Making a critically and commercially successful live-action anime adaptation seems to be harder than convincing Master Roshi to adopt a life of monkhood. As with big screen video game translations, it feels as if whatever source material movie producers choose to adapt, the end result is a disappointing and often directionless effort that fails to either please existing fans of the franchise or draw in a new, more mainstream audience.
Dragonball Evolution was an unmitigated disaster, Ghost In The Shell slumped at the box office after some promising initial buzz, and although there is some debate as to whether it should be considered an anime or a cartoon, The Last Airbender is often counted among the worst movies ever made. Reviews for the most recent live-action anime adaptation attempt, Death Note, came to the consensus that even Netflix and talented director Adam Wingard couldn’t crack the code. The situation isn’t much better over in Japan either, with the 2015 Attack on Titan movie being roundly panned by fans and critics. There are a few further productions lined up: Masashi Kishimoto’s hugely-popular Naruto is getting the live-action Hollywood treatment and trailers for Fullmetal Alchemist are already online. But the movie that has the best chance of breaking the cycle of live-action awfulness is Akira.
Originally a manga by Katsuhiro Otomo before being turned into a hugely popular anime movie in 1988, a Hollywood live-action version of Akira has been long-mooted, weaving in and out of Warner Bros. development hell for years but nevertheless attracting interest from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Nolan. At the time of writing, a live action Akira still looks like an active project and there are a number of reasons to suggest that, if executed correctly, Akira could be the anime adaptation that finally gets everything right.
An Iconic Style
It speaks volumes about the franchise’s lasting popularity that many people who haven’t seen Akira are nonetheless familiar with the image of Kaneda and his futuristic red motorcycle, and this provides a solid initial foundation for success. Perhaps more importantly however, the dystopian, Blade-Runner-esque Neo-Tokyo is simply begging to be given a live-action makeover.
Although Dragon Ball may trump Akira in popularity, putting its wildly fantastic world of ki blasts and flying aliens into a live-action setting convincingly was always going to be an almost impossible task, and the same could be said for the forthcoming Naruto movie. With Akira, however, the grittier and more realistic style is cinema-ready and has arguably been such an influence on directors already over the past 30-odd years that bringing the world of Neo-Tokyo to life is not only totally achievable but, with the right director, should yield spectacular results.
As fans will know however, Akira does have some more out-there moments which could struggle in the adaptation process. The trippy hospital segment and Tetsuo’s monstrous final transformation could both easily become a mess of meaningless CGI but if these troublesome scenes could be successfully navigated, Akira should, at the very least, be a visual feast for the senses.
Of course, plenty of movies have had great visuals, only to ultimately fail thanks to a lackluster story or flat characters but this is another area where Akira should have no problems…
Modern Relevance
Whether you’re considering the manga or the anime version of Akira, the central themes and story have aged remarkably well. Melding a classic personal tale of two best friends coming to blows with a politically-charged conspiracy plot, Akira is undoubtedly just as relevant as it was in the 80s. Arguably, the story’s political elements are more apt now than ever before.
Whatever your political affiliations and beliefs, Akira’s story of a country ravaged by a devastating nuclear explosion and subsequent world war, now struggling under the rule of an unstable government, tap into many current world issues and fears. Film history has shown that some of the greatest movies ever made have referenced the cultural zeitgeist of their era in a way that remains relevant many years later and an Akira movie could do just that in the current climate.
Whilst many anime and manga series explore more general themes - Dragon Ball’s message of determination and friendship or Death Note’s exploration of morality, for example - Akira’s story is eerily relevant to an international, modern movie-going audience. Not only should this give a live-action Akira stronger hopes of box office success, but it also means that the original story lends itself far better to the cinematic realm than many of the adaptation attempts that have come before.
Crossover Appeal
One of the most common pitfalls live-action anime adaptations fall into - both in the West and in Japan - is that they try to alter the source material in order to create broader appeal. This tactic consistently fails, as existing fans of the franchise are alienated by what they deem needless changes and the subsequent negative word of mouth deters more casual viewers from stumping up their hard earned cash.
Happily, Akira has already proven itself to have a wide crossover appeal. After all, you don’t get passionately talked about across the globe almost 35 years after first debuting by not having a diverse following. For action-heads and thrill seekers, there is plenty of violence, action and bike chases. For those looking for something more cerebral, there’s an engaging and complex plot. For fans who enjoy fantasy and super-powers, there are creepy psychic children. And Akira doesn’t just appeal to a broad spectrum of film fans, it also courts popularity across cultural borders thanks to the universal themes and issues explored.
Another big stumbling block for anime adaptations, particularly those made in the West, are accusations of whitewashing. Whether you agree with them or not, the negative press generated by such criticisms clearly had a detrimental impact on the success of Ghost in the Shell and it doesn’t seem to have done Death Note any favors either.
Akira could deftly avoid this problem. As far as setting is concerned, any Akira movie needs to be set in Tokyo. The Japanese city is as integral to the story as the city of New York is to Spider-Man and many would argue that the location becomes a character in its own right.
With regards to characters however, things could get a little trickier. Studio executives seem to be firmly under the assumption that Western audiences won’t flock to see a film that features a foreign cast and whilst the logic of that conclusion is very much up for debate, the story of Akira allows for the issue to be (mostly) circumvented.
Naturally, with the story set in Japan, the core cast of Kaneda, Kei and Tetsuo would need to be played by actors of Japanese descent but the story also calls for the casting of a group of U.S. Marines which would potentially allow for more Hollywood-friendly casting opportunities. As such, the cast of Akira could avoid accusations of whitewashing, whilst also appeasing movie studios thanks to the Western characters that are already present in the original plot.
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Despite all of the above, Akira could still be a cinematic abomination. Who’s to say that Warner Bros. won’t cannibalize the plot beyond all recognition and attempt to turn the story into a high-school teen drama. However, perhaps for the first time, all of the ingredients needed for live-action success are present within an anime adaptation’s source material. Akira’s story, characters and style all have the potential to translate effectively and its huge crossover appeal could predicate a big splash at the box office. Now all Warner Bros. need to do is make it.
