When it comes to anime, the West is doing its best to catch up. While streaming services has come a long way with such content, Hollywood has lagged in successfully adapting anime for the big screen. It’s only recently that titles like Detective Pikachu have done right by the medium, but executives are not giving up.
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After all, one executive hit up the industry this last week to talk live-action anime, and Dallas Middaugh has ambition hopes for the genre.
Recently, the Project Anime and Crunchyroll executive took to Los Angeles for a professional conference where journalist Deb Aoki attended. It was there Middaugh talked about how Hollywood’s growing interest in anime came about.
To start, Middaugh said the shift occurred when anime and manga began growing more popular worldwide. Not only that but the population decline in Japan prompted studios abroad to find a new audience, and Western fans were ripe for the picking. And third, the interest of Hollywood studios acts as a feedback loop which is something Hollywood saw hit the comic book industry back in 2008 with a certain Marvel sueprhero.
“This happened with Star Wars – it told Hollywood that there was a hunger for sci-fi stories. It happened with Iron Man too. This led to more superhero movies,” Middaugh explained.
Of course, fans can see this interest reflected. This year saw the release of Alita: Battle Angel as well as Detective Pikachu. Their mostly positive reception spurred other projects like Cowboy Bebop to be licensed for live-action, and these upcoming titles are drawing in big talent.
“The results are mixed, but the interest is there, and there’s hope for more good adaptations in the future,” Middaugh said.
“It will be done right eventually, and success will breed imitation…. There are risks here, but optimism is a choice.”
While fans have yet to get an absolute knockout anime adaptation, Middaugh is right about one thing; The industry will keep taking a swing at the medium until it gets it right. Comic books have come to rule the box office even in slump years, and manga is a natural extension of the medium. With millions of built-in fans, manga provides new franchise opportunities to Hollywood studios, but there will be risks involved. In the same way Iron Man went on a limb to do Tony Stark justice, the same will have to happen for that special anime adaptation which changes the game for adaptations forever.
So, what do you make of this ambition comparison? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
