Samuel L. Jackson Adapted His Favorite Anime 'Kite' & It Bombed – ryan

Live-action anime adaptations, especially those produced outside their native Japan, are hit or miss. For every Alita: Battle Angel (2019), you get a Dragon Ball Evolution (2009) or Death Note (2017). Yet, one particular adaptation failed even to become a point of contention among fans, as it was so horribly well done that it was utterly ignored and quickly forgotten about: 2014’s Kite.

Fans of the 1998 anime Kite could have told you that an adaptation was doomed from conception. Yet, Samuel L. Jackson, a long-time anime fan who was very fond of Kite, attached his name to the project before any other actor. Indeed, Jackson’s cult status is built on him taking some over-the-top roles, yet Kite did not even deliver that for him, making it the worst movie of his career. It maintains a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The ‘Kite’ Anime Should Have Never Been Remade

To understand why 2014’s Kite failed, one must look back at the anime itself. Yasuomi Umetsu’s 1998 anime Kite follows Sawa, a child whose parents are killed when she is a child. She is brought under the wing of corrupt police and trained as an assassin for hire. Sawa goes to high school during the day as cover, where she befriends another assassin in a similar situation, Oburi. Together, the two look to leave their prediction but are soon ordered to kill each other.

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The plot of Kite is not necessarily crucial to the film’s legacy. It is not poorly written, and its shocking conclusion works exceptionally well, but the story is not how the anime became infamous. The original Kite anime is equally revered and reviled. The movie received deserved praise for its violent action, using guns that caused its victims to explode. The direction of the action sequences is still phenomenal decades after release, with the bathroom shootout scene still one of the best committed to the medium. Kite oozes style in abundance, and it became quintessential for those drawn to the more sensational anime of the ’90s.

At the same time, the movie’s exploitation and sexualization of teenagers has given the anime plenty of deserved scorn. Kite, in time, has become a ‘classic’ followed by a huge disclaimer and caveat regarding its sexual content. The anime would be banned in several countries, arguably further pushing its infamy, as it would thrive within peer-to-peer sharing groups on horror, cult, and anime forums, making it the thing of legend before streaming. However, the sensational content was never meant to be adapted.

2014’s ‘Kite’ Was a Complete Failure

Kite

Release Date: June 13, 2014
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Director: Ralph Ziman
Writers: Brian Cox

Cast

Studio(s): Detalle Films, Videovision Entertainment, Distant Horizon

The controversial nature of the original anime would have put any filmmaker in a hard place. Firstly, the action could not be stylized like in the anime; the explosive firearms did not translate from anime to real life. Secondly, the sexually explicit content had to be wiped, and the issue of ages involved led to the only practical choice of omitting the plot of abuse and manipulation using sex. So what were they left with? A bland cookie-cutter plot that tried to adapt as much of the material as they could without capturing what made the original a cult hit.

The American remake changed focus to drug dependency as the reason behind Sawa’s obsession with her manipulator, Lieutenant Karl Aker (played by Samuel L. Jackson). While Jackson was one of the first cast members attached, his performance was beyond dull, stripped of any attitude or memorable bits of dialogue he is known for. The action fails, the editing is choppy, and the film loses its shock value and any sense of profundity with a predictable ending. Perhaps worst of all, the fetishistic aspects still exist, while removing the actual elements that made them deplorable in the anime.

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On the production end, the movie did face issues with making it to the screen, including the death of director David R. Ellis (Snakes on a Plane), which led to the project being passed to a director with little action-movie experience, Ralph Ziman. The budget was only $12 million, but the compensation for this was using a ‘shaky camera’ and adding blur in editing that only highlighted instead of hid its budgetary restraints. Kite bombed with test audiences, and the original plan for wide distribution was pushed back to a limited run, with the film making only $507,180 globally.

Samuel L. Jackson’s Involvement in ‘Kite’

Many have reported from Samuel L. Jackson that his involvement was a ‘quick paycheck,’ but this is somewhat insincere. To the actor’s credit, he stayed attached to the project even after it suffered from issues. Jackson first became interested in the movie as a fan, despite being aware that the film falls under hentai (pornographic anime) — insert meme of “Ah, I see you’re a man of culture as well.” In a 2014 interview with Comics Online, it is evident that Jackson was frustrated with the movie but remained committed:

Well, I’ve always liked the story and manga/anime. I’ve watched it for years. Initially, I heard David was doing it, and said to tell him that I’d really like to be a part of it. Once I commit to a project, I always see it through. I’m glad I did. I’m always happy to be a part of a story that I want to tell. We didn’t tell it quite as hard as I wanted to tell it, but now it has been told, so here we are.

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For many, 2014’s Kite only exists as an example of why not to adapt controversial material in changing times and as a footnote in the otherwise remarkable career of Samuel L. Jackson. Still, Kite offers up Samuel L. Jackson’s worst performance, through little fault of his own. I applaud his commitment, but as one of the few who went out of their way to see Kite, I can confirm the movie was a terrible mistake and best left as a reminder of what not to do. Kite (2014) is available on Starz, and the original 1998 anime is available on Tubi; the edited cut without the hentai is the better way to experience it. Watch it through the link below:

Watch Kite