We love fan art here at TheGamer and it would appear you like it too especially on nostalgia pieces like transforming Disney Princesses into inanimate objects. That’s a little weird to me, but hey, the Internet is a huge place with a lot of different, uh, let’s say interests. If you want to look at a bunch of Disney Princesses turned into coffee, or draw them, that’s your thing. That’s odd, but on the very mild side. There are no tentacles, or diapers involved so yeah, I think it’s pretty safe for the whole family.
Now, this idea to do an article on popular live-action shows reimagined as anime sort of took a while to build. It was a topic that only came to me after over a year of writing this stuff. You start to notice patterns when you’re looking for fan art. You may not realize a trend is as popular as you think it is until you see more and more of it until you actually specifically look for it and are either surprised or let down. You get what I’m saying? It doesn’t really matter if you do, or not because this listicle topic is as simple as your pumpkin spiced latte obsession. Let’s look at something huge like Game of Thrones. I found some fanart drawn in a Japanese fashion and then sort of pitched an idea of what that would look like as an anime. It’s probably better if you just reading it. Have fun!
24 Game Of Thrones
This art was drawn by eqio and posted on PIXIV.
Game of Thrones could work as an anime. The best part about that would be the effects. The dragons look pretty good in CG, but after time they will eventually look dated. That’s less likely if it were in traditional animation. There’s actually not a lot of medieval anime happening right now so it would be the perfect time to strike. I wonder if Japan even gets Game of Thrones though.
23 The Office
This art was drawn by uy0u and posted on Reddit.
I think The Office would work best as a sketch comedy show like Azumanga Daioh, or Lucky Star. In these two examples, there’s not really a story in each episode. Think of them like a comic strip in anime form. I think that’s how the humor and the aesthetic of The Office could work as an anime. Just thinking about the pranks Jim could pull on Dwight has me tickled.
22 Stranger Things
This art was drawn by Yuan Lan and posted on ArtStation.
One thing that is pretty prevalent in anime right now is sci-fi shows. That said Stranger Things could have an advantage in that the sci-fi plot is minimal. Yes, there are creepy creatures and kids with superpowers, but the heart of the show is on its characters and 80s vibe.
The upside down of the upside down is anime.
Most current anime don’t slow things down like this. A mystery could be pretty good. This art is a good proof of concept for the whole cast.
21 Twin Peaks
This art was drawn by Ratmeats and posted on Amino Apps.
Similar to Stranger Things we have Twin Peaks. The sci-fi aspect of this show is a lot subtler. Twin Peaks is just weird and unsettling at times. You know what else is weird and unsettling at times? Anime, duh. Where else would I have gone with that transition? Anyway, the advantage here is being able to get super creepy with the art. They did a good job in real life conveying the supernatural, but a cartoon could do it better.
20 Bob’s Burgers
This art was drawn by behindbobsburgers and posted on Tumblr.
Bob’s Burgers is already a cartoon. I avoided putting a lot of traditional, Western cartoons on this list for that reason. It just seems weird to adapt one for Japan. That said it does happen. There’s a bunch of Marvel anime and even more kid-friendly cartoons like Powerpuff Girls got the anime treatment. So why would this show work? Simple. Japan loves animating food and what better Western cartoon to do that in than Bob’s Burgers?
19 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
This art was drawn by cottonfist and posted on Tumblr.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, huh? Hmm, I guess the easiest way to adapt this would be another sketch show like my idea with The Office. It could work as full episodes though.
I want to see the Dayman anime.
It would have to be on their adult network though. Maybe even borderline on the H train if you know what I mean. It’s not like I want to see them get it on, but showing skin could be funny.
18 Glee
This art was drawn by Aliter and posted on Zerochan.
To my knowledge, there has never been an anime musical. There are plenty, and I mean plenty, of live action adaptations of anime in the form of musicals though. There are even games adaptations for that matter as well. That sounds like a great future list to blow your mind so I’ll hold for now. Anyway, Glee was groundbreaking for TV and the same could be said about an anime version.
17 The Walking Dead
This art was drawn by Iraq Lobster and posted on Zerochan.
Glee paved the way for musicals to appear as TV shows just like The Walking Dead made zombie programs okay. I remember my mind being blown at the effects of that first season. Is this real? Is this really happening? Now TV and movies are flooded with zombies so it’s less special. There’s not a lot of traditional zombie anime right now so porting this over could be great.
16 Friends
This art was drawn by NanaSchiffer and posted on Zerochan.
Friends could be the real ticket to the H train. They didn’t, or more like they couldn’t, show anything on NBC. That’s a basic channel everyone can see.
I’ll be there for you.
That said every single plot was related to dating and what goes on in the bedroom. So why not just go all the way with an “anime” reboot for hardcore grown-ups? Actually, I’m sure that exists somewhere online already.
