Japanese animation has long established itself in popular culture. Anime is loved and hated, watched and judged, but invariably judged apart from the European tradition of animation. And, of course, there is an anime based on video games. We talked aboutthe best andworst movies based on games – it’s time to talk about Japanese cartoons.
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Devil May Cry
The series is based on a manga based on the video game, which was developed as the fourth part of the Resident Evil franchise. In the center of the plot is Dante, a half-demon who fulfills contracts for hunting demons to keep his small business afloat.
Most of the episodes are separate short missions, in which, however, a more global scope is felt. Of course, the plot “shoots” towards the end. The first lines about the thorny path of anime were not without reason: it is quite difficult to recognize a talkative merry fellow from the game in local Dante, and other characters have undergone significant changes. But the action has remained the same dynamic – studio Madhouse, which previously gave the world “Trigan” and “Pirates of the Black Lagoon”, as expected, pulled the quality of animation to a fairly high level, once again creating a high-quality series that looks good even if taken from the original source.
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Castlevania
One of the first Netflix anime series to be based on the game. Castlevania needs no introduction: the iconic series from Konami is, of course, going through hard days today, but it is still beloved by players around the world.
The start of the series is familiar to everyone who played at least one of the parts of the franchise: Dracula rages on the loose, threatening to destroy humanity. One of the Belmont (in this case, Trevor) is sent to fight him, armed with a generic weapon – a special whip, which is inherited by the clan of vampire hunters. Other characters also come to his aid – the sorceress Sifa and the dhampir Alucard, the son of Dracula.
Gradually, the number of characters grows, and the motivations become more complicated: if at first the plot focused only on the “bright” side of the conflict, then by the end of the third season there are enough heroes on the other side. And keeping an eye on those who fight alongside the vampires is often almost more interesting. Action, on the other hand, invariably holds a high bar: the local choreography of fights is done conscientiously and can captivate even the most demanding viewer.
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“Gangreve” / Gungrave
The original arcade action game about a slow dead man chained to his back with a coffin stuffed with weapons to the eyeballs, failed to pave the way for the mass player, but became a cult for a small core of loyal fans. In many ways, everything rested on the chosen style: the crime drama about the mafia was combined with furious action, giant monsters and typically anime style in the spirit of the best TV series of the late 1990s. This is not surprising: the creator of “Trigan” Yasuhiro Naito was responsible for the design of Grave and other characters.
The plot of the series expands what is shown in the game: if there Brandon Heath immediately under the name Grave (Grave) went to avenge his murder, the details of which were revealed in short flashbacks, then in the anime the first half is devoted to the past of the hero and his sworn enemy – Harry McDowell, who was once his best friend. As a result, the first half captivated the audience: pure crime drama, almost without any admixture of fiction, worked perfectly on its own, and the similarities with “The Godfather” and “Once Upon a Time in America” only gave charm. However, the second half is no worse: the previously mentioned studio Madhouse has done an excellent job of all the action of Grave and the opposing criminal syndicate “Millennium”.
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Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV
The long-running Final Fantasy XV has drawn attention in many ways. In addition to an extensive advertising campaign, two cartoons were released: the full-length Kingsglaive told about the origin of the game’s conflict and was created using computer graphics, and the small series Brotherhood revealed the relationship of the central four characters.
Each episode lasts less than 15 minutes, but almost certainly manages to fall in love with the heroes of every viewer. All thanks to the amazing chemistry of the characters: Prince Noctis and his friends now and then find themselves in different situations, ranging from eating burgers at a roadside eatery to battling huge monsters. At the same time, the series does not try to repeat the plot of the game, but completely focuses on the more relaxed part of the adventure – just Kingsglaive is puffed up for the drama. All episodes, by the way, are available for free viewing directly on YouTube.
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Dragon’s Dogma
Another Netflix series on the list. Unlike linear Castlevania, it is based on a huge adventure in the open world. The plot, however, remains the same: the main character Ethan (in the game, the name, gender and appearance can be chosen independently) is killed by a dragon, but returns to life with a hole in the place of the heart. In addition to stealing a vital organ, the dragon managed to do a much darker deed, killing Ethan’s entire family, and now the hero is driven by the desire to take revenge on a giant fire-breathing lizard.
