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#6- The Dororo Movie
The 2007 movie makes a lot of changes to the original manga by Osamu Tezuka, most notably making the title character a woman. The story about a samurai who searching for 48 demons who stole 48 of his body parts translates to a fun flick, even if it can’t quite capture the sprawling original story. It’s often campy and ridiculous, though it’s hard to tell if that was intentional or not. It does at least have a more satisfying conclusion than the original manga, despite ending on a “to be continued” note and the leads have nice chemistry. (There are apparently sequels that get pretty bizarre, but I haven’t seen them). Overall, it it holds together as a fine popcorn movie.
Is it worth watching? Don’t expect anything too deep, but the movie is a decent time if you’re okay with silliness and B-Movie type bits.
#7- The Death Note Movies
The first movie based on the manga about a boy who finds a notebook that gives him the power to kill anyone whose name he writers in it came out in 2008. Death Note movies fall pretty squarely into “middling” as far as live action adaptations go. My reaction to seeing the first movie was a solid “eh” and I never felt particularly motivated to see the second one, though that one is reportedly better. It wasn’t a bad movie but it wasn’t particularly good either. The acting was okay, the cgi-ification of the floating monsters looked kind of silly and the plot changes and structure of the movie were pretty mediocre.
“Middling” describes the reaction of reviewers overall to the series- some love it, some hate it. There was no doubt it was pretty successful, earning a bunch a sequels. A fourth movie is on its way.
Is it worth watching? If you like Death Note, it’s probably worth checking out just to see how you like it.
#8- The 20th Century Boys movies
This film trilogy started with the 2008 film 20th Century Boys: The Beginning of the End. It adapted the story of a guy named Kenji and his friends, who have the stop a cult-leader named “Friend” and deal with the outbreak of a deadly virus. The trilogy received mixed critical reception, with some saying the cast and story are too convoluted-but they were undeniably a huge success, with most of the movies being number one at the Japanese box office. The way the series emulates the manga and looks very close to it is often praised and the original mangaka contributed to the script.
Is it worth watching? It may be confusing for newcomers, but is probably worth at least a look for fans of the source material.
#9- The Ouran High School Host Club TV Series and Movie
The popular manga Ouran High School Host Club about a crossdressing girl working for a club that entertains girls, got an 11-episode live action series and movie follow-up in in 2012. The live action did a great job capturing the humor and ridiculousness of the manga, even including anime-esque silly sound effects. While there were some missed opportunities, it overall really captured the spirit of the series.
Is it worth watching? It’s a lot of fun and stays true to the spirit of the story, so I’d recommend it.
#10- The Rurouni Kenshin Movie
This 2012 adaptation of the manga about a wandering former-samurai has been successful enough to earn some follow-up films. The films have received positive reviews overall and many have pointed to them as an example of a successful transition of manga to the big screen. The acting, fight scenes and recreation of the manga’s setting are all widely praised. While of course some parts of the original story are left unexplored, it’s overall very true to spirit of the original work.
Is it worth watching? Yes, it’s a solid adaptation and good movie.
#11- The Ace Attorney Movie
The 2012 Ace Attorney movie is a solid adaptation of the first game in the franchise. The director, Takashi Miike, did not tone down the ridiculous courtroom antics of the game at all and it’s both amazing and hilarious to see these characters bought to life on the big screen in all their spikey-haired glory. While some parts are a little weak (like the characterization of Mayoi/Maya, who is a lot more fun in the game), it’s an overall faithful adaptation.
Is it worth watching? This is a fun movie to watch, especially if you like the games to begin with.
#12- The Silver Spoon Movie
This adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga about a boy at a farming school falls short. It fails to capture the character driven story of the original and actually throws out the character arc of the lead altogether. The story is hollow as a result.
Is it worth watching? Nope, it’s better to read the manga or watch the anime.
