I wouldn’t call myself a Harry Potter fan, but I do enjoy the movies and have great respect for the books and overall series. With the release of the final movie, which I saw this past weekend in IMAX 3D, it seems like the franchise has now officially come to an end. With that, I feel like a bit of reflecting is in order, as well as wondering if a HP anime is ever possible…
Unlike most others, I didn’t get into Harry Potter through the books, but rather, the first movie. I saw it with a friend when it was released in theaters in 2001 and liked it very much. Since then, I’ve seen all eight of the movies in theaters at least once. I did start reading the books after I saw the second movie, but I didn’t have much motivation to continue after books 3 and 4. It’s not that I don’t like J.K. Rowling’s writing; it’s just that I feel that the nature of the Harry Potter universe, with all its magic and fantasy, is so visually stunning that it’s better conveyed through movie special effects, at least for me. Of course, the books provide a lot more detail and insight that the movies simply don’t have time for. But I personally enjoy experiencing it through visuals. I did cheat however and read book 7 after I saw the sixth movie just because I wanted to know how it ended =P
So now that the final movie has been released, is there any future for the franchise? The question of a Harry Potter anime has been around for years, but may be more significant now that there will no longer be movie releases. AnimeNation’s expert John has actually already tackled this question back in 2007 when the final HP book was released. And I have to say that his answer still holds true today, which is that the likelihood of a Harry Potter anime is extremely slim at best. He lists reasons for this, such as anime adaptations of foreign material, no matter how popular, being potentially risky because they may bring in more profit overseas rather than for Japanese producers, as well as the fact that the original owners (J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishing) would most likely rather invest in an American animated version since anime is still very niche in the international market.
I’m sure Koge-Donbo would be pleased with a Harry Potter anime
But do they even have any intention of retelling the Harry Potter story in animated form? It’s hard to say. John thinks not, stating in his post that the popularity of the series has been declining since the release of the last book and such a time wouldn’t be ideal for producing an animated series. Basically, if they were going to make one, they would have certainly done so by now. But on the flip side, now that both the books and movies are finished, it may be an ideal time to produce an animated series if they want to continue to milk the franchise one last time and revive people’s interest with a retelling. A Western animated series is more likely than a Japanese animated one, but who knows really.
Anyway, being only a casual fan, I don’t have any intention of writing a full-fledged Harry Potter review or anything. But although the series has never touched me the way many anime have, I’ve enjoyed it very much over the past decade. The enormous amount of detail that J.K. Rowling put into shaping the Harry Potter universe, storyline, and characters can rival any detailed anime setting I’ve seen. It’s also been great watching the child actors/tresses grow up over the course of the eight movies. It’s very bittersweet that I’ll no longer have a new HP movie to look forward to in the coming years. Harry Potter is truly a wonderful story with a lot of universal moral messages to give beyond all the fun magic and fantasy elements. So thank you J.K. Rowling for creating such a special series (her real “rags to riches” life is very interesting too). If Harry’s story is destined to be told again in animated form, that would be awesome. But if not, I’ll simply look forward to reliving it again whenever a Blu-ray box set of all eight movies is released ;)
There’s always Pottermore!!
And Harry Potter is my childhood. I’ve been reading the books since elementary school. I ownn all of them (two copies for some), reread all of them, and a lot of the bonus/spin off books, such as “the Tales of Beedle the Bard” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see the movie on its opening weekend, but it’s also partially because I don’t want it to end. : (
And as much as I love anime, there are some things that it shouldn’t touch. Harry Potter is one of them.
Wow, sounds like you are quite the fan. I’m not into it enough to want to see the movies on opening day, but I’ve mostly seen them within a few days of their release.
I wouldn’t necessarily want a Harry Potter anime, but any animated version of HP would be interesting I think, just ’cause it hasn’t been done before ;)
I’m a pretty avid Harry Potter fan. I’ve seen all the movies, I was at the bookstore at midnight for all the sales (yeah, standing in line with a bunch of kids as well). The books are really, really good, and like you said, she paints a very vivid picture of the world, and includes a huge amount of detail. The movies are pretty good, but I never liked the actor for Harry or Dumbledore (from the 2nd movie on)… The book describes them so much better and likeable.
Anyway, back to the original question, I do not think an anime version of HP would turn out too well. J.K.s writing style is quite different to what is normally seen in anime. The comedy is a different style, so I’m not so sure how that would fit. I would imagine the author would not like anything changed to make if fit into an anime style, so that would not work out either. I love the 4th picture you posted, it looks really, really, good, but I still do not see something like that happening.
I’m happy with the books, and I the movies were pretty good too. Those are enough for me :)
The books are very good, but like I described in the post, I personally prefer the movies due to all the cool, magical visuals in the story. Also, I think I just enjoy books told in a first-person narrative for some reason.
