and these pricks at hollywood never learn
This topic has been a long time coming. But unfortunately life happenings and procrastination hindered me from delivering this musing. But damn did I have excellent inspiration that drove this piece. It came from both a wonderful anime called “Komi can’t communicate” and the demise of the Live Action Cowboy Bebop series that heavily inspired this discussion.: Live Action will never adapt anime’s soul. It can never replicate its energy. It can never capture its spirit. It can never truly express its heart. And a picture on Twitter was the final nail in the coffin to tackle this. A pictorial response to a tone deaf comment at the Oscars was given introducing the award to best animated film:
It really shouldn’t trigger me so. It really shouldn’t. However, I have long been tired of this gross misconception that animated cinema is only for children and I argue that animation has a respectable contribution available to cinema. I greatly appreciate what it brings to the world cinema and what is for one reason or another, is gravely, is foolishly, is mistakenly underestimated: it can invoke tears, it can invoke anger, and it can invoke happiness. And what is ironic is that animation can mimic traditional acting with excellent art, voice overs, animation, and writing. But traditional acting is having the most tumultuous time properly and effectively capturing the anime, animation, and cartoons essence. Riddle me that Oscars.
I’ll keep this rant recent. In 2019 – 2020, there were a deluge of abhorrent Disney Live actions of classic Disney movies. The Disney beloved Classics Aladdin, The Lion King, and Mulan. And my lord were they all so very tasteless, so very soulless, so very wrong. The moments I remember as a kid, painted with lush color and animated with so much love and vibrancy, were bastardized by emulation through flesh and lackluster CGI effects. It can’t be helped because the body and effects can only do so much. But damn did they violate Aladdin. The classic Bazaar musical number just lacked a beautiful assorted palette of absolute richness. The Cave of Wonders was a motionless Panther head instead of a animated showcase of something mystical, mysterious, and wondrous.
You can just see how soulless it looks; just so… so very boring in comparison. It lacks so much of the personality born from exquisite animation. This was the running theme for all the live adaptations, with most egregious being The Lion King. Christ, was it an abomination. I cannot for the life of me, digging as deep and far as I could, fathom why that movie was green lit at all. There is no way the board could not for-see the absolute dumpster fire that movie would become. Goes to show that cinema adapting the most animated, most over the top, most unrealistic material are doomed to fail. Unless your CGI is so top notch, that it can carry a mediocre human element. This was the case with Alita Battle Angel. The contrast of human MC and CG Alita and CGI was utterly off putting. As was much of the cast. The movie’s best parts were the CG fight scenes. The fight scenes greatly outclasses the original production
Then I couldn’t even bothered to watch Ghosts in the Shell, because I just couldn’t bear to watch one of my all time favorite Cyberpunk anime butchered by a poor adaptation. Similarly, I couldn’t finish the Cowboy Bebop series no matter how I tried. The fight scenes look so terrible because they were as stiff as wooden planks. My rage at how they utterly butchered my boy, how they massacred the presentation of Spike’s Jeet Kune Do. Absolutely slaughtered it. Just look at the difference and compare: How much personality oozed from the choreography, just how smooth the animation showcases how tall the order was to adapt the anime responsibly and faithfully. This was failed miserably and expectedly. So much of its swagger, fluidity, and personality is lost watching John Cho attempt to adapt scenes, choreography, and the flourishes of Spike. And it wasn’t just the action. I feel like the dialogue was an awful joke, and that they told far too much at times. Cowboy Bebop is more mysterious, and often told just enough that the audience pieces it together. Not only that, but the liberties for new plot points were just poor comedy in my opinion.
Animation expresses the personality and heart of the character, anime, and animator. It is a flex of their talent and love for the production. Which brings us to my muse for this article, and my choice of best animation of 2021. Komi Can’t Communicate was incredibly special animation wise because not only is it superb. It is the primary way the main heroine, Komi, expresses herself; through exaggerated motions and flair, through her and her classmates’ reactions. Komi’s personality is heavily expressed through tremendous usage of emotive animations and effects. I dreaded what would lost if a Live Action is attempted for this anime. So much of Komi isn’t communicated through words, but through the animators’ love. And it feels so good to have this article out today, because season 2 recently started.
But unfortunately its being tried…
Just genius is the anime… just blah is the adaptation…
At least it is far better than the Netflix adaptations thus far. Those are just… nightmare fuel
I have so much to say about this subject, but this would turn this topic into an even greater rage and rant blog than it already is. I had to get this out this week because man did the Oscars irritate me. And plus, its nice to ponder on more than just the slap. I appreciate and respect the hard-work and craft of traditional acting. But I am not a fan of the continued close-mindedness that is shown towards animation and its potential. We already had to struggle with game stories and directing being embraced as a capable and flexible artform. How long before animation receives similar acknowledgment and reception? Chime ya thoughts below:
Do you vibe with similar thoughts? Or do you have similar reservations as the Oscars?.
live action kenshin was good
Should have included adaptations that are based on more “grounded” anime. But the adaptation still couldn’t showcase Kenshinn’s speed accurately