Anime is relatively new to the American audience, given the fact that it was not until the 1960s that the first anime by the name of Three Tales was broadcast in front of western viewers. However, in the little time that it has had to impact the cinematic culture of Hollywood, it has done so profoundly.
A storytelling medium for the screen that goes beyond the limitations of traditional cinema, anime has not only dealt with interesting and complex stories but has also inspired movie makers to bring life to these extraordinary tales. Over the years and amongst the greatest anime movies of all time, there have been some special ones that have not only entertained the audience with their individual appeal but have even moved Hollywood filmmakers to adapt them into movies, giving rise to some of the most iconic pieces that the world has ever seen.
Looper - Akira
Rian Johnson is a filmmaker who is not shy about borrowing from his favorite movies and shows, and openly talks about how overrated originality is. Therefore, it is no surprise to see his movie Looper, be inspired and draw elements from many well-known movies and anime, including Akira.
The character Cid, which audiences can see in the movie is a direct nod to Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira and showcases how the powers of an individual, psychokinesis in this case, eventually converts them into a monster. Although the story does not centrally revolve around Cid, the uncanny similarities cannot be ignored. For those who haven't watched Akira, it is one of the best animes available on Amazon Prime.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Naruto, Afro Samurai, Samurai Jack & Fool Cooly
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World clearly exhibits the comic influences that it draws from, as well as the huge influence that 8-bit games like Street Fighter have on it. Its visual style, as well as the fact that the movie has been adapted from comics written by Brian Lee O’Malley, are enough assurances to confirm that it holds manga and comics very close to its heart.
However, there have also been specific anime, namely Naruto, Samurai Jack, Afro Samurai, and Fooly Cooly, which have influenced concept designer Oscar Wright and director Edgar Wright into the making of this movie. The final boss fight featuring Gideon shows the villain summoning his digitized sword using hand-signs, a direct allusion to the beloved anime Naruto, which features an intricate list of hand-signs.
Clash Of The Titans - Saint Seiya
Although most of the movie Clash of the Titans is inspired by Greek mythology and the legend of Perseus, the demigod, it also has some influences which came from the mythological and fantasy manga known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac.
Masami Kurumada’s exquisite design elements from Saint Seiya had an immense effect on Louis Leterrier, the director of Clash of the Titans, and the latter even confirmed that the armor donned by the Gods in the movie is a direct tribute to the genius of Kuramada. Furthermore, Warner Bros. even approached Kuramada to help them with designing the poster for the movie prior to its Japanese release, to which the iconic anime director gladly agreed.
Van Helsing & Blade - Vampire Hunter D
Hideyuki Kikuchi has immortalized his titular character for Vampire Hunter D, through various novels and two brilliant animes. He also helped create the concept of a “Dhampir”, a vampire who is half human and in fact helps slay other vampires.
Although the individual storylines for Van Helsing borrow heavily on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, as does Blade from the Marvel comics, the costume consisting of the iconic black Boss of the Plains hat and black duds that Hugh Jackman dons in Van Helsing seems uniquely similar to that of Vampire Hunter D, and the concept of “Dhampir” finds a resounding resonance in Blade.
Edge Of Tomorrow - All You Need Is Kill
William Cage is undoubtedly one of the most memorable characters played by Tom Cruise in the movie Edge of Tomorrow. However, very few people know that it has been inspired by Keiji Kiriya, the protagonist of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s light sci-fi novel by the name of All You Need Is Kill.
Although the light novel has never been animated, it has been brilliantly adapted into a manga by Ryōsuke Takeuchi, with illustrations done by Takeshi Obata of Death Note fame. The entire movie is based on the premise of Sakurazaka’s novel and draws its influences heavily from Japanese animes.
Lion King - Kimba The White Lion
Osamu Tezuka’s groundbreaking manga Kimba The White Lion that released in the 1950s and then got adapted into animation during the middle of the 1960s has become a landmark in international animation. However, Disney continues to defend itself by saying that its 1994 movie The Lion King is anything but original. The fact that Disney managed to rake in millions by re-releasing the movie as a live-action version in 2019 marks an unfortunate and dingy aspect of showbiz.
However, the similarities between the two are uncanny, including scenes that seem almost exact, (read Mufasa sitting on Pride Rock and his ghost appearing to Simba later in the movie). Furthermore, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Matthew Broderick revealed that he had initially thought he was being cast for a role that was the remake of Kimba. If that’s not enough the names Simba and Kimba seem oddly similar.
The Matrix - Ghost In The Shell
The Matrix is a movie that has strongly embedded itself in pop culture with its myriad quotable dialogues. However, a lesser-known fact about the movie remains in the fact that the Wachowski sisters were hugely influenced by Japanese anime, especially one named Ghost In The Shell by Mamoru Oshii.
Concepts like the fast-paced green digitized typography pinpointing particular users, or the use of cortical jacks that allow users to descend into the Matrix; or the fact that both the anime and the movie deals with the story of individuals who realize the true reality of their existence and then discover what it actually means to be alive, makes them vulnerable to obvious comparisons. To give credit where it's due, the Wachowski sisters always accepted how Ghost In The Shell has been a huge influence on them.
Avatar - Princess Mononoke & Ghost In The Shell
Although James Cameron has not outright said that Avatar was influenced by any anime, the similarities between the storyline and that of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke and Mamoru Oshii's Ghost In The Shell seem astonishingly stark. Furthermore, Cameron had even praised Ghost In The Shell previously, stating it to be "a stunning work of speculative fiction”.
The fact that both Ghost In The Shell and Avatar have concepts of sharing human consciousness through the use of cortical jacks, and that Princess Mononoke, an anime with a strong female protagonist, also deals with a premise of humans degrading nature, and nature fighting back in self-defense to retain its virility, strikes an uncanny chord of similarity.
Black Swan - Perfect Blue
Satoshi Kon is one of the best anime directors of all time and the testament to his great talent includes classics like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Tokyo Godfathers, and Paprika. However, Darren Aronofsky used another masterpiece from Kon’s arsenal of brilliance for his Academy Award-winning psychological drama Black Swan, which goes by the name of Perfect Blue.
Starting from the story of Perfect Blue and Black Swan regarding a young girl troubled by a doppelganger and alienating family and friends in the path to fame, to specific shots, to the fact that Aronofsky had bought the rights of Perfect Blue from Kon, the similarities are many and abounding.
Inception - Paprika
It seems like divine providence that the idea of Satoshi Kon’s Paprika suddenly found its place within the dreams and creativity of Christopher Nolan. The result was Inception.
Other than the fact that both the movies deal with the concept of a machine being used to influence and affect another person’s dream, specific scenes such as the fight in the rotating hallway seem to be directly borrowed from Paprika. Christopher Nolan has also touted that Paprika had a major influence in the making of Inception.