What are the best Hollywood movies that are inspired by Japanese anime and manga?
Movies in Hollywood based on anime and manga: You probably didn’t know that Japanese anime and manga had previously appeared in movies in Hollywood.
Therefore, in this article, you are going to learn the truth about a few excellent anime films or series that served as models for numerous outstanding Hollywood films, including Inception, Fast & Furious, and Matrix.
Despite the fact that no one wants to admit it, anime films ultimately demonstrate that you are not putting your love in the wrong place!
If Japanese anime and manga are your only favorite medium, check out this list to see how American directors have been influenced by them and how they have been able to remake good Hollywood blockbusters from Japanese culture.
The following is a list of the fifteen best anime-inspired Hollywood films:
Requiem for a Dream – Perfect Blue
Requiem for a Dream is the first movie on this list of the best Hollywood movies that were inspired by anime and manga. Everyone knows that this American movie used scenes from Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue anime movie. There was also a rumor that director Darren Aronofsky had bought the copyrights to make a remake of Perfect Blue, but he later said that the project was canceled for a number of reasons. Because of this, Daren also said that it was an honor that his movie
Transcendence – Serial Experiments Lain
Transcendence is one of the best anime-inspired Hollywood films because, as can be seen from the synopsis, it takes place in the same setting as the Serial Experiments Lain anime series.
Transcendence’s story is about the wife of the main character Will. To save her husband, she uploads his consciousness into a quantum computer. He starts making groundbreaking revelations and showing signs of dark and mysterious reasons. In Serial Experiments Lain, the main character’s life turns upside down when an email leads her to Wired, a VR world of communication networks similar to today’s internet. With the portals blurring between reality and cyberspace, Lain is dragged into supernatural and bizarre things where the concept of everything takes on new meanings.
Clash of the Titans – Saint Seiya
The director of The Clash of the Titans, Louis Leterrier, stated in an interview that he is in love with the anime and manga series Saint Seiya. As a tribute to the series, Louis said that the armor the Gods wear in his movie is based on the design of Saint Seiya’s character. The production team of the movie has even asked Masami Kurumada to collaborate on the banner designs.
Van Helsing – Vampire Hunter D
We can’t really say that Van Helsing is actually derived from the anime series Vampire Hunter D or Helsing Ultimate; however, if you look at the costumes that the main characters wear in both films, you will notice that they are so similar. The film’s team has never revealed anything related to getting inspired by that Japanese anime, but many fans have stated it in numerous reviews and comments. Everyone knows that Hollywood and anime creators have made a lot of movies about vampires.
Looper – Akira
Looper, one of the American Hollywood films that was influenced by Akira, is one of those films. One of the best similarities is the scene in the movie Looper with the child Cid that reminds us of Tetsuo’s powers. There are many American Hollywood films that use themes and styles from the Akira anime film.
The main character, Joe, is one of the loopers who will find himself to be the victim of his own actions. The director of Looper, Rian, stated that he was influenced by things from Terminator to Akira, and that he shot Scenes in Looper using Akira as an inspiration. The story takes place in a futuristic world where a gang sends their victims back in time to put them to death by the loopers.
Black Swan – Perfect Blue
Although Black Swan and Perfect Blue don’t exactly follow the same storyline, they share a troubled protagonist, and if you watch the shows, you’ll see a lot of similarities between the psychological thrillers.
In addition, that claim has already been categorically refuted by Aronofsky. Wait, why is it that in both films, the young, innocent protagonist has just moved on to a more demanding job, and after a while, they are chased by a “double,” who may or may not be the product of their imagination?
Pacific Rim – Gundam Wing
One of the most popular subgenres in the anime industry is mecha anime. The movie “Pacific Rim” is obviously based on a lot of mecha anime, like “Evangelion,” “Mazinger Z,” and “Gundam,” but Guillermo del Toro, who directed the movie, has made it clear that he loves the series “Gundam Wing,” so it’s likely that the movie will be based on or at least influenced by the Gundam anime series.
