Best Live-Action Anime Movies

Live-action adaptations of beloved anime series are often plagued by poor critical and fan reception. In many ways, live-action anime films, as well as adaptations of other formats like video games and book series, face many challenges when trying to adhere to the original story. Anime can be considered especially risky to make real, given that most fans might prefer that many of their favorite characters stay in 2D form.

However, despite this hesitant audience, the film industry never stops trying to find the perfect balance between bringing anime to life and capturing these characters' emotions, actions, and stories. Some of these adaptations are surprising fan favorites and cult classics that create a smoother-than-expected transition from anime to live-action. What are the best live-action adaptations of anime that are worth checking out?

Updated on June 29, 2024, by Mark Sammut: Live-action movies based on anime or manga are not extremely common, especially ones that have more to offer than just morbid curiosity. Still, there are some good options out there, and two more recommendations have been added to this discussion.

15 Kakegurui & Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette (2019–21)

IMDb: 6 (Kakegurui)

Starting with a controversial pick, the two live-action Kakegurui movies are weird. For one, they are sequels to the live-action series, which is not a bad alternative to Homura Kawamoto's manga and the anime adaptation. While the show does a pretty good job of working its way through the canon storylines, the movies primarily do their own thing, and their narratives are not particularly strong and go in some bizarre directions. Still, they are entertaining in their absurdity, and they are elevated by a great cast led by the impeccable Minami Hamabe.

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Out of all the Kakgegurui content available, these two movies are arguably the worst, and they are only for die-hard fans who want companion pieces for the live-action TV series. They do not work as standalone projects.

14 Parasyte: Parts 1 & 2

IMDb: 6.8 (Part 1)

Hitoshi Iwaaki's Parasyte manga took well-worn horror sci-fi ideas and gave them a refreshing coat of paint. Even though the seinen series concluded its run in 1995, the story proved timeless enough to hold up well when it was turned into a brilliant anime in 2014. Soon after Madhouse's show, Parasyte received a two-part live-action adaptation that, while not comparable in quality to the manga or anime, is enjoyable in its own right.

Aliens are infecting humans and taking over their brains similar to something like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. While the adolescent Shinichi avoids this fate through sheer luck, he winds up with an alien for a hand. Stuck together, they form a bond that significantly changes both of them as they find themselves tasked with protecting humanity from the invasion. Parasyte: Part 1 is generally the stronger of the two movies, but the sequel has some memorable moments as well.

13 Ace Attorney (2012)

IMDb: 6.5

Capcom's Ace Attorney has quite a dedicated fanbase, with the franchise producing plenty of successful games along with a solid anime adaptation. This franchise has covered a lot of ground over the years. Because of this unique and mixed heritage, the film had to capture both film and video game attributes at once.

The result of this great experiment in live-action was surprising, to say the least. Ace Attorney was considerably better than most live-action adaptations released at the time, and it captures the humor of the source material quite well. That said, the movie is based on the game and not the anime, although they all cover similar ground. The film is primarily based on the second and fourth cases shown in the first game.

12 Grand Blue (2020)

IMDb: 5.8

Someone's mileage may vary as, frankly, this film's humor is very stupid. One of the best comedy manga ever, Grand Blue Dreaming lost some of its charm as it was adapted into a pretty good anime, largely due to the series not quite managing to translate the source material's hilarious facial reactions. Unsurprisingly, the same can be said for the live-action movie, albeit amplified significantly since most of the manga's funniest tricks are just not meant to be done by real-life humans. Consequently, Grand Blue had to change a few things to try and make the story work for a wildly different medium, resulting in an experience that is not extremely comparable to the manga or anime despite sharing more than a few similarities.

That said, as a screwball college comedy, Grand Blue can be pretty darn funny. The actors commit to the humor's over-the-top and silly nature, embracing the grounded absurdity that this type of movie needs to have to be remotely watchable. The film is quite rough around the edges in places and feels like a made-for-TV production at times, but neither of these things matters when the laughter gets going.

