Hollywood anime/manga adaptation films have failed miserably at the box office for a long time. I examined the reasons why by conducting a survey. The goal was to find out how anime fans felt about some of the adaptations that Hollywood has created, and find solutions that may help in the future. I have assessed that direction, casting, marketing and poor use of source material tends to be the tipping point between success and failure.
Free! © Kyoto Animation
The films I highlight in this article are as follows: Fist of the North Star, Edge of Tomorrow, Speed Racer, and Dragon Ball: Evolution.
If you don't believe me about the massive failure of these films, just look at the revenue stats for each film according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, the level of success will show.
1. Horrible Marketing
A good marketing strategy is what helps grabs the attention of the audience. It is what makes them anticipate the release of a film. Edge of Tomorrow (adapted from the mangaAll You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka) suffered a poor fate due to a disorganized marketing campaign.
The trailer was released too close to the film’s release which did not give the film enough time to build momentum.
Then, there were problems with the title. First it was All You Need Is Kill, when it released in theaters, it was called Edge of Tomorrow. However, some theaters titled it “Live, Die, Repeat.” Now when you buy the DVD, “Live, Die, Repeat” is the final title. With all of this confusion, it’s easy to believe this confusion and lack of marketing may have been what killed fan interest.
I am not saying Edge of Live, Die, Repeat is a bad film, in fact it is very good. However, as a manga adaptation, it fails on every level.
2. Hollywood Says Screw The Source Material
"The story begins with Goku, who seeks out upon his adoptive grandfather, Grandpa Gohan's dying request to find the great Master Roshi and gather all seven Dragon Balls. Of which he has one, in order to prevent the evil Lord Piccolo from succeeding in his desire to use the Dragon Balls to take over the world. And Goku's quest is to obtain the mystical Dragonballs before Piccolo does"
Let me just say, I have seen some bad anime adaptations from Japan. What sets those films apart is the level of authenticity and how it relates to the source material. Dragonball: Evolution comes to mind when I think about how not to use the source material. When you hear the name Dragon Ball you think of Goku like this:
Not like this:
OK, fine, maybe the story of alien monkey boy coming to Earth wouldn't have necessarily worked as a live action story. I understand things like this are why these types of adaptations are so difficult to translate. Hollywood should accept the fact that many of these stories are not meant to be grounded in reality or adapted to live action. Respect for the source material can/will go a long way. Fans are so invested in some of these stories, it’s possible they see no point in viewing a movie that has nothing to do with the story they know and love.
3. CASTING
After Hollywood is done with screwing up the source material, and participating in a terrible marketing campaign, they move on to casting. Let's look at the live action film adaptation of Fist of the North Star. The casting here is oh, so wrong. Casting white actors and actresses makes these types of films lack authenticity. However, fans MIGHT be able to be overlook that if the actor is good and brings a unique dynamic to the role. Unfortunately, that has not happened.
The Fist of the North Star manga was written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. Here is a synopsis of the story:
Set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been destroyed by a nuclear war, the story centers around a warrior named Kenshiro, the successor of a deadly martial art style known as Hokuto Shinken, which gives him the ability to kill most adversaries from within through the use of the human body's secret vital points, often resulting in an exceptionally violent and gory death. Kenshiro dedicates his life to fighting against the various ravagers who threaten the lives of the weak and innocent, as well as rival martial artists, including his own "brothers" from the same clan.
This is Kenshiro in the manga and the animated film:
Here is Kenshiro from the Hollywood live action adaptation:
Ok, what happened? I can see that they tried very hard to make something happen here. Forget about the fact that this actor is white, but who the hell is this guy? Well since you probably don’t know, this actor is Gary Daniels. Let's be honest, if you don't know who the title actor is, would even a loyal fan still be eager to see it? Does Gary Daniels make you want to go out and buy this on DVD? NO! Jean Claude Van Damme, maybe, but not Gary Daniels. Not to discredit Daniels' body of work. He's an accomplished martial artist, but has never made it big in Hollywood because he can't act.
Look, if Hollywood insists on casting actors who are clearly not right for the role, it will end in failure. I understand white-washing is rampant, but my goodness; cast someone fans can be confident will carry the story and do it justice.
4. DIRECTION
The Speed Racer anime is a timeless classic. Tatsuo Yoshida created the wildly popular manga that quickly caught the gaze of the American audience. Once the show debuted on American television, it became every kid's dream to become Speed Racer. The television series itself is an early example of anime becoming a successful franchise in the United States, which helped spawn multiple spinoffs in both print and broadcast media. Fast forward to 2008, and this is what we get.....
This film has quite a cult following, but this is the perfect example of direction gone awry. The Wachowski were still riding high on The Matrix fame by the time Speed Racerreleased. They thought to capitalize off Speed Racer nostalgia, and fans were initially excited. The underlying plot is pretty simple. Young kid loves to race cars, is really good at it, and always runs into foes and defeats them. Sounds easy enough to recreate for the big screen. Unfortunately, the direction is the film's demise. Did they have to make this film look like a Saturday morning cartoon acid trip?
Hmm ... maybe that was the point, but it didn't translate well on screen. The film tried to be somewhat grounded in reality, but still pass itself off as slightly animated-ish? I'm still confused. Whatever it was, the film failed miserably. Directors have to be careful to not go over the top. I understand with anime that is sometimes hard to do, but Speed Racer was a fairly simple concept and story. How they messed this up, I don’t know. Also what a waste of talent! I love Emilie Hursch and I like the Wachoswkis' work.
As you can see, these films have truly suffered. I wonder if too many film failures can render an entire genre useless. Fans are in fear of their favorite anime series and characters getting bastardized by Hollywood, but all hope is not lost. There is a better way.
SOLUTIONS
Watamote © Square Enix
1. STOP WHITE-WASHING! That one is self-explanatory.
2. If directors stuck with source material, that would be great. I am not saying stick to it 100 percent, because I understand some changes are unavoidable, but a 360-degree overhaul isn't necessary either.
3. Get the authors and illustrators of the original manga or anime involved in some capacity, even as consultants. This could help lend a hand as far as authenticity. Knowing the author had something to do with the making of a film will possibly assure fans they will see what they expect to see.
4. Make marketing a team effort. Reach out to fans! Yes, anime watchers are a small population of movie goers, but could make a difference in terms of money-making potential. In addition, if the fans watch and enjoy the adaptation, word of mouth can accelerate ticket sales. This tactic has worked for so many films. I am sure it could work for these adaptations as well.
Film studios assume that these types of films need to appeal to a wider audience. This creates the need for completely changing the source material. This method does not seem like it’s working out well. What they have done is isolate a core fan base while simultaneously leaving the general audience bored and uninterested. That is where failure comes in.
Hollywood should know better and do better.
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