7 Anime Series Perfect for Live-Action Television

If anime fans know one thing, it is that finding quality live-action adaptations of their favorite shows is hard. Anime proves to be a difficult medium to translate onto the screen, big or small. In the 20 years, Hollywood has notably failed to translate beloved anime series such as Dragon Ball to the big screen – but the entertainment tides are shifting.

With the advent of streaming sites and indie films, there are more opportunities than ever for anime to find a niche home on television. Netflix, Hulu, or even Crunchyroll could put in the work to develop some truly spectacular live-action anime series, and here are seven series that ComicBook.com thinks would crossover well.

Orange

Orange is the most recent title on the list, but it is one of the year’s most loved anime series. The contemporary drama follows a student named Naho Takamiya after she receives letters from her future self. Naho’s older self wants to prevent a certain incident from happening, and that event involves a new student named Kakeru Naruse. Over the next year, the pair and their friends discover how their future selves are trying to influence the past and prevent a tragic death while doing so.

The Irregular At Magic High School

If mysticism is more your speed, then a live-action series based on The Irregular At Magic High School may snag your interest. The anime debuted in 2014 to critical acclaim, and it would be a go-to supernatural series for young adult audiences. The thrilling story follows siblings Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba in an alternate world where magic exists. Following the Third World War, magicians find themselves limited in numbers and used as commodities by their respective countries. Each nation governs their magicians via clans, and the siblings belong to one of Japan’s most powerful magical cults. When they enter a prestigious school to hone their gifts, the two discover just how powerful they are – and how dangerous their enemies have become.

Terror In Resonance

Fans of espionage thrillers will fall for Terror In Resonance. That is, if they can stomach its violence.

Created in 2014, the anime follows a group of three high school students who becoming unwittingly entangled. Lisa Mishima’s curiosity leads her to discover that two of her classmates, Nine and Twelve, are secretly terrorists known as Sphinx. She is forced to work with them after she discovers they were the duo behind a recent devastating attack in Tokyo, but Lisa eventually find their reasoning for the attacks is more sinister than she could imagine.

Psycho-Pass

When Psycho-Pass debuted, anime fans immediately began to wonder when a live-action adaptation of the show would be made. So far, no one has come forward to make a series for Psycho-Pass, but it is only a matter of time. The anime seems to be made for live-action.

If you are not familiar with the anime, then you should know it follows two characters, Shinya Kogami and Akane Tsunemori. The characters work with Unit One of the Public Safety Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Unit in Japan. Their world is one where a powerful psychometric system constantly analyzes citizens and rates how likely a person is to commit a violent crime. Kogami is one of these people, but he uses his latent aggression to help apprehend others like him who would hurt others with the help of Akane. But, when a seedy mastermind leads the people to revolt against their technological overlord, Unit One finds themselves facing an all-out war.

Steins;Gate

Time-traveling gurus would turn clocks forward if it meant they got to watch a live-action adaptation of Steins;Gate already. The beloved anime stands as one of the decade’s most progressive, and it would make one hell of a show on Netflix.

The story follows a mad scientist named Rintaro Okabe and his colleagues after they discover they’ve cracked the secret to time-travel. Well, mostly. The gang has learned how to send messages to the past, but their discovery soon threatens to place unwanted paradoxes all over their timelines. Their stress is only doubled when a secret organization called STERN begins hunting them for the their tech, and Okabe must use his time-traveling skills to make sure he never learns of it in the first place.

Durarara!!!

Fans of Mr. Robot or any tech-savvy series will certainly be charmed by Durarara!!! The anime is one of the older ones on the list, but its long-lasting reputation has solidified it as a go-to series for those who are unfamiliar with anime.

The series follows a young boy named Mikado Ryūgamine after he moves to a big city to attend school with an old friend. However, the boy soon discovers the city is plagued by scoundrels, crooks, and an unsavory gang called The Dollars. Before he knows it, Mikado becomes involved with a group of characters when they become embroiled in the city’s seedy underbelly – and they even meet a fabled, headless gangster named Black Rider who exclusively drives motorcycles.

5 Centimeter Per Second

If you want to watch a heart-wrenching love story, then 5 Centimeters Per Second will do the trick. The acclaimed anime miniseries took Japan by storm when it debuted, and it would be all the more angsty in live-action.

The series follows two star-crossed characters named Takaki Tōno and Akari Shinohara. The miniseries follows the couple in a slice-of-life format as they grow older, deal with hormones, fall in love, and then find themselves falling out of it as well. If done right, gorgeous series would could stand up to classic romantic dramas from Nicholas Sparks, so you may want to go ahead and stock up on tissues.