11 From Me To You (2010)

IMDb: 6.9

Based on Karuho Shiina's popular shojo manga, Kimi ni Todoke is an expertly executed "opposites attract" type story. Sawako Kuronuma is ostracized at school due to having a passing resemblance to Ringu's Sadako; conversely, Shota Kazehaya is popular and charming. Shota sets out to get Sawako out of her shell and sparks quickly start to ignite between them.

2010's live-action adaptation is a breezy and sweet romance about two characters who are just adorable together. Mikako Tabe and Haruma Miura are perfectly cast as the two leads, and they have good chemistry. Although not the definitive way to experience this story, the movie is a nice alternative to the manga and anime.

10 Chihayafuru Trilogy (2016–18)

IMDb: 6.9 (Part 1)

Apparently, Chihayafuru refuses to be linked to anything that is not, at the minimum, good. While the anime is reasonably well-known in Western countries, the same cannot be said for the live-action trilogy, which largely stayed in Japan. However, the movies were fairly successful in their home country, and they are not just a footnote in the franchise's legacy.

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Covering Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata's high school years as they pursue their passion for karuta (and each other), the trilogy tells a complete story that mostly does justice to the source material. The third entry tends to be regarded as the weakest of the three, but it is not bad by any means.

9 Bakuman (2015)

IMDb: 6.9

Tsugumi Ohba's Bakuman is the definitive manga (and anime) about manga (and anime). Producing 20 high-quality volumes, the story depicts Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi's journey to becoming published mangakas, with their ultimate goal being to create a shonen jump property popular enough to warrant an anime. The manga inspired an anime adaptation by J.C. Staff that lasted for three seasons, and the show comes close to matching the source material's quality.

Unsurprisingly, the 2015's Bakuman live-action movie does not quite have the time to capture everything that makes the manga and anime so beloved; however, the feature gives it a respectable try. While cutting out most of the characters' trials and tribulations, the adaptation nails the source material's love for manga. The film plasters this admiration across its backgrounds, resulting in an experience that feels like a tribute to Ohba's work and the industry in general. Also, people unfamiliar with the manga will not feel lost while watching the movie, although they might not quite grasp why certain characters had to be included.

8 Your Lie In April (2016)

IMDb: 6.8

Your Lie in April seems destined to be a success regardless of its chosen medium. Naoshi Arakawa's manga and A-1's anime adaptation are both considered to be among the best romance stories in their respective fields, and their reputations are earned. The live-action movie is not well-known outside Japan, but it is nevertheless a respectable iteration of this narrative.

Due to a personal tragedy, Kosei Arima has been unable to play the piano. However, this changes when he meets Kaori Miyazono, a violinist with a contagious zest for life. Blending romance, drama, and music-focused sequences, Your Lie in April is a powerful and melodramatic experience.

7 Blade Of The Immortal (2017)

IMDb: 6.7

While not a well-known anime for its time, Blade Of The Immortal achieved relative fame for venturing into the live-action arena. The actors were well-chosen for their respective roles and relay the mannerisms of the characters perfectly, and many fans found that the original allure of the anime was carried over into this format. The almost overdone amount of blood, gore, weapon-based fighting, and underlying currents of supernatural power make this film a success.

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Released in 2017, Blade of the Immortal should be one of the go-to live-action anime movies for just about anyone. The movie itself covers the first two story arcs of the series.

6 Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017)

IMDb: 7.1

The live-action version of Let Me Eat Your Pancreas came out before the anime, so it is an adaptation of the light novel (or manga); still, the movie deserves a shout-out since it largely covers the same ground as the 2018 anime. Similar to the source material and animated flick, Let Me Eat Your Pancreas is a heart-breaking drama about two teenagers who come together over an impending tragedy.

Haruki Shiga prefers to keep to himself at school, but he becomes interested in his classmate Sakura when he learns that she is dealing with a terminal disease. While her personality is very different from Haruki's, Sakura takes a liking to him, and the two develop an endearing friendship that hints at something more.