Sunday, January 19, 2014

Adaptations - The Bizarre Case of Supernatural: The Anime Series



   Adaptations plague us these days. I cringe whenever I hear Hollywood is turning a beloved book, cartoon or even toys I love into a movie or series. Available in all kinds, if you want an adaptation of your favorite show or book in another medium, it probably exists. Most popular shows right now come from other sources. True Blood and The Walking Dead came from a book and a comic book series respectively.  Almost everything  is adapted from something else and every industry does it, from making books into movies to turning TV shows into books.
                (Left) Cover for Dead Until Dark, book 1 of the Sookie Stackhouse novels (2009 Ace Books edition) ; (Right) Cover for The Walking Dead #1 (Image Comics, Oct. 2003) 


   My adaptation subject is based on one of my favorite shows. Interpreted and expanded in many forms, it has a bizarre offspring rarely heard of. Often, we hear of anime and manga being adapted for American audiences. Icons like Godzilla and Astro Boy got the Americanized Hollywood treatment but this case is a little backwards. A popular American show was given an animated adaptation from a Japanese based animation company, given an anime makeover and  presented to the United States. It certainly wasn't the first to do so, but despite the hype it was given it disappeared into obscurity once released. Some hardcore fans don't acknowledge its existence. I present to you Supernatural: The Anime Series.
Cover Art for the DVD Release. You be the judge.


   Released in 2011, it retells the first two seasons of the CW's hit show of the same name. Condensed into twenty two episodes, it also includes original anime-exclusive stories. It features the two main characters, Dean and Sam Winchester, road tripping sibling hunters of all things otherworldly, doing just that. The premise alone begs you to animate it, since it doesn't count on a TV budget. The English version features some voice acting from the show's actors and the animation is from Madhouse, the studio responsible for anime such as Chobits and Death Note.

   Apparently it got adapted by having its way with the source material. The anime original episodes don't quite match up to the mythology the original show presented, which wouldn't be a problem if the animation wasn't trying to imitate it. The voice acting seems off in both languages, strange considering that in English one of the main characters is voiced by his live counterpart. The brother's personality traits are exaggerated to the point of absurdity. Instead of a serious, grief stricken younger brother and a more optimistic but focused older brother, we get one character who cries all the time and another who only speaks in wisecracks. 

   Considering it was released in 2011, older series by the same company, such as Death Note (which has a similar ambiance and setting) look a lot fresher than this one. Don't get me started on the fact that even though the brothers look similar to their live counterparts, everyone else got an ugly makeover. 

  Strangely, it's not all bad. It has some solid episodes and since its animated, it gets away with real monsters and action that can't be replicated by a TV budget or live actors. I'll admit that was a good point for me.

   But ultimately, was this adaptation a form of flattery for a popular show or a mere cash grab? The conception and fan reaction was bizarre enough. I wasn't particularly thrilled by it, but true fans aren't defending it either. Maybe this is a case where success was only possible if accuracy was 100%. Maybe like some things in Supernatural , we're just not meant to know.


 
Currently Listening To: Bleeding Out- Imagine Dragons
Book on My Nightstand: The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
On my TV: Supernatural (season 5 finale; "Swan Song", for inspiration)
Currently Retro gaming: Final Fantasy VI (Still at it)
Random Pop Culture Thought of the Day: "This anime and the X-Men one with the adorable Beast needs to be recapped with Otaku K for the masses. We can then compare if Beast's fur is more adorable than Sam's hair."

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