Top 20 Anime You Didn't Realize Had Live Action Adaptations

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 20 Anime You Didn’t Realize Had Live Action Adaptations.

Intro:

“Devilman” (2004)

“School-Live!” (2019)

“Black Butler” (2014)

“Detroit Metal City” (2008)

For this list, we’re going over the flicks based on celebrated anime that you probably had no clue even existed. Hey, if it's popular, then it's free real estate, so sayeth Japanese film studios. Think we missed a cringey attempt at a live-action anime movie? Let us know in the comments!

It’s one of the most celebrated rom-com anime to date, so naturally someone thought it would translate well in front of the camera. Bless their hearts for trying, but the only actor who’s really selling this is the narrator…and that’s because it’s the same guy from the anime! While the movie tries to capture Kaguya and Miyuki’s funniest moments, it doesn’t so much come across as hilariously adorable as it does…kind of awkward. Like, Ishigami levels of awkward. Nobody wants to see sick Kaguya, real life edition!

Jeez, they didn’t wait around for this one, did they! The anime hasn’t even finished and Takamichy already has a live-action counterpart waiting in the wings! There’s an obvious amount of effort put in here, from the fight scenes to the wig game, not to mention the number of times Takamichy gets his ass beat, so at least they’re hitting the key check points. We won’t say its superior to the anime in any way, but we are impressed they got someone to pull off Mikey’s look so well!

Well…at least it’s better than Season Two? Yeah, there really isn’t much going for this one. On every conceivable level the animated version surpasses…whatever this is. The sets are painfully low-grade, the actors playing Emma, Ray and Norman can barely pass for kids, and you’ll also notice that Krone is…well, not very Krone. Don’t go into this one expecting to be thrilled to your core. As it stands the only thing scary about it is the thing that’s supposed to be Emma’s hair.

The anime equivalent proved to be one of the better mystery thrillers to come out over the past few years, with some visceral elements courtesy of deeply upsetting scenes revolving around child abuse and murder. Not exactly a light-hearted jaunt through anime’s funnier tropes. It’s live-action version for the most part acts as a pretty good abridgment of the show, with a few cut corners just to arrive at that stinger of an ending. If you’re not willing to spend five hours watching the series, then this would be a good enough replacement.

Maybe they should just get the message and leave Hiroya Oku’s work alone. The man knows how to bring together, violence, horror and sci-fi together in a way that can’t be replicated. At the very least, compared to their previous attempt at a live action Gantz film, Inuyashiki is an enjoyable romp. If only for how lovable its leading man is, even after he becomes a cyborg. The fact it also cuts off before that all important canon conclusion takes away what little agency it had.

The amount of times side characters get knocked off in this series is almost comical, which ends up actually being part of the reason the show had fans. After all, death by umbrella doesn’t scream hardcore horror. As for the live-action version, in some ways it's far more boring, while in others its actually funnier. With its low production quality, what you end up watching is a watered-down version of Final Destination. The creativity that goes into the kills is gone, but in exchange we get to see extremely poor special effects! Either way, don’t expect to be scared while watching this.

Remember how the anime barraged us with a succession of rapid-fire skits that were both endearingly crass? Turns out that doesn’t translate well to the big screen. They’ve certainly got an abundant amount of uncomfortable silence in-between all the gags, and with the rather bleak visuals, it’s more like we’re watching some kind of weird documentary about a group of teens going through mundane events with an extra slice of embarrassment! Harmless, but not likely to get too much of a chuckle out of you.

Sorry to say folks, Yuno Gasai isn’t here, so don’t go in expecting to see her slicing up people with axes or busting out that meme face of hers. This drama series actually considers itself an original story, separating itself from the source material. Sounds intriguing, what’s it about? Oh, a lazy high school student is entered into a battle royale after he finds that his phone can predict the future…and has a stalker whose first name is…Yuno. Okay, changing surnames doesn’t count as original! Not that you’ll care since the quality of this series is pretty dismal.

Erotic, harem romance with the offspring of gangsters; Nisekoi was a fun time, even if many agreed that the true best girl was left to the wayside! Oddly enough, given how over-dramatic these live action versions tend to be, this film sort of fits into Nisekoi’s mould, especially with how bonkers and out there they make Raku and Chitoge’s relationship. The main duo are giving it their all and manage to capture some of the couple’s explosive chemistry. You have to respect it for going out of its way to adapt the hot spring scene!

