This Week in Anime

Kodansha's Live-Action Anime Adaptation Venture

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I'm surprised to be saying this, Lucas, but I'm tentatively hopeful about works that emerge from this venture. We both know that for every Alita: Battle Angel or One Piece, there are dozens of Netflix Death Note, Bet, or Dragon Ball: Evolutions out there. Live-action anime and manga adaptations haven't exactly had a winning batting average over the years. In fact, we've covered many of them throughout the history of this column. I'd like to hope that with a publisher directly at the reins and a chief creative officer who's been through the corporate movie wood chipper before, we might see a movie or two that bucks that trend.

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— Hideo Kojima (@hideokojimaen.bsky.kojimaproductions.jp) November 6, 2025 at 4:55 PM

And judging by Chloé Zhao's recent visit to Kojima Productions' office in Tokyo, I'd wager a guess that she's already hit the ground running. Saying "hello" to a Mr. Hideo Kojima sounds like a nice break in the middle of what I'd imagine to be a maelstrom of meetings.

You just nailed my exact line of thinking on this news. Looking at Zhao's filmography, she's primarily known for intimate human stories that aren't willing to shy away from difficult material—it's how Nomadland won her those Oscars. I mentioned the "corporate movie wood chipper" earlier because Eternals feels like a film that would drastically change any creative and how they approach any large-property project. I'm willing to cut Zhao slack on the film because most Marvel flicks appear to be "director-for-hire" gigs with most authorial vision left to the producers.

But to avoid those Marvel-esque pitfalls, I believe Kodansha Studios should avoid trying to adapt any of the publishers' greatest titles. AKIRA, Attack on Titan, Ghost in The Shell, Vinland Saga—all off the table. Start with a mix of more personal and lesser-known stories from across the Kodansha catalog. Maybe that's a foolish idea given that the publisher would love to leverage those titles, but I'd say to either build up to them or leave them alone entirely. We've been reading headlines about failed AKIRA projects for over 30 years anyway, so there doesn't need to be another one.

I'm glad you brought up Vagabond, because I am personally convinced that unless Takehiko Inoue directs it himself, it's not happening. While digging into Slam Dunk last year, I got the impression that the samurai series is a very personal and tender spot for Inoue. I have the feeling that he wouldn't let anyone else touch Vagabond—a situation not far off from a The First Slam Dunk. I feel it would especially be the case if it were made in response to Shogun's success alone.

Though not a Kodansha Pictures production, the recent Drops of God Apple TV+ series feels like a step in the direction the studio is looking for. Something smaller, focused, and a collaboration between international filmmakers rather than just Hollywood alone. Perhaps Vagabond could be that sort of film or series given the publisher's involvement, but I'd imagine it's on a creator-by-creator basis at the end of the day.

I take one look at One Piece and think, "Someone at Kodansha needs a Seven Deadly Sins series, stat!" And while I understand that impulse, I don't think a company would hitch itself to Zhao and her producing partner, Nicolas Gonda, if they were looking for a pirate-sized barn burner. The Deadline story mentioned further collaboration with filmmakers from across the globe, and I have a feeling that it all starts in Japan. The Japanese film industry has already produced its own Death Note films, Fullmetal Alchemist flicks, and plenty of TV drama adaptations. In fact, many of these dramas are silently making their way on Netflix and Prime Video—titles like Chihayafuru, Cinderella Closet, and the 2007 Hana-Kimi series... Or have BEEN there in the case of films like FMA and Bleach. Providing these Japan-based projects with additional funding, production support, and expanded distribution could be an easy step in the right direction for series that are intrinsically tied to the nation of their creation. Japan's own adaptations don't have an amazing batting average either, mind you, but I think it would be a practical approach—especially with the right creatives onboard.

Absolutely. As far as their properties go, Kodansha would need to make a serious investment in the Japanese film industry for that specific idea. Then again, any of the new studio's moves will require a whole lot of money and precious time to do it right.

Regarding Kodansha titles that would be better suited to the American film industry, The Darwin Incident popped into mind right away. It's got an interesting premise behind it and just enough mental crossover with Planet of the Apes to grab the attention of western audiences. Having read the first volume of the series, Charlie is not only a fascinating character due to the genetic and ethical lines blurred by his existence, but also for the challenge he would provide to a production. Would he be given the Andy Serkis treatment in motion capture, would he be a performer with prosthetic makeup, or something in between?

Now that you mention it, I would be very curious to see how Devilman looks in a post-Chainsaw Man world.

While we're in horror town, the works of Shuzo Oshimi are just primed to be adapted into some Grade-A thrillers. The Flowers of Evil has already received a film in Japan, but there's part of me that hopes that someone will throw Hiroshi Nagahama a bone and let him revisit his own take on the series. Nagahama's effort is something of an arthouse standout among most anime for being a fully rotoscoped series—one that I could see creatives outside of animation taking notice of.

True, that's exactly why my levels of hope are at "tentative" right now. But with the probable scramble for another One Piece-sized hit you mentioned, I do find myself wondering if the mainstream consciousness will be talking about "anime fatigue" in ten to fifteen years—like super hero flicks are spoken of now. Between the success of films like Reze Arc and Infinity Castle, along with the adaptation firehose surely about to open, it doesn't feel an unlikely conclusion. That might be part of why I've pushed toward smaller, more niche and grounded stories over the course of this conversation—projects that don't necessarily scream "manga" or "anime" right off the bat in the widely known, shonen-ish mainstream sense.

We can only hope that tides on the oceans of time will treat us well in years to come.

May they not deter the destiny of manga or anime.