10 replies to this topic

[Kster95]

So whenever an anime is turned into a live action there is always complaints about characters not having Asian actors play them. Now I understand anime are set in Japan but I dont see characters as being Japanese. Like Naruto I dont picture him as being japanese.

When the last airbender(terrible movie) came out I will agree the casting was absolutely terrible but what I didnt agree with was with people saying all the characters should have gotten asian actors. I mean the show is an american show and the movie was made in the US.

Same with Dragonball evolution(absolutely terrible movie) when Goku was cast as an white guy there were many complaints. But Goku isnt even from earth so why are people complaining when Goku may very well be white, not saying he is.

So I hope this doesnt come off as racist, which it probably does but I love Asian people lol, honestly I am not trying to offend anyone. I am from the US so I guess I see characters in a different way. If a movie is produced in japan then having japanese actors play roles makes sense but if the movie is made in the US, I would think characters would be played by American actors.

Edited by Kster95, 04 January 2014 - 12:09 PM.

[Lid]

So whenever an anime is turned into a live action there is always complaints about characters not having Asian actors play them. Now I understand anime are set in Japan but I dont see characters as being Japanese. Like Naruto I dont picture him as being japanese.

When the last airbender(terrible movie) came out I will agree the casting was absolutely terrible but what I didnt agree with was with people saying all the characters should have gotten asian actors. I mean the show is an american show and the movie was made in the US.

Same with Dragonball evolution(absolutely terrible movie) when Goku was cast as an white guy there were many complaints. But Goku isnt even from earth so why are people complaining when Goku may very well be white, not saying he is.

So I hope this doesnt come off as racist, which it probably does but I love Asian people lol, honestly I am not trying to offend anyone. I am from the US so I guess I see characters in a different way. If a movie is produced in japan then having japanese actors play roles makes sense but if the movie is made in the US, I would think characters would be played by American actors.

I think it really depends on what sort of adaption you're trying to make

 

The thing about Last Airbender is that it should have been more multicultural. In the series, and what helped it be really good, was the diversity, the different backgrounds and traditions of each nation. For that movie adaption, the fire nation probably should have had more Japanese actors since the Fire Nation seemed to take much from that culture. The same way the Water Tribes seem to be with Eskimo culture.

 

That's why there was outrage around putting two white leads in the role of Sokka and Katara. And it was made worse by the fact that the two were terrible actors.

 

I see myself giving a slight pass to Dragon Ball Z, though, since the world it takes place in is so vastly bizarre and different from our own. With dinosaurs still roaming the planet and having locations like "Capsule City" and the like. Plus, the main protagonists and many of the other characters happen to be aliens from another planet, so I can let it slide.

 

Now, one area I think that you can't let it slide as much are the shows that take place more in reality, what I mean by that is the anime series that actually take place in Japan. If they wanted to do a completely faithful adaption, then it would have to be set in Japan with a Japanese cast.

On the other hand, they could also use the source material as premise and have a complete western remake, like how The Magnificent Seven was based on Seven Samurai.

 

I think it all comes down to what the source material is and how much it aligns with our world. It also comes down to if the producers and director really love the source material or are just trying to make a quick buck.

[Kster95]

I think it really depends on what sort of adaption you're trying to make
 
The thing about Last Airbender is that it should have been more multicultural. In the series, and what helped it be really good, was the diversity, the different backgrounds and traditions of each nation. For that movie adaption, the fire nation probably should have had more Japanese actors since the Fire Nation seemed to take much from that culture. The same way the Water Tribes seem to be with Eskimo culture.
 
That's why there was outrage around putting two white leads in the role of Sokka and Katara. And it was made worse by the fact that the two were terrible actors.
 
I see myself giving a slight pass to Dragon Ball Z, though, since the world it takes place in is so vastly bizarre and different from our own. With dinosaurs still roaming the planet and having locations like "Capsule City" and the like. Plus, the main protagonists and many of the other characters happen to be aliens from another planet, so I can let it slide.
 
Now, one area I think that you can't let it slide as much are the shows that take place more in reality, what I mean by that is the anime series that actually take place in Japan. If they wanted to do a completely faithful adaption, then it would have to be set in Japan with a Japanese cast.

On the other hand, they could also use the source material as premise and have a complete western remake, like how The Magnificent Seven was based on Seven Samurai.
 
I think it all comes down to what the source material is and how much it aligns with our world. It also comes down to if the producers and director really love the source material or are just trying to make a quick buck.

Yes that is exactly what I was trying to say.

Avatar was so wrong, sokka katara were not supposed to be white and the fire nation werent supposed to be dark skinned. Those 2 should have been switch. But yeah, definently should have been multicultural.

Yeah a western version of an anime would make more sense.

