Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
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Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
My default opinion on whether a live-action Dragon-Ball can be good tends to bounce between thinking a movie is both redundant and misses the point of the appeal of the franchise in the first place. I'm not particularly referencing DB Evolution, but that I find that often live-action anime tends to take away from the spirit or energy of anime. There are few exceptions, like Crow Zero or the Ruroni Kenshin films, but I tend to think those work because the anime are already informed by the real life genre pics that they are clearly inspired by.
So now I want to talk about RRR, a Telugu-languaged Indian film that is recently blowing up the Indian movie charts and is achieving a surprising level of international attention around the world.
It is also Anime as fuck. Let me put it this way: In the opening moments a British police officer by the name of Ram is tasked to go into a crowd of rioting civilians in order to arrest one dude from a sea of thousands. This fucking Chad, without skipping a beat, removes his hat, grabs a baton, fucking leaps over the guard railing and squares off AGAINST THE ENTIRE RIOTING MOB, delivering blows, breaking limbs and fingers along the way. To get to one man. And this fucking guy--he does it. Bloodied and bruised, he drags this man back into the british compound, simply splashes water on his GLORIOUS MUSTACHE, and resumes his post. The entire mob, quakes in his presence and quickly disperses.
This all happens in the first 10 minutes of a just over three hour action film. And if you think what I just described is nuts--you ain't seen nothing yet. I've already seen this movie twice, but its only the second time that I noticed the extreme similarities between RRR and action shounen: Characters literally power up by screaming and flexing their massive muscles, guys are literally picking up motorcycles and throwing them at enemies, and the two central characters experience a fire-forged bond of friendship and manliness that rivals the best of any shounen relationship. This shit is fucking anime because it understands exactly why we love anime: it's both over-the-top and ridiculous while also being sincere anshell. And oh man, this movie, for as goofy as it is, takes it self, super-duper seriously. I've seen just enough south asian epics to know that audiences pretty much expect this stuff. It's why an American adaptation of DB--or any anime for that matter--can't work because us Americans demand a sheen of self-irony to accept ridiculous stuff. It's the constant winking and nodding in MCU movies that, at the end of the day, all of this is stupid. There is none of that in this movie: it expects you to accept everything at face-value. And if you can do that, you're looking at what is easily one of the best action scenes I've seen in years. I'm talking about taking the best of Wuxia and mixing it with the brutality of The Raid films--and it works.
Honestly, this is really just an excuse for me to talk about this movie. But yeah, if someone's going to do a Dragon Ball movie--this is how you do it.
So now I want to talk about RRR, a Telugu-languaged Indian film that is recently blowing up the Indian movie charts and is achieving a surprising level of international attention around the world.
It is also Anime as fuck. Let me put it this way: In the opening moments a British police officer by the name of Ram is tasked to go into a crowd of rioting civilians in order to arrest one dude from a sea of thousands. This fucking Chad, without skipping a beat, removes his hat, grabs a baton, fucking leaps over the guard railing and squares off AGAINST THE ENTIRE RIOTING MOB, delivering blows, breaking limbs and fingers along the way. To get to one man. And this fucking guy--he does it. Bloodied and bruised, he drags this man back into the british compound, simply splashes water on his GLORIOUS MUSTACHE, and resumes his post. The entire mob, quakes in his presence and quickly disperses.
This all happens in the first 10 minutes of a just over three hour action film. And if you think what I just described is nuts--you ain't seen nothing yet. I've already seen this movie twice, but its only the second time that I noticed the extreme similarities between RRR and action shounen: Characters literally power up by screaming and flexing their massive muscles, guys are literally picking up motorcycles and throwing them at enemies, and the two central characters experience a fire-forged bond of friendship and manliness that rivals the best of any shounen relationship. This shit is fucking anime because it understands exactly why we love anime: it's both over-the-top and ridiculous while also being sincere anshell. And oh man, this movie, for as goofy as it is, takes it self, super-duper seriously. I've seen just enough south asian epics to know that audiences pretty much expect this stuff. It's why an American adaptation of DB--or any anime for that matter--can't work because us Americans demand a sheen of self-irony to accept ridiculous stuff. It's the constant winking and nodding in MCU movies that, at the end of the day, all of this is stupid. There is none of that in this movie: it expects you to accept everything at face-value. And if you can do that, you're looking at what is easily one of the best action scenes I've seen in years. I'm talking about taking the best of Wuxia and mixing it with the brutality of The Raid films--and it works.
Honestly, this is really just an excuse for me to talk about this movie. But yeah, if someone's going to do a Dragon Ball movie--this is how you do it.
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
So what you are saying is that Dragon Ball should be a B/M/T-ollywood project.....
