Okay, so it’s no secret that Hollywood has gotten a little yellow fever. With The Kung Fu Kid, Dragonball Z and Ninja Assassin to name a few of the latest new craze, it’s no wonder that L.A. has finally caught on and decided to take manga and anime (Japan’s comics and cartoons) and turn them into thrilling live-action flicks in the fast-paced style of, well, Hollywood.

Just a note for those who aren’t fans: Anime might be considered cartoons, but most of the anime to make it over to American shores (Sailor Moon, Pokémon) aren’t wholly representative of the media. Some of these films and shows are definitely not for children, so beware if you’re going to check them out!

10. Priest
Comes out May 13th 2011
Summary
To be honest, this should be higher on the list, but Priest is actually a manhwa from Korea, not a manga from Japan. Technically, it shouldn’t be included, but I just couldn’t resist!

Starring Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code), Cam Gigandet (Twilight), and Maggie Q (King of Fighters), this high-octane thriller will be about Ivan Isaacs (Bettany), a priest/vampire-hunter who wants to save his niece from getting totally brainwashed by a dark priest.

Unfortunately, fans of the series are already upset over changes to the characters and the storylines, and having read some of these alterations, I agree to some extent. It might seem like an overworked theme to some, but I think Isaacs’ own conflicts have a certain beautiful quality to them, which will be lost as he will stay human. I’ve sat through plenty of films that took away what made the original material really work, and as a fan, it’s always been disappointing.

That said, I’m still optimistic that this may be a good film, loyalty to the manhwa notwithstanding, since I have also seen some crazy adaptations that have worked.
Anticipating
Paul Bettany.
Dreading
Associating this film with the vampire bandwagon.
Check Out this trailer.

9. Supernatural
Comes out January 12th 2011 (Japan)
Summary
This one technically isn’t an import into US Soil– It’s an export! Yes: They are turning Supernatural into an anime! This year, Madhouse released Iron Man and Wolverine anime as well. Well, maybe they didn’t want to do anymore Marvel projects, but they seem to really be running the show on the west-to-east media conversion.

I’ll be honest. The TV show Supernatural isn’t my cup of tea. Trust me, I’d watch it just to look at Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki for an hour, but the premise kind of freaks me out. That said, maybe it’ll look less creepy animated (and Sam and Dean look pretty good in the promo shots!)

And I know what you’re thinking if you didn’t know this already, so let me just say that when I first heard of this, I was pretty shocked. Supernatural, an anime? This is a belated April Fool’s joke, right?

Right?

No? Well then, full steam ahead…

I do have one question though, that I hope gets answered soon: Will Jared and Jensen do the voicing for the dub? The fans can only hope.
Anticipating
Gorgeous art.
Dreading
Fan debates for if/when the anime digresses from its series.
Check Out a scene from the show.

8. Ghost in The Shell
Comes out TBA
Summary
Ghost in the Shell is an incredibly popular anime that you might have heard of, because it’s pretty much gotten an adaptation for just about everything: novel, manga, anime, and games. The only thing that’s missing is the Hollywood film, and well, we all know what happened there!

This series is about an android (and I really mean android) named Motoko, and her organization that chases after tech crimes. Think futuristic hackers, plus guns. It’s as much action as it is thriller with a lot of psychology, and hand-in-hand with a sexy female lead, it’s a wonder Hollywood hasn’t gotten its hands on Ghost in the Shell previous to this.

Although not much is known about what’s going on with the movie, we do know that Steven Spielberg will be directing. That said, I have high expectations for how this one’s going to turn out, and I’m excited to see where Spielberg takes it.
Anticipating
How they’re going to handle Motoko’s character.
Dreading
How they’re going to handle Motoko’s character.
Check Out a trailer for the second season.

7. Full Metal Panic
Comes out TBA
Summary
For those of you who don’t know, it seems there’s a sort of obsession with giant robots in animanga subculture, so if you’re wondering when they were going to show up on my list, the answer is at #7.

Full Metal Panic starts out pretty dark, and does carry this throughout the entire series, but it’s also a comedy. It’s about Sousuke Sagara, a young member of an independent group of people with robots who go rescue others and stop wars. Or at least, that’s what I got out of the explanation. He’s assigned to go bodyguard a high school girl (Chidori), against her knowledge, so he’s an undercover high school student.

