Live-action and anime don’t often mix well. While something like the One Piece live-action series proved to be a success, that’s more of the exception to the rule. Most other live-action adaptations of popular anime series haven’t matched the original anime’s quality, leaving fans often jaded by the idea of a live-action series. Nevertheless, Oshi no Ko creators Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari approved the live-action film of their manga. Oshi no Ko: The Final Act was released in Japan on December 20 and is a live-action film that comes off the heels of the live-action Oshi no Ko series. Toei is in charge of distributing the film, whereas Amazon released the TV series globally on the Prime streaming services.
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Because Yokoyari was still drawing the series as the live-action series and film went into production, Akasaka was the only one able to supervise on set. Nonetheless, Yokoyari was still impressed with the final product, feeling they had done a good job replicating the manga. Akasaka praised the live-action staff for respecting the original work by him and Yokoyari. He also believes the film has a more authentic feeling because it’s a story about the entertainment industry made by people in the industry. “I think the live-action version of Oshi no Ko has a more realistic feel because it has the perspective of the people involved in the entertainment industry,” said Akasaka in an interview. It hasn’t been confirmed if Amazon will stream The Final Act on Prime at the time of this writing.
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Why Oshi no Ko is Perfect For Live-Action
The whole concept of Oshi no Ko is based on the strife and turmoil of working in entertainment. While there are some fantastical elements and magical realism, the manga’s and anime’s portrayal of the industry has always been rooted in gritty realism. Even though the series does give fans plenty of cute pop idol situations that people were expecting to see based on the promotions, it also goes over the immense pressure idols face in keeping up appearances and how hard it is to break into the industry. Stalking is also a huge part of the manga, showing the true danger of when fans get too obsessed with a celebrity.
It can be argued that Akasaka and Yokoyari are part of the entertainment industry since they’re both manga creators. But they are not directly involved in filmmaking or pop idol culture. In contrast, people in entertainment made the Oshi no Ko live-action series and The Final Act. The filmmakers and actors were in the same shoes as the protagonists were dealing with in the story, suffering from the pressure to hit it big and keep up with the high demand.
It’s like Akasaka shared, there’s a more genuine reaction coming from the actors because they’ve actually experienced what the characters are going through. It adds a meta-textual read to the live-action show and film, as it has real-life actors and directors filming something about actors and filmmakers. While authenticity doesn’t automatically mean the series and movie are good, it, at least, adds an extra layer to the manga’s themes and text that makes it a more engaging watch than the traditional anime live-action adaptation.
H/T: natalie.mu
