Akira live action

By Highlander. 19/12/10, 02:12 pm

Cookie Monster wrote:: Bombing is so 1990's.
We shall poison their waterways from our jobs as desalination workers.... they'll never know.

Lovely jubley

By **Riven_**. 19/12/10, 02:57 pm

Hey guys. This conversation is veering off topic. Please keep discussion related to the Akira movie, or head over to the random subforum. Thanks.

By Le_Saboteur. 20/12/10, 10:17 am

People do change, actors mature. How are the actors meant to branch out into different things if people keep typecasting them as this-guy and not that-guy? We don't even know what Efron is capable of. The High School Musical thing started years ago now.

And just as a warning: good actors don't necessarily mean a film will be good. The Last Airbender had Shaun Toub (who is a pretty damn good actor) and Dev Patel (who is decent) and it turned out to be one of the worst things I've ever seen.

As for remakes and re-imaginings: they make money from fans and are a solid bet. Why wouldn't production companies fund it?

I'm looking forward to this. If they mess it up; so be it. It's likely it'll be enjoyable at the very least.

By Sonic Reducer. 20/12/10, 11:15 am

Thank you for some sanity

By Cookie Monster. 20/12/10, 01:29 pm

The point I was trying to make has been missed. Maybe I should've elaborated more, or used more examples.

I was trying to get across is more "traditionalist" point of view: It is (originally) a Japanese movie; the live action should be produced be a Japanese Film/Production Studio; they can use whatever actors they want.
This re-imaging is going "Americanised" - with Japanese->American cross-over, there could always be a lost in translation (as they are two different cultures), and the film atmosphere changes and loses "the x-factor" which made it special in the first place.

Even though it sounds like I might be against America, I'm not. I just feel that the cultural differences is what make these films unique in the first place.

By Sonic Reducer. 22/12/10, 10:27 am

But we can draw that line anywhere and it seems to be less about nationality than it is color. Do we complain about a New Zealander directing lord of the rings? Heck the studio was American and the author was English. Its totally lost that British charm.

I am against remakes myself 90% of the time. Usually because I don't see how they can improve on the original. However seeing as the original movie for more of a condensed version of the manga and the apparent idea for this is to tell alot of the story I must say I'm interested.

My problem is just everyone seems to be very protective of Japanese properties here.. and while I get that considering the nature of the forum its just still very odd to me that some push it to the limits of "the japs can do no wrong". I've seen plenty of movies they've done awful jobs of myself. Not to mention their own adaptations they do which doesn't seem to get any discredit here rather praise. I just like balance.

By Nikopol. 22/12/10, 12:34 pm

I hope this gets made as i still wish to see how they pull off the tetsuo drug trip happy hour, and the crazy tumor scenes. Since they are both kind of important to the story.

Also wanna see that bike.

By Highlander. 22/12/10, 04:20 pm

Hmm, troll thread worked it seems.

On topic I guess seeing as the source material is a Japanese manga it makes sense the Japanese would understand/respect/interpret it better. Thats not to say there are not people who could, like the Wachowski brothers. (Cause they are anime fan boys. They have worked with Japanese studios before.)

Thats not to say they can't come up with a Hollywood or if we are extremely lucky a real american drama interpretation. But you have to ask how well they do most Hollywood movies, let alone foreign adaptions? Not a good track record. Hopefully they will get a real good director and producer, not the b-list you would expect on an adaption like this. Ie, the studio actually sees it as a priority.

By Sonic Reducer. 23/12/10, 05:48 am

Troll thread or not I don't think any country is having a nice track record with films. Adapation or otherwise. I do think its fair to look at how America is just adapating anything and everything these days but not all of them have been awful and people who know me know i tend to tear most movies to shreads. I hated Scott Pilgrim for one example and everyone loves that. Sure its an American doing an American comic but are Japanese manga really that superior? Or are we just being elitist because we like something foreign?

**Guest** Guest

It's not America thats the problem, precisely. It's the Hollywood system of "It's cool, it'll make money, throw a third rate writer, second rate director and 4th rate actors at it because everyone will see this movie regardless of it's quality and lets make some money". And it keeps happening, coz it keeps working!!

By Sonic Reducer. 23/12/10, 07:22 am

I have seen that happen but the way people make it sound is like its every movie that does that. Where as I've actually seen it more on the other side. In recent years especially I've seen more good or atleast more critically acclaimed or more fan loved adaptations. Dark Knight of course, Scott Pilgirm (which apparently everyone but me loved) to name a few. I even enjoyed the Silent Hill movie (one of the few that did I guess so probably not a good example).

