Netflix's foray into live-action adaptations of beloved anime and manga properties has yielded a mixed bag of results, leaving fans and critics alike with fluctuating expectations.
For every celebrated success like One Piece and the recent Parasyte: The Grey, the platform has also delivered adaptations such as Death Note (2017) and the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist film trilogy, which have faced significant criticism from the anime community.
This inconsistency underscores the inherent challenges in translating the unique visual language, narrative pacing, and thematic nuances of anime and manga into live-action formats.
The sentiment within the fanbase often oscillates between cautious optimism and outright apprehension whenever a new adaptation is announced, a direct consequence of the varying degrees of fidelity and artistic interpretation seen in past projects.
Addressing this disparity in quality, a prominent actor from one of Netflix's universally panned anime adaptations has recently shared their perspective on potential avenues for improvement.
Speaking to The Direct, Cowboy Bebop's Faye Valentine actress Daniella Pineda stated, "I feel like those animations, they mean so much to people, and they're so personal, and I think people really connect to when they watched it and the point of their lives."
"And so, I just feel like, and I'll say this, having been in one, I think that those studios, they need to do a better job at valuing that IP. It's really special. And people on 'Bebop,' they worked very, very hard, but it's just a special thing."
Diving into Pineda's comments a bit further, reports indicate that the live-action Cowboy Bebop series (2021) had a production budget of $6-$7 million, whereas the live-action One-Piece series (2023) is made for approximately $18 million per episode. And to put that in total perspective, the latter seasons of Stranger Things reportedly cost $30 million per episode.
Based on that trend, it seems that Netflix may have just learned its lesson, at least in terms of spending more money on its live-action anime adaptations.
That bodes well for some of the future live-action anime adaptations coming down the pipeline- the streamer has enlisted Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers to take another shot at Death Note and also has a live-action Pokemon series in development.
As Netflix continues to explore and invest in the booming anime genre, a greater emphasis on genuine collaboration, thematic understanding, visual respect, and character embodiment will likely be key to earning the trust and acclaim of the passionate anime and manga community.