MN ~ The anime? (UWAAAH?)

[Krilly]

Well I see there's already a topic regarding a movie and I apologize if this was brought up before. I have to say that I think MN would make a much better movie option than TC in my opinion--although the latter is my favorite of the two.

I think the world of TC and its themes are just too much for a movie to burden (and be somewhat good!) But MN on the other hand... it seems like it would be a great movie and entirely possible to make with only a couple elaborate sets and CG to do the big Imagery monsters/effects.

But anyways, to my point! I was watching Escaflowne the other night and realised something. Wouldn't MN make a terrific anime film? It seems an odd idea to stomach at first but when you think about it (well at least when I do) it would be perfect!

The characters and their descriptions/personalities lend themselves nicely to anime--especially Eremis, the Tor, Barsonage, Quillon, Saddith, and others who stand out. Speaking of Saddith, what anime doesn't have a little breast here or sexual scene there? Okay not all, but a lot of them do so it's not like it would be out of place.

I mean look... we have all the obligatory anime characters! It's uncanny.
~ Saddith, the promiscuous beauty
~ Terisa, the good looking innocent heroine who gets caught up in everything
~ Havelock, the crazy perverted old man
~ Artagel, the dashing young experienced fighter
etc etc...

The world and ideas too would work just right methinks, especially if it was done in a realistic, though slightly exagerrated style not unlike Escaflowne. In fact I'm so enamored by this idea I'm tempted to draw all the main characters in an anime style...

Anyhow, that's my random rant for the month.

[danlo]

Yeah but no obligatory enlarged emoticon, sidekick or cat, thank you very much. I think it's worth a try, I'm just too movie oriented--there's a human actor (well known or not) out there for every character in MN.

[Nav]

Hmm, I'd have misgivings about any Donaldson work adapted as Anime for the reasons that danlo just touched on. I think it could work quite well as Manga though, which (IIRC) is that bit darker and quite a lot less likely to feature schoolgirls and scary tentacles. However, I think that the visuals of MN would be especially impressive on film and that this is the most cinema-friendly of Donaldson's stories, so I vote movie.

[Krilly]

Overly exaggerated emoticons aren't in the more artsy dramatic anime films, which is the line I was thinking along. Tentacle and school girls? Won't go there.

And a cat? Aren't we forgetting the translated cat that set fire whever it went? Okay, maybe not so cute... >_>

I'd love to see this as a live-action movie too, but thought that a well done aniamted film would be equally as gratifying.

[matrixman]

Well, I'm slightly more open-minded about MN being anime than I am about TC being anime, but I don't know this Escaflowne program so I have no idea of the style you have in mind, Krilly.

I mentioned elsewhere that I thought the anime shorts done for The Animatrix were brilliant. That's the kind of anime I wouldn't mind watching.

Still, I agree with Nav's and danlo's points.

[Usivius]

I think Mordant's need begs to be a live action movie. And the funny thing is, despite the description of Terisa and the beautiful Wealan (sp.) cover, for a movie (and I have thought long on this .. heheheh), I always thought that the entire cast should be white, and the role of Teresa should be a stunning black woman. I think you would have to cast an unknown in her role: good acting skills, stunningly beautiful...
Well, I could go on about my ideas, but it woudl be too long and far too boring ...

[amanibhavam]

One of the biggest strengths of Donaldson's storywriting is the devotion to details, be it details of the characters' psyche or their surroundings; and although Mordant is less lavishly described than the Land, it is still very picturesque. And _that_ is, I think, impossible to be shown in an Anime, wich is by nature rather sketchy.
That's why I'd vote for ordinary movies. Dunno, maybe a Final Fantasy-style rendering could work.

And another thought: I think that even though MN is the shortest of the 3 great Donaldson-sagas, it cannot be given justice in a normal-length movie. I have a feeling that short stories are really the most suitable resources for movies. So how about starting with a story from Daughter of Regal's? Plenty of good material there.

[Usivius]

Good point about the length issue, and short storied being a better source. But I still think that MN can be a good 2 and a half hour movie (having written a basic screenplay about 10 years ago when I was in university.. ... but I also wrote one for 'Unwhorthy of an Angel', but this clocks in a roughly 90 minutes... )
I think a good SRD short story to be made a movie would be Sir Visal's Tale, or even Reave the Just... I love the humour and seriousness of it...

[IrrationalSanity]

Actually, a few Daughter of Regals stories would make a great anthology movie. Daughter and Mythological Beast together might be long enough for a film...

[Usivius]

Mythilogical Beast is a short one, but very interesting. I like that one. A good movie could be (I forget the title) the one about the futuristic PI investigating the 'enhanced' zoo.... That is pure Hollywood with a keen message...

[Tjol]

I think some of you are underestimating what a good animation artist could do with the story. You just need the fitting lineweights and geometrys and styles for the moments. And movies like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle show that emotions and depth can be portrayed via animated characters (evnthough Howl's story jumped around a bit :/)

p.s. Mythological Beast is one of my favorites out of Daughter of Regals. It has a unique sense of humor to it. Also, the way the story is told, it's told to as a beginning of a story rather than the whole tale, it could certianly be turned into something even more elaborate, and lightheartedly sarcastic.

edit2: Reave the Just (from the short story collection of the same name) would be a good story to tell in film. It's just seems to fit the times, so many people seem over conscious over their own hardships, waiting for someone to save them, and yet are entirely unwilling to help another person who they see suffering something the same.

I like Penance, it at the same time shows the virtue of faith, and the danger of it.... but the torture scenery was pretty intense in written form, might overwhelm the rest of the movie in visual form.

[IrrationalSanity]

You are "OK".

[Tjol]

You are "OK".

*checks wrist watch*

Hmmm... seems you are right, thank you....

[duchess of malfi]

Serious anime is really quite beautiful (I would highly recommend watching Spirited Away and other movies from its director as good examples) and very detailed. I think in the hands of a good director, MN (as well as soem of the short stories already mentioned in this thread) could be quite stunning.

[IrrationalSanity]

Maybe MN could be a decent Anime, I just need to get this vision of Terisa, Elega, and Myste in Sailor School suits out of my head...

[Prebe]

LOL! IrrationalSanity!

[IrrationalSanity]

Could this be Terisa Morgan?

[Prebe]

Breast not rounded enough I'm afraid

[matrixman]

Terisa, Elega, and Myste in Sailor School suits

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.....! The horror...the horror!

Must...kill...Sailor Moon...

[IrrationalSanity]

Ok, here's one reason MN could never work as an anime:

Terisa spends a good part of the story dressed in a "Demure, dove-gray gown." I think there is a law against anime characters wearing demure, let alone gray, clothes.