To me I just get annoyed at people creating a bad scenario out of something that doesn't even exist. To me my only problem actually is that Hollywood is largely producing either remakes or adaptations now rather than new property. There's a writing drought perhaps. And actually what bugs me most is most people aren't familiar with the source material or even familar that there is a source material. And then go on claiming they're fans of said material when likely they're not. Ah well. I'm just very bitter.

By Highlander. 30/12/10, 03:55 am

I think the elitist thing actually ties in with what sonic said last. I could also be said to be elitist beacuse I like the original B grade BSG. It has soul. It had no pretension. Sure the modern BSG adaption was better, if angsty and with invisible cylons. But at some point a lot of adaptions of older stuff are too slick. They do make it into something more apealing to modern audiences, because they don't gel with the plain bad production values and simplistic stories of the 80's. But I still think it really turned it into something totally different. Also they changed the history of the cylons too!

And that is mearly one example off my list. It's like you can say you are a fan, then so does everyone else, but they start talking about a completely different series, and have no interest in even seeing the origional. You know I am slighty obsessed if I start collecting the origional movie as well as the modern one, or the comic/manga and anime. I'm a fan, I like to compare.

I would say Sin City was one of the most orgional approaches to adaption out there. As they said lets make the movie like it was the comic. Not adapt the comic into a movie. (And thats probably the approach most of us would like to see with Aikra. But not the only good approach, and probably not such a commercially sucessful one. Better to make it like the matrix or inception, a slick action mind bending movie?)

Of course real batman fans have seem many reinventions of the bat, as have most other fans of DC/Marvel heros. The batman movies, well they vary. Dark Knight obviously stands out. So I think it depends on he team behind the movie more than the origional source material.

I do think we get precious about stuff we love. We also tend to like, or hate, the first one version we see. It colours our perception of the next one we see. But then I also think that if the movie adaption is good enough, even if it is very different, it will overcome that. But I tend to think Akira is not something hollywood understands, and they would need to get the right people. I fear it will be as Mel says, just a b grade money making exersize. There have always been
really good origional writers; and hacks who write TV or Movies to order for studios, who seem to have less invested in the outcome. Which invites endless rewrites. Whatever the writing situation I think that hollywood just realised that there was all this material that was being sucessfully adapted (money wise sucessfully) and they want to make these adaptions as fast as possible in while people are still interested.

Manga/Anime is a growing market in america, but largely unadapted so far. Maybe they are testing the waters. Akira is a logical first one, being a legendary movie to anime fans, one of the first anime ever to be released in theatres in America. And the whole anime being adapted thing could go three ways. 1) It could be all b grade trash hated by everyone, and turn people off anime adaptions. 2) Hated by anime fans, but have enough people pay to see that they will keep making them. (Enough people seem to go see any old movie for them to almost always make their money back. Problem is that ties up money, studios, staff that could be used to make good movies.) 3) A lovingly crafted movie by master craftsmen. Which may or may not be a success, but stands a better chance.

PS. Who is up for a petition to the production company to get the Wachowski brothers to produce and direct Akira?

PPS. Sorry about the spelling mistakes. I tend to type lots fast then check it. And this computer has no spell checker.

By Sonic Reducer. 30/12/10, 09:47 am

I agree to an extent. I'm one who prefers the original 99.99% of the time. whether it be comic, movie, manga, series (tv/cartoon or anime) video games or even music. I just enjoy that it was what it was meant to be.

But lets be fair... no lets be honest. Akira....the manga ...the anime movie are pretty much just joined by name. They're so vastly different and to me the movie is far worse. But no one brings it up because 1. its japanese so thats a sleight against god. 2. it was groundbreaking for its time and 3. its usually used to most people at the introduction to anime movie.

I've seen it time and time with manga to anime crossovers but we're more forgiving because we niavely think that because they're the same ethnicty that they care for it more. I'm not saying they're bad adaptations but I have seen some ghastly ones that again in the anime fan community its blasphemy to hate on it.

