The Best Live-Action Anime Worth Seeing That You Can Not Miss

Anime fans have been attracted by its vibrant settings and captivating characters. As a result, live-action adaptations of anime have become a fascinating trend. However, not all live-action adaptations gain success on the big screen. This article will explore the best live-action anime that you can not miss. You can refer to this to choose the movie you want to watch next.

Top-Ranked Live-Action Anime

There is one thing for sure not all live-action adaptations of anime and manga were made equally. While some creative choices make you "Wow", others are disappointing. These are Top-Ranked Live-Action Anime that surely satisfy you.

Rurouni Kenshin Film Series (2012-2021): A Slashing Success

Adaptation Fidelity: This live-action anime movie keeps the main plot and characters, but has changed the pacing deliberately. Although the basic plot is the same, the action scenes are less intense.

Casting and Acting: Takeru Satoh portrays Kenshin's stoicism and inner conflict successfully. The supporting cast also performs well, which goes with the charm and spirit of the originals.

Visual Effects and Action Sequences: The fights are not as dynamic as the anime, but they are still acceptable.

Overall Pleasure: The film succeeds in conveying Rurouni Kenshin's spirit through breathtaking images and captivating narratives.

Memorable Moments: One of the highlights of the Kyoto arc is the Kenshin promises. Our main character swears not to commit murder again.

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Blade of the Immortal: A Tale of Revenge

Movie plot: This is one of the best live-action anime. The movie is about a samurai who has been cursed with immortality and a little girl. She asks for his help to revenge for her father's passing.

Casting and Acting: The cast in the film is highly appreciated for their acting, excellently expressing the state of each character.

Visual Effects and Action Sequences: Blade of the Immortal was elevated by the set design and faithful depictions of the anime's most colorful and monstrous warriors. Blade of the Immortal famously ended with Manji's grueling duel against 100 enemy soldiers. 

This makes Blade of the Immortal become not only one of the best live-action anime around but also a contemporary jidaigeki masterpiece.

Overall Pleasure: The live-action version of Blade of the Immortal was typical of "jidaigeki" movies. It captivates the viewers with more gory and violent scenes than the majority of its genre contemporaries and predecessors. The Blade of the Immortal is seen as a mesmerizing and immersive depiction of the Edo period.

Alita: Battle Angel: A Sci-Fi Spectacle

Movie plot: This sci-fi spectacle action film is about a cyborg named Alita in a post-apocalyptic future. She is awakened but does not have a memory. The movie tells about her journey to discover everything about herself.

Visual Effects and Action Sequences: Battle Angel was so captivating because of both a stunning adaptation and a technical marvel. Some of the greatest and most innovative special effects techniques ever seen were used in the film. 

Alita's visuals were as true to the manga as feasible with the support of renowned director James Cameron and a Hollywood budget.

Overall Pleasure: Although fans were doubtful about this live-action, then they praised it as one of the best live-action anime. Now, Alita is currently under development thanks to the special efforts of the excellent artists.

Related post: 15 Must-See Dark Fantasy Anime of All Time

Kingdom (2019): A Warrior’s Rise

Source Material: The movie is based on the well-known manga series Kingdom which was famous for the large-scale battles and political intrigue during China's Warring States period.

Adaptation Fidelity: The film retains the main themes of friendship, ambition, and battle while condensing the plot for runtime. This movie concentrates on both as well as delivering explosive live-action battles.

Acting and Casting: Kento Yamazaki captures the spirit of our main character - Shin. We also see the outstanding performance of other supporting characters.

Action scenes and visual effects: The movie lacks the animation's smoothness, which is one of the disappointing points in this film. However, it is still one of the best anime live-action because it is good at combining computer-generated imagery and real-world effects.

Overall Pleasure: The film succeeds in captivating both new and even the most inexperienced viewers. You can see how the universe is brought to life, which is so wonderful experience. 

Memorable Moments: Shin's bravery in the fight against a greater force is the most memorable moment.

