Anime is one of the most famous forms of animated media in the world. In addition to anime in its traditional form, there have been certain adaptations as well. These live actions have generally always disappointed the fans in some capacity. The live actions take away from the originality of the anime and it is unable to invoke the same emotions in the audience as its anime counterpart.
However, some live actions are amazing and are loved by the fans. Here are the top 10 anime-based live-action movies.
10) Kimi Ni Todoke
‘Kimi Ni Todoke’ is a very sweet and innocent romance anime. It follows the story of Sawako, a girl who is feared by her peers, but in reality, is very sweet, and Kazehaya, the most popular boy in the school. The live-action of this anime changed a couple of things, but fans didn’t mind then because the rest of the movie was simply amazing. Both the actors who played Sawako and Kazehaya were able to portray puppy love perfectly.
9) Lovely Complex
The anime follows the story of a very short boy and a very tall girl. ‘Lovely Complex’ is an anime that is not for everyone. Similar to that, live-action is not for everyone either. However, when it comes to anime-based live-action movies, it is one of the best. The actors were able to act out their parts perfectly. This makes it one of the best anime-based live-action movies.
8) Fullmetal Alchemist
The director of the live action, Fumihiko Sori, mentioned that he tried to stay as true to the source material as possible. That fact was visible in the movie as it didn’t deviate from the source material all that much. The special effects and graphics are also noteworthy in the live-action film.
7) Your Lie In April
‘Your Lie In April’ was enough to make the viewers sob in the animated form, however, the live-action managed to up that feat. The casting, scripting, and direction of the movie were done phenomenally and fans loved the live-action movie. This makes it one of the best anime-based live-action movies.
6) Blade Of The Immortal
Ironically, the live-action version of the anime got more popular than the actual anime. Fans loved the casting for the movie and it felt like the chosen actors were meant for the roles they played. In addition to that, the gore, blood, and fighting were perfectly adapted from the movie and it carried the original charm of the anime.
5) Gintama
For many fans, the live action of ‘Gintama’ was simply a disaster waiting to happen. However, the live-action turned out much better than anyone could have imagined. Fans were especially impressed at how the cast was able to live the characters they played and brought out the personality aspects of all the characters. This makes it one of the best anime-based live-action movies.
4) Assassination Classroom
‘Assassination Classroom’ is a wonderful shonen anime and the live-action managed to not sully the name of the anime. Fans enjoyed that the live-action managed to carry forward the weird yet funny quips and the very quirky sense of humor from its source material. Koro-sensei in particular was quite impressive for the fans.
3) Oldboy
‘Oldboy’ is a manga that follows the story of a man who is captured and tortured for over a decade for unknown reasons. Whilst the manga is dark and scary, the live-action manages to bring it up to a whole new level of pain and darkness. The movie was made in South Korea and whilst few things were changed, the live-action was simply amazing.
2) Inuyashiki
Both the manga and the film follow the same story. Two individuals, a young boy, and a depressed old man gain cybernetic powers. The young boy starts to abuse his powers and the old man has to step up as a hero. Whilst the manga has a lot of action and fighting, the live-action does not. The live-action focused more on the protagonist’s growth. This makes it one of the best anime-based live-action movies.
1) Rurouni Kenshin
This live-action can be called the perfect live-action adaptation in all its rights. The manga and live-action follow the same story. There are sequels to the live action, but the first part is simply amazing. Fans felt that the casting was perfect and Takeru Satoh played the role of Kenshin to near perfection. Whilst the film didn’t feature a lot of the humor from the manga, it was simply amazing.
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