This is a trend that I am NOT liking one little bit. I was just checking up on my e-mail and read something disturbing. Cowboy Bebop is about to become the next victim of Hollywood’s anime to live-action attempts. WHY?! It does not make me feel good that FOX is doing it, or that Watanabe and Nobumoto are associate producers or that Keanu Reeves is slated to play Spike Spiegel. None of that makes me feel good at all.
I’m totally miffed and vexed by this trend of American companies making live-action movies out of everything. This is getting really ridiculous. I always thought of anime as an art form as such a form that told and presented a story in a way that it can’t really be reproduced physically; it can only be animated.. meticulous drawn out and painted, cel by cel. Obviously, Hollywood thinks differently and it is trying to cash-in on the popularity anime is enjoying over here in the States. I am really starting to miss the days when anime was an underground, cult phenom that everyone else [those who weren't into it] wasn’t interested in and wanted to have no part in. But not anymore. You know, I probably wouldn’t be so upset if Hollywood could get it right. We all saw how Speed Racer turned out… and Godzilla… and that certain Dead or Alive movie attempt…
I guess I’ll just have to get used to the fact that this is the current trend in Hollywood. They ran out of fresh ideas long ago; now they are running out of remakes so they have turned to anime and video games. Is there no originality anymore?
And before I get bashed, let me just mention that I am fully aware that in Japan, anime gets adapted into live-action movies and even musicals too. However, the Japanese have a greater understanding and appreciation of where that movie or musical is coming from and they put a lot of hard work and effort to reproduce the emotions and characters associated with a particular piece into that new live-action form. I have yet to see Hollywood pull it off. I’m also aware that here in the states, books and musicals get adapted into movies too. So long as the adaptation is true to the spirit, meaning and over all story of the original book and musical, it is fine. It is just interesting how things from overseas usually get lost in translation; I suppose that can’t be avoided.
We’ll just have to wait and see now with Dragonball Z coming out, the American version of DeathNote, now Cowboy Bebop, and possibly Castlevania and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Cowboy Bebop information found here .
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I’d like to know what everyone else thinks of this trend Hollywood is taking in producing live-action movies of some of the otaku world’s most beloved animes and video games. I suppose there are some who are excited about this trend, some who are scared, some who are outright angered and other who don’t care. What is your opinion?