The Gintama Movies: A Hilarious Adventure

Movie plot: As aliens attack and conquer feudal Tokyo, a young samurai looks for work anywhere he can.

Overall Pleasure: The movie is seen as one of the best live-action anime because of the excellent overall pleasure. Without losing its cartoon flair, the films brought Gintama's well-known characters to life. 

In addition, the humor and action were as lively and exuberant as in the original anime. Gintama is the unparalleled master of clever humor experimentation. It is the only comedy anime that might surpass viewers' expectations, even in a live-action version.

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The Nana Movies: A Heartfelt Journey

Movie plot: Two girls with the same name, "Nana," meet each other by coincidence. They build a relationship. Since then, many events have happened.

Acting and Casting: Mika Nakashima and Aoi Miyazaki portray the two Nanas greatly. Although the sequel to Nana was highly received, it wasn't as well praised as the original film.

Best Live-Action Anime Adaptations with High Ratings

It is not easy for a Live-action adaptation to have high ratings. However, there are some live-action anime movies that have gained an excellent rating and super views from fans. This is the list of Must-Watch Live-Action Adaptations with High Ratings.

Death Note (2006): A Dark Thriller

Adaptation Fidelity: The film retains the main ideas and the competition between Light and L. However, it tries to condense the plot to make it a single movie.

Casting and Acting: Kenichi Matsuyama plays L's idiosyncrasies with a distinct charm, while Tatsuya Fujiwara represents Light's genius and escalating conceit. Both give powerful performances that perfectly embody their roles.

Action scenes and visual effects: The film makes use of real-world effects to keep Death Note deaths as realistic as possible. 

Overall Pleasure: The film makes all viewers, even newbies, become excited about the tale of power and justice.

Memorable Moments: A highlight of this best live-action anime film is the first encounter between Light and L. This encounter will focus on the tension and intellectual conflict of our main characters.

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The Promised Neverland (2020): A Suspenseful Escape

Adaptation Fidelity: The movie goes with the main themes and overall plot. However, some details are left out to meet the short running time. The pacing seems quicker when compared to the manga or anime.

Casting and Acting: Rihito Itagaki (Norman), Jyo Kairi (Ray), and Minami Hamabe (Emma) succeed in portraying their characters.

Action Scenes & Visual Effects: Although the CGI is generally high-quality, certain scenes might not have much effect because of the low budget.

Ace Attorney (2012): A Courtroom Drama

Adaptation Fidelity: The plot remains the spirit of the original work, providing fans with an authentic and fulfilling experience.

Acting and Casting: The cast plays their roles effectively. Supporting performers are good at expressing their feelings and responses, too.

Overall Pleasure: No one can deny The Ace Attorney live-action version is one of the best live-action anime because of its entertaining experience. 

Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017): An Emotional Story

Adaptation Fidelity: The film adheres to the main ideas and plot of the book. However, it has a few slight adjustments.

Casting and Acting: Takumi Kitamura and Minami Hamabe effectively convey the heroine's energy.

Action Scenes and Visual Effects: The movie just focuses on emotional scenes.

Overall Pleasure: The film tells a touching and emotional tale of friendship and a meaningful life that no one can deny.

Memorable Moments: The film is quite good at showing the relationship between the main characters in quiet, poignant moments.

Your Lie in April (2016): A Touching Melody

Adaptation Fidelity: The film shows the touching parts of the novel and remains the main plot and characters. However several character backstories and secondary plots are shortened for the sake of cinematic pacing. 

Casting and Acting: Suzu Hirose and Kento Yamazaki give compelling performances. They successfully show off the characteristics and development of the characters through their music and interactions. 

Action scenes and visual effects: The film masterfully conveys the anime's musical performances in a live-action setting.

Overall Pleasure: Even for a newbie, the film provides an emotional and breathtaking experience. Many viewers agree that this is one of the best anime live-action they have ever watched.

Memorable Moments: The emotional duet performance is an outstanding moment in this movie.

Chihayafuru (2016): A Passionate Game

Adaptation fidelity: It preserves the anime's lively energy and coming-of-age narrative. However, certain small details are simplified.

