season on the way. Vinland Saga is set in 11th century Europe and tells the story of young Thorfinn Karseflni, on a quest for revenge.
Vinland Saga also explores themes of war, one’s purpose in life, pacifism, discovery and much more, and these themes would suffer greatly in a live action film. A movie would have to focus entirely on Thorfinn’s quest for revenge, and that’s only part of what makes Vinland Saga so popular.
4 Fairy Tail is everywhere
Long-running anime series tend to produce mediocre live-action films, as these films are often designed to encapsulate the source material into a single package that newcomers can follow. It’s not easy to do, even for shorter series, and it may be impossible for people like Fairy tale.
the Bleach live action movie is like a cautionary tale of what would happen if someone tried to make a live action movie of Fairy tale. Fairy tale doesn’t have a central plot, so a live-action movie should focus on just one small piece of the bigger picture.
3 That time I got reincarnated as a Slime would be mostly CGI
This time I got reincarnated as a slime stands as one of the best isekai anime series available. While there may be an animated movie tied to the horizon, a live-action movie from Vase would be doomed to failure. To start, focus VaseThe plot in one film would be almost impossible.
Most of the characters are fantasy characters such as Japanese-style ogres, giant wolves, goblins, lizardmen, and demons, and it wouldn’t work well in live action. In theory, Vase would make a better Pixar movie, given the heavy fantasy elements involved.
2 Welcome to the school of demons, Iruma-Kun! Also has too much fantasy
Welcome to the school of demons, Iruma-Kun! is another anime series that relies too heavily on fantasy and supernatural character design to translate well to live-action. Again, almost everything in Iruma-Kun! would be CGI in a live-action movie, which means Pixar animation would be a better route for a movie remake.
Iruma-Kun! doesn’t have much of a central plot, and a hypothetical movie should be a token plot, which is sure to disappoint fans. It would also be difficult to portray these humanoid demon characters convincingly.
1 A Daioh from Azumanga! The movie would go nowhere fast
Rom-com and high school anime series are logistically easy to make, given their mundane settings and character designs. There are no demons, quirks or curses in Azumanga Daoh!but its drawn-out plot would make for a horrible live-action adaptation.
While Azumanga Daoh! has a nice cast of characters and solid humor, it feels more like a long-running comic than a cohesive story with a clear end goal, which spells trouble for a potential live-action release. Or at least a live-action movie with its own plot would seem redundant with the original material, which itself has enough storylines. Interestingly, there was once a hoax announcing a live action Azumanga Daoh! movie.
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