Anime Thread: all things anime....

[incognito]

I just wanted to continue the anime thread here cause it got tiresome going back and forth between the movie section and the lounge. As you were geeks.

I heard a long time ago that a hollywood studio (WB i think) bought the rights to dragon ball and all related story lines like DBZ and DBGT. Can anyone confirm this? Do you think it will be an abomination? Who should direct it, the Wachowski bros. maybe? It was the inspiration for the fight sequences in the Matrix.

Incognito

 

[Manji]

I was about to say this in the comics thread, I think the director of any anime (or comic book) inspired real life movie should be at the very least familiar with anime. The perfect choice is that he (or she) loves anime. That way the director would be less inclined to fuck with it.

For directors of anime in general (not nercessarily Dragonball) here's my choice:
Wachowksi might be a good choice. Dragonball might be a good one for them.
Kevin Smith is another one; he was a writer for Daredevil and I think he still writes for DC.
Ang Lee might be okay; he possess imagination and always adds a nice artistic/intellectual slant to his movies.
Sam Raimi has proven himself with Spiderman so I think he could do well with anime.
Quentin Tarantino has a perfect record when it comes to movies and I think he loves anime (he did have a little segment in Kill Bill Volume One). Tarantino would be great for something violent though at this moment I can't think of the anime that would be perfect for him.
Crying Freeman maybe? Fist of the Northstar?
I know that these two anime already have live action films out but I didn't see them. Anyone want to provide a review?

Manji

 

[incognito]

Quentin Tarantino would be perfect to direct a live version of wicked city. How bout a live action ninja scroll adaptation from Tarantino. Thats violent enough.
Oh yeah, the fist of the north star live movie sucked as it went straight to video and it was awful. I saw the first 10 min and i had to turn it off.
Incidentaly, Kevin Smith was hired to write the script for a superman movie but after meeting with a deranged producer (wanted to change the image of superman, he went on to do wild, wild west) and eventually had to quit as the producer was a nut.

Incognito



(wonders why there havent' been any females in this or any other geek thread?)

 

[Manji]

Yes, Ninja Scroll would be great for Quentin Tarantino.
Maybe we should start a letter writing campaign imploring Tarantio to do a live action anime.

Anyways, when was this with Kevin Smith and the Superman movie?
Is that when Nicholas Cage was supposed to be Superman? And the Superman suit was supposed to be translucent or neon or something stupid like that?

Did I mention that Joel Schumacer should be shot on the spot if he even mentions of doing another live action comic book movie?
(I still don't get the Neon Batman, what was up with dat?)

 

[Sinestro]

Dragon Ball was the inspiration for the fight sequences in the Matrix? Yeah...I can see that...
I too remember reading somewhere that Dragon Ball was going to be turned into a live-action flick; don't worry, incognito...you're not going insane. As choices for adaptation go, though, I have to wonder why they'd opt for DB. I'm not sure about the original series, but I seem to recall that in Dragon Ball Z, the characters would go around blowing up planets with alarming ease and frequency. A little over-the-top, if you ask me. On a semi-related note, have you heard that James Cameron's itching to adapt Battle Angel Alita to the big screen? Might be a better choice for the live-action treatment than DB, I think. What do I know, though? I'm a comic geek...
Manji...with the exception of Kevin Smith, your list of possible directors for a live-action anime adaptation is dead on. I'm yellow-flagging Smith because, up until now, he's only done talking-head comedies, romances, and dramas. Don't get me wrong: the guy's proven himself to be a dyed-in-the-wool geek worthy of our admiration, and he's got good writing chops. Even he's said, though, that he'd hesitate to sit in the director's chair on a fast-paced action flick. Last I heard, his plans for a Green Hornet adaptation were stalled in their tracks; cold feet, maybe.
Yes, Smith had been brought on board to write an early draft of the Superman script, and, had he been left to his own devices, I'm sure the resulting movie would've kicked some serious ass. Ahhh, Hollywood...how I hate you. Incognito nailed it: the producer was a total whack job. For the details on Smith's hillarious dealings with the studio, and some other misadventures, you should track down 'An Evening With Kevin Smith' on DVD. It's about four hours of Smith, edited together from several lectures he gave at some American universities not too long ago. It's like an extended stand-up routine; the man's not just a magnificent fanboy, he also knows how to work a crowd. Now if only he'd do that Brave and the Bold series he's been promising...

 

[Manji]

Man, I have a bad memory (probably smoking too much weed!)
But now that Sinestro mentions it I do remember hearing about James Cameron and Alita.

