My fellow weeaboos, it has come to my attention that people simply do not understand the point of live action adaptations. Their reasoning? Why would people go through the trouble of drawing and animating manga and anime, and then have it come to life on the big screen, when they could have gone straight to the big screen? Do people really need three different versions of one supposed story line? And while I do understand this way of seeing things, I can't help but disagree, as I am one of the many people who enjoy having more than one outlet of interpretation of a manga or anime.
Arguably one of the best genres of mangas and animes to be given live action adaptations are shoujos, mainly because romcoms aren't as hard to bring to life as shounens or action movies (remember "Dragonball Evolution," "The Last Airbender" or "Attack On Titan"?). They have been re-created for us, thanks to cinematic corporations and talented actors and actresses; and they have all been commercial successes. "Kimi Ni Todoke" (From Me To You) and "Ao Haru Ride" (Blue Spring Ride) are great examples of manga-turned-anime-turned-successful dramas.
Kimi Ni Todoke. You're welcome.
Some might say that the jump from a manga being made into an anime is similar to the jump made from a manga or anime franchise to its live action counterpart. Some might even say that it's an even bigger jump. A movie featuring a well-known cast of actors is sure to bring in more attention than a stand-alone anime would, after all. Casting of characters becomes a much more important thing to consider as well, as they not only have to look similar to their anime counterparts, but also be able to emulate their specific character traits. It becomes so much more than "just acting" when it comes to trying to be an already existing character.
The main cast of Kimi Ni Todoke and Ao Haru Ride, and the comparisons between their manga, anime and live action versions, respectively.
So what is the actual point of live action adaptations? Is it to show the different interpretations that can be made out of a singular plot? To bring in more money? Or is it fan service, because it was highly demanded by devoted fans? What if it's all of the above?
I'd like to believe that many people will be able to follow the feels trail, aka plot, no matter which interpretation they find themselves preferring -- whether it be the manga, the anime or the live action movie. For my weeaboo friends, perhaps it's all three (like me). And for my friends who don't read or watch manga and anime, maybe the movie (although it's in Japanese). I like to believe that a plot should not be restricted to a certain medium, whether in words, pencil-ed in in black and white, animated or acted. One might even compare the manga-anime or manga-movie jump to how many movies nowadays are based on books. These movies usually receive a lot of backlash for changing or adding things, but ultimately they are what they are: interpretations.
Ao Haru Ride live action movie advertisements on the walls of an underpass in Shinjuku Station, Tokyo.
Ao Haru Ride. Excuse me as I cry in a corner.
Of course, many other genres of manga and anime besides shoujos and shounens have been brought to life. Another of yours truly's favorite genres is mystery. "Detective Conan" has many different live action movies and TV show adaptations, and "Tantei Gakuen Q" (Detective School Q) has a great TV show adaptation featuring a star-studded idol cast, proving that there really is a genre out there for everybody. You just have to go look for it.
Me when a live action adaptation turns out to be ass.