You’re right that making an animated version of a Western novel series is something that anime has never undertaken (I don’t think). The culture and writing style behind it is quite different even from Japanese light novels. But I don’t think it would be impossible to make a good Harry Potter anime if the right things are done with it. Without the restraint of having to be movie-length, it may even be able to leave in more details from the books than the movies have. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see if it ever happens.
Studio Ghibli did at least one adaptation of a Western book. Howl’s Moving Castle is an adaption of a British series that started in 1986 and the anime movie came out in 2004.
Studio Ponoc made Mary and the Witches Flower which is an adaptation of another British book, The Little Broomstick. The movie came out in 2017 and the book in 1971.
So there is precedence, just a little bit.
Well, I read the Harry Potter books back in college after I watch the first movie. I loved the 4th book, and still my favorite. Got my fifth book free (Amazon delayed the shipment for two days and got it free), bought the sixth one, and never bought the seventh one….I download it. Personally, I think JKR basically just wanted to “kill” Harry on the 7th one, and for me it was the worst one (not because it ended, but because how aweful it did with all the deux ex machina).
About the movies, I liked the first two, yet the next ones….it just felt like a marathon of “new pedobait movie starring new pedostar Emma Watson”. Even if Hermione was the brain and power of the team, the books made me feel that even if Hermione saved the ass of Harry/Ron several times for being rash/hot-headed, it was because of them too that sometimes they made the leaps of faith that saved her life several times when she wanted to play safe.
Yet back to the main subject….a Harry Potter anime….
As you said, many people were actually letdown after the seventh book…and many people didn`t like that they cut the last book into two for money`s sake, when they 5th book would have been easier. Also, HBO is playing hard and currently winning with the “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels, and Harry Potter isn`t what it used to be 5 years ago.
Yet, if they actually wanted to make an anime, it would be easy to adapt and make it, eventhough I would say they use different styles for each book (childish animation for first book and something more noir for the last one). Also, I would scratch the last book, and make a new ending.
So basically, it could be possible to addapt it, yet I don`t think it is that hyped/popular today. Perphaps wait some years for a new generation to pop up and bring a “classic” back. XD
While I personally enjoyed the 7th story and how the series overall ended (and I don’t feel like the movies make Hermoine that much different than she is in the books), I agree with you that it would be best to wait a while before making a HP animated version. Like you said, if we wait long enough, it’ll be fresh again as well as nostalgic for old fans who grew up with the series. It’ll be interesting to see if it ever happens =)
I was just thinking about this recently after watching the midnight showing of the last HP movie. I’m not so sure if I’d like an anime version of the story, since it’s so dear to my heart. I came to Harry Potter through the books first, and then, of course, the movies. Harry Potter fan, I am. As such, I’d be so sad at any changes that would be made in the anime version, changes I’m sure would be present since, like you said, the HP phenomenon has lessened somewhat and would need a fresh twist for international revitalization.
I have the entire series in hardback, and plan to buy the last two on DVD….and will most likely end up getting the special edition complete box set in Blu-Ray that is bound to come out. I’m surprised I haven’t gotten myself a House scarf yet :p (Ravenclaw!)
My sister in law is a little into knitting, so she made 2 scarfs for me :) Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw. If you know someone who knits (or do not mind picking it up for a bit), they are apparently quite easy to make.
I’ll have to see if I know anyone who knits, then! Or learn myself :) And lucky you for having a great sister-in-law who’s willing to make you two!
Ah yes, I’m sure hardcore fans would be upset with any changes made in a anime version, which happens with all popular titles that are adapted into different forms of media. But if fans want what’s good for the franchise they love despite any personal misgivings, retelling Harry Potter in animated form at some point in the future may be good. It’s really hard for me to say if it’s a good idea or not, but I would like to see it =)
I’m a big Potterhead. I reread the books several times a year, seen all the movies dozens of times, ect ect.
I don’t think it would translate into an anime adaption though. I think it would look amazing, but like the movies a lot would have to be cut out or re-imagined for a Japanese audience. I know it has a following in Japan though – all the great fanart and such. There’s a large slash fandom there too (yay!). Quite a fair bit of doujinshi too (none of the ones I’ve read were particularity startling) like the fan fiction in western fandom.
Although in the event an anime were made I wonder if they would slant it more for the female viewers than the male ones. They could definitely market to the slash audience, along with general fantasy fans. It’d be funny to see moe in it though, to attract them as well.
The only comparison I can draw is the Supernatural anime, which I haven’t even seen, but I’m not sure if it’s popular in Japan.
If the series were adapted into an anime, I don’t think they would make any drastic changes from the books (like, make different pairings in the end than the book). But they could put in extra “fan service” scenes to appeal to the slash, moe, and other fans as long as they keep the significant things the same. It would be interesting to see how they would market it in Japan while still staying true to the story.
I don’t want to see it become an anime, honestly. The franchise has done enough as is, that I want it to take a breather before the public becomes sick of it. And, as previous comments have said, I don’t think that it’d translate well to anime format. The main plot, sure. That’s been done well before. But all the tiny details would be hard to nail in anime form.
