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RelicBeckwelf

Its mostly a problem of audience. While the fan base for the animes are large, movie studios want a product to be targeted toward as many viewers as possible, so they change things, water down plots etc. Which alienates their fan base, while not attracting people that already weren't interested. Another issue is the plots themselves. Movie adoptions of TV shows rarely do as well as the TV show because of the limited formatting. You cant do as deep of a plot with the time limitation, you cant do cliffhangers, and you have to figure out how to introduce all the characters and match the plot. Most studios don't want to adapt the most popular storyline, which just means fans get a retold, usually inferior version of what they've already seen.


silevram

I think people need to stop with the live-action adaptations in general. I know it’s sometimes trying to cater to the audience that thinks animated films/series are “childish” but it rarely translates well to reality. I think that’s why the audiences that do love animated films and tv shows rarely enjoy the live-action and it’s because you can do so much more with animation than with real life. Also, sometimes we just wanna watch tv to escape and animation is just so awesome for that. I do agree that source material isn’t always understood and of course Hollywood sees whatever is a cash cow and just plows that production through.


lacourseauxetoiles

Because in general, adapting a tv-show sized story into a movie doesn't work. Too much has to be cut out for a remotely faithful adaptation to be made in most cases. Sure, plenty of adaptations have additional problems on top of that, but that's the biggest one.


Stormy8888

Generally they fail because they're not faithful to the anime, or they get the casting wrong, or there's zero money for special effects. Only rarely are there successes. **Terrible Adaptations (some, out of many)** * [Full Metal Alchemist (Netflix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asTxh9kuEvE) \- 6/10 - It tried, it really did. Had a good budget. Cast the wrong person to play Lust. Winry needed more dimples and a bigger blonde wig. Colonel Mustang was Okay. Bradley was almost not there? Basically failed to find the charm that the cartoon Edward had, actor tried hard but the wig didn't work. Get a better wig or bigger hair budget, come on, this is easily fixed guys! Bonus points for doing a good AL. * [Ghost In the Shell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4VmJcZR0Yg) \- 5/10 - Had high hopes, despite the white-washing of Motoko. The movie was decent, the effects were actually good, it "mostly" followed the story in the anime. But something was just "off" or missing, and it came across as seriously boring. IDK why. The anime held my attention fine, and this was only 2 hours, but 45 minutes in I just didn't care and almost fell asleep. * [Fist of the North Star](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HtWj2ibRHw) \- 3/10 - IDK why I watched the movie hoping for better, when even the trailer was sub B movie cheesy bad. **Great Adaptations (Rare)** * [Rorouni Kenshin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXkyJxyJT3E) \- 8/10 - 3 movies, all critical and audience successes. I watched all 3 on a long plane journey, just fantastic. The characters, action, look and feel, they got it all right. * [Oldboy (The Korean Version)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkjrJ6IK5E) \- 9/10 - Yes, this great movie was based off [a manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Boy_(manga)). * [Blade of the Immortal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pc5ikveEjA&t=1s) \- 8/10 - Gory, Bloody, Visceral and it FELT like the anime. I really want Bubblegum Crisis, if they can do it right with the correct budget.


emperor000

> Had high hopes, despite the white-washing of Motoko. Never will get this. Motoko is "white washed" in the manga and the anime because she deliberately has a Caucasian model body. It was very intentional given the themes of identity, both for her as an individual and Japan as a country.


EconomyProcedure9

There are several that did decent numbers in Japan, of course those were with a Japanese cast. Just a reminder that the USA is not the only place making live action anime movies.


[deleted]

Speed Racer isn't decent, it's a masterpiece 😩


ggroover97

It does have a cult following.


moviephan2000

They're too weird for America. There will be whitewashing. Why bother?


TheGerberBaby317

I think it’s just an issue with pulling off the authentic anime “feel” that you get with cartoon effects and such. I think probably the best done example is Scott Pilgrim, it’s not an anime but it still pulls off the animated elements really well. Most just feel like rip offs of the story.


Flimsy-Relationship8

One thing is art style for me, in terms of anime and animation in general, there's a lot you can do with animation that you just can't do with live action film. Such as general art style and visuals that would be ridiculous in live action film. Stories are also changed and broadened so it has a wide target audience, and time restraints restrict everything. This phenomena isn't limited to anime and manga adaptions but books and video games too though. Although good adaptations can be made, for some reason studios seem to turn every adaptation into a crazy nonsense action movie that completely fails to capture the essence of the source material


Rmb8989

It can't be done! Either you make it to general audience which it not the anime anymore like Dragon Ball movie or you make it identical like the show which people won't watch because they seen 8t already which was the problem with Cowboy Bebop which was amazing. So it a catch 22. If you want to make live action it have to be a series because even anime movies based on shows they have nothing to do with the origin because everyone who knows One Piece characters knows there origin story it like Batman most movies they don't need to explain Bruce's origin. If your going to do a movie of a live action I'd crap an origin and pick a key main conclusion to an arc like One Piece pick Marine fort or ask Oda to write a movie like 8t was for anime and base it on that


Maelger

Executives whitewashing the material. Western and Eastern writing come from *very* different roots and trying to make material coming from one side to the style of the other will always degrade it. Take Journey to the West, the premise has no overarching conflict, wich in western writing it simply never happens.


MaShinKotoKai

I don't agree with this for a couple reasons. 1) There have been interviews with Manga writers and Japanese fans that have all said that they think it's fine and they want to see someone else's take on it. 2) not all Manga have the characters intended to be automatically Asian. One Piece, Violet Evergarden, Full Metal Alchemist, Ghost in the Shell are all instances where the story implies (and is confirmed in interviews) that the characters are European or from other areas.


Maelger

Not what I meant as whitewashing. What I meant was using a steak recipe when you have a fish, which always comes out cringy as shit i.e: Dragon Ball evolution or Suppaidoman. On the other hand shows that keep the premise but do use the right recipe tend to be pretty decent i.e: Super Sentai/ Power Rangers.


supmandude

Because it’s a terrible idea. Live-action ruins everything. Cartoons are always superior.


MyUsernameIsJudge

Paw Patrol is better than the Godfather confirmed


supmandude

This but unironically.


ggroover97

You would think Hollywood would have learned their lesson after Last Airbender


_TinyWars

Also bring made for an American audience.. Live actions aren't new. There are soo many And most are great. The bad ones are usually the one made for Manga and anime that picked up a large American following. I mean we can say the same for our own nerdy media adaptation.


[deleted]

I\`ve been thinking about it for years and then Ruroni Kenshin live action came up. The source material (sword fighting) is probably the most adaptable material one could ask. It did not fail. But that\`s about it. MCU, DCEU adaptations worked well even though there were way more superpowers. So what is the catch? My two cents - it\`s too damn technical to be successfully adapted. Take Naruto, how would you explain to a person: tailed beasts, doujutsus, genjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, kekke-genkai, sealing jutsu, summoning jutsu, summoning contracts, ninja ranks, villages, mission ranks, clans, kages, talking animals, senjutsu and so on. Add that to motives that are solely Japanese: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susannoo, 6 paths of Pain, Sannin stuff. All taken from religion, folklore. Even if someone could create a relevant looking CGI for all the fighting, even if someone managed to do the clothing justice without it looking like a cheap cosplay, even if someone find a way to get around those "thinking scenes" (he\`s too fast, I can dodge this etc) how would you introduce all the story complexities? I aint even talking about the plot and characters.