Opinion: ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘NieR:Automata’ Adaptations Popularity
“NieR:Automata” and “The Last of Us” are both well made games that are held high in the gaming community’s favor and have both been adapted into shows.
“NieR:Automata” and three “The Last of Us” games.
“The Last of Us” and “NieR:Automata” are video games that the gaming community gives high ratings for. They’re only exclusive to Playstation and computer yet that hasn’t stopped them from gaining popularity, especially due to the recent show adaptations that they’ve both received.
“The Last of Us” on HBO Max has skyrocketed with immense popularity, videos of the series and its actors easily found on TikTok. This is unlike “Nier: Automata Ver1.1a” as while it’s rated at a 7.5/10 on IMDb, it isn’t something that can be as easily stumbled upon on the same platform.
The struggle with these two is their marketing and popularity. With “The Last of Us”, it was picked up fast due to the game’s already large fanbase and the large names that went along with production, such as Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
“NieR:Automata” also has a fanbase but it’s much smaller than “The Last of Us”. What didn’t help was the brief hiatus the anime faced due to COVID-19 and the less widespread marketing. If you weren’t already someone who keeps up with the anime community, you may have missed it entirely or just saw the trailers every now and then.
Each show has had its fair share of changes and similarities based on the source material it was adapted from. Such as the first episode of “Nier: Automata Ver1.1a” in which it follows the exact same storyline as the introduction from the game. “The Last of Us” roughly follows the storyline of the game while giving the characters more screen time to develop, adding scenes, character features, and short side storylines that weren’t at all in the original game.
The one distinct difference between these two series are their forms of adaptation. “NieR:Automata” was adapted into animation and “The Last of Us” into real life. Each has their pro’s and con’s but the truth is that they are very different genres of media when set against each other.
“Nier:Automata Ver1.1a” is still a great series with stunning visuals, voice acting, and music. “The Last of Us” is just as good and both should be enjoyed as standalone series.
“The Last of Us” series has ended but will fortunately have a season two while “Nier: Automata Ver1.1a” currently updates every Sunday.
