Can Dragonball Z Be Done In Live Action?

[kguillou]

Hello everyone. So this thread is actually coming from an adamant debate me and my best friend were just having and I’d be curious to hear other people’s opinions. My take is that while not IMPOSSIBLE taking on Dragonball Z in live action would be an uphill battle and very difficult to realize in a live action Hollywood film with (assumedly) American/British actors. I feel the aesthetic of anime/manga would be lost and if you dont have the look down you’ve lost half the battle.

My friend believes the aesthetic is irrelevant and no one is going to expect a visual anime adaptation and as long ad the big epic fights that source material is famous for is realized thats whats important and of course a decent story too. But then that begs the question of how do you even approach the story and all that mythology into a series of two hour movies? Whatre your guys’ thoughts? Can it be done or is it just too rooted in its Japanese anime aesthetic to be realized into a Western Hollywood big budget production?

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

No. I don't think it can. For starters, the main character for the majority of the series is a young child who spends most of the time fighting and being beaten nearly to death by evil villains. You can't do that in live-action without being more disturbing than exciting. Starting with Dragon Ball instead of DBZ doesn't help matters because you still have the same problem, only with said character's father when he was a kid instead. So right away you would have to make major alterations to the premise by making Goku or Gohan into at least teenagers. And now it isn't really Dragon Ball anymore.

 

[MadVillainy]

Nah I don't think so.
I just think it's too cartoonish and if you take some of those cartoon elements I think you'll lose a lot of charm from the original show.
I think at best you might be able to do like Tintin or one of those movies where it's animated but the character models are more "realistic," at least compared to traditional animation. That kinda splits the difference and I think that could work. But those are almost as expensive as live action and always have a lower returns at the box office

So no I don't think you can.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Not at all.

It’s just a can of worms that doesn’t need to be opened. The Super Saiyan look would not translate well at all.

Now Gundam is one that could possibly be pulled off.

 

[2kt09]

I remember @Da-Scribe bringing this up for a reason

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Now Gundam is one that could possibly be pulled off.

Oh sure, we've seen giant robot films. Pacific Rim is practically a complete ripoff of Godannar. There are definitely anime that can be done. I just can't see Dragon Ball being one of them.

 

[MadVillainy]

Not at all.

It’s just a can of worms that doesn’t need to be opened. The Super Saiyan look would not translate well at all.

Now Gundam is one that could possibly be pulled off.

Been dreaming of a Gundam Wing movie. Or Zoids New Century Zero. Or any of the other Gundam series
Get actually good directors who don't think "People come for the giant robots, don't worry about the humans" and I think they could be successes

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Been dreaming of a Gundam Wing movie. Or Zoids New Century Zero. Or any of the other Gundam series
Get actually good directors who don't think "People come for the giant robots, don't worry about the humans" and I think they could be successes

I always wanted the Wachowskis to just do Endless Waltz back when they were on top of their game.

They’re too weird now.

 

[2kt09]

I always wanted the Wachowskis to just do Endless Waltz back when they were on top of their game.

They’re too weird now.

For Gundam? lmfao

 

[MbJ]

There'd have to be a balance of violence and high camp that I don't think American directors are accustomed to. It's the same with something like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. DBZ is both extremely violent and extremely goofy, and without one or the other, you lose a lot of the charm.

 

[Abudefduf]

Growing up means realizing that a Dragon Ball live action movie would never work.

The first series is pure japanese zaniness and as Kahran Ramsus already pointed out it's mostly about a little kid getting beaten up a lot.

"Why can't they just start from Dragon Ball Z?" Well, I don't see how that would work without filling the movie with huge amounts of exposition.

 

[2kt09]

Growing up means realizing that a Dragon Ball live action movie would never work.

The first series is pure japanese zaniness and as Kahran Ramsus already pointed out it's mostly about a little kid getting beaten up a lot.

"Why can't they just start from Dragon Ball Z?" Well, I don't see how that would work without filling the movie with huge amounts of exposition.

Works as well as people growing up on DBZ and so few realizing there was even an infinitely superior Dragon Ball.
The basic premise is like any other mcguffin quest for the ultimate power. Kung fu Superman and his rag-tag band of martial arts misfits have to catch em' all while protecting Earth from alien conquerers.

 

[Abudefduf]

Works as well as people growing up on DBZ and so few realizing there was even an infinitely superior Dragon Ball.

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes DB much more than DBZ. Not that I don't like the latter

The basic premise is like any other mcguffin quest for the ultimate power. Kung fu Superman and his rag-tag band of martial arts misfits have to catch em' all while protecting Earth from alien conquerers.

But the first series is where the dragon and his titular balls are introduced. Meanwhile, the first dragon we see in DBZ is the alien one that they have to find because the Earth one is dead.

EDIT: No wait, I forgot that they summon Shenron to resurrect Goku to fight Nappa and Vegeta.

 

[terry78]

The only way they could realistically adapt this is if they basically went with CG animation, possibly got all the dub actors to reprise their roles unless they just needed A listers or flavor of the month actors, and made it a PG13 thing. Seeing stuff like Incredibles 2 and Into the Spiderverse I feel like it could be done but it'd be an uphill climb. Considering Fox technically still has the rights and now that Disney owns them I wouldn't be shocked if someone brings it up.

 

[2kt09]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes DB much more than DBZ. Not that I don't like the latter

But the first series is where the dragon and his titular balls are introduced. Meanwhile, the first dragon we see in DBZ is the alien one that they have to find because the Earth one is dead.

I'm just not into staring at people staring at people staring down for a fight to go down for several episodes straight.
Clearly that's the one sacriligious thing going for the series.
There's an artistic license you're allowed to take with the rest because that's what all adaptations do.

 

[The Big G]

There's a whimsy in Shonen that just wont click with american auidences

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

There's a whimsy in Shonen that just wont click with american auidences

Shonen is just a demographic that covers a wide variety of styles and genres that are not necessarily at all alike. Not all of them are Dragon Ball or One Piece.

 

[kguillou]

I’m glad you guys seem to agree with me. Theres so much in the manga/anime that i just dont see translating to live action. My friend used the recent live action Bleach or Attack on Titan movies as an example that it could work and I dont think its an apples to apples comparison.

 

[2kt09]

There's a whimsy in Shonen that just wont click with american auidences

You sure you're on the right forum?

 

[Roose Bolton]

I don’t think it could and I never want to see them try.

Fullmetal Alchemist on the other hand...

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I don’t think it could and I never want to see them try.

Fullmetal Alchemist on the other hand...

I want my Slayers movie, dammit!

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

If American filmmakers can’t even get Super Sentai right (although 2017 Power Rangers was admirable) then you know they can’t nail Son Goku and all his wacky pals.

I remember years ago I read somewhere that they wanted Melissa Joan Hart to be Sailor Moon in a live action disaster. Thank God that never happened.

 

[Enriquespy]

I dunno, everything is posible.

At best I'd expect something similar to that Wachowskis Racer X movie.

 

[kaypain]

After seeing all these movies over the years yes it can be done. But it has to be done by the right people. And you have to go all out.

If they could pull something like Scott Pilgrim I know DBZ is doable

I take Kung Fu Hustle's style and link it to DBZ you got yourself a movie

 

[terry78]

I mean you take the fight sequences in most of the DC flicks and that's about on par with what you could do.