8 Live-Action Adaptations On Netflix That Don’t Suck

Live-action adaptations may not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re a loyal comic/manga reader or prefer animation, it can be difficult to take a chance on a live-action version of your favorites, especially given how often they fail. As someone who has always strayed towards animated adaptations, I was surprised to find a few live-action adaptations that were actually good. Here’s all you need to know.

Why I Prefer Animated Shows to Live Action

Being a long-time viewer of animated shows and anime, I’ve always been biased towards animated adaptations of comics and manga. Plus, I’ve been let down by many live-action adaptations (especially of manga) that often try too hard to either completely stray away from the source material (and therefore lose its essence) or just copy them frame-by-frame. Netflix has also been hit-and-miss with its live-action anime adaptations, many of which I’ve been deeply disappointed by.

However, after the success of Netflix’s One Piece, a live-action version of the popular Japanese manga series, I wanted to give live-action shows another chance. While I’d still prefer to watch an animated version, the shows on the list below feature some high-quality production and performances that I think are actually worth your time.

8

Titans

Titans is a superhero fantasy series based on the DC Comics’ superhero team, Teen Titans, who band together to fight evil while dealing with their own demons. At the center are Dick Grayson, Batman’s ex-partner, and Rachel Roth, an empath possessed by a strange darkness. Along the way, they are joined by other heroes, including a shapeshifter (Gar), an extraterrestrial (Kory), Batman’s new partner (Jason), an assassin (Rose), Superman’s clone (Conner), and another vigilante (Tim).

While critics have been split about the show, Titans has received praise for its bold and dark tone, with later seasons (especially Season 3) getting more positive reviews after the build-up from previous seasons.

7

Alice in Borderland

An adaptation of the manga of the same name, Alice in Borderland is a harrowing survival thriller with action scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat. Set in Borderlands, a parallel Tokyo, after a mysterious incident that wipes out a majority of the city’s population, a group of survivors is thrust into a series of dangerous games, each measured in difficulty according to playing cards.

When players win the game, their “visas” in this dystopian world are extended. Failure means lasers blast from the sky to shoot them down. The protagonist, Arisu, teams up with Usagi, a mountain climber dealing with her demons. Along the way, they meet allies and enemies who can make or break Arisu’s place in the game.

The mystery behind how these players ended up here and the secret behind the game itself make up the plot of the series. Alice in Borderland is the quintessential watch for dystopian thriller lovers, and it will have you hooked in no time with its gory action and nail-biting progression. The series is gearing up for a third season, expected to drop at the end of 2025.

6

Parasyte: The Grey

Based on the Japanese manga Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki, Parasyte: The Grey is a spin-off horror live-action series. This limited series follows an interesting format: instead of being a panel-by-panel adaptation of the source material, it is set in the same universe as the manga (with the same overarching themes and plot points), but tells a separate story of a new protagonist.

Parasyte‘s plot follows a group of alien parasites invading the Earth and taking control of human hosts, killing them and shape-shifting their heads. Parasyte: The Grey, set in South Korea, follows Jeong Su-in, who, after an unfortunate encounter at her workplace as a cashier, is possessed by a parasite (Heidi). Heidi cannot take full control of Su-in’s body, but lives in her subconscious and only takes control of one side of her face when she needs protection. Meanwhile, a police squad know as The Grey is out to protect people from parasites.

The South Korean live-action series has gotten positive reviews, with praise for its exploration of the source material. The series received more than 6.3 million views within its first week of release on Netflix and topped the Top 10 TV (Non-English) charts for several weeks.

5

Yu Yu Hakusho

Yu Yu Hakusho is a Japanese action fantasy miniseries based on the 1990s manga of the same name. The show depicts the story of a 17-year-old high school student, Yusuke Urameshi, who is transformed into a ghost after being hit by a rash driver while protecting a young boy. He is resurrected as a supernatural being on the condition that he work as an investigator for the Spirit World, looking into supernatural crimes with the help of some unlikely allies.

Although the story has been condensed into five episodes, Yu Yu Hakusho has still been praised as a good live-action adaptation, with high-quality action sequences that capture new audiences effectively. The series garnered more than 7.7 million views within the first week of its release, sitting in the Top 10 Shows (Non-English) chart in 76 countries.

4

Erased

Erased is a Netflix Original limited series based on the thriller manga series by Kei Sanbe. Unlike its anime and live-action film counterparts, this 12-episode live-action series sticks to its source material pretty loyally, and has garnered positive reviews all around.

The plot follows Satoru Fujinuma, a 29-year-old mangaka who uses his time-traveling ability, “Revival,” to set the clock back on his consciousness by 18 years when he finds his mother murdered by an unknown killer. Here, he has to stop a serial killer from taking the lives of two of his classmates and a girl from another school, while also preventing his mother’s murder in the future.

3

The Umbrella Academy

The Umbrella Academy, based on the comic book series by My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way, is a comedy superhero series. After 43 women around the world all gave birth at the same time in 1989, six of the mysterious children were adopted by billionaire Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore), who then trained them into a superhero team called The Umbrella Academy.

The team, down a few members, is estranged when one of the missing siblings returns from the future, but in his younger self’s body. The band of powerful siblings embarks on a twisted journey involving time travel, an apocalypse, parallel universes, and more twists and turns that throw them for a wild ride. Through it all, The Umbrella Academy has to navigate its problems and rebuild lost bonds.

The Umbrella Academy was the most-streamed Netflix series of 2019 on the platform, watched by over 45 million households. The show has received six Emmy nominations, including for its visual effects and cinematography. While the last season of the series was underwhelming and received average reviews from critics, it’s still worth a watch if you like comedic superhero stories.

2

Sweet Tooth

Based on the comic book series created by Jeff Lemire (published by DC Comics), Sweet Tooth is a fantasy live-action series that depicts the story of Gus, a deer-hybrid child, who lives in a society where the world’s human population was mostly wiped out by a virus. Called “The Great Crumble,” the event triggers the creation of hybrid children with animal characteristics. Gus sets out on a dangerous journey to find his mother after his father dies, in a world where humans antagonize hybrids and hunt them. Meanwhile, the stories of other hybrids play out as side plots.

Sweet Tooth received 20 Children’s and Family Emmy Award nominations for its first two seasons, winning four awards for cinematography, supporting actors, and sound mixing. The first season was watched by more than 60 million households within a month of its release.

1

One Piece

One Piece is arguably one of the best anime live-action adaptations you can find, receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Based on the best-selling manga of all time, this shōnen story follows Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they embark on a voyage to find a mythical treasure (One Piece), while Luffy strives to fulfill his destiny of becoming the Pirate King. One Piece is an accurate adaptation of its source material that hooks manga readers, anime watchers, and new viewers alike, with some stellar production and storytelling.

One Piece was one of the most viewed Netflix shows of 2023, capturing over 37 million viewers within two weeks of its release. The live-action show has been renewed for a second season, which is in the works and is slated for a 2026 release date.

Netflix also offers its fair share of live-action and animated adaptations based on games (including The Witcher, Devil May Cry, and Castlevania), which have had their share of criticism and praise from players of those games. You can search for the keywords “Live Action” in your Netflix search bar to filter out and discover live-action shows and movies, if you want to explore something new.