The Old School Otaku Lounge

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2 ... er/.170256

It might not go anywhere, but interesting to hear Amazon still trying to spitball ideas on how to somehow profit off of the popularity of anime/manga. At least grabbing the John Wick writer was a smart move!

I'm trying to think of an anime/manga-to-live action property that was an absolute success and I can't think of any. Battle Angel and Speed Racer have their cult fans but I don't think they are considered unqualified successes by the mainstream either.

llj wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:38 pm I'm trying to think of an anime/manga-to-live action property that was an absolute success and I can't think of any. Battle Angel and Speed Racer have their cult fans but I don't think they are considered unqualified successes by the mainstream either.

Yeah, there's none so far that have gotten both praise from critics/fans AND done enough numbers at the box office to be considered an absolute success. I guess the closest would be Edge of Tomorrow, though that's technically from a light novel series. It was reviewed well and sold decently, though apparently Warner still didn't consider it very successful? I guess anything that isn't more than triple their money back is considered a "failure" these days.

I think a lot of studios are still REALLY trying to push anime/manga adaptations, though, because they know those are popular...I think many studios have it in their heads that they just need to figure out the right "formula", and then they can be the first smash-hit based on an anime. Which...I dunno, I'd like to see at least ONE really well done adaptation do well, but on the other hand that means suffering through all the bad ones, so....I guess we'll see how long they're up for trying before they give up or finally manage to do it.

Id consider Battle Angel a quiet success. It got praise from fans and critics, but it didn't do high numbers at the box office because people don't care about anything but Marvel/DC properties. The American "nerd" market is still dominated by American comics, which they do well overseas. Manga/Anime adaptations, while the quality of the adaptations id say has improved than where they were in the 90's, is still not going to break Marvel/DC sales at the box office. America has had anime and manga around the populous, but its always been on the backburner behind Marvel and DC success.

I think the difference is the fanbase. Anime/manga fans don't really watch and read anime and manga to want American live action versions of them. Anime fans at most view Hollywood anime adaptations with curiosity, but it's nothing close to a reaction like "OMG the new Avengers movie. MUST WATCH." They specifically get into the hobby to get the kind of entertainment/culture that Hollywood/US TV doesn't provide. Superhero comic book fans on the other hand don't have that issue. They want to see superhero comic books get more exposure (though the movies really don't translate to comic book sales) and it's easy to translate these American characters to the big screen, unlike with anime/manga which often has Asian characters, with cultural differences and plots that are specifically meant to be set in Japan, and so forth.

llj wrote: ↑Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:11 pm I think the difference is the fanbase. Anime/manga fans don't really watch and read anime and manga to want American live action versions of them. Anime fans at most view Hollywood anime adaptations with curiosity, but it's nothing close to a reaction like "OMG the new Avengers movie. MUST WATCH." They specifically get into the hobby to get the kind of entertainment/culture that Hollywood/US TV doesn't provide. Superhero comic book fans on the other hand don't have that issue. They want to see superhero comic books get more exposure (though the movies really don't translate to comic book sales) and it's easy to translate these American characters to the big screen, unlike with anime/manga which often has Asian characters, with cultural differences and plots that are specifically meant to be set in Japan, and so forth.

I'd argue that the Marvel films have a great production crew that have a vision on what they want to make. Anime productions don't seem to have that kinda charisma off the bat. Battle Angel had Rodriguez directing and they had a good cast to adapt the manga very well I thought. You can't say the same for the Ghost in the Shell live action, even though for me personally there were things in that film I did like.

Confession--I don't really like most of the Marvel/DC movies. They're too machine-like and factory-manufactured for my liking. But, its success is that it pleases the fanbase, and the general public likes them, which is what counts.

Comic book superhero movies didn't take off until Hollywood understood what the fanbase wanted. Once you please the fanbase, then they are your free marketing crew.

llj wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:06 pm Confession--I don't really like most of the Marvel/DC movies. They're too machine-like and factory-manufactured for my liking. But, its success is that it pleases the fanbase, and the general public likes them, which is what counts.

Comic book superhero movies didn't take off until Hollywood understood what the fanbase wanted. Once you please the fanbase, then they are your free marketing crew.

I feel similarly. There's only been a handful of those movies I've enjoyed, and ironically it seems to always be the ones that didn't do as well

Amazon couldn't even figure out how to get people to watch anime on their service properly, and they had bought up some GREAT titles, so...I feel like they have a little ways to go in the "understanding what anime fans want" department.

llj wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:06 pm Confession--I don't really like most of the Marvel/DC movies. They're too machine-like and factory-manufactured for my liking. But, its success is that it pleases the fanbase, and the general public likes them, which is what counts.

Comic book superhero movies didn't take off until Hollywood understood what the fanbase wanted. Once you please the fanbase, then they are your free marketing crew.

The thing is these films are not made for comic book fans. They're made to appeal to a general audience to have explosions, action scenes, people punching one another, and something of a solid plot. They work well as action films that loosely adapt from main comics, which has helped boost the market. Anime hasn't had that strong foothold in the west despite it always being there, just more low-key. I'm hoping that a great live action adaptation will change that, which honestly something like a live action Robotech or Voltron film will bring in those numbers.

Im personally against a Robotech film because that just gives Harmony Gold/Big West more a reason to keep their partnership and still keep Macross out of the states for another century at this point. Id like to see a Robotech film but im not giving HG any cash. Maybe this is when piracy pays off to fight back against them, who knows...