The manga-to-anime-to-live-action pipeline is a well-known one. Live-action adaptations of popular anime can often bring fresh takes on familiar stories and act as a bridge between experienced and new anime watchers.
There are adaptations, such as those by Netflix, that have left fans disappointed. However, there are also anime to live-action series that have remained faithful to the source material and maintained the quality of the original. The live-action adaptations of Alice in Borderland and One Piece have helped boost the popularity of anime as well.
Check out our top picks to help you find recommendations for anime to live-action adaptations you can watch on Netflix and other places.
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10 Best Anime to Live-Action Adaptations
One Piece
Japanese Title: Wan Pisu
Released In: 2023
Starring: Inaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Romero, Gibson, Taz Skylar
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
One Piece is a beloved manga and anime. And while Netflix does not have the best track record with live-action adaptations, it managed to hit it out of the park with One Piece. Starring Inaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, it is easily the best anime to live-action series on Netflix.
It did a great job of adapting the anime’s earliest arcs into eight episodes. The episodes are fast-paced, but surprisingly, it is largely smooth sailing. One Piece live-action has managed to capture the vibes of the manga and anime without coming across as too over the top.
Each actor has nailed their character, making One Piece a decent ode to its source material.
Also Read: How to watch One Piece in Chronological order
Gokusen
Japanese Title: Gokusen
Released In: 2002
Starring: Yukie Nakama, Jun Matsumoto, Shun Oguri, Kazuya Kamenashi(season 2), Jin Akanishi(season 2), Yuya Takaki(season 3), Haruma Miura(season 3)
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Ah, Gokusen! It is the perfect nostalgia trip to the times of flip phones, frosted tips, and school shenanigans. While Gokusen may sound like another “unconventional teacher who changes delinquent students” story, its charm, humor, and characters make the live-action adaptation such a beloved show.
The talented Yukie Nakama plays yakuza heiress Kumiko Yamaguchi, who is assigned as the homeroom teacher of Class 3-D, a class of delinquent students at Shirokin Gakuen. It is a conflict from day one as the students attempt to drive her away while she attempts to get through to them.
Kumiko slowly starts to win over her students and helps them find the purpose of their lives. The discrepancy between her more masculine personality and her attempts to conform to Japanese cultural norms results in some truly laugh-out-loud moments.
Watch this show for some heartfelt moments excellent chemistry, and to see Jun Matsumoto and Shun Oguri from a time before they became the stars they are today.
Erased
Japanese Title: Boku Dake ga Inai Machi
Released In: 2017
Starring: Yuki Furukawa, Reo Uchikawa, Tomoka Kurotani, Shigeyuki Totsugi, Mio Yuki
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Erased is a time-travel and mystery drama about 29-year-old Satoru Fujinuma, who has the ability to travel back in time moments before a life-threatening incident. This ability, called “Revival”, one day throws him eighteen years into the past, where he is given the opportunity to save his mother and prevent a series of child murders.
The show makes a few changes from the anime, but this in no way detracts from the enjoyment of the series. Erased’s biggest strength, however, is its characters and atmosphere. The child actors are simply phenomenal and instantly make you connect with this bunch of elementary schoolers.
Erased handles the mystery and thriller aspects of the story quite well and slowly builds up the tension. The desaturated blue filter of the past timeline lends to a bleak feeling. Along with that, the industrial town setting and the soulless gray buildings heighten the feeling of suffocation.
There is a feeling of quiet dread as you can’t help but wonder that something isn’t right. Erased is a gripping watch that maintains the quality of the anime.
Great Teacher Onizuka
Japanese Title: Gureto Ticha Onizuka
Released In: 1998
Starring: Takashi Sorimachi, Nanako Matsushima, Naohito Fujiki
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Another show with an impulsive, unconventional teacher and difficult students? Isn’t this just Gokusen lite? Not really. Great Teacher Onizuka is a popular anime, and this live-action is just as beloved. It is Takashi Sorimachi’s most popular role and has aged surprisingly well considering the norms of the times.
The live-action is more condensed than the anime, but the pacing and writing don’t let it feel like a drag. Episodes have a longer runtime and, therefore, ample time to develop the students and help you connect with their struggles and conflicts.
Takashi Sorimachi and Nanako Matsushima have great chemistry, and to make it an even more satisfying ending, they actually got married after the show ended. Watch Great Teacher Onizuka for some hilarious and heart-touching moments, a decent romance, and impossibly young Shun Oguri, Yosuke Kubozuka, and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi.
Note that Great Teacher Onizuka is a product of its time, and the perverted aspects of Onizuka’s character and the misogyny in the show, in general, may not hold up well in the twenty-first century.
Alice in Borderland
Japanese Title: Imawa no Kuni no Alice
Released In: 2020
Starring: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Nijiro Murakami, Yuki Morinaga, Keita Machida
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Most live-action anime adaptations are often touted as being inferior to the source material. Netflix’s Alice in Borderland is, however, an exception to this rule. It is one of the best anime to live-action series and a great introduction to the franchise.
Starring Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya as Arisu and Usagi, Alice in Borderland follows a group of people as they are transported to a deserted city and have to navigate mysterious and deadly games to survive there. The challenges are literally life-or-death matters, and the series consistently gets darker with each succeeding episode.
The live-action has successfully captured the ruthless nature of this strange world with unhinged characters and some thrilling action sequences. Great attention has been paid to creating the desolate landscapes of otherwise bustling Tokyo and the intricate game scenarios. This results in an immersive and visually striking experience for the viewer.
