Forum - View topicThe Influence of Live Action Films upon Anime
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Craeyst Raygal
 Posts: 1383 Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT. |
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The other day I finally did myself a favor and replaced my Blade Runner VHS (badly degraded, as is most of my overwatched VHS collection) with the director's cut DVD.
For the record, Ridley, put back in Deckard's narrative when you give this triumph a full-boat DVD release. The film remains stunning, but gets a little thin without it. As I was watching the film - and enjoying it immensely - I couldn't help but recall how significant Blade Runner had been on anime in the 80's and early 90's, playing a major role in the foundation of Masamune Shirow's work, as well as Bubblegum Crisis (c'mon folks, the band "Priss & the Replicants" alone is an obvious nod to Blade Runner). So, naturally I followed this train of thought to other great titles - many of which are in my library (yeah yeah, don't break your arm patting your back) - that lend elements to anime. I recalled how Tomino (Mobile Suit Gundam) and Kajishima (Tenchi Muyo!) both pay homage to Star Wars. Obviously, Akira Kurosawa is also huge in anime, but his Western counterpart - Sergio Leone - is also constantly utilized (Kawajiri and Shinichi Watanabe both look to Leone's distinctive "Spaghetti Western" style for dramatic tension). Perhaps I've grown "less-enlightened" in my aging as a fan of anime, now that I'm seeing much of modern anime as an outgrowth of live-action films (many of which are Hollywood blockbusters), but I think it's a real and relevant topic to consider - Just how much of anime is derived from live-action film, and what are the most significant films in anime's development? I've already mentioned.... - Blade Runner - Star Wars - Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, etc.) - Sergio Leone (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Fistful of Dollars, etc.) So, what's the opinion of the rest of this board? |
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jaybug39
 Posts: 552 Location: Oregon, Is it FOOTBALL yet? |
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I would think that Billy Wilder would get the nod for guys that dress as women in order to get a job, etc. anime. From the movie "Some Like it Hot."
I find a lot of Hitchcockian film techniques in many many anime. Almost every anime with a crow cawing, somehow makes me now think of "The Birds." I also think werner Herzog's Nosferatu has been influencial. Can't forget how literally Metropolis anime paid homage to Metropolis the silent film. Would it count, Lucy and Desi? Except the Lucy parts are not played by the main love interest, but by someone as part of the inner circle? Hey, we would not have had Star Trek without Lucille Ball! It was her studio remember. I do think that Blade Runner has had the most influence on anime over the past two decades. I just wonder which movie will be the next big influence. |
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Gauss
 Posts: 519 Location: Finland |
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It's worth noting that it's based on Osamu Tezuka's manga by the same name. When he drew the manga he had never seen Metropolis but was inspired by a poster of the movie. Obviously he read some summaries at least since the story bears more than a passing resemblance to the original movie. |
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IchigoK90
 Posts: 1634 Location: Scarborough, Ontario |
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Its also note worth that some live action films in America have had at least some influence from some anime. For instance the Matrix trilogy was influenced by Ghost in The Shell if i'm not mistaken and the recent film stealth was influenced by Yukikaze or was it some other anime.
"Believe it!" - IchigoK90 |
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Darkenin13
 Posts: 34 Location: Staten Island, NYC |
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ALso the Metropolis Movie goes even past that, Big O's design and plot is taken from the original 1930's metropolis movie too. |
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opaquescum
Posts: 235 |
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Just my thoughts but when it comes to starwars, and lucas has admitted this he was going for a old serials kind of feal. The likes of flash gordon, and saturday morning kids fair. Which is kind of interesting in and of itself. Needless to say serials sprouted from comics, and fantasy magazines. Which more or less sprouted from turn of the century science fiction writers like H.G. Wells.
So personally I give more credit to the likes of him rather then the movie guys. From these fertile minds came most of the great concepts. Everyone else has merely been adding onto it. For instance think of all the giant robot series out there, and then go read war of the worlds. Go read a connecticut yankee in king arthurs court, and see the plentiful use of it in alot of modern media. I am not saying that some movies have done a good job of adding their own twists to these old concepts, but in no means did they generate them. I can think of a good anecdote to explain it. When the europeans showed up in china, and showed them a mechanical clock. The chinese court was amazed, and full of praise for the machine. What they had forgotten was they invented it in the first place. Just my two cents. |
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Craeyst Raygal
Posts: 1383 Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT. |
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Actually, IchigoK90, the influence on the movie "Stealth" is the same book that influenced the anime "Macross Plus" (which can be linked as a direct influence on Yukikaze).
