live-action versions of anime

Discuss anime, especially but not limited to 1950's~1990's series, and related sub-topics
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greg
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by greg »

Ehrmiferkingersh! So remember that live-action Space Adventure Cobra live-action movie that was supposed to have been released by now, but it seems to have disappeared? Well, I went to 7-11 to pay all my bills tonight, and I saw a Cobra magazine that was all about (you guessed it) Cobra stuff. I thumbed through it a bit and saw an ad for this movie towards the back of the mag. So it isn't dead after all! It just said "coming soon." Hmmm... Maybe the project just hit a temporary snag with funding or something?
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ParaParaJMo
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by ParaParaJMo »

i say its not happening like akira
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greg
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by greg »

Well, a New York-ized Akira starring Leonardo Dicapprio or whoever should not ever be made. It sucks even in the concept phase. This Cobra deal seems potentially cool, at least. I don't know if it's Western-made, but even if it is, they wouldn't have to "de-Japanify" the anime.
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llj
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by llj »

I'm currently watching the Sukeban Deka live action series from the 1980s. Actually, I'm sort of watching Sukeban Deka season 1 and season 2 simultaneously. Totally the wrong way to go about it, I know. This combination of martial arts fighting, sailor suit wearing real-life j-pop singers is too addictive to believe.
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by davemerrill »

I've been watching Sukeban Deka II bit by bit as Skaro releases 'em. It's such an aggressively singular thing - definitely an artifact of a very specific time and place, when amazingly chaste idol singers would pretend to be undercover police posing as high school students, using whimsical, non-existent martial arts to thwart crime AND help the basketball team win. And then, if you're lucky, every once in awhile the Onyanko Club shows up to sing a song about being sexually harassed by their teachers. Removed from the context of the mid 1980s idol-singer pop music world, it's like a TV show from Mars.
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llj
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by llj »

Fundamentally, though, Sukeban Deka is still very much a live action anime. Its basic structure is not altogether different from any number of "baddie of the week" anime, from Sailor Moon to Gatchaman to Super Sentai shows. You have your overarching storyline and mystery that's teased out incrementally, you have your "filler" episodes based around certain familiar episodic themes, and you have your "baddie of the week" that's ultimately dispatched with a familiar formula in every single episode. Saki even has her own patented speech she recites before dispatching the main bad guy of the week. It's really the way it's presented, with its hyper-stylized comic book style direction to the overdramatic Shaw Brothers-esque background music to the casting of idol singers that gives it its unique gonzo-ness.
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by SteveH »

I love the overwrought, formulaic style of Sukeban Deka. I really do. I love how baddies lose their mud when the yo-yo *clikCLANKS* (and, of course, the music sting!) open to reveal the Chrysanthemum crest and the miscreants know it's dropped in the pot for sure and true.

My first exposure was one of the movies (counter-attack of the Kazama sisters) and when the nominal 'boyfriend but really just a buddy in the end' fired up the radio to call a passing advertising blimp to stop by so Our Heroine could hitch a ride to stop the (totally bishi! :) ) EVIL guy and his private Cessna 172... I was hooked.

Ya know what? It's 'comfort food', like Hokuto No Ken. You know the beats, you know where it's going to go, sometimes there's some REALLY FREAKY stuff but in the end the Hero wins, even if there is a cost.

It's a pity those fansubs stopped being hosted on a downloading site and went 'torrent. I can't do 'torrent. Or maybe I should say If I COULD make it work I still would choose not to. Because I'm TROUBLE, mannnn. I live by my own code and do as I please! Wait, what's that sound? Like a humming whistling sound...up and down...up and down....

ETA: OK, clearly it's been a while, they ARE hosted on a download site, but now I recall it's something strange and funky in how it's done, and it didn't like Mac at ALL. But since I've upgraded my OS to the max possible for my processor, suddenly it's working. So, time to get caught up. :)
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by _D_ »

Came upon this quite by accident tonight:

Image

Also liked the homage in Kill Bill...
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llj
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by llj »

^^
Those two actresses are from the third season of Sukeban Deka. I heard there's someone out there who is going to fansub it. Always wondered how a "kawaii" Saki would play out for me. I'm used to Saki being a loner (season 1) or a cool tough girl (season 2), but Yui Asaka is so physically tiny and super cute.
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greg
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Re: live-action versions of anime

Post by greg »

Today I finally got around to watching All You Need Is Kill, aka Edge of Tomorrow. That was a pretty cool movie. It's pretty amazing to think that a big movie starring Tom Cruise would be based off of a manga like this. The story was pretty tight, and I really can't think of any real criticisms about the film at all.
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