Boys Over Flowers
Japanese Title: Hana Yori Dango
Released In: 2005
Starring: Mao Inoue, Jun Matsumoto, Shun Oguri, Tsuyoshi Abe, Shota Matsuda
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Ah, the (in)famous Boys Over Flowers. Where does one even begin? Originally a manga by Yoko Kamio, it has spawned many adaptations, including multiple live-action ones. The one we are talking about, and one that is generally considered the most popular anime to live-action romance, is the Japanese adaptation starring Mao Inoue as Tsukushi Makino and Jun Matsumoto as Tsukasa Domyoji.
Tsukushi is a middle-class girl who studies at the elite Eitoku Academy, which is de-facto ruled by the F4- a group of four boys who are heirs to Japan’s wealthiest families. Initially a target of F4’s bullying, the haughty and temperamental Tsukasa soon starts developing feelings for Tsukushi.
Thus begins a push and pull between two people who couldn’t be more different. The actors breathe life into their characters and Matsumoto and Inoue particularly have insane chemistry. Their scenes together would have you holding your breath.
Is Boys Over Flowers problematic? Yes, especially the bullying scenes, which are honestly horrifying. But it is also a ridiculous story that will have you addicted and waiting impatiently for the next episode. It is definitely an entertaining watch if you can get past the less-than-ideal aspects of it.
Kotaro Lives Alone
Japanese Title: Kotaro wa Hitorigurashi
Released In: 2021
Starring: Yu Yokoyama, Eito Kawahara, Maika Yamamoto
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Shin Karino is an unpopular manga writer living in an apartment complex that forbids children from living there. So, imagine his surprise when 5-year-old Kotaro Sato moves next door and declares that he lives alone. Why is this tiny boy who speaks like a Japanese feudal lord living on his own in an apartment?
A young child or teenager living alone is a common trope in anime and often the subject of running jokes and gags. While Kotaro Lives Alone does have that, there is more lying below the surface that will have you pressing Play on the next episode.
The young Eita Kawahara plays Kotaro with aplomb. You admire this boy’s resilience and resourcefulness while simultaneously wanting to protect him from the harshness of the world.
Kotaro Lives Alone is a slice-of-life comedy-drama, but there is a sincerity here that wins your heart. He touches everyone he meets, especially his neighbors Shin Karino and Mizuki Akimoto, played by Yu Yokoyama and Maika Yamamoto, respectively.
Watch this drama for its humor, sarcasm, and heartwarming moments that never feel disingenuous.
Death Note
Japanese Title: Desu Noto
Released In: 2015
Starring: Masataka Kubota, Kento Yamazaki, Mio Yuki, Hinako Sano
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
What is this? Another show starring Kento Yamazaki? Well, he is known as the Prince of Live-action for a reason. Man has been in nearly every popular anime to live-action adaptation. And let us tell you, he and Masataka Kubota do not disappoint in this rendition of the iconic Death Note.
While the words Death Note and adaptation may bring to mind the horrific 2017 Netflix movie, let us help you erase the memories of that by recommending this 2015 Japanese adaptation. This show is a faithful retelling while making some changes to account for the limitations of live-action.
Masataka Kubota’s Light Yagami is gentler and more compassionate as compared to his anime counterpart while Kento Yamazaki’s L displays his obsessive-compulsive behaviors with his exclusively white clothing and reliance on liquid diets.
The drama differs from the anime in certain narrative choices but is otherwise a solid show.
Yu Yu Hakusho
Japanese Title: Yu Yu Hakusho
Released In: 2023
Starring: Takumi Kitamura, Shuhei Uesugi, Jun Shison, Kanata Hongo, Keita Machida, Kotone Furukawa
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
The 2023 live-action adaptation of the shonen manga and anime series Yu Yu Hakusho is every bit as charming as the original. It is the story of teenager Yusuke Urameshi, who becomes a spirit detective after dying and being revived. This is a condensed but faithful and straightforward retelling of the original.
Yu Yu Hakusho grabs the viewers’ attention from the first scene as Yusuke’s spirit at his corpse in shock and confusion. He is offered a second chance at life if he agrees to investigate a demon infestation in the human world under spirit world ruler Koenma.
As the premise suggests, the show is jam-packed with exciting sequences, action choreography, and flashy effects. Yu Yu Hakusho leans into the melodrama while also offering quieter and sincere moments with actors like Jun Shison and Kotone Furukawa.
It’s a tall order to condense dozens of chapters in a mere five episodes, but it is still a decent adaptation of a popular anime.
Ao Haru Ride
Japanese Title: Aoharaido
Released In: 2023
Starring: Natsuki Deguchi, Kaito Sakurai
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Ao Haru Ride, also known as Blue Spring Ride, is the story of sixteen-year-old Futaba Yoshioka whose life changes when her first love returns after mysteriously disappearing during middle school. She should be happy but the thing is, Kou Mabuchi is no longer the gentle boy from her memories.
This Kou, who returned from Nagasaki, is cold, guarded, and pessimistic. The young cast is a delight to watch. Natsuki Deguchi particularly nailed the character of Futaba and is quite natural in her portrayal.
Ao Haru Ride is a classic coming-of-age story that is lent more weight by the mature themes it sets out to tackle. All the characters are fleshed out and have a journey of personal growth that the audience can easily relate to. It is a heartfelt romance, but above all, Ao Haru Ride is a story about life and overcoming obstacles to our happiness.