America isn't doing this awful job we pull it out to be. They've done some bad sure. DB sucked and movies like Hitman strayed far to far from the source material (though i still found the movie enjoyable) they arent perfect either. But as I said lately how many adaptations have been bad? ....yeah I cant think of any either. Everyone loved Watchmen, Scott Pilgrim (both which I hate with a passion) Dark Knight, Kickass and so on. But everytime where hear something being adapted we instantly think its gonna be like one of the bad ones (DB Evolution). Are we that ignorant or just that over protective? Sorry... Anime ain't ours to protect.

By Highlander. 31/12/10, 05:27 am

Yeah, anime is the property of the Japanese company that owns it. And whoever they license it to. And yeah I guess you are right things are getting better. I guess that adaptions are making enough money for studios to support them, and been enough good ones for good people to want to work on them. I guess we just have to wait and see if that translates to anime.

Honestly I don't think we will see it for a long time, if ever. These things have a habit of going through several sets of staff, a few companies, and dieing several times, and sometimes actually getting made. (Hence this being a troll thread!)

A really bad animation/anime from me will probably get a response of: Oh well that cartoon/animation wasn't so good. Meh. Lets find a better one. Both comics and particularly both manga and anime do have habit of reinventing themselves for movies/OVA's, new series, etc. That can be good, bad, or just different. I guess I would only get precious about one I had read/seen and thought was really good. Then I might get upset about a really bad animation.

And yes I imagine Akira manga would be much better, though I have never read it. I wonder if it is still online these days with the law suits and stuff, cause it is getting hard to find IRL. Add it to my growing list to read.

I did however find out the Wachowski brothers did a green screen adaption of speed racer. And it totally failed.

By Sonic Reducer. 31/12/10, 09:49 am

I don't honestly believe its a troll thread. maybe some trolls. but im not believing it.

By Highlander. 01/01/11, 07:45 am

As the origionator of this thread I neither confirm nor deny that this is a troll thread.
Or indeed that trolls even exist. Although Goblins most certainly do, just look at David Bowe.

By Mischa. 04/01/11, 12:53 am

I know when I was watching Akira my thoughts were "man this would be so much better without this ground breaking animation...hmmm and I think it suffers from not having a teen hottie leading man"

what. the. Christ. The only motivation for this movie is to make MONEY , like how they remade Psycho.

By Sonic Reducer. 04/01/11, 12:46 pm

Kinda figured thats why they made the animated film too.

I do guess since that this is an anime board in essence that we'd dislike live action anything so fair enough

By Mischa. 04/01/11, 11:03 pm

Because remakes of live action movies are so amazing!

House of Wax, Godzilla, The Pink Panther...

My objection is to remaking movies that are difficult to improve upon, ones that have dated well.

By Kitten Slave. 05/01/11, 12:30 am

Remakes are fine, as long as they do a decent job of the remake.
Nowdays its mostly just as much eyecandy as possible, flashy graphics, crappy acting and a rather sub par storyline.
Which looks good, but kinda loses the feel of the original where people actually had to act.
Throw in a bit of 3D, and people will lap it up = good $$.

stare

By Highlander. 05/01/11, 02:46 am

Exactly, which is why you need good screenwriters, producers, directors, and actors who all care about the product. Which often means the studio has to be very committed to it, and want to fund it well. Even a good director is fighting to make a good movie with either a bad script or bad acting.

And I agree they are just doing it to make money, and don't understand anime at all. But as Sonic says there have been good adaptions of comics by people who care about the product. So there is some hope.

By Sonic Reducer. 05/01/11, 03:04 am

I generally dislike remakes as well but as its from the manga.. it aint a remake.... and by that logic you'd be anti the first movie too. I actually can't think of a remake I like....hmmmm.

also i've been trying to figure out what there is to understand about anime... I get that most of us do the whole "ITS NOT A CARTOON" thing. But thats really give or take. its working under the assumption that all cartoons are for kids and its just a little loop hole to add maturity to liking it. I still like alot of cartoons. Disney movies still rock my socks. So meh. Anime is just another countries way of doing animated material. We aren't more highbrow for liking it. Well atleast I dont think I am. But then again I'm rather self deprecating

By Mischa. 05/01/11, 03:52 am

I don't consider making a movie from a book a remake.

By Sonic Reducer. 05/01/11, 04:34 am

Thus Akira is spared from the remake curse..HURRAH!

and while i'm being a jerk.. speaking of things that don't exist. Gods sure a Richard ain't he

By Mischa. 05/01/11, 06:06 am

Yogi. Bear.

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