[BakeNeko-Chan]

I don't have much of an opinion on Dragon: Evolution, since it was so bad I could barely make it through the first fifteen minutes or so. But in the case of The Last Airbender, I do think they should have tried to stick to the cultural roots from the original series, with the Inuit, Japanese, Chinese, and other eastern influences in different cultures of the four nations. But the bigger issue for me was the terrible choices in casting, and the portrayals of the characters were not in keeping loyal to the series, Sokka was dull and ultra-serious and Aang was too solemn, basically, they were not the characters I loved, all their quirks and pretty much all likable aspects were non-existent and it made them boring and one-dimensional.

[Inferno180]

Generally it would depend on many factors for it to be good or a total failure like dragonball

 

First its the amount of "realism" I should say, how much of the series is grounded in reality? Some anime series are grounded in real world stuff, nothing supernatural, etc.

 

Second would be the genre, science fiction, action, fantasy, comedy, adventure, mecha, etc,

 

the third typically is like in that anime, just what are they doing, following the story, doing an offshoot, or other universe?

 

In my opinion, gundam could have seemed like a good choice for a live action portrayal, the special effects of today could make neat robots and generally, theres a wide range of stories any could choose from.

[Branden]

I disagree with you. The airbenders were culturally similar to shaolin monks, and Aang was one of them. Just look at him again, can you really imagine him being played by anything but an Asian actor?

 

The waterbenders were absolutely Inuit though.

 

Oh and also there's a huge flaw in your original post.  You said American actors. What I think you really meant was white actors with American accents. Nowhere in the world does there exist a pure-blooded American because America was originally made up of immigrants.

 

In any case when dealing with the ethnicity of actors in live action films I think it should be decided by the culture shown in the film. If it's busy cities with football (I assume that's what people watch) playing in the bar then it's probably America and there should be a diverse cast of actors. If it's a desert setting with people wielding scimitars and camels walking around then it's probably somewhere in the middle east and the actors should be middle-eastern. 

[Strangelove]

I disagree with you. The airbenders were culturally similar to shaolin monks, and Aang was one of them. Just look at him again, can you really imagine him being played by anything but an Asian actor?

 

The waterbenders were absolutely Inuit though.

 

Oh and also there's a huge flaw in your original post.  You said American actors. What I think you really meant was white actors with American accents. Nowhere in the world does there exist a pure-blooded American because America was originally made up of immigrants.

 

In any case when dealing with the ethnicity of actors in live action films I think it should be decided by the culture shown in the film. If it's busy cities with football (I assume that's what people watch) playing in the bar then it's probably America and there should be a diverse cast of actors. If it's a desert setting with people wielding scimitars and camels walking around then it's probably somewhere in the middle east and the actors should be middle-eastern. 

 

 

And what happen when that movie was turned into a live action? Total dissaster...

 

 

Is like someone suddenly gets an idea to turn something classic into live adaptation. I call it, the Super Mario effect, after that terrible live action movie. Many classics have suffered from this monstrosity. Like, How the Grinch stole Christmas, Dragon Ball, The Cat in the Hat, and The Last Airbender to name a few.

[Sir G]

I couldnt care less on what ethnicity everyone is. As long as they look the part, and can act the part. I think thats all that really matters...

[Branden]

I couldnt care less on what ethnicity everyone is. As long as they look the part, and can act the part. I think thats all that really matters...

You say you want them look the part, but you also say you don't care what ethnicity they are. Are those not conflicting statements? Maybe in a hundred years human ethnicity will be so diverse that any ethnicity for a particular role would make sense, but in our current world there are countries that are not ethnically diverse. For this reason it's incredibly inaccurate to have the setting be Akihabara Japan and have a bunch of white people walking around.

Edited by Branden, 06 January 2014 - 06:30 PM.

[Lodus]

I am a very strong supporter of having X characters being played by X actor/race/culture and not Y or Z. I say this because I find it really annoying when (and when I say this, I really am not trying to sound racist) a white person is cast to play the part. I agree 100% that a character should be played according to their ethnicity or closest relatable culture.

But this will never happen. Because in America, it's about what is marketable and what is relatable to the people with money. Which happens to be the white population. (Again, I say that in a non racially biased way). It's just an observation I made.

It's not a question of whether I like white or hate white people blah blah I can argue all day, it's just that it annoys me to no end when a white actor is given a role with a 'colored' background.

Although I feel personally that we are all the same skin color or not, and that one should be looked and judged upon their soul and not their color. You really can't deny that a character should stay the same character and should not be changed. But again, it will never happen because money rules the world.

Unless someone is brave enough to break that tradition. That is where the real money is at.

[totherpage95]

rental girlfriend's live drama was pretty good I thought