As far as anime comedies go, Saiki steals the show every time. The banter, colourful cast and unrelenting fourth wall breaks made it a gem to watch. And impossible to adapt into live action, which this film more than proved. The production value is terrible, with the cast looking like eager cosplayers who just walked into frame. When the only accurate thing about your film is replicating Nendo’s testicle shaped chin, then you’ve stepped in it. Clearly this was funded by Dark Reunion.

Man, this guy really wasn’t kidding, he’s such an epic educator that he’s had four live-action television series under his belt over the years. However, the one we’re focusing on for all the right reasons is the movie, which…kind of nails the character. Onizuka is a man who fluctuates between being a total badass, a lovable oaf to a creep desperate to score some nookie. The film at least tries to capture that, with varying degrees to success. There’s no shortage of live action Onizuka to indulge in, but you could do worse than starting off with this flick.

We give them full props for taking the time to at least attempt to cover the legendary source material across two films, even if it doesn’t come close to reaching the original’s benchmark. This mainly falls to how the special effects vary from passable to poor at the drop of a hat. Sure, we get to see Shinichi engage in a few tentacle battles here and there, but when the infamous opening scene of a woman getting her head devoured is reduced to MS Paint levels of quality…you can see why some looked at this film in an unfavourable light.

Ooh, right in the childhood. While at first glance this looks like a very poor season of Power Ranges (and it kind of is) it has so much sickly charm and an aim at a young female demographic that it’s hard to completely hate this show. Emphasis on completely. Its transformation sequences and sudden musical interludes may have you cringing, but it must be doing something right to get its initially decent ratings and record sales. Again, you’re probably much better off watching the anime before this. At least their cheesiness is fabulous.

While not exactly a breakthrough adaptation, these films are still worthy of praise. Following the gambling exploits of our constantly failing protagonist, both the initial flick and its sequel managed to translate the manga’s greatest moments, mainly due to the fact that creator Nobuyuki Fukumoto helped to craft the script. It may not have the stylised tension that made the show such a hit, but look at it this way! If not for the second Kaiji movie, we wouldn’t have gotten the second anime series. That alone warrants the movie’s existence!

Given how many timelines and cycles of death this franchise has put its cast through, there’s no reason not to think that both of these films are just part of its grand, bloody design. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, especially since they look like…this. Based on the Question and Answer Arcs, there’s a genuine attempt here to build up suspense, but this is far, far from standing at the pinnacle of Japanese horror. There’s only ever going to be one Rena and one cleaver!

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. They actually made a live-action Korosensei, and it looks just as ridiculous as you would have expected. You know what’s even more surprising? They made a pretty faithful adaptation. Given how out of this world the original series was, the movies manage to balance the crazy action, characters and premise rather well. There’s obviously a budget behind it, the slapstick humor goes a long way, and the longer you watch him the more CGI Korosensei starts to grow on you. Class E would be proud.

While the original gave us terrifying humanoid cockroaches and a buffet of gore, this attempt at a movie just comes off as an icky waste of time. The CGI roaches, terrible make-up effects and less than stellar fight scenes not only fail to impress but will also have you wondering why they didn’t take the money needed to create this monstrosity and give us another season of the anime. Pretty hard to invest in a sci-fi punch up when the aliens we’re meant to be terrified of look like they pulled themselves out of a backed-up toilet.

These films have no right to be as good as they are, and yet they completely nail the ridiculous narratives and atmosphere that the source material is hailed for. We mainly attribute this to the portrayal of Gintoki, who melds badassery and absurdity in equal measure! It shouldn’t be possible, and yet every time this Silver Soul wannabe opens his mouth or unleashes his sword, we’re fully convinced the original Gintoki just hopped dimensions and got cast in his own flick. If anything, that’s a more plausible explanation.

You all remember this anime, right? How it had a gripping story about bromance…while also being submerged in more fanservice, boobs, ecchiness and every kind of lewd content imaginable? Yeah, they made a live-action series about that. As you might expect, the proportions of the characters are substantially dialled back, though to their “credit” there’s plenty of chest and panty shots. We’d say kudos to them for sticking to the original works almost to the letter, but in doing so it actually comes across as even more perverted! We’re guessing that’s a win?

Ha! So you thought that Dragonball: Evolution was the biggest crime against the DB name? Well, it is, but this is a close second! Behold, the unofficial Taiwanese adaptation of the Dragon Ball movie Curse of the Blood Rubies. Not that you would be able to tell as the production quality is beyond the pale of bad. Made all the worse by the hysterically poor English dubbing. If you think you’re brave enough and just want to watch trash of the highest calibre, you can’t go wrong with what has to be Goku’s second most degrading outing. Oh wait, he’s not called Goku in the dub. He’s Monkey Boy. We aren’t joking.