Who thinks everything is a kidnapping attempt.

Hopefully this characterization will still be fresh two hours in, because in trying to marathon the series, I got pretty tired of this pretty fast. And I mean, it didn’t really make sense for Sousuke to 1. Notice a potential threat against Chidori and then 2. Watch them begin a conversation 3. Keep running as the principal stood where said original “kidnapper” was and then 4. Unable to stop, tackle the principal down an entire flight of stairs, all the while 5. Chidori, her friend, and the principal all don’t notice.

That aside, I see a huge teen market for this movie (setback: Zac Efron turned down the role of Sousuke) and if they focus on the awesome CGI Armslaves, they should bank pretty well at the box office.
Anticipating
Sousuke’s blowing up his locker.
Dreading
Chidori not having bright blue hair.
Check Out a trailer from the original series.

6. Akira
Comes out 2011
Summary
If you know anything about anime, you’ve probably heard about Akira. This 1989 classic is often referred to as one of, if not the best anime movies ever made. Since it has a huge fanbase of anime fans and nonfans alike, I think that at least, there will be a lot of buzz over it, and hopefully it’ll do pretty well.

It’s definitely chock-full of action and has a lot of Hollywood potential, though since it’s a futuristic world, I hope they keep the dark atmosphere and don’t pull a Speed Racer. While Racer was colorful and fun (and seeing Rain in a skirt, to me, is worth spending $10), it would definitely be a little more than totally and utterly bizarre and unnecessary.

That said, Akira was pretty out there by itself, so while I’m looking forward to seeing how the adaptation goes, I’m not actually sure I want to acquire that “What the hell did I just watch” feeling again.
Anticipating
Action scenes!
Dreading
Sitting in a theater for four hours.
Check Out a trailer from the original.

5. Ninja Scroll
Comes out TBA
Summary
Ninja Scroll is, first of all, probably the least kid-friendly of the anime on this list. And I know what you’re thinking, which is, didn’t I already put up a disclaimer and aren’t most of these super-violent? Well yeah, yes I did and yes they are. But most of them look G next to Ninja Scroll. In the movie alone (and I confess, I have not watched the series), there are borderline NC-17 sex scenes and bloodbaths that would make Quentin Tarantino proud. On that note, there’s also a snake with a very interesting home, but I won’t elaborate.

Okay, okay, aside from the rating, Ninja Scroll is a good film, if you’re into that sort of super-fantasized feudal Japan kind of thing. You’ll also enjoy it if you’re into really cheesy plots with semi-predictable twists and a Big Dumb Hero^TM. It’s really beautiful, with that old-school anime art style (which unfortunately includes old-school anime hair and old-school anime huge ugly villains).

Though I’m not sure what’s going on with the sequel (or how they’re even going to make one), that’s also something to look forward to– but back to Los Angeles.

My prediction is that Hollywood’s going to play up the romance in the trailers, since the love interest is pivotal to the plot and then it might enlarge the demographic, but be forewarned: This is not a date movie.
Anticipating
The audience’s reaction to what happens to Yurimaru. Also, Benisato’s entrance.
Dreading
Super-cheesy lines, but Alex Tse (Watchmen) is writing, so hopefully they won’t be so bad.
Check Out a trailer from the original.

4. Death Note
Comes out 2011
Summary
Death Note is probably the only series on here that I picked up before it got an anime, so while I enjoyed the series very much, I must say that I never thought in a million years it would have garnered this much popularity. I mean, try getting a friend into it! I bet somewhere along the line, you’ll have to tell him/her what it’s about, and summarize Death Note thusly: “It’s about a guy named Light who kills people by writing their names in a notebook.” Um, sounds great…

Since Death Note already has three live-action films, it should be easy for Hollywood to remake. If nothing else, I will go see it for Light’s Swimming Lessons. Those who don’t know what I’m talking about – google it, but beware of spoilers, especially since it’s not funny if you don’t know the context.

And yes, for those wondering (it’s a bit of an internet meme), Zac Efron has been approached about this movie. In fact, I even think he might want to do it, which I think fans are happy about, especially after he turned down the role of Sousuke from Full Metal Panic (see: above).
Anticipating
Laughing at Light’s melodramatic faces when I’m supposed to be taking him seriously (not that I don’t do this already).
Dreading
Probably whatever is going to happen to the following characters: Misa, Mello, Near.
Check Out a trailer from the second (Japanese) live-action film.

