Great movie ideas usually take flight from having a solid script. In a similar fashion, the critical and financial success of a live-action movie often depends on how film producers make use of its source materials. Be it an adaptation from anime or manga.

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Manga is comics and graphic novels that originate from Japan. Now enjoying popularity worldwide due to globalization and interactive technology, it's not hard to see why many film production companies would like to capitalize on this profitable market. Nonetheless, many films based on manga deserve more appreciation than the resentment surrounding the whole genre of live-action adaptations.

'Ichi The Killer' (2001)

Ichi The Killer manga and live-action

This film is certainly not for the faint of heart. Based on Hideo Yamamoto's manga of the same title, Ichi The Killer revolves around Ichi (Nao Omori), a psychologically repressed and unstable hitman who is brainwashed into killing rival gang members. At the same time, Ichi is being pursued by a sadomasochistic yakuza leader Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), who finds Ichi to be the one who can fulfill his need for pain beyond his wildest dreams.

The film's director, Takashi Miike, is undoubtedly most famous internationally for his cinematic contribution to the violent and the bizarre. Needless to say, Ichi The Killer does not disappoint hardcore fans of the Japanese director in this bizarre tale of brutality and sadism.

'Lady Snowblood' (1973)

Lady Snowblood manga and live-action

One of the best samurai films not directed by Akira Kurosawa, the jidaigeki film follows Yuki (Meiko Kaji), a woman who was born in a women's prison. As she grows up, she trains to become a ruthless assassin who seeks vengeance upon three people who brutally tore apart her family by sexually assaulting her mother while killing her father and brother.

Originated from Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura's manga, the film's success manages to spawn a sequel, Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance. Not to mention that the film series serves as a major inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill (2003-2004).

'I Am A Hero' (2015)

I Am A Hero manga and live-action

Not the most ideal scenario to get inspiration for future manga, I Am A Hero is a Japanese zombie apocalypse film about Hideo (Yo Oizumi), a down-on-his-luck manga artist and assistant who has to learn how to survive from hordes of citizens-turned-flesh-eating-maniacs. In other words, zombies.

The unfavorable situation puts Hideo in a series of moral choices as he and his newfound comrades struggle to stay alive. While the 2010s are saturated with great South Korean zombie movies and shows, I Am A Hero is a breath of fresh air from Japan's seinen manga artist Kengo Hanazawa.

'Edge of Tomorrow' (2014)

All You Need Is Kill manga and Edge of Tomorrow live-action

Even Hollywood understands the appeal of Japanese manga. In the source material, All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, the story centers on a soldier named Keiji Kiriya who begins to be entrapped in a time-loop after dying in a battle with the extraterrestrials. Kiriya intensifies his battle skills with each cycle and desperately finds ways to escape his never-ending predicament.

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Edge of Tomorrow (later retitled Live. Die. Repeat.: Edge of Tomorrow on home media) follows the source closely but with a few minor tweaks. In this science-fiction war movie, the setting is changed to Western Europe. Whereas the lead character is none other than Tom Cruise, who plays Major Bill Cage forced to fight and die over and over again.

'200 Pounds Beauty' (2006)

200 pounds Beauty manga and live-action

Beauty is painful. In 200 Pounds Beauty, Kim Ah-Joong holds a double identity. She plays Hanna Kang, a part-time phone sex worker and ghost-singer for pop singer Ammy (Ji Seo-Yun), who lip-syncs her tunes rather than singing live.

After getting humiliated by Ammy and feeling heartbroken by her boss/crush Sang-Jun (Joo Jin-Mo), she undergoes extreme plastic surgery and a weight loss program. Hanna eventually becomes Jenny, a stunning and slender woman who becomes a new pop sensation with her hit debut single "Maria." 200 Pounds Beauty is based on the Japanese manga Kanna's Big Success! Like the manga's title, the South Korean adaptation enjoys success from both critics and audiences.

'Battle Royale' (2000)

Battle Royale manga and live-action

Before the over-consumption of smartphones and social media, Battle Royale keeps teenagers busy. Adapted from Koushun Takami's 1999 work, the Japanese action-thriller is the original movie that helped launch a new wave of death games movies and tv shows. The film tells the story of a class of nine-graders forced to fight each other till death by a totalitarian Japanese government.

Albeit not suitable for audiences of all generations, Battle Royale inspires future movies to think outside the box. It reiterates the vital role of contemplative youth in the future of a country.

'Oldboy' (2003)

Old Boy manga and live-action

While Spike Lee's 2013 remake did not impress many movie-goers, the initial release of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 neo-noir more than captivates audiences, it shocks everyone to their core.

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As a loose adaptation of Garon Tsuchiya's manga, the narrative of Oldboy ensues Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-Sik), a detested drunkard who is kidnapped, drugged, and tortured in an unknown hotel room for 15 years. After his release, he is determined to track down those who had tormented him, despite not having a single clue about his captors.

'Helter Skelter' (2012)

Helter Skelter  manga and live-action

How far will anyone go to achieve fame and admiration? Supermodel Liliko knows no limits. Helter Skelter is an essential film that looks into the horrors of being a woman in a competitive society where fame lasts for only 15 minutes.

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Both the movie and its Japanese psychological horror manga by Kyoko Okazaki see the horrifying after-effects of plastic surgery on Liliko (Erika Sawajiri), both physically and psychologically. Liliko engages in a debauched lifestyle of sex and drugs, even resorting to murder in an attempt to remain number 1 in the supermodel industry,

'Zatoichi' (2003)

Zatouichi manga and live-action

Since its first manga publication in 1966, Japanese blind swordsman Zatoichi has withstood decades of film and TV adaptations. The iconic character even has a movie cross-over with Toshiro Mifune's Yojimbo in the 1970 film Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo.

In his 11th directorial feature, Takeshi Kitano plays Zatoichi in the 2003 samurai action epic, where he defends a local town from getting caught up in a yakuza gang war. The film boasts unforgettable action sequences while owning one of the most peculiar ending sequences. No spoilers here!

'Crows Zero' (2007)

Crows Zero  manga and live-action

This is another film adapted from a manga by director Takashi Miike. Although less blood and gore are visible in this film compared to Ichi The Killer, Crows Zero continues Miike's signature of gang violence and criminal activities. This time, with the students of the fictional Suzuhan All-Boys High School.

Competing for the "King of Suzuran High" title, various gang factions battle each other out, resulting in some broken bones and a few friendships formed. Amidst all the barbarity and competition, the Japanese action film manages to sneak in a few light-hearted scenes since, after all, most of them are still enjoying high school.

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