Hollywood franchises such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and John Wick have been jumping on the anime trend, but producers at Japanese studio CoMix Wave Films have criticized attitudes towards the artform as demand continues to rise.
Anime first exploded in the West in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, when shows like One Piece, Naruto, and Dragon Ball Z became after-school staples. But this has reached new heights in recent years, with niche interest quickly moving into the mainstream.
For Hollywood, the genre has box office appeal. Star Wars: Visions, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and even a John Wick anime spin-off have all either dropped or are in the works.
But while studios race to cash in, some in the industry are pushing back, warning that anime shouldn’t just be seen as a cheap production shortcut. That includes Noritaka Kawaguchi and Mie Onishi, the CEO and advisor at Suzume studio CoMix Wave Films.
Anime is “not a genre”
In a conversation with Anime Corner, the topic of anime live-action adaptations was raised, to which Onishi pointed out, “Also, there are anime adaptations of Star Wars, Scott Pilgrim, and Lord of the Rings.”
Kawaguchi added, “There are a little too many works to check out. I have to watch Japanese anime and I also have to read Jump,” with both expressing their frustrations over how anime is being treated in the West.
“That’s right… That’s why it’s not a good idea to animate everything. Anime is just one method, not a genre,” said Onishi.
“In fact, what I hate these days is that when I talk to people in Hollywood, they ask me, ‘Can’t you make this as an anime?’”
“What lies behind this is something like, ‘It’s cheap if it’s an anime,’ which really pisses me off,” she added, to which Kawaguchi agreed, “It pisses me off!”
Onishi then imitated a Hollywood studio exec saying, “It would cost 20 billion yen to make a live-action movie, so can’t you make it an anime?” Kawaguchi chimed in, “Please tell them I said ‘It’s 30 billion yen for an anime!’”
Many anime fans have agreed in the comments, with one writing on Reddit, “Hollywood has sh*t takes on animation as a whole. They view it as only for kids; only for boys.
“If there’s any ‘adult animation’ it always has to be crude, ‘edgy’ comedy, which there’s nothing wrong with, I also enjoy those, but America is not really interested in animation as an art form.
“I think it would be a mistake for anime studios to do work for Hollywood. They’d be better off continuing to do what they have been doing, and maybe investing more in higher quality dub voice artists to then license to American distribution channels for a mainstream that won’t read subtitles.”
Another more bluntly said, “F**k Hollywood, Japan don’t give up,” while a third added, “Don’t give in.”
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