3. Bleach
Comes out TBA
Summary
I want to start off by saying Bleach is my favorite manga, so I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible but I can’t make any promises. Quite frankly, I thought this was a joke when it was announced since it was early after the whole Nick Simmons controversy. Apparently that’s something that helped spur WB’s decision to discuss making a movie out of Bleach.

This could prove problematic on a grand scale of reasons. First, Bleach is long. And okay, yes, the Soul Society arc would make for a great movie with a cliffhanger that I won’t talk about. But the second movie would be…? Incomplete, at best. There are three animated Bleach movies, but they’re definitely tailored to Bleach fans; I’m not sure they’d make sense to people who have never heard of Bleach.

Lots of characters would need to be cut, and yeah, no one really needs to see Lieutenant Sasakibe (you get a gold star if you even remember who he is), but what about some of the fan-favorite minor characters like Chad, and the eleventh division?

Overall, of course, I do love Bleach. for a reason, which is that it’s highly entertaining and fun. So yes, with all the right touches, I think it could be great, because it’s Bleach. Ideally, the movie would have awesome special effects, as well as lovable characters, and hopefully, a cohesive plot that will take less than ten years to complete.
Anticipating
Not going to lie, the thing I’m most anticipating is Renji.
Dreading
If this does well, possible discussions for Naruto and One Piece movies.
Check Out a trailer from the first animated film.

2. Cowboy Bebop
Comes out On Hold
Summary
It’s hard for me to find an anime fan who has both watched Cowboy Bebop and does not like Cowboy Bebop. This title is just one of those classics that most people would agree, is, if not amazing, at least pretty good for a sit through. Something else a lot of people agree on: It’s a good starter anime, for those who aren’t really into the genre. To all extents, I agree.

Though it’s said to be put on hold because of a rewrite, I’m still looking forward to when they continue with this project, because everything would be absolutely gorgeous. Think about it– they’d have to create a living, breathing future world on Mars and Ganymede, at the least. Not to mention, they’ll have to redesign Earth.

Keanu Reeves is cast as Spike, the main character, and as it turns out, he was reported to be totally stoked! Though Reeves would definitely not have been my first choice for Spike, I still totally wanted to see it happen. And as long as they got a beautiful ass-kicking actress to portray Faye (can I get Grace Park on the line?) then I guess I won’t be complaining.

Cowboy Bebop, in my humble opinion, does what few other anime do: it mixes short and long storylines, and make them all poignant in a way that lets each episode stand out but also brings them all together. That said, any given episode would make a decent film, so this probably has the greatest potential to be a big blockbuster hit.
Anticipating
The Bebop, and the soundtrack.
Dreading
Possibly getting some of my personal favorite storylines cut for Vicious and Julia.
Check Out a scene from the animated film.

1. Evangelion
Comes out 2012
Summary
Evangelion holds a special place in my heart as my first serious anime, but that’s not the reason it’s number one. Evangelion is a memorable roller coaster ride that opens up a lot of questions about humanity to the viewer. Set in rebuilt post-apocalyptical Tokyo, it’s about a boy who was born to pilot a giant robot (see, here we are again with giant robots!) to save the world from a possible second 2012. Did I mention the protagonist is fourteen?

As much as it’s an action flick centered on battling these enemies that threaten the well-being of Earth as a whole, it’s also a total trip into the human psyche, following characters who have dealt with loss and how they cope with living. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this movie is incredibly heavy and super-dramatic, so don’t go see it if you’d prefer a feel-good movie.

Evangelion is a very beloved series in animanga culture, and its movies have gotten a 2009-reboot. Though they’re basically the same, the Rebuild movies give it a modern boost without changing what made Evangelion lovable in the first place, so as soon as this live-action finally gets off the ground, I know I will be following news of it closely to see that it (hopefully) takes the route of Rebuild.
Anticipating
(Hopefully) a bunch of unknown actors and actresses jumpstarting their careers, since half the characters in Evangelion are 14.
Dreading
Having to explain the ending to my mother.
Check Out a trailer for Rebuild.

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