Anime Hellboy... the anime?

[Dagger]

My, my. This is pretty interesting.


[quote name='Anime News Network']Guillermo del Torro, director of Hellboy, has stated that on the official Hellboy website, "We are in talks with Gonzo Anime for the Hellboy anime series." Along with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, del Torro will be involved in the plotting of the anime project, along with other follow-up projects, to make sure the plot flows with the entire Hellboy mythology.[/quote]

Although I'm not familiar with the Hellboy comics, I enjoyed the live-action movie very much. It's fun, smart and generally well-done--one of the best "superhero" films I've ever seen.

GONZO would probably be the obvious choice for a flashy high-budget anime--especially one expected to make heavy use of CGI--but I have to say that Madhouse series usually possess more finesse (particularly in terms of characterization).

In my experience, GONZO shows are often hit-and-miss. Last Exile is nicely paced and visually stunning; Hellsing, despite its myriad faults, has an admirable sense of style; Peace Maker Kurogane, for whatever reason, failed to attract a large Japanese audience; Chrono Crusade continues to piss off fans of the corresponding manga; Bakuretsu Tenshi is irredeemably terrible, and so forth.

Do you think that Hellboy could work as an anime? Presumably the Hellboy series would receive a simultaneous (R1 as well as R2) release, and, like Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, might be tailored specifically for an English dub.

~Dagger~

[densuke]

I am not enamored of GONZO's output either. But one GONZO series which relates to this discussion is Kiddy Grade. KG was a bit uneven but finished strongly; what is more important is that it is more or less a superhero show. The characters possessed certain powers at the beginning of the series and more or less had to use the same powers at the end.

This approach is different from the typical Japanese way, where characters must undergo some obscure ritual and tap into something unavailable at the outset of a scene or episode. Having seen this countless times I am used to it but I don't like it very much. In Kiddy Grade using the "comic-book style" made for strong and easy-to-understand action and made the ending dramatic.

Given all this I would say that at least GONZO has a chance of properly interpreting the concept of a comic-book superhero.

R.O.D: The TV by J.C STAFF is another anime adaptation of the super-hero idea. It also includes strong characterization and an ambitious (but loopy) plot (I think this is characteristic of their output). J.C STAFF is certainly big enough to handle this movie and also has some very good titles in their resume (Azumanga Daioh, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Shoujo Kakumei Utena TV and Movie). They've done a [i]lot[/i] of mediocre stuff, too, but I will still "nominate" this studio.

[Guest gendou ikari]

Hmmm. A Hell Boy anime? That doesn't sound like it should be good. I don't think that any form of adaptation is bound to be good (sort of like PC port's they never work out), and I doubt it will happen, considoring the fact that the plot really isn't to thick.

[Shiguru]

I think it could work. From the werewolf that rips off it's own skin to some of the other Nazi enemies HB fights. But the problem will be licencing rights.

And I have a pretty nifty question: Can you name one AMERICAN comic or major property that was turned into an anime?

[densuke]

[quote name='Shiguru']...nifty question: Can you name one AMERICAN comic or major property that was turned into an anime?[/quote]You just need one? [b]Tom Sawyer[/b] by Samuel Clemens AKA Mark Twain was animated as part of the Nippon Animation [i]World Masterpiece Theater[/i] titles in 1980. The series was 49 episodes long.

Some other [i]World Masterpiece Theater[/i] adaptations of well-known American novels:

[b]Little Women[/b] by Louisa May Alcott: 1987 (48 episodes)
[b]Little Men[/b]: 1993 (40 episodes)

There were a couple of others ([i]Pollyanna[/i] in 1986 and [i]Daddy Long-legs[/i] in 1990), which are perhaps debatable as "major properties."

[Shiguru]

Those are classics and labeling those "Major Properties" is debatable. Sure Kia Asiyama did that well penciledm horribly penned "Child of Dreams" and Japan did do some TMNT manga a while back, but it's not animated to my knowledge.

[densuke]

[quote name='Shiguru']Those are classics and labeling those "Major Properties" is debatable. Sure Kia Asiyama did that well penciledm horribly penned "Child of Dreams" and Japan did do some TMNT manga a while back, but it's not animated to my knowledge.[/quote]I don't really understand what this is about. "Tom Sawyer" and the Alcott novels are certainly important to American literature. If it's about the fact that they are public domain, I can only say that if they weren't the series wouldn't have been made at all. I am sure that too high a price tag on Hellboy will prevent Hellboy from being made in Japan.