SAM: So here’s a topic I don’t think we’ve touched on at all. A few nights ago, my friend reminded me of the Dragonball movie coming out, and showed me some production screenshots of what Saiyans look like. I would say I am not that pleased with it overall. I actually kind of find the movie a bit insulting to Toriyama’s work, considering his huge presence in the manga as well as gaming community. I also remembered that Leonardo DiCaprio bought the rights to Akira, which is daunting within itself.

How does everyone else feel about manga-adaptation movies? I know comic book movies have been all the rage lately, so I am wondering if the movie industry is gonna start looking toward manga for new ideas.

MICHELLE: First, I must admit I’ve never seen the Akira animated movie, so I can’t imagine how such a big story was whittled down to movie length. That said, because Otomo wrote the script and directed the movie, I’m sure it’s the best possible adaptation it could be. I have no similar confidence in anyone else’s attempt to condense the story. I suppose it’s a case of “otaku ownership.” There’s nothing that says a celebrity can’t read manga, but I persist in thinking that DiCaprio would never really get it while I, of course, totally can.

There’ve been a lot of live-action manga adaptations in Japan, both as TV series and as movies, but the only such thing I’ve seen so far has been Pretty Guardian Sailormoon, which was very silly and featured lots of rubber-suited enemies (although Nephrite was particularly pretty). I’d be more inclined to watch something like that as a TV series, because my biggest problem is with story elements being cut. Even when I watch anime adaptations of manga, I am still annoyed when nuances are left out. That’s why I only made it through one episode of the Love*Com anime.

MELINDA: This question fills me with terror, though they’ve obviously been doing this in Japan forever. I know a lot of people liked the NANA live-action movie, for instance, but I was really disappointed with it on a lot of levels (all of which probably come down to direction), and it’s made me really wary of them overall. Now it’s possible that U.S. studios might throw a lot more money at a project like that, but that doesn’t guarantee quality either. I know fans of Western comics haven’t been thrilled with the adaptations of their favorite comics. I’m generally very generous toward adaptations, because I realize that every medium is different, and I’d rather watch a good movie than one that is weak because it tried too hard to stay true to the source. Still, it’s a very tricky business to do something like that well, and it seems like we’ve seen a lot more misses than hits with comics-turned-movies overall.

That said, there are a few manga series that I think might make good movies! I’d stick with short series, unless they’re planning on sequels (or a TV series), and I think, too, that the movie industry could help themselves out by trying some properties that aren’t action series or super-popular series for once, and maybe reach a new audience. I think interesting film adaptations could be done of things like Paradise Kiss or Tokyo Babylon. Those are series that are short, have room for adaptation (I think), and audiences might not freak out so much over them being different. I don’t expect to ever see anything like that, though. Also, if I’m watching an adaptation of a manga that is actually set in Japan, I’d want to see the characters played as Japanese, and I worry that the U.S. movie industry can’t be trusted with that.

CHLOE: Obviously, turning a paper comic book into a live-action production opens a whole can o’ worms. Japanese productions generally have much smaller budgets than their Hollywood counterparts, so while they can produce films for a more local market that is readily familiar with the material, it takes a serious commitment to production on the part of a studio to produce and market something for the American—and eventually, global—marketplace.

The only thing we’ve really seen thus far actually manifest into a tentpole-type movie is Speed Racer, which, despite recouping costs in merchandising, was actually ticket sales-wise a loss for the studio. Whether Hollywood production companies are willing to keep pitching is a relevant question—not to mention that plenty of series get announcements and buzz about becoming a movie only to never materialize. Variety frequently “announces” that something is in production, but point of fact, the rights may not have cleared or the film may lack investors or crew or a director or a whole bunch of other things, leading to it, well, not actually being in production (Case in point: Lone Wolf and Cub).

That said, Hollywood would have us believe that, right now, there are nearly a dozen titles in production in some form, from Ghost in the Shell and Casshern to Detroit Metal City, Battle Angel and even Pet Shop of Horrors. The likelihood of all of them coming into fruition? Low. But titles with big names and big commitments attached—like the Astro Boy CG film set to open soon, or the just announced Cowboy Bebop adaptation with Keanu Reeves—probably have a greater likelihood.