Sinestro, I have to agree with you on your comment about Kevin Smith. He hasn't done a big budget picture and he certainly hasn't done a movie on a comic book. I just assume that he would do a better job than most directors because of his love of comics and that he is a pretty good at making movies. Kevin Smith might as well be given the chance to make a comic book (or anime) movie over some schmuck director who doesn't give a fuck about fucking the character and the story up.

Brave and the Bold, what's that?
(Sorry Sinestro, I ask a lot of questions, I'm a curious motherfucker!!!!!)

Sorry about the profanity!!!!
Manji

 

[incognito]

Yes, Smith had been brought on board to write an early draft of the Superman script, and, had he been left to his own devices, I'm sure the resulting movie would've kicked some serious ass. Ahhh, Hollywood...how I hate you. Incognito nailed it: the producer was a total whack job. For the details on Smith's hillarious dealings with the studio, and some other misadventures, you should track down 'An Evening With Kevin Smith' on DVD. It's about four hours of Smith, edited together from several lectures he gave at some American universities not too long ago. It's like an extended stand-up routine; the man's not just a magnificent fanboy, he also knows how to work a crowd. Now if only he'd do that Brave and the Bold series he's been promising...

Yeah, i saw that on the movie network and it was hillarious. The producer didn't want superman to fly or somthin' and he wanted him to fight some giant spider (sheesh) wich ended up in wild wild west, just about the dumbest movie of all time. Will Smith should be kickin his own ass for missin out on the matrix. Then again, i can't see will smith as neo, can you?

 

[incognito]

I never heard that cameron was going to direct Alita. I hope he makes it as dark and dreary as he did on the terminator. That would be awsome. Possible actors to play Alita: Natalie Portman, Jessica Alba or some unknown actor? I'd go with the unknown.

 

[kwong_1978]

The Dragon Ball movie I heard rumbling about as well. I pray they do it right. Yep, the Matrix climatic fighting scene was very similiar to DBZ-It was quite obvious. Just curious to see who will play Gokuo-Very interesting in deed. Director? I have no clue.

Ninja Scroll, wow-QT would be the only logical choice to direct this movie. To do it right, it have to be r-rated tho...

Given the general popularity of "western" comic characters hitting the big screen, I suspect we'll eventually see some coming from the Far-East.

 

[Sinestro]

Maybe, kwong, but with our luck, the first thing we’ll get is a live-action Yu-Gi-Oh flick <shudder>…
Manji…the Brave and the Bold was a showcase book back in the early sixties that, if memory serves, featured the first appearances of the Silver Age Flash and the Justice League, among others. Eventually, it became a Batman/Green Arrow team-up book, the way that World’s Finest was the Batman/Superman team-up book. Eventually, Green Arrow was dropped in favour of pairing Batman off with a variety of DC’s best and brightest.
After Kevin Smith finished his superb 12-issue run on Green Arrow, he was making some noise about wanting to resurrect the Brave and the Bold, featuring Green Arrow and Batman. Unfortunately, he committed to doing a couple of projects for Marvel (Daredevil: The Target and Spider-man/Black Cat), which he never completed, most likely due to the fact that he was working on Jersey Girl. It doesn’t look likely that Smith is going to be returning to comics any time soon, and, if he does, he’ll probably have to attend to his obligations for Marvel before even considering anything else…
Would you look at that? I’m talking comics in the anime thread; that just won’t do. I’m heading on over to the comics thread to see what’s what…

 

[Manji]

By the way, any recommendations on any animation made elsewhere?

The new Spiderman isn't too bad.
And the new X-Men animated series is pretty good. Way better than the crappy first series that they had a few years back.

Was so disappointed when they cancelled Futurama. That series deserved to go longer. Bender, the best animated robot ever!!
I'm thinking that the Simpsons series should retire; some of the shows that they release these days are just awful. Either that, or they should cut back on the amount of shows and release shows that are up to the level of the older Simpson shows.

South Park has been really good. They sort of lost it in the middle but the last season or two has been really really funny.
The JLO episode comes to mind. The metrosexual episode was great!
Hope this season will be just as strong.