Of course, the series is not talking about traveling in an open world for a silent hero. Instead, over the course of seven episodes, Ethan and his “pawn” Hannah (in the Dragon’s Dogma world, this is something of a partner who is magically linked to the character) find themselves on a number of different adventures. Each episode is an independent little story and is tied to one of the deadly sins: for example, in Lust, the heroes will have to fight a succubus, and in the final Pride – with that dragon. The animation quality is excellent here, even despite the 3D inserts, and the action deserves special praise.
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Persona 5: The Animation
Perhaps the most affordable way to touch one of the best RPGs of recent years for those without a PS4. For the most part, the plot has remained unchanged, perhaps with noticeable cuts – after all, the original lasts over a hundred hours. The essence is the same: Rei Amamiya, unjustly convicted of attacking a famous politician, arrives in Tokyo, where he is on probation for a year. But in the very first days of his studies in high school, he not only makes new acquaintances, but also accidentally ends up in the Palace of one of the teachers (a special place that exists in the subconscious), where he learns that he is able to change callous human hearts.
Attention to the original source played a cruel joke on the creators, and some of the moments are difficult to understand without knowing the original. Why do Phantom Thieves use weird (albeit stylish) attacks every now and then? How and why do their business cards work? And if you can still close your eyes to this, then the periodically arising trash in animation is much more depressing. However, not enough to quit a series with an intriguing and addictive plot, with which everything is in order here.
Those who seem to be a little should turn to the series on other parts of the franchise – they are no worse.
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Pokemon / Pokemon
A series that hardly needs an introduction. What is really there: not everyone familiar with Pokemon is aware that the game appeared before the series, and not vice versa. And for more than two decades, Ash Ketchum and his best friend Pikachu have been traveling the world in an attempt not only to collect all the Pokémon, but also to get the main prize of the Pokémon League. Spoiler: the last one was successful for the boy quite recently, in 2019.
The series tells about the travels of Ash and his friends, who go on new adventures. It’s a light and stress-free show full of cute Pokémon and simple moralizing. And those who love the game will be happy to see familiar trainers and their Pokémon, who almost unchanged migrate to the show with the release of each new game in the franchise.
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Higurashi When They Cry
It would be a crime to miss adapting visual novels, as they are an important part of Japanese culture. “When the cicadas cry” is a good entry point. Both the original game and the series focus on events in the small village of Hinamizawa, where Keiichi, a high school student, arrives with his family in 1983. And if at first he enjoys a new quiet life as opposed to the noisy metropolis, then soon events take on a much darker turn. The current legend of the furious spirit of Oyashiro-sama turns into a series of deaths, and the plot of the story begins to revolve around a time loop, over and over again ending in violence.
The visual novel left the brutality behind the scenes, giving free rein to the imagination, but the anime does not skimp on the bloody scenes. At the same time, most of the plot is conveyed quite accurately, albeit with simplifications due to timing. In 2023, by the way, the show began to be re-filmed: the creator of “Cicad” Ryukishi07 said that he was not entirely satisfied with the quality of the old show and would like to do everything “right” this time.
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“Party of the Dead: Tortured Souls” / Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
A unique example of how a fan-made craft that was not even going to benefit from, became the beginning of a whole franchise. The original Corpse Party came out in 1996 and was created with RPG Maker. True, unlike most games on the engine, she did not talk about fantasy adventures, but focused on a group of schoolchildren who, as a result of an earthquake, found themselves in another dimension. The school, which seemed safe, is now inhabited by ghosts, and not everyone will be able to get out of this situation alive.
The series was released in 2013 and closely followed the plot of the original. As a result, today it is considered one of the bloodiest and most violent anime in history. Scenes like the one where a small child gouges his eyes out with scissors is just the tip of the iceberg, and the faint of heart from Corpse Party is better off staying away. But those who love horror and unmotivated violence will feel at home. Seriously, the show is filmed as if it were being consulted by Rob Zombie.
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