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Make it Anime! (Sunday Sevens)

The Otaku Author Sunday Sevens Make It Anime

Back at the beginning of 2019, Average Joe Reviews invented a fun blog tag where those nominated would select a book, a TV show, and a movie to turn into an anime. What would you choose?

Make it Anime!

I was lucky enough to have been nominated to do this challenge twice which means I already have six selections to go into this post. I shall save my newest selection for last and give a little more detail on the original selections. The original posts have been sitting in my drafts since the relaunch and this seems like a good excuse to show them off again, even if abridged. If you want to read more Make it Anime selections from around the community, here is the original post by Average Joe. You can follow the links from there.

7. The Shannara Chronicles (TV Series)

Make It Anime The Shannara Chronicles

At first, I was sure I would select A Game of Thrones, because it’s the best (all be the less than perfect final season), but then I realised that was a mistake. Why remake something that is already great? In reality, this should be something that had potential, but for whatever reason didn’t quite hit the mark.

Well, for me, that is The Shannara Chronicles. It’s set in future Earth after some sort of event brought life as we know it to an end. In this new world elves, dwarves, gnomes, trolls, and demons exist. That’s right, it’s a post-apocalyptic fantasy adventure.

I enjoyed the first season even though it didn’t quite hit the heights I was expecting, but it does have everything you’d want from an anime series. Strong female leads, a goofy yet determined hero, dark and sinister monsters.

6. Sailing to Byzantium by Robert Silverberg (Book)

Make It Anime Sailing To Byzantium By Robert Silverberg

I’ve been waiting for an adaptation of this classic novella for ages, but it still doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. So, someone somewhere, hear my plea because this would make a fantastic anime.

The story follows a man ripped out of his time and pulled into the distant future. A future where technology has advanced to such a state that it appears as magic to him. All that is left of humanity travel between several recreated cities from history and mythology. Each city is populated with artificial life and everything is for the benefit of the tourists.

But each city only exists for so long before being replaced with another, opening up new experiences and sights for these eternal travellers. Charles has long since forgotten his home time and enjoys the dinners, parties, and exuberance. He has a group that he travels with and a girl that he loves, but she disappears one day, leaving Charles to search the world to find her.

If you ask me, there are so many elements that scream anime. The wondrous sights of Valhalla, Alexandria, or of a future New York could be spectacular. There is a love story, time travel, futuristic technology, and the sort of dream-like existence that would feel completely at home in this format.

5. Predator (Movie)

Make It Anime Predator 1987

So, at first glance this might seem ridiculous. After all, there have been how ever many Predator reboots and sequels, but hear me out. I’m going to employee a time honoured tradition of anime. Are you ready for the… wait for it… gender flip?

I’m not talking about the actual Predator, although that could work too. What I’m envisaging is a cast of strong female marines with masses of firepower on a mission through the jungle, where it’s hot and wet, only to be attacked by an alien.

Come on. You can see it too. It would be incredible. I just don’t see how this can go wrong. Ultimately, there’s not going to be any groundbreaking story-lines, but that’s fine, it would just be girls with guns. Explosions, hot girls, guns, hot girls, lasers, hot girls, predators, and hot girls with Gatling guns!

For an even more anime experience, how about Magical Girls versus Predator! That’s right, I went there! Instead of regular weapons, let’s give this marines magic weapons with which to fight the Predator.

4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Book)

Make It Harem Anime The Hobbit By JRR Tolkien

All right, so this might seem a little crazy, but hear me out. So, we have Bilbo sitting at home minding his own business and then there’s a knock at the door. Perturbed at who could possibly be there, he puts down his book and makes his way to the door. It must be a prank by the young hobbits. But no!

Bilbo opens the door to find a couple of Amazonian warriors standing there. They look at him and shrug, before walking inside leaving him standing there with his jaw hanging open. They instantly make themselves at home, boiling some hot water for a bath.

Before Bilbo can object, there’s another knock at the door and another couple of Amazonian warriors come inside. The smell of lavender reaches the doorway. They glance at each other and then drop their cloaks onto Bilbo and make their way to the bathroom, steam drifting through the hobbit hole.