 

[Alucard]

I would like to see a kenshin made into a movie

 

[Sinestro]

Live-action or animated?
Manji...if we're talking about North American cartoons, then I'm going to cast my vote for Justice League and the Teen Titans (though the Titans cartoon does have a slightly anime vibe). The animation is vibrant and stylish, the stories are sophisticated but not inaccessible to children, and, best of all, they're both faithful to the source material. Take notes, Hollywood.
Going a little further back, here are some great cartoons of recent memory:

Batman: The Animated Series (season 1 now available on DVD)
Superman: The Animated Series (yeah, you could see that coming...)
Futurama (gonna have to agree, Manji: it's criminal that this funny-ass show didn't get more respect; it ran circles around the Simpsons, IMO...)
Transformers: Beast Wars/Beast Machines (you Transformers purists can jeer all you want, but these were good shows, dammit; great computer animation, nice story arcs, and the occaisional link to the original series thrown in for us old-timers)

As long as we're talking about great animation (of the non-Japanese variety), I should probably mention that I'm slowly working my way through Looney Tunes: The Golden Collection, a four-disc box set I got for Christmas featuring a ton of the old Warner Bros. shorts. I love this stuff, I really do. It's true what they say, you know: the classics never go out of style. When I finally find time to sit down and finish watching the remaining discs, maybe I'll post a review in the movie section...

 

[Manji]

Bravo Sinestro, Bravo!!

I must agree with you on the Justice League and Teen Titans. Both are well made animated shows! Agree with the anime vibe on Teen Titans even the opening theme song has got a Japanese feel to it! Justice League is a little bit inconsistent on story and even on art! But still better than a lot of the crap the North American animation industry is putting out.

The old Batman series was great. Especially the first season though I found the art inconsistent. Especially on some two parters, one part would have excellent animation and the second part would be half assed.

Ahhhh Transformers. Truly more than meets the eye. Loved GI Joe, especially the first two or three mini series that came out as a kid. Transformers wasn't too bad. Though I have to admit that if I saw both Transformers and GI Joe right now, I probably would not like it as much. (The same thing goes for the A-Team and Knightrider)

As for old animation, don't forget Thundercats. That was a classic.
Voltron was awesome though that was anime but I saw that here in North America.

Speaking of Looney Tunes, Tiny Tunes had some pretty good episodes (again, the shows were inconsistent in regards to art and writing).

There this show on called Cubix. Computer graphics, not too bad as well.

That's all I can think of for now...
Will get back to you...

 

[incognito]

Thunder cats WAS anime adapted for north american viewing. Heres an oldie, the gobots. This cartoon was older than the transformers if i'm not mistaked. Loved justice league and teen titans is ok and has a very anime feel to it. I agree. BTW, is the batman in JL older or younger than he was in the batman series?

 

[Manji]

I thought Thundercats might be anime or it could have been some Japanese influenced animation.

I would have to say that I prefer the current animated X-Men (is it still on) to the cureent Justice League.

Don't forget Samurai Jack.
Has some good sequences where it pays homage to samurai films, as well as Westerns, anime, etc....

Manji

 

[incognito]

I actually prefer the older x-men series because:
1. It has a better story arc.
2. The voice actors were great (especially wolverine)

I'll be the first to admit that the animation was really, realy, really bad but i still like it better than the new one. Although the new one has an interesting story arc, i just don't like the voice of logan. He's the same guy who does piccollo from DBZ.

Never got into samurai jack but my sister loves it and never misses an episode.

 

[Manji]

I think the shitty animation is what really turned me off from the original X-Men animated series. I couldn't watch a whole episode because the art was terrible.
As for the story in the New X-Men series, the latest story arc involving the introduction of Apocalypse was pretty damn good. Has anybody see anymore episodes with Apocalypse. The last episode I saw had Apocalypse released into the new world.

 

[kwong_1978]

Gee guys,

I know all of what you guys are talking about. I am a cartoon fan in general but because anime is not readily accessible, I still watch my fair share western cartoon.

Oh yea...Thunder Cats...very good americanize anime. Volton definately one of my favorite. Remember when they did a new series based on computer animation? Hated that. Original transformer-Yes I remember it fondly-I also dig the later computer animated version-Beast Machine. Samauri Jack isn't bad. Just never got into it tho. Futurama-Well I wouldn't say it's better than the Simpsons. I really enjoy The Family Guy tho. I am suprised no one mentioned the older Spiderman, I thought it was great. Now the one from the 70s, that was really bad.

One of my favorite bad guys is Apocalypse and tho I haven't seen it yet, I am happy he has shown up in the new X-men.

Damn! I can go on forever!

 

[Manji]

I know this is the anime thread but gonna throw this in anyways (the genres are sort of related).

Anybody see Zaitoichi the Blind Swordman.
I wanted to catch it at the Carlton but just was not able to schedule my time to catch the movie.
Just curious on what people thought. Some people have remarked that it was better than Kill Bill.
Also anybody know if it is out on DVD and where I can get it in Toronto?