Is it easier to make movies about comics rather than Manga?

The Overlord

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Since speed racer and iron man have come out around the same time and according to the tomato rater, Iron Man is far better, this leaves me with one question:

Is it easier to make movies about comics rather than Manga? I think so and there some factors why:

1) Comics are based on American themes, Manga is based on Japanese themes and Japaneses themes may not strike a cord with the American general audience, there is a whole translation issue that doesn't exist with adapting comics

2) Casting, most comic book characters are American and look like normal people, so casting is easy. Most manga characters are Japaneses, but they look nothing like Japanese people, so casting is hard, do you cast white super stars and give them Japanese names or do you cast Asian actors, considering there aren't a lot of Asian super stars in Hollywood.

3) Budget: Many popular American comics are more down to earth than the normally more fantasy based manga, which makes them easier to put on screen. Consider Iron Man and Gundam, Iron Man has one or two guys in humanoid armor, vs. Gundam which features several giant mechs, which one do think costs less to bring to the screen.

Now its not impossible to maker a good movie out of a manga, but is way harder and if the upcoming dragon ball movie is any indication, the results can very bad.
 
What about animated movies based on mangas?

Also, they are making a Robotech movie, would that count since it's an americanized compilation of a couple series?
 
What about animated movies based on mangas?

Also, they are making a Robotech movie, would that count since it's an americanized compilation of a couple series?

Considering many anime series already have movies in Japan, isn't that kind of redundant?

Besides its rare that an American animated movie would be aimed at adults and not be a comedy. America has a different outlook on animation then Japan.
 
Considering many anime series already have movies in Japan, isn't that kind of redundant?

Besides its rare that an American animated movie would be aimed at adults and not be a comedy. America has a different outlook on animation then Japan.

I thought you meant which type of movie had a better cost/return ratio.
 
Americans making American movies based on American comics are going to work a lot better than Americans making American movies based on Japanese manga.
 
Oh Christ, now you've gone and given Ourchair a reason to over-analyze this question, and post a hugely, overly-informative response.


*sigh*


If only Ourchair had been around for me when I was younger with the answers about women in general.
 
Oh Christ, now you've gone and given Ourchair a reason to over-analyze this question, and post a hugely, overly-informative response.


*sigh*


If only Ourchair had been around for me when I was younger with the answers about women in general.

The younger you were, the more relevant his answer would be
 
Well, it's no different, there are live action adaptations of manga already made, here and abroad. They have about the same success rate.


I mea, Jackie Chan was in a live action adaptation of City Hunter.
 
Well, it's no different, there are live action adaptations of manga already made, here and abroad. They have about the same success rate.


I mea, Jackie Chan was in a live action adaptation of City Hunter.

Can you name other examples? Its not like I heard of a live action Akira ever made or something.
 
Well there have been a couple of decent manga live action movies made in Japan.

US not so much.

Or was the question mainly for the ones made in the US?
 
Well there have been a couple of decent manga live action movies made in Japan.

US not so much.

Or was the question mainly for the ones made in the US?

I was thinking of hollywood in particular, but what decent manga films have made in Japan? The only one I have heard is the Death Note movies. Its not like they have the budget to do a live action Gundam movie there.
 
I was thinking of hollywood in particular, but what decent manga films have made in Japan? The only one I have heard is the Death Note movies. Its not like they have the budget to do a live action Gundam movie there.


They did make a Live Gundam movie i believe.

Haven't seen it though.
 

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