Snow White and The Huntsman – Princess Mononoke
While Snow White and the Huntsman and Princess Mononoke don’t really share much in common, there is one scene in both that will bring back memories of the anime film.
The fact that this particular forest scene resembles everything in Princess Mononoke makes the film more like Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke than Snow White.
The Matrix – Ghost In The Shell
Both the Japanese anime and the Hollywood films are amazing to watch, so go watch them and have some fun bro! The Wachowski directors didn’t hesitate to say how much they loved the Ghost in the Shell anime movie. They even said that they were really inspired by Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell franchise and that they sometimes think about getting permission to make a live-action version of GTS from the author.
Inception – Paprika
First and foremost, it is evident that the overall concepts of Inception were actually “inspired” by the Japanese anime Paprika, and even Christopher Nolan, the film’s director, acknowledged using Paprika as an inspiration. However, others assert that the plot also bears spooky similarities; I love Paprika even more, and I know the comparison is shocking, but both shows are definitely worth watching. This Hollywood film is absolutely one of the greatest movies of all time that was inspired by an anime project!
Fast & Furious – Redline
Madhouse produced the science fiction auto racing anime Redline, which tells the story of a daredevil driver (Takuya Kimura) trying to win a race that only happens once every five years and falling in love with a beautiful woman (Yû Aoi).
We are not entirely sure about that, but what matters most is that it is exciting to see these two shows. There are rumors that many scenes in Fast and Furious were adapted from redline anime. Fast and Furious is one of the best movies of all time, and it is an honor to be inspired by an anime series.
The Lion King – Kimba the White Lion
The Lion King, which was accused of intellectual theft by the animators of the animated Kimba the White Lion, is one of the best American Hollywood films that was inspired by anime. The animator, Tom Sito, denies the accusation and claims that he may have been unconsciously inspired by it. Seriously, who will believe you master Tom?
Also, Fred Ladd, executive producer of Kimba the White Lion, said when he saw The Lion King for the first time, “I said to my wife, ‘Don’t tell me that the father lion is going to appear in the clouds.’ And he did! I couldn’t believe it!” Look at the similarities between the two shows and decide for yourself.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire – Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water
The American Disney animated film “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” which came out on June 15, 2001, is very similar to the 1991 Japanese anime film “Nadia – The Secret of Blue Water,” which was made by studio Gainax.
Both Atlantis and Nadia reference Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and both feature character designs that are similar, so it is clear that the two films are similar. Both films also borrow pulp cliches from a hundred years ago.
As a result, it bears striking resemblance to the events depicted in Kimba and Lion King, which is why it is odd that the Atlantis crew denies having any knowledge of Nadia!!
Dark City – Akira
Next, the well-known 1998 American neo-noir science fiction film Dark City, directed by Alex Proyas, is one of the best anime-inspired Hollywood films. Proyas described the movie’s final battle as an “homage to Otomo’s Akira film.”
No one disputes that the original anime and manga project became iconic hits worldwide and that the climactic battle in the Dark City is an obvious nod to the final battle in Akira. Therefore, nothing beats originality! However, for many, it wasn’t just the final battle that is similar to the Japanese masterpiece Akira because Mr. Proyas used so many things from that popular anime movie.
Death Note – Death Note anime & manga series
Numerous announcements have already revealed that a Hollywood adaptation of the Death Note anime and manga series is planned as soon as possible.
It appears that Netflix bases this adaptation on the popularity of the series, without even considering that it may ruin the entire effort that the Japanese staff had put into creating such a masterpiece that cannot be forgotten. Now, we have this American adaptation that was produced by Netflix and has already come out. William Dafoe plays the role of Ryuk in the American adaptation, which came out in 2017 through Netflix.
Finally, all I can say is that this is one of the worst anime-inspired American Hollywood films ever, so we hope for a better version in the future because the Death Note series deserves more respect!