Acting and casting: The acting and casting are superb. They give powerful performances that appeal to anime fans. The performance of the cast contributes to making it become one of the best live-action anime.

Action scenes and visual effects: Chihayafuru doesn't have a lot of action, but it is very good at capturing the emotional intensity of Karuta bouts.

Overall enjoyment: The film's themes of friendship, rivalry, and pursuing aspirations are captivating, even for first-time viewers. It is a satisfying adaption that will be appreciated by fans for its accuracy and powerful performances.

Highlights: Chihaya's first victory chant, which demonstrated her enthusiasm for the game.

Popular Live-Action Anime Adaptations

Popular live-action anime adaptations have made a significant impact worldwide, offering fans a new way to experience beloved stories and characters. Here are some outstanding popular live-action anime adaptations.

Speed Racer (2008): A Colorful Ride

Movie plot: This best live-action anime tells about a young driver Speed Racer. He hopes to win the racing championship with the support of his family and his advanced Mach 5 car.

Action scenes and visual effects: In addition to capturing the cartoonish energy and characters of the anime, Speed Racer used special effects to bring its vibrant images to life. 

Overall Pleasure: Fans become so excited about these effects because they are even better than anybody could have predicted. Indeed, Speed Racer is a good live-action anime.

Inuyashiki (2018): A Unique Hero's Journey

Adaptation Fidelity: The main tension between the protagonist Ichiro Inuyashiki and the original manga is captured in the Inuyashiki film. However, the movie streamlines them to make complicated scenes more action-packed.

Casting and Acting: Both Takeru Satoh and Noritake Kinashi give outstanding performances. However, some critics and fans felt that the cast's ages were not very suitable.

Action Scenes & Visual Effects: The film is excellent in capturing the manga's emotional impact and extreme violence. Though not all effects retain the same degree of realism, the combination of CGI and practical effects serves to make the action come to life.

Overall Pleasure: Although it simplifies intricate subplots and character backstories, the movie conveys the main ideas of Inuyashiki's themes of kindness vs cruelty for manga readers.

Tokyo Ghoul (2017): A Dark Fantasy

Adaptation Fidelity: Character arcs are changed and a lot of the first season's plot is trimmed down in the film. Fans who believed the emotional depth was missing were irritated by this.

Casting and Acting: Although the actors try to give strong portrayals, some don't think they captured the complexity of the anime characters.

Action scenes and visual effects: Computer-generated imagery effects for the ghoul transformations are not consistent.

Overall Pleasure: It's disappointing for anime fans because of the hurried plot and character alterations.

Highlights: While fans may find the battle scenes between Kaneki and Nishiki moving, they don't have the anime's intensity.

One Piece: A Pirate Adventure

Adaptation Fidelity: The manga's essence is sufficiently conveyed in this film.

Acting and Casting: All of the actors can portray the characters' wide range of emotions.

Action sequences and special effects: It feels more like its own universe than a parody of Oda's because of the numerous realistic flourishes used throughout. 

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Netflix's Alice in Borderland (2020): A Gripping Survival Game

Adaptation Fidelity: This is one of the best live-action anime. It captures the complex characters and tense atmosphere. However, it still remains the main plot of the original.

Casting and Acting: Kento Yamazaki portrays Arisu and Tao Tsuchiya portrays Usagi. Both of them are so impressive.

Visual Effects and Action Scenes: The action scenes are good to compete with the manga's dynamic animation.

Overall Pleasure: The series provides both an exciting experience for new viewers and a satisfying experience for enthusiasts.

Memorable Moments: The intense games, especially "Tag" and "Witch," evoke strong feelings and remain faithful to the manga's ruthless inventiveness.

The best live-action anime adaptations have a promising future! With further adaptations planned, there are countless opportunities for gripping narratives and avant-garde imagery. So, keep a lookout for new projects, and don't hesitate to revisit our list at Japan Figure for more recommendations as the genre continues to expand.