One Piece is far from the only anime that has received a live-action adaptation, though the Straw Hats might be the most popular. With Hollywood taking notice of the Netflix series, it seems as though the floodgates have been opened when it comes to new takes on classic anime franchises. My Hero Academia, Naruto, One-Punch Man, and Samurai Champloo are just a few examples of future live-action adaptations in the works, but they won’t be alone. One surprising live-action anime adaptation is returning for a brand new nautical adventure that will expand on the lesser-known story.
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The Silent Service, for those who might not know, debuted as a manga in 1988 from creator Kaiji Kawaguchi. Running until 1996, the series would receive an anime adaptation in 1997, but the story has found its biggest success in the live-action world. Most recently, the series released a new live-action film in 2023, which was made available on Amazon Prime Video. The Silent Service landed as a feature-length film, with a television season, The Silent Service: The Battle of Arctic Ocean, arriving on Amazon as well. While the upcoming film has yet to reveal a release date and/or title, this wartime story has become an anime classic in recent years.
What is The Silent Service?
Takeo Osawa, who plays the protagonist in the recent live-action adaptation and is a producer on the film, discussed the series returning to the screen, “I’m so happy that we can finally announce it. The original story still has a long way to go, but we’ve decided to film up to the end of the original story, and filming has begun. It’s extremely difficult to adapt a long-running original story to the end. For the sequel, we’ll be filming overseas, and while Fukamachi and I have been rivals until now, the enemy will become much bigger, so we’ll have to become allies. As those familiar with the original story know, this is where the real action begins. We received good reviews for both the drama and the movie, but the sequel from here on will be something else entirely.”
For those who might not be familiar with The Silent Service, the manga’s story feels like it could take place in our world. Based on real-world events, like anime series such as Vinland Saga and Kingdom, the original premise sees a submarine created by Japan and the United States in unison following the Cold War. This vehicle of war houses nuclear material and could change the fate of the war, with the crew deciding to take control of the sub. With the soldiers deciding to take the submarine and deeming themselves a new nation, they hope that the nuclear vehicle will bring an era of peace by threatening nations in the process. Unfortunately, the original anime isn’t available to stream, but you can check out the recent live-action movie on Amazon.
What do you think of this live-action anime adaptation returning for a new adventure at sea? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of Prime Video & Dark Horse Comics -
Image Courtesy of MAPPA