The book in question is "Day of the Cheetah" by Dale Brown, which was a seminal sci-fi novel of the early 90's. |
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patch
 Posts: 677 Location: New York, NY |
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Agreed that Sergio Leone's films, particually the Man With No Name Trilogy (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and the Ugly) where a huge influence on Shinichiro Watanabe. They were reflected already in two major works, Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo so much that that I can see him eventually completing his own version the trilogy with one last story.
Some other movies that referenced in his work: Asteroid Blues: Desperado, Bonnie and Clyde Stray Dog Strut: Way of the Dragon, Game of Death Honky Tonk Women: Poker Alice Ballad of Fallen Angels: The Killer, The Crow Heavy Metal Queen: Enter the Dragon Jamming with Edward: 2001: A Space Odyssey Toys in the Attic: Alien My Funny Valentine: Star Trek Black Dog Serenade: Con Air Mushroom Samba: Coffy, Shaft, Django Wild Horses: Star Trek: First Contact Pierrot Le Fou: Pierrot Le Fou Boogie-Woogie Feng-Shui: The Blues Brothers Hard Luck Woman: Cool Hand Luke Real Folk Blues Part II: A Better Tomorrow II Knockin on Heaven's Door: Dirty Harry, Capricorn One Details of references @ Real Folk Blues |
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d.yaro
Posts: 528 |
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I'd don't remember where I put the VHS tape but according to the information on its cover, Kurosawa Akira's "Hidden Fortress", original Japanese title: "Kakushi Toride no San Aku-nin"(sic), has also been cited as a source of inspiration for the first released Star Wars movie. |
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Craeyst Raygal
Posts: 1383 Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT. |
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Opaquescum, you really REALLY missed the point here, didn't you? The point was not "Where Do All Ideas Come From?" as you in your pseudo-intellectual haste concluded. The point was discussing Live Action films that have a DIRECT INFLUENCE on anime, which includes not only concepts and themes, but also such CINEMATIC elements as pacing, camera work, cinematography, choreography, and on down the list. I'd be absolutely daft if I were to say that Vampire Hunter D:Bloodlust is conceptually derived from Fistful of Dollars. Which is why I'm not suggesting it. However, Yoshiaki Kawajiri has openly stated he's a fan of spaghetti westerns (of which Sergio Leone is the patron saint) and it shows in the CINEMATICS of VHD:Bloodlust. As far as Star Wars is concerned, Lucas's deriviative style is well documented (but hey, Mark Twain once said that "Creativity is the art of concealing your sources.") but it doesn't diminish the fact that Star Wars did influence anime in a big way. Sheesh, "Kill 'em All" Tomino himself said that his original concept for the Gundam mobile suit was "All white, like a Stormtrooper" and Masaki Kajishima's adoration of Star Wars shows up time and time again in his Tenchi Muyo franchise (right down to the sound effects). By the way, big robots as war machines - while Wells suggested them - are popularly attributed to sci-fi's unsung hero R.A. Heinlein and his novel "Starship Troopers". Just to put us all on the same playing field. Try reading that (or better yet, Stranger in a Strange Land or Time Enough for Love) before preaching to me about sci-fi to read. |
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jaybug39
Posts: 552 Location: Oregon, Is it FOOTBALL yet? |
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OT: Read Jules Verne, I think he was a much better writer than Wells. Also read Edgar Rice Burroughs.
I for one, am glad anime isn't using 50s B movie sci-fi flicks as inspiration! Blick! Could we suggest I Dream of Jeannie as inspiration for Ah! (Oh!) My Goddess? We have been exporting TV about as long as film. Kojak, for example was the number one show in more countries than just America. Everyone around the world knew who shot J.R. |
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mahoro
 Posts: 310 |
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Honestly I don't see modern anime being influenced as much as older animes were. Why? IMO many animes now are cookiecutter, you can fairly easily break them down to a formula regarding the plot, characters and even the ending. Whereas older series IMO set the standards and could also serve as a reference of the pop and political situations of the time. I.e. Urusei Yatsura huge nods to many mainstream filmmakers, pop references and the like. Gunbuster IMO set a new standard for young heroines, but I could easily see the reference to the song, "Chariots of Fire". The list goes on, but as the years progress I see new animes at most nodding to older series, but, IMO they are not doing so as creatively as the older animes use to do.
What I see more of is how mainstream films, tv, and music are becoming heavily influenced by anime. I am not sure if this is a good thing because the cultural references are usually lost. Additionally anime is increasing used as a source for live action films... IMO highly unimaginative for filmmakers to do so. |
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