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
Kinda! There's already a lot of that stuff in the original Dragon Ball.PurestEvil wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 10:57 am So what you are saying is that Dragon Ball should be a B/M/T-ollywood project.....
If you're going to make an adaptation, you need to go all out.
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
It's nice to see a fan of Indian cinema around on this board.
And a lot of Indian films work in a tokusatsu style: lots of ham acting and outrageous unrealistic action sequences. DB has that too, as part of Japanese culture. Any adaptation that is willing to keep that can be on the right track.
And a lot of Indian films work in a tokusatsu style: lots of ham acting and outrageous unrealistic action sequences. DB has that too, as part of Japanese culture. Any adaptation that is willing to keep that can be on the right track.
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
Live action Dragon Ball debates are a dime a dozen, but at this point, if there were to be another live action movie, I suppose it might as well be made outside of Hollywood. Hollywood adaptations of foreign IP’s don’t exactly have the best track record.
I guess that the apparent success of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies would be an exception to that norm, but Sonic the Hedgehog was never all that big in Japan to begin with, and unlike Dragon Ball, there’s not really anything about Sonic that screams “Eastern influenced.”
I guess that the apparent success of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies would be an exception to that norm, but Sonic the Hedgehog was never all that big in Japan to begin with, and unlike Dragon Ball, there’s not really anything about Sonic that screams “Eastern influenced.”
Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
...Super Sonic?WittyUsername wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:15 pm there’s not really anything about Sonic that screams “Eastern influenced.”
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
That’s a homage to a thing that exists in Dragon Ball, but is the concept of a golden super mode seen as a distinctly Eastern trope?Adamant wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 4:25 am...Super Sonic?WittyUsername wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:15 pm there’s not really anything about Sonic that screams “Eastern influenced.”
Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
Where have you seen it in non-Eastern media that isn't specifically doing a homage to certain Eastern media?WittyUsername wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 4:46 amThat’s a homage to a thing that exists in Dragon Ball, but is the concept of a golden super mode seen as a distinctly Eastern trope?Adamant wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 4:25 am...Super Sonic?WittyUsername wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:15 pm there’s not really anything about Sonic that screams “Eastern influenced.”
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
OP, it's no problem.
I honestly believe everyone who says Dragon Ball wouldn't work in live action is coming from a good place, they don't want another Evolution and for the series we all love to be seen as a joke.
None of us here can argue better than Kunzait_83, but as he said in a nutshell: Dragon Ball can, and has been done in live action well numerous times for decades, albeit in everything but name, and there's no reason it can't be done again with the branding.
I honestly believe everyone who says Dragon Ball wouldn't work in live action is coming from a good place, they don't want another Evolution and for the series we all love to be seen as a joke.
None of us here can argue better than Kunzait_83, but as he said in a nutshell: Dragon Ball can, and has been done in live action well numerous times for decades, albeit in everything but name, and there's no reason it can't be done again with the branding.
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
But my initial point has been not just that I don't think a live-action DB can't work, but that doing so would be rather redundant.Dragon Ball Ireland wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 7:18 am OP, it's no problem.
I honestly believe everyone who says Dragon Ball wouldn't work in live action is coming from a good place, they don't want another Evolution and for the series we all love to be seen as a joke.
None of us here can argue better than Kunzait_83, but as he said in a nutshell: Dragon Ball can, and has been done in live action well numerous times for decades, albeit in everything but name, and there's no reason it can't be done again with the branding.
The point of using RRR as an example is less that "finally a DB movie can be made" but more that "finally a DB movie can be made that can capture the intensity and excitement of the anime."
Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
The problem with Sonic is a similar issue with DB Evolution. No, I'm not saying that Sonic is as bad as Evolution, but its made in the same place: that westerners won't "get" the weirdness of the properties, so its toned down to make it more palpable for western sensibility. For me the perfect Sonic movie is not one where he's in "the real world," but one in his own world. Think the intro of Sonic mania, but with a huge budget.WittyUsername wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:15 pm Live action Dragon Ball debates are a dime a dozen, but at this point, if there were to be another live action movie, I suppose it might as well be made outside of Hollywood. Hollywood adaptations of foreign IP’s don’t exactly have the best track record.
I guess that the apparent success of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies would be an exception to that norm, but Sonic the Hedgehog was never all that big in Japan to begin with, and unlike Dragon Ball, there’s not really anything about Sonic that screams “Eastern influenced.”
RRR works because it doens't give a fuck whether you think its "unrealistic" It's so sincere 100% of the time and holds nothing back. That's what a Dragon Ball movie needs to be.
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
There’s this.Adamant wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 5:43 amWhere have you seen it in non-Eastern media that isn't specifically doing a homage to certain Eastern media?WittyUsername wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 4:46 amThat’s a homage to a thing that exists in Dragon Ball, but is the concept of a golden super mode seen as a distinctly Eastern trope?
