Ask John: What’s the Most Unlikely Anime Adapation?

Question:
What’s the most unlikely anime adapation that’s ever actually happened?

Answer:

Anime has always drawn inspiration from a wide variety of sources, including manga, Japanese and international novels, movies, fairy tales and legends, history and historical figures, toys, console and computer games, sports, and religion. However, there have been a handful of anime productions that have even more unusual origins.

I can’t resist guessing that this question was inspired by the existence of the Ultraviolet: Code 044 anime television series. Indeed, the Ultraviolet anime may be one of, if not the most unexpected anime production ever. Creative control of the 2006 American sci-fi action film Ultraviolet was usurped from creator/director Kurt Wimmer during production, resulting in a confusing, half-baked film that cost $30 million to produce, but earned only $18 million in American theatrical release. During its Japanese theatrical release, Ultraviolet earned slightly less than 2.9 million dollars, which is more than the 1.9 million gross of 2006’s Underworld Evolution and slightly more than Silent Hill’s 2.5 million take. However, the film’s Japanese box office doesn’t come remotely close to other 2006 Japanese sci-fi, horror, and action box office hits including V For Vendetta (8.5 million), Superman Returns (11.3 million), X-Men: The Last Stand (13 million), Yokai Daisenso (15.8 million), Eragon (15.8 million), Casino Royale (19 million), Mission Impossible III (44.4 million), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (84.5 million).

Furthermore, despite exhibiting obvious influence from Japanese animation, the opening credits of the Ultraviolet movie suggest that the film’s primary inspiration was American pulp sci-fi and comics. So the fact that the film was not especially successful in America or Japan, and the fact that the film wasn’t specifically created or promoted as an attempt to mimic anime in live action make it a truly unexpected source for an anime adaptation.

Ultraviolet, though, isn’t the only anime with unusual roots. The long running Bikkuriman anime franchise, it’s worth noting, is based on a series of collectable stickers included with Lotte Co.’s Bikkuriman chocolate wafer candies. Along a similar theme, the 90 episode long 1999 Kyoro-chan anime television series was based on the bird mascot character for Morinaga’s ChocoBall candies.

Speaking of chocolate, it’s not unusual for anime to be based on manga, but the 1999 Trouble Chocolate, 2002 Haibane Renmei, and 2007 Afro Samurai anime television series were adapted from independently printed doujinshi rather than professionally published manga. The currently ongoing series of Kara no Kyoukai motion pictures are similarly based on a series of independently published novels.

Anime based on video games are quite common, but the Shingetsutan Tsukihime and Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni anime television series were both based on amateur created and published doujin games. However, despite their unusual origins, the anime adaptations of Tsukihime and Higurashi can’t be called especially unexpected in light of the massive success and popularity of the original doujin games.

While it’s not unusual for live action television series and movies to be adapted into anime, the 1999 Gozonji! Gekkou Kamen-kun television series is somewhat unusual because it’s a parody based on the 1958 Japanese masked hero television series Gekkou Kamen. I think it’s fair to say that a live action adventure series being revived as an anime comedy 41 years later is rather unexpected.

The upcoming Winter Sonata television series isn’t unusual in the respect that it’s based on a live action television series. But the production is unusual because it’s an anime adaptation of a Korean television series that became popular in Japan.

The notation of “unlikely adaptation” doesn’t apply to only anime of unusual source. The classification can also apply to unanticipated productions. Nobuhiro Watsuki’s fantasy action manga series Busou Renkin reportedly had its serialization in Shonen Jump magazine canceled due to poor reader response. However, the series was still adapted into a 26 episode anime series in 2006. Likewise, Mizuki Kawashita’s Hatsukoi Gentei serial was reportedly dropped from publication in Shonen Jump magazine as a result of minimal reader interest, yet an anime adaptation is now in development (providing further supporting evidence for my theory that manga artists who receive one anime adaptation usually get a second).