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alchemicinkLive action adaptations of animated series are all the rage these days. And, personally, I'm all for presenting different versions of different stories. (I know I'm generally in the minority with this opinion lol) I just think it's fun to see how much things change and/or stay the same when its retold in another medium.
Anyway, two series that I really love -- Avatar the Last Airbender and Yu Yu Hakusho -- are getting live action versions on Netflix soon, and both released trailers yesterday and today.
I have a few rambly thoughts about both.
You can watch the atla trailer here
Firstly, this looks really awesome to me! I think the production design looks really lovely, like the shot of Omashu around 0:24-0:27. I could immediately tell that's what city that was supposed to be. And overall, this feels like a whole separate world to me, not just people filming on a set somewhere. Very atmospheric, I guess, is the term I'm looking for to describe it.
And most of it even looks well-lit, which is a low bar to clear these days 😒
The casting looks quite good too! I hadn't really been keeping up with behind the scenes stuff, but I'd seen a few photos of the main cast beforehand. Seeing them in motion in the trailer, however, is even better. None of them get to speak in this trailer though, so I can't quite say if they embody their characters yet.
Also, it's cool to see Daniel Dae Kim here as Ozai!
But honestly, my favorite part of the trailer was actually the brief glimpses of Suki. I've just had a lot of feelings about Suki lately, so seeing that striking Kyoshi makeup in real life was memorable!
Lastly, I'm curious to know how much this season will adapt from the original series, and if they'll change a lot of the plot. Mostly everything in the trailer was recognizable, so they might be sticking closely with the original. If so, I'm curious how many episodes they made. (I haven't seen it announced, but like I said, I didn't follow the production.)
All in all, it could be a lot of fun to watch. And if they pronounce Aang's name correctly, then it'll have already surpassed the previous Live Action Adaptation We Do Not Speak Of 😂
While I have high hopes for atla, I'm a little more skeptical about Yu Yu Hakusho. You can watch that trailer here
This one was a Japanese production probably made for a Japanese audience in mind first, so I can't imagine Netflix poured in as much money as they did for One Piece, and similar projects. Which leads me to think it might not live up to any real high expectations.
That being said, I'll probably enjoy it anyway! I didn't think the trailer was awful.
My main complaint is just that the lighting is shit and all the colors are muted and dark. (Kurama's hair kinda looks purplish in some shots or is that just my phone?) But most productions are like that these days, so it's to be expected. (One Piece was a refreshing exception to that lol)
I understand that casting a young kid to play Koenma would probably have been a hassle, so I understand why they're going with teenage!Koenma instead (see 0:27). But, man, I will not be able to take him seriously at all 😂 not that I could take him very seriously in the original series either...
I don't have much of an opinion on the rest of the casting yet, because we really only get glimpses in this trailer. Yusuke and Kurama seem pretty good though, but there's not nearly enough Kuwabara or Hiei.
But actually what I'm most intrigued about from the trailer is that there were a lot of scenes I couldn't place from the original series. So that leads me to believe they did a lot of plot point shuffling/cutting. We see all of Team Toguro (from the Dark Tournament arc) here, which is surprising because you wouldn't think the story would get that far with one season. So maybe they'll be introduced differently here? I'm actually very curious to see what changes they make!
I don't know how many episodes they made of this either, but hopefully it's enough that things don't feel too rushed.
Lastly, I think the fight scenes look pretty good so far. Interesting choreography if nothing else! (See guy throwing bike through window at 1:13 and Kurama spinning at 1:19). All I ask for in a shounen jump adaptation is a good fight scene, to be honest 😁
What did y'all think about the trailers? Feeling skeptical or optimistic? And if you're unfamiliar with either series, did the trailers make you want to watch more?
Yu Yu Hakusho will be out in mid December, and Avatar the Last Airbender is slated for February 2024.
Now all I have to do is convince my brother to let me use his account to watch both 😁
Anyway, two series that I really love -- Avatar the Last Airbender and Yu Yu Hakusho -- are getting live action versions on Netflix soon, and both released trailers yesterday and today.
I have a few rambly thoughts about both.
You can watch the atla trailer here
Firstly, this looks really awesome to me! I think the production design looks really lovely, like the shot of Omashu around 0:24-0:27. I could immediately tell that's what city that was supposed to be. And overall, this feels like a whole separate world to me, not just people filming on a set somewhere. Very atmospheric, I guess, is the term I'm looking for to describe it.
And most of it even looks well-lit, which is a low bar to clear these days 😒
The casting looks quite good too! I hadn't really been keeping up with behind the scenes stuff, but I'd seen a few photos of the main cast beforehand. Seeing them in motion in the trailer, however, is even better. None of them get to speak in this trailer though, so I can't quite say if they embody their characters yet.