My only real point is that Sonic the Hedgehog isn’t exactly rooted in Eastern culture and mythology the way Dragon Ball is, which might help explain why Hollywood has had better luck with him than most other adaptations of Eastern IP.
Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
The team designed the Nights franchise to have a distinctly British style, in contrast to Sonic the Hedgehog, which was designed to be more American. Thus, Bellbridge—the game's main setting—closely resembles London, and all of the game's characters have English accents.[17][5]
Sonic is defintely a lot more Western influenced than Dragon Ball.
Sonic is defintely a lot more Western influenced than Dragon Ball.
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
Sonic is as culturally neutral as you can get. Quite the exact opposite of Dragon Ball which is unquestionably east asian.
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
YES, YES AND YES
I am one of those fans who is totally ok with another live action movie and in fact would rather want that because DBE is such a burden to the fandom honestly.
I must confess that I have not watched many bollywood or other asian country of origin movies, except for a few chinese ones that were made by early 2000s and the MIGHTY Baahubali (yes I could not help thinking on Dragon Ball when I was watching it).
My hopes were also very high after having watched the latest Mortal Kombat live action movie (if you haven't watched it, I do recommend it). i even posted on my DA about recomending those same actors for Goku and Vegeta
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so yeah green light! green light"
I am one of those fans who is totally ok with another live action movie and in fact would rather want that because DBE is such a burden to the fandom honestly.
I must confess that I have not watched many bollywood or other asian country of origin movies, except for a few chinese ones that were made by early 2000s and the MIGHTY Baahubali (yes I could not help thinking on Dragon Ball when I was watching it).
My hopes were also very high after having watched the latest Mortal Kombat live action movie (if you haven't watched it, I do recommend it). i even posted on my DA about recomending those same actors for Goku and Vegeta
https://www.deviantart.com/saiya6cit/ar ... -878324551
so yeah green light! green light"
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
RRR looks awesome. I'm a huge fan of Telugu films (but they are consumed sparingly) and I appreciate you putting this on my radar. If only my friends and family enjoyed them, lol.
With that being said, I'd probably be very disappointed in a Tollywood-style Dragon Ball. I feel either a generic Tollywood (no offense meant) formula would fail Dragon Ball or that a safe, generic Dragon Ball story would fail live-action. I prefer vision over appeasement and I feel like we keep getting appeasement. The fans want what they want though, and I'd definitely watch it if made.
With that being said, I'd probably be very disappointed in a Tollywood-style Dragon Ball. I feel either a generic Tollywood (no offense meant) formula would fail Dragon Ball or that a safe, generic Dragon Ball story would fail live-action. I prefer vision over appeasement and I feel like we keep getting appeasement. The fans want what they want though, and I'd definitely watch it if made.
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
I would not be offended by Dragon Ball movie looking like indian movies. But has anybody ever thought why TOEI ANIMATION does not make their own live action movies? I mean, they do owe the rights of every single worldwide famous anime, why not making their own movies instead of relying on someone else? Even Netflix does it, how hard can it really be? The money? they have it. Or are you telling me that their CEO would rather buy a second yacht than risking some budget on something that might or might not work? what a greedy company with zero ambition and creativity then. LAME.fleahop wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 10:21 am RRR looks awesome. I'm a huge fan of Telugu films (but they are consumed sparingly) and I appreciate you putting this on my radar. If only my friends and family enjoyed them, lol.
With that being said, I'd probably be very disappointed in a Tollywood-style Dragon Ball. I feel either a generic Tollywood (no offense meant) formula would fail Dragon Ball or that a safe, generic Dragon Ball story would fail live-action. I prefer vision over appeasement and I feel like we keep getting appeasement. The fans want what they want though, and I'd definitely watch it if made.
Even if they americanized Sonic, I don't think the end up result is bad. In fact sonic 2 is the first movie I will go to the teathers to watch since EndGame.The problem with Sonic is a similar issue with DB Evolution. No, I'm not saying that Sonic is as bad as Evolution, but its made in the same place: that westerners won't "get" the weirdness of the properties, so its toned down to make it more palpable for western sensibility. For me the perfect Sonic movie is not one where he's in "the real world," but one in his own world. Think the intro of Sonic mania, but with a huge budget.
I keep saiyan that a "Real Life" forum or "not dragon ball" forum would do wonders but upper management continues to deny it... I can be moderator if they are concerned about the amount if SPAM there, just saiyan...Honestly, this is really just an excuse for me to talk about this movie
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Re: Ok, I was Wrong: Maybe a live-action DB Movie can work.
For many reasons, I don't think DB can work in live action. But the OP has successfully made me want to see RRR while it's still playing, so thanks for that!
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