Once again, it’s time to panic.

New Zealand director Taika Waititi is just now wrapping up Marvel movie Thor: Ragnarok and is now apparently in talks with Warner Bros about a live action Akira.

Yikes.

Yes, one of the most beloved anime of all time (still surprises me) could become a live-action movie. If that doesn’t cause anime fans to freak out, I don’t know what would. Then there is the glaring concern with ANY anime getting a live-action rendition. Historically speaking, live-action anime flicks have been a notorious insult to the genre. At best. Some fans prefer filmmakers just leave anime alone.

Stop screwing with things we love – that’s not an outrageous request, is it?

But there’s a glimmer of hope. While the recent attempt with Ghost In The Shell may have failed, it shows that they’re improving. Love or hate GitS, it was better than Dragon Ball: Evolution or Fist of the North Star.

And this may still be a sensitive topic, but Death Note on Netflix was decent. Hell, I’ll say it – I really liked Death Note! Perfect, no, but they did a great job with the script, casting, and directing. They’re getting notably better in the last few years. And assuming Akira is several years off, they’ve got time to figure it out. It’s not a guarantee it’ll be great. It’s not even a prediction. Really it’s just hope.

Actually, I really hope it gets scrapped and never made. But if it does happen, I hope they figure out how to please anime fans, not just movie goers wanting something to do on Friday night. That’s really why live-action anime fails sting so damn bad… They use the plot and change everything else, just to create something new to feed theater audiences. It craps all over the original’s good name.

So anyway, I’m holding on to hope.

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