Time and again, production companies have butchered beautifully crafted stories while trying to replicate popular anime series. A list of Worst Live Action Anime Adaptations is curated to help fellow anime and manga enthusiasts to save some time. From terrible action sequences to awful VFX, these movies will ironically make you laugh. Moreover, the decision to make drastic changes to the plotlines and completely disregard its significance is even more infuriating.
Without further ado, let us dive right into the list below.
Worst Live Action Anime Adaptations
Dragonball Evolution
This movie is probably one of the worst adaptations of one of the greatest shonen animes of all time. The original plot is butchered to the point of no recovery, and including the horrible virtual effects, you can only wish it was never made. Whoever thought removing the essential key points of the whole story would be a great idea was gravely mistaken. Moreover, a couple of white people with Japanese names only made it weirder.
Watch Dragonball Evolution Amazon Prime Video.
Cowboy Bebop
Another prime example of bad live-action is this recent one adapted from the critically acclaimed anime of the same name. Netflix certainly lives up to its name for producing shallow adaptations by adding this one to the list. It is far from anything close to the original in terms of plot and poor character development. Overly-used jokes and awful CGI tie it all together to make it one of the worst adaptations.
Watch Cowboy Bebop on Netflix.
Ghost in Shell
Starring Scarlett Johansson in the lead role of Japanese Major Motoko Kusanagi, the movie was highly criticized for whitewashing the characters. However, it tries to address the issue by making a plot change where her character was originally Japanese but was turned into a white woman when she was turned into a cyborg. The attempt failed miserably as it further added fire to the controversy. Needless to say, it was a poor adaptation and was not worth going through the trouble.
Watch Ghost in Shell on Sony Liv.
Parasyte
The awful attempt to recreate the iconic story remained fruitless. It is hard to look past the horrible CGI and VFX that adds absolutely nothing to the plot. There is no coming back after butchering the key elements of the story. Moreover, there were many significant changes made to the original manga source, which made it worse. The action sequences in the live-action were also very underwhelming and poorly choreographed.
Watch Parasyte on Vudu.
Black Butler
The manga series and anime are cherished among the viewers, and it rightfully enraged most fans when it was slaughtered insensitively. Major plot changes were made, which instead of adding depth to the script, only made it worse. Ciel Phantomhive became Ciel Genpo, a young girl instead of a young boy and turned Sebastian into an unlikeable character.
Watch Black Butler on Bilibili TV.
Also Read: 15 Best Apocalyptic Shows and Movies on Netflix: Don’t Look Up, Black Mirror and More
Attack on Titan
Turning an amazing anime which consists of not only a plot with depth but also breathtaking visuals into a horrible adaptation should be a crime. The Titans looked laughable, there was no character growth, and most importantly, the fight sequences were poorly executed. I would highly suggest everyone to watch the anime series instead.
Watch Attack on Titan on Vudu.
Kite
Released in 2014 and adapted from the 1998 OVA of the same name, this adaptation is equally bad and disturbing. The original one was heavily criticised for its overtly gory scenes and explicit segments involving underage characters. The plot follows Sawa, a young girl who becomes an assassin after her parents were murdered and poses as a sex worker to kill criminals.
Watch Kite on MX Player.
Death Note
This live-action adaptation enraged the fans due to its complete disrespect towards the original plot. It derailed completely from the main source and added awful plotlines that conveniently made it worse. It received a lot of criticism for the attempt and build the reputation for Netflix’s bad adaptations.
Watch Death Note on Netflix.
Fullmetal Alchemist
Netflix produced yet another live-action adaptation, and this time they chose one of the most highly rated and critically acclaimed anime series. A fair attempt was made to do justice to the legendary series; however, it could not deliver to its full extent. The anime watchers complained about the poor character development and cramped storytelling process.
Watch Fullmetal Alchemist on Netflix.
Speed Racer
Directed by the Wachowskis, this live adaptation has fairly adequate CGI for the audience to appreciate its visuals. It is adapted from the anime that was released in the late 60s, which for obvious reasons, is not at par with the recent visual effects. However, the plot is where the movie falters as it lacks the substance and storytelling required to create an impact.
Watch Speed Racer on Amazon Prime Video.
Do you agree with the list above? What are your favourite anime live action adaptations? Let us know in the comments below!