Hollywood Only Has One Live-Action Anime Movie Worth Watching

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Hollywood has a long history of struggling to successfully adapt anime and manga into live-action films. While it makes sense to try – these franchises are already popular with dedicated fans and offer established characters people are eager to see brought to life – the results are often disappointing.

As a critic, I’ve noticed a frustrating pattern with adaptations. They either try too hard to appeal to a wider audience, fundamentally changing what made the original special – I’m thinking of missteps like Dragonball Evolution and Death Note – or they just don’t capture the heart of the source material, resulting in a shallow imitation, as we saw with Ghost in the Shell. It’s a tough balance to strike, and rarely gets done well.

Anime and manga are having more success on TV, with Netflix’s One Piece being praised as a great adaptation. Unfortunately, when it comes to live-action anime and manga movies made in Hollywood, only one is truly worth watching.

Alita: Battle Angel Is Hollywood’s Only Worthwhile Live-Action Anime & Manga Adaptation

20th Century Studios

Based on the manga series Gunnm (also known as Battle Angel Alita and with an existing anime), Alita: Battle Angel is a standout example of a successful Hollywood adaptation.

The film began with a deep respect for its source material. James Cameron is a big fan of Gunnm, and that passion drove him to create Alita: Battle Angel. Though Cameron only wrote and produced the movie, director Robert Rodriguez shared his enthusiasm for the world of Alita and has consistently campaigned for a follow-up.

Considering its futuristic, robotic characters and fast-paced plot, Alita: Battle Angel could have easily been a visually confusing disappointment, like the movie Dragonball Evolution. However, director Robert Rodriguez’s attention to detail, combined with James Cameron’s expertise in CGI and the incredible work of Weta Digital, resulted in a captivating and believable world with characters you genuinely care about. It successfully brings the popular manga series it’s based on to life, and the original manga author has publicly expressed his approval of the film adaptation (according to Crunchyroll).

Yukito Kishiro’s involvement likely contributed to how faithfully Alita: Battle Angel adapted his original manga. Though not a direct copy, the film captures everything that made the manga so good. James Cameron’s respect for the source material is clear, and it helped the movie avoid the common pitfall of simplifying a complex story for Western audiences.

While Alita: Battle Angel doesn’t fully conclude its story, its strengths are much greater than its weaknesses. Rodriguez and Cameron took the time to develop their characters and create a detailed world, rather than rushing to an ending.

Similar to Avatar, Alita: Battle Angel shines brightest with its impressive visuals and exciting action, rather than a deep story or complex characters. However, this works better for Alita than it did for Avatar. In many ways, Alita’s journey feels like that of John Wick – she’s propelled forward by incredible action and a well-developed world, more so than by lengthy explanations or a complicated plot.

While Alita: Battle Angel isn’t flawless, either as a film on its own or as an adaptation of the Gunnm manga, it’s definitely worth watching. It appeals to both newcomers and fans who have followed Alita’s story for years. The movie has gained a dedicated following since its 2019 release, even after mixed initial reviews, which proves how popular the character remains. In fact, Alita: Battle Angel might be the first time Hollywood has made an anime/manga adaptation that audiences immediately wanted a sequel to.

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2025-11-13 23:26