As the Gods Will anime is a possible adaptation of the Japanese manga series of the same title, which was written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and has been illustrated by Akeji Fujimura. The whole manga series has been divided into two parts. Although the first part has been adapted into a live-action movie, it will be interesting to see a possible As the Gods Will anime adapting both sections in the future.
As the Gods Will – a look into the manga and its plot
The plot of As the Gods Will manga begins with a normal day at Takahata Shun’s school until his teacher’s head explodes in front of the entire class. Forced to witness a headless body, the students see how a Daruma doll emerges from that disjoint and then they are forcefully made to play children’s games.
The games which might sound very normal are actually staked with high prices. These stakes are deadly and the students have to participate in order to survive. Shun and his classmates have no idea who is behind the mysterious death race, but they need to keep winning to keep living.
Why was there a live-action adaptation and not an As the Gods Will anime?
Takashi Mike has a history and a reputation for making extremely graphic films, for which he thought that a possible live-action adaptation of As the Gods Will would be a perfect venture. It did not meet the notorious proclivity of his past films, but it was only someone like Takashi Mike who could’ve done a fantastical remaking of this story.
- On the other hand, As the Gods Will anime would’ve been a long shot for such little source material. With a live-action film already adapting the major chunk of the plot, it would be nothing more than a blunt repetition of the same narrative.
- Also, it is important to understand that survival and psychological thrillers like these connect more with the audience when the adventures are undertaken by actual people on screen, making the plot much more real than it actually was.
Will there ever be an As the Gods Will anime?
As the Gods Will anime is definitely a possibility in the future. Given that some major studio and a notable director takes up the job, it will be interesting to see how they manage to unfold such a horrific yet fascinating story in the adaptation.
Moreover, it is interesting to see how a live-action film could adapt a manga so well. When it comes to an anime adaptation, it definitely needs to surpass the stylish visuals and the horrific touch of the movie. It needs to put in the elements of comedy to tone down the horror and at the same time needs to interrogate the dreadful existence of the characters thoroughly.
Conclusion
As the Gods Will anime could be a possibility, but the live-action movie adaptation has already set a bar for the anime. The bar has been set high and mighty, and for an anime adaptation to surpass that requires a better understanding of the plot and the genre, to deliver not just the story but the essence of it.
i can’t wait for an anime, i have been waiting for years!!!!