15 South Park
This art was drawn by samuraigirl93 and posted on Zerochan.
Okay, time to throw in another classic Western cartoon. South Park is a great example because we’ve already seen it influenced by anime. It all began with the Chinpokomon episode. Then there was the one where the kids all get ninja weapons and Butters gets a throwing star stuck in his eye. Oh and don’t forget about Tweek and Craig’s fan art. I think those guys have a secret agenda, or something.
14 West World
This art was drawn by bishounenizer and posted on DeviantArt.
There really doesn’t appear to be any Western anime on right now. By that, I mean the time period. The only ones I can think of right now are Trigun and the Wild Arms adaptation. Japan does love creepy amusement parks and robots though so West World would make a great fit. I mean they even introduced a samurai attraction last season so they’re practically begging for an anime at this point.
13 LOST
This art was drawn by eiffelart and posted on DeviantArt.
Lost sort of occupies the same space as West World. If there’s one thing there’s plenty of in Japan, it’s islands where kids, or grown-ups have to mercilessly destroy each other. For example, Btooom is a great twist on the genre.
Welcome to the jungle.
So my idea isn’t a straight adaptation of Lost. It’s a Battle Royale revamp. We all know who we’d want to go first. Cough, Kate, cough cough.
12 The X-Files
This art was drawn by foxscully and posted on DeviantArt.
Stranger Things and Twin Peaks would all make for great sci-fi anime, but I think The X-Files would work best. Think about it. They wouldn’t even have to make it a direct copy of the live action version. The best episodes are those not related to any convoluted lore. That is to say, a monster of the week scenario would be an amazing idea for an anime and so few do it.
11 Mystery Science Theater 3000
This art was drawn by FunTimeAmber and posted on DeviantArt.
The great thing about Mystery Science Theater 3000 is that it can work with anything. That’s the genius of the show. Before it, everyone made jokes during bad movies, or TV. Joel Hodgson just capitalized on a norm. My friend loves Sentai, Power Rangers in Japan, and other shows like it. They’re not for me, but I occasionally watch with him and MST3K the crap out of it. That’s live action of course, but for anime, hmm, oh the Pokémon anime would be fun to riff on.
10 Community
This art was drawn by kinjamin and posted on DeviantArt.
I’ll be the first to admit that this fan art isn’t very anime-centric. That said it is very Japan influenced with Street Fighter and that was close enough to get Community on here. It’s one of my favorite shows that I believe got sorely overlooked.
Round one, fight!
Would it work in Japan as an anime? That’s tricky. There is plenty of school drama and comedy so I think there’s room in there somewhere.
9 Breaking Bad
This art was drawn by kirapop and posted on DeviantArt.
Hmm, how could Breaking Bad fit into an anime show? Well, there are quite a few shows that show the good side of villains. For example, Tokyo Ghoul. It’s about another race of human-like monsters that need human flesh to survive. Some are just downright evil and others just want to coexist with humanity, but humans can’t see past their ancestor’s crimes. That sounds like Walter White’s plight, but with less flesh eating and more illegal substances.
8 Saturday Night Live
This art was drawn by Konstance and posted on DeviantArt.
I already said that a few of these artwork examples, like The Office, could work as sketch show. Well, what about the ultimate American sketch show, Saturday Night Live? It’s existed for three decades now! It’s a testament to the American dream. Why choose a piece with Stefon and Seth Meyers though? Well funny you should. If you Google SNL anime, most fan art is of Stefon and Seth, or just Stefon. I found it very peculiar.
7 Fringe
This art was drawn by MistressAinley and posted on DeviantArt.
Fringe could operate the same way as The X-Files. That show is a bit more alien and horror themed whereas Fringe is more on the, well, fringes of science. This piece of art is just a simple recreation of promo imagery for the real show. It’s not that imaginative, but it still was enough to send my mind racing. Minor spoilers for those unaware, but there are two parallel universes. What if there was a third and it was animated?
6 Firefly
This art was drawn by OtisFrampton and posted on DeviantArt.
There are actually quite a few parallels one could draw between Firefly and some anime shows. The biggest one is Cowboy Bebop. It has Western themes, but no one is actually a cowboy. It’s all about the rugged frontier of space. That’s exactly what Firefly is about except with a little more Western flair. You could even call Star Wars a space Western in some regard, which would also be a great anime. I just wanted to throw that in.
5 M.A.S.H.
When I was growing up cartoons stopped at about 8 P.M. on Nickelodeon. It took a long time for Cartoon Network to be a part of basic cable packages.
It’s nice to be nice… to the nice.
Anyway the point is I had to watch a lot of super old sitcoms from the 60s, 70s, and so forth like M.A.S.H. I also have a family bond with it because, well, it’s my parents’ favorite show. How would that work as anime? No idea. I’m surprised anime fan art even came up.
