So Detective Pikachu is Legit

For those two or three of you who haven’t seen the trailer yet for the live-action Detective Pikachu film, may we present to you:

So yeah, not only did they actually go through with it but what has already been shown in this one trailer has already blown away people's expectations entirely. This does make us wonder though, what other difficult to adapt games and anime might be suited to live-action film or television to be released somewhere down the line?

"Persona 5 Release Date Announced for Nor" (CC BY 2.0) by BagoGames

One of the first which comes to mind is something based on the Persona series. Probably better suited to the longer form of a television or Netflix series, Persona has such a fantastic combination of slice-of-life daily teenage school drama and larger-than-life monster slaying that we have to wonder how it might perform if given into the hands of someone who knows visual media and respects the source material.

Another beloved series which could stand incredibly well in movie or series format is Cowboy Bebop. Long wanted and long rumored, this action/jazz/western/casino fest would have everybody's attention from the get-go. Just like Detective Pikachu, the popularity here could draw from a wide range of difference appreciated media. As close as the enormous modern sci-fi-action film market like those of Marvel to as far as the interest drawn by the wide range of online games that players can have a look at today. It’s not just anime fans who would go for this, properly produced the appeal could be far broader than that.

"Dragon Ball" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by DocChewbacca

A series which we feel could be done properly, despite the most recent effort of which we will not speak, is Dragon Ball. Recently brought back into the spotlight with Super, and the upcoming Broly film, we imagine that while the Z and Super might be a bit too difficult to translate, something like the early arcs of Dragon Ball with a younger Goku could do quite well. Give it to a man like Guillermo Del Toro, who showed his skill and interest in Japanese film with the fantastically adapted Kaiju and giant fighting robot film Pacific Rim, and we could easily have a blockbuster on our hands.

Ending on a note which brings us back to a Pokémon like experience, is that of Ni no Kuni. A heartfelt story following a young boy and his journey into another world to save his mother and prevent the coming of evil, Ni no Kuni hits all the classic notes of great adventure film. Involving talking animated creatures bound to serve and fight might be a little familiar, but as we are yet to see a live-action Pokémon film in this fashion anyway, we feel as if Ni no Kuni could be a fantastic first step.

So what do you think? Have the recent releases of Bleach and Full-Metal Alchemist alongside the announced Afro Samurai and Gundam Wing got you wondering about what other anime and cartoon properties could make the jump to live-action? What do you want to see?