Also, it's cool to see Daniel Dae Kim here as Ozai!
But honestly, my favorite part of the trailer was actually the brief glimpses of Suki. I've just had a lot of feelings about Suki lately, so seeing that striking Kyoshi makeup in real life was memorable!
Lastly, I'm curious to know how much this season will adapt from the original series, and if they'll change a lot of the plot. Mostly everything in the trailer was recognizable, so they might be sticking closely with the original. If so, I'm curious how many episodes they made. (I haven't seen it announced, but like I said, I didn't follow the production.)
All in all, it could be a lot of fun to watch. And if they pronounce Aang's name correctly, then it'll have already surpassed the previous Live Action Adaptation We Do Not Speak Of 😂
While I have high hopes for atla, I'm a little more skeptical about Yu Yu Hakusho. You can watch that trailer here
This one was a Japanese production probably made for a Japanese audience in mind first, so I can't imagine Netflix poured in as much money as they did for One Piece, and similar projects. Which leads me to think it might not live up to any real high expectations.
That being said, I'll probably enjoy it anyway! I didn't think the trailer was awful.
My main complaint is just that the lighting is shit and all the colors are muted and dark. (Kurama's hair kinda looks purplish in some shots or is that just my phone?) But most productions are like that these days, so it's to be expected. (One Piece was a refreshing exception to that lol)
I understand that casting a young kid to play Koenma would probably have been a hassle, so I understand why they're going with teenage!Koenma instead (see 0:27). But, man, I will not be able to take him seriously at all 😂 not that I could take him very seriously in the original series either...
I don't have much of an opinion on the rest of the casting yet, because we really only get glimpses in this trailer. Yusuke and Kurama seem pretty good though, but there's not nearly enough Kuwabara or Hiei.
But actually what I'm most intrigued about from the trailer is that there were a lot of scenes I couldn't place from the original series. So that leads me to believe they did a lot of plot point shuffling/cutting. We see all of Team Toguro (from the Dark Tournament arc) here, which is surprising because you wouldn't think the story would get that far with one season. So maybe they'll be introduced differently here? I'm actually very curious to see what changes they make!
I don't know how many episodes they made of this either, but hopefully it's enough that things don't feel too rushed.
Lastly, I think the fight scenes look pretty good so far. Interesting choreography if nothing else! (See guy throwing bike through window at 1:13 and Kurama spinning at 1:19). All I ask for in a shounen jump adaptation is a good fight scene, to be honest 😁
What did y'all think about the trailers? Feeling skeptical or optimistic? And if you're unfamiliar with either series, did the trailers make you want to watch more?
Yu Yu Hakusho will be out in mid December, and Avatar the Last Airbender is slated for February 2024.
Now all I have to do is convince my brother to let me use his account to watch both 😁
no subject
Date: 2023-11-23 09:17 pm (UTC)In thinking all of this over I feel like for-Japan productions adapting manga or even anime aren’t usually live action series; they’re usually movies (whether lower budget like Nana or higher budget like Rurouni Kenshin), while series are usually anime or a live action drama adaptation of a romance light novel or manga or something. But maybe I’m wrong? What do you think?
It just seems odd that YYH is a for-Japan series when genre-similar things are movies (or done in English or both). Maybe that’s the Netflix? Or maybe I’m just totally out of touch? Or maybe I’ve totally been misunderstanding and YYH is a movie and not a series?
As a funny side note, I don’t know who the actor from cherry magic is playing in YYH but what is in his mouth?? Is it a pacifier? It’s so funny!
Anyway coming at it only with our collab in mind I’m pretty optimistic 😂 and I recognize two whole actors! (Possibly more if I take the time to think about it)
ATLA looked pretty but I haven’t watched the original series so I have no idea what would make it good or not so I’ll leave that up to fans. (Well I haven’t watched YYH either but I’m more familiar with Japanese anime etc.)
Anyway I’ll be curious for both! And good luck with your brother!
no subject
Date: 2023-11-26 01:27 am (UTC)Perhaps it's Netflix that makes the difference here bc they can offer up more money? I'd love to see some interviews with people who make these decisions at Netflix but I don't think we ever will get that 😅
To your sidenote, yes it IS a pacifier 😂 that's Koenma, who is a technically a toddler in the original (but can sometimes appear older, tho he always keeps the pacifier). It's very silly 😁
I really hope this series is entertaining! I'm feeling optimistic about it too
As for ATLA, I totally recommend the original if you get a chance to watch it. The storytelling and characters are excellent. The live action trailer looks like it'll be pretty faithful to the original, at least in terms of the looks so far
My brother has already agreed to watch both (tho he's much more skeptical about how YYH will turn out than we are lol)