ERIN: First off, shame on Sam for never having seen Akira, which is a huge achievement in animated films. Second, can I borrow your Akira manga? Because I can’t really afford to collect it, what with all these other series I’m collecting.

I think the Dragonball movie topic has probably been beaten to death on anime forums, blogs, and podcasts by now, but discussing adaptations of manga and adaptations in general can be pretty interesting. My general rule of thumb is that anime not based on manga tends to be the best—like Cowboy Bebop. That said, the Black Lagoon anime series is so good, I thought it was original only to find out it’s based on manga. I think Planetes is better than the manga it’s based on. It should be interesting to find out if the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels are better than the anime series (I doubt it).

When a big Hollywood movie comes out, it’s typical to have a tie-in videogame and some novelization(s) no one will read (perhaps most ironically the Spiderman novel based on the movie). A popular manga series can end up with a TV drama series, a feature film or two, an anime series adaptation, and maybe some light novel sequels (like Death Note), or even chapter books for younger readers (Naruto). That’s a lot of media for one fan to consume!

It’s my understanding that manga adaptations of American films were popular in the early half of the twentieth century, as a cheap alternative to seeing the film. Maybe things have come full circle!

This very issue came up in a recent Anime World Order podcast: Now that the Monster manga has completed, should one read the manga or watch the anime or both? The consensus seemed to be to pick one media, since the anime is very loyal to the manga and you’ll just end up consuming the same material twice.

Recently, I’ve been getting into live action drama series based on manga. J-dramas, as they are called by fans, can vary a lot from the original manga and they vary in terms of production values and watchability. The drama of Nodame Cantible was so amazing that I haven’t read the manga or watched the anime. The Boys Over Flowers drama is so great it might be better than the manga (at least for the first season). However, the Princes Princess drama was totally unwatchable. When it comes to Honey and Clover, I like the anime better than the manga, couldn’t stomach the wildly different j-drama, and the feature film was kind of crappy. NANA is like some awesome trifecta where the anime, the manga, and the movie (at least the first movie) are all total winners!

I just watched part of the Absolute Boyfriend j-drama today, only to find it’s no longer set in high school! The story centers around a lonely office lady. It’s already 10,000 times better than the manga. There’s no hard and fast rule for these adaptations—you never know what you’re going to get.

International adaptations of manga to live action aren’t new. For some reason, Taiwan makes live action series based on manga quite often (Peach Girl comes to mind). I’m interested in seeing the Korean feature based on Antique Bakery.

Anyone who’s seen the 1995 American live action Fist of the North Star movie (based on the anime film and not the manga) should know the kind of caution required for American adaptations of anime.

I enjoyed Anime News Network’s review of the recent U.S. Speed Racer film, “…sitting through this movie is not unlike being punched in the eyeball with a neon hammer for 2 hours.”

MICHELLE: That was me who hadn’t seen the Akira movie. I hang my head in shame. In terms of the manga, I actually started reading it via interlibrary loan and had good success in finding copies at participating libraries in my area (WorldCat is awesome and I’ve heard that Dark Horse is good about getting their titles to libraries, too). I’d recommend trying that first. The books are hefty, so it’d save us on shipping!

SAM: I agree that there are many good adaptations out there; I would just say that most of them are Japanese. I am really enjoying the One Pound Gospel TV series on YouTube. I also think that the trailer for 20th Century Boys looked very good. However, I agree with what Melinda said, “Also, if I’m watching an adaptation of a manga that is actually set in Japan, I’d want to see the characters played as Japanese, and I worry that the US movie industry can’t be trusted with that.”

I guess I just share Michelle’s worries in terms of story elements being cut out. For instance, Dragonball is a very sexualized comic in a comedic way. Bulma is looking for a boyfriend, Yamcha has a lolita complex, Master Roshi is a huge pervert. It’s all countered by Goku’s lack of knowledge of the world. He has never seen a woman, so sex virtually means nothing to him. The movie (just from seeing the trailers) seems like it’s lost that important comedic element. Also, Dragonball has a whole mysticism to it in terms of the Capsule Corp, which has always been one of my favorite aspects.

“There’s no hard and fast rule for these adaptations—you never know what you’re going to get” is something I should take to heart.