There’s no better time than now to be an anime fan. Not only is the formerly niche interest now becoming mainstream (as seen in its prevalence in streaming services), but Hollywood has a keen interest on the medium’s unique form of storytelling. Just recently, Alita: Battle Angel, Death Note, and Ghost in the Shell all got live-action adaptations, with more to come, such as Cowboy Bebop and a remake of Your Name. While the reception of each movie varies, the fact remains that Hollywood sees the potential in adapting anime and manga.
We’ve previously taken a look at some anime we’d be thrilled to see adapted into live-action movies, so we decided to follow that up with some more series that Hollywood needs to keep an eye on. Without further delay, here are 10 anime we want to see get a movie adaptation in the future.
Future Diary
Unconnected people are given a Future Diary, which allows them to see glimpses of the future. Using their insights into the future, the Diary Users duke it out in a battle of wits and survival to become the new god.
Future Diary has a unique premise that was wasted on unoriginal and questionable writing. Through a live-action remake, Future Diary could be both retold and done better. Also, this is the anime with Yuno, the notorious girlfriend who kills those she sees as romantic rivals. Seeing her in live-action would be interesting, to say the least.
Drifters
When some of history’s most famous fighters and tacticians die, they find themselves in a fantasy world split by a war between humans and creatures. From Joan of Arc to a World War II-era pilot and many more, Drifters indulges in that juvenile yet undeniably cool fantasy of making historical figures from different eras clash.
The manga and anime have been going in and out of hiatuses, leaving the story stranded for some time. A proper (and more finite) live-adaptation could potentially wrap the story up in a satisfying manner, while also introducing more historical figures into the mix.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
The generational saga of the Joestar bloodline is quite possibly the most popular anime to come out in recent memory, dominating the popular consciousness and inspiring lots of memes. From the Stands to the time-controlling vampire Dio Brando, there’s a lot in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure that would make for great blockbuster entertainment.
It should be noted that a live-action adaptation of Diamond is Unbreakable exists, but it took itself far too seriously and it barely made a dent. A new adaptation could fix the previous movie’s faults, while also bringing the brilliant absurdity of the source material to life.
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
The problem with bringing Mobile Suit Gundam to live-action isn’t the effects, but picking which series to base the adaptation on. Each Gundam series tackles war (and giant robots) differently, but Thunderbolt has to be the best example of achieving the franchise’s goals.
Set during the One Year War between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon, Thunderbolt is an unflinching look at futuristic warfare and the horrors associated with it. Live-action takes on sci-fi with such uncompromising vision are rare, which is something Thunderbolt could deliver. Also, it has giant robots.
The Promised Neverland
One of this year’s biggest surprises was The Promised Neverland, which chronicles some orphans’ desperate attempts to escape a dark fate in their idyllic home. To say any more would spoil what is arguably the manga and anime’s defining feature.
The Promised Neverland combines classic young adult narratives with dark fantasy, resulting in a unique mix of harrowing horror and compelling drama focused on children. Seeing this in live-action won’t just give the young adult genre an unconventional dark spin, but give audiences of all ages a thrilling ride.
Steins;Gate
Time travel stories are pretty common in the realm of sci-fi, but few are as grounded as Steins; Gate, which centers around the scientist Rintarou Okabe who accidentally turns his microwave oven into a working time machine.
As comedic as that sounds, things turn dark when messing with the time streams endangers those closest to him. This noticeably low-fi take on a concept as large as time travel won’t just be a new look at a familiar idea, but a surprisingly effective drama as well.
Durarara!!
Sagas set in the criminal underworld are a dime a dozen, but few attempt to shake up the formula. That’s where Durarara!! comes in. Set in Ikebukuro, Durarara!! pits multiple quirky gangs and shady personalities against one another in a sprawling battle for control of the city.
What makes Durarara!! more appealing (aside from the fact that there’s a motorcycle-riding Dullahan joining the chaos) is that the series is also a contemporary coming-of-age story. Most crime stories tend to be period pieces or bleak modern cautionary tales, so a live-action Durarara!! would a breath of fresh air.
School Rumble
At first glance, School Rumble looks just like any other light-hearted high school comedy. However, beneath the wholesome exterior lies a quirky series filled with anime parodies and some of the craziest characters to grace the school-life genre.
Primarily focused on troublesome student Harima and his hopeless crush on the air-headed Tenma, School Rumble takes the usual campus hijinks and ramps them up to 11. Seeing the hijnks that ensue in this series come to life would be fun. Also, the eventual jokes about being a live-action adaptation would be great.
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun
Admittedly, there’s nothing much to Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-Kun in terms of gimmicks. What it has going for it, though, is a fun and emotionally resonant ‘will they, won’t they’ romance story that’s played out by appropriately quirky characters you can’t help but root for.
Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-Kun is a straightforward romantic comedy centered on Sakura’s unrequited affections for the manga artist Nozaki. Given its grounded nature, it’ll be relatively easy to adapt this particular story to live-action. Besides, we can’t say no to some honest-to-goodness romance.
O Maidens In Your Savage Season
Coming of age stories that also explore the young protagonists’ awkward phases usually star boys, which can make the whole thing predictably and irritatingly juvenile. O Maidens In Your Savage Season fixes this not just by focusing on girls, but by combining the humor with some engaging character drama.
There’s always room for fiction that tackles growing pains in an honest yet humorously risqué way, and a live-action O Maidens In Your Savage Season can fulfill this demand.
