Opening April 11th is the live-action adaptation of Kite, a very thought-provoking, sexually explicit, and violent anime movie released in 1999. Seems that the new movie is picking up some steam on it's way to the box office, and several manga-ka and one voice actress- Marina Inoue- have voiced some great praise and admiration towards the adaptation.
Above is a drawing by Suzuhito Yasuda (Durarara!!'s illustrator, Yozakura Quartet) who included the new American film version of Sawa alongside the original, reading: "Congratulations on the premiere!"
The creator of I"s and Video Girl Ai, Masakazu Katsura wrote, "Incredibly lovable, brutal and ephemeral."
Masamune Shirow of Ghost in the Shell fame had this to say about Kite making a good slate for future anime adaptations to learn from:
- A somewhat European air is carefully incorporated, and I had a favorable impression of it — I felt the love and respect for the original anime. The parts that followed the original anime and the elements unique to the live-action version were also flawlessly blended. It might be weird for me to say, since I like doing things the wrong way, but it feels like the right way to proceed from an original Japanese work.
Suzuhito Yasuda was happily impressed:
- Even though I understand movies are different from the original works, I'm always on my guard when I hear that works I like are being adapted to live-action. All the more for [Yasuomi] Umetsu works, since I love them. When I finished watching it, I liked the movie and liked the original work even more. I think it was a fortunate adaptation.
Marina Inoue (Yoko from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) said:
- It was fun seeing how a cute girl shining among Umetsu's unique action elements would look in live-action. I could accept Sawa's mismatched personality existing in such a degenerate worldview without a sense of mystery or incongruity. It was interesting to experience the adaptation of an original work through this movie.
Hiroya Oku (creator of Gantz) wrote: "I was more than a little nervous about an original Japanese anime being adapted as a Hollywood film, but I felt their staff's deep respect for the original work."
Looking forward to the release myself, so far what I've seen has been pretty nice, and very far from the usual air of disappointment that surrounds anime to live-action adaptations.