I wouldn’t want to see a Harry Potter anime right away, but like I replied to Maverick above, maybe many years in the future in order to revive the series as a classic retelling or something. You’re right that they probably couldn’t leave in all the tiny details from the books, but I think they would be able to keep more than in the movies because anime episodes wouldn’t have as many time constraints as the movies.
It’s not impossible for HP to be adapted into animation (think Howl’s Moving Castle), but unless the animation provides something new to the series I don’t think it’ll happen. Having the exact same events/story in 3 formats seems a little excessive IMO.
But anyway! I discovered HP when I was about 11, when the local bookstore had a sale on the books. I bought the 3rd book first and read that, then I must have liked it because I then went and made my parents get me the 1st and 2nd. I remember being really impressed with the cover art. XD The years rolled on and eventually I started writing fanfiction for it. To this day, a good proportion of my fanfics are HP, which goes to show my undying love for the series.
I’m not sure how I feel about the Pottermore thing, though. I was really only ever active as a HP fanfic writer and don’t really keep up with other things in the fandom, so I didn’t really keep up with news and such – so I don’t really even know what Pottermore is. However, I do wish JK Rowling would stop milking the series. I’d hate to see her ruin it one day when franchise runs dry.
I think if a HP anime was made, it would indeed provide something new to the franchise. Not just giving new (anime-style) designs to the characters, but like I replied to Samantha above, possibility inserting some extra “fan service” scenes to appeal to different parts of the fandom. I would want the important things to stay faithful to the books, but I think it would be good to change a few things for the sake of novelty =)
I actually don’t think Harry Potter would work well as a traditional anime, but if it was done in a more anime style but done outside of Japan (kind of like Avatar the Last Airbender), I think it could be a surprise hit. It would really depend on how they choose to adapt it.
But anyways, for me the Harry Potter experience ended with the release of the 7th novel. I found that I could never get into the movies for Harry Potter, maybe because the image of the scenes and stuff in my mind never quite matched up with the movie portrayals. Nevertheless, it was a fun experience that I’m glad to have been in on.
An anime-style Western cartoon would actually be pretty good. With that, it could have anime style character designs (which a lot of the fandom loves) but have the Western culture of the original story behind it rather than a Japanese one.
Since I saw the movies before reading the books, I imagined the actors, effects, and such from the movie going with what I was reading in the books (at least, for the three books I’ve read). But I imagine it must be more difficult, or impossible, to do for someone who read the books first before watching the movies.
I wouldn’t object to it, but the books will always be better. The chances are very very slim, though. It would be very hard to put in all the little details that made Harry Potter’s storytelling so magical if it were animated, though perhaps a studio like ufotable or PA Works could pull it off with enough money.
I stopped watching the movies after the sixth one. Draco is my favorite character and I was pretty frustrated that they cut out some of his character development in the movie. Additionally, the seventh book is the my least favorite out of all of them, mainly because of the epilogue. One of my pet peeves about the series is that J. K. Rowling can’t write romance to save her life. All of the couples she wrote in seemed so forced. Tonks and Lupin made no sense at all, and Harry had more tension with Draco than he did with Ginny (and I know this is coming from a fujoshi, but he was just a tad too obsessed with stalking him for an entire year).
I still have all seven books. Perhaps I should reread them some time soon.
Harry Potter animation would have a hard time meeting expectations of fans who’ve already seen the awesome special effects from the movies. But yeah, if a good studio animated it, it could have potential.
Since I’ve never been more than a casual fan of the series, I never got invested in any particular characters or pairings, so I didn’t have a problem with the final book’s epilogue. I mostly enjoy Harry Potter for its narrative quality, detailed setting, and overall story and didn’t care for any character or pairing in particular. But yeah, the ending must have been bad for fans who wanted to see different pairings. Or she could have left the final couples open to interpretation like so many anime do XD
I just think if they already made great movies with awesome special effects, it would be sorta redundant to do an anime version of the same series.
For me I’m kind of Harry Potter`ed out at this point. I hope something new comes along to replace it.
I finally got the chance to watch the movie while on vacation in Wisconsin and the last movie was very good and better than the first part since it had some epic fighting. Besides that, I have read (via audiobook) most of the books (3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th) and I find it to be a very interesting story even though the books are pretty darn long. Even though the movies were nice, I noticed many details were missing or changed that kind of irked me a bit. At least the last two movies were closer to what is in the last book.
As for a Harry Potter anime, it’s very questionable. Sure it looks like a good idea since there is a lot of source material they can work with, but the adaptation of western stuff is a bit dubious. If you check out the adaptations of the Marvel comics (Woverine and X-Men), they aren’t as well received. Then again, we won’t know until a studio actually decides to do it.
I believe harry potter should be made in the anime form because it can tell a story of all characters instead of one.
Harry Potter and voltamort is the only characters that at they always mention the most I wonna see the childhood of all characters instead of one or two even the teachers must tell their story
But I wonna know more about Dumbuldor and Harry’s parents