Within a matter of minutes, Bilbo finds himself with thirteen Amazonian warriors taking a bath and scrubbing each other’s backs in his little hobbit hole. Once all the bathing is taken care of, a sorceress arrives and they all go on an adventure to recapture the Amazonian’s home from a fire breathing dragon.

Seriously, I’d watch that! Hell, I might even write that one.

3. The 13th Warrior (Movie)

Make It Harem Anime The 13th Warrior

In this movie, Antonio Banderas plays an Arabian poet who joins twelve Vikings on a quest to save their homeland from a mysterious scourge. Hmm! I’m not going to lie, when I say it like that, this sounds an awful lot like the Hobbit. Anyhow… back to my new description.

Instead of an Arabian Poet, let’s make it some random high school boy who gets sucked into another world. Hello, Isekai. There this nerdy loser is saved by a band of Viking warriors, all women. While enjoying their hospitality, a messenger from their homelands arrives and warns of mysterious goings-on back home. A priestess consults the bones and informs them that a group of thirteen must set off and defeat these monsters that eat the dead.

One by one, the warriors step forwards, but wait, the thirteenth warrior cannot be a Viking woman, it must be someone from a far-away land. All eyes turn to the out of place high school nerd. With no way to object, he soon finds himself on a path that will put him face to face with a zombie outbreak (zombies, why the hell not?)

Dammit, this also sounds awesome. Clearly, this is how I am going to get all of my ideas for stories from now on.

2. Red Dwarf

Make It Harem Anime Red Dwarf

Red Dwarf is a British science-fiction comedy series that I watched religiously when I was younger. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. Anyhow, let me tell you how this one will work.

Originally, Dave Lister is a low-level mechanic on the Red Dwarf, a massive mining ship. Before leaving Earth, he snuck his cat aboard. When he is found out, his punishment is to be placed in suspended animation for a period of time. While he’s in there, the Red Dwarf has a radiation leak that kills everyone aboard.

The ship’s computer keeps Dave in suspended animation until the radiation levels have returned to normal – three million years later. To keep Dave company, the computer creates a hologram of his old bunk-mate who doesn’t like Dave very much. Then they discover the distant descendant of Dave’s cat that has evolved into a fashionable humanoid form. Eventually, they find a robot maid that also joins them.

Needless to say, if everyone other than Dave is flipped to the opposite gender then we have the makings of a crazy harem anime set in space with endless possibilities, including cat-girls and sexy robot maids.

This one practically writes itself. That doesn’t mean, I’m not adding it to the list of ideas to work on. This could be hilarious.

1. Deep Rising (Movie)

Make It Anime Deep Rising

A group of heavily armed mercenaries land on a luxury cruise ship with a plan to steal all of the valuables from the wealthy passengers. However, when they arrive the ship appears to be deserted. Finally, they find a handful of survivors who claim the ship was attacked by some sort of creature and everyone else has been eaten!

So, I don’t know about you, but I love a good monster movie. I honestly can’t seem to get enough of them. They are stupid and often terrible, but somehow remain enjoyable. Well, Deep Rising seems to me a perfect fit with anime thanks to the tentacled monster responsible for the cruise ship’s demise.

To make things even cooler, I’d be tempted to transport the cast of Black Lagoon to this movie and make them a part of the mercenaries. It would fit perfectly and who doesn’t want to see Revy fighting against a giant tentacled monster in the confines of a luxury cruise ship? I would, I know that much for sure.

This is where I should mention that the second time I was nominated for the Make It Anime tag, I decided to turn it into a Make It Harem Anime tag and took things one step further. I’m sure you can guess which ones belonged to which tag just from looking at them… or maybe not! Anyhow, this tag was a lot of fun when it first came out and I’ve enjoyed revisiting my selections and having to think up another.

Thanks for reading and for a final thought, what would you like to see turned in to an anime?

Other posts in the series

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3 Comments

  1. Now that I read this I got thinking.
    “Waterworld the Anime” or of course Big Trouble in Little China the anime.. that last one could work so well!

    • Those would both be excellent choices. I would definitely watch them.

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