Ahhh, let us not conflate racism as the same or equal to the long-known issue of 'they just don't get it' when it comes to adapting ANYTHING, let alone anime.
Casting Scarlett Johanssen as Mokoto isn't 'whitewashing' (that phrasing in itself a horrible mayfly media construct) because the character isn't Japanese. Yeah, even regardless of her name.
Or rather, she doesn't LOOK Japanese, because anime chara never look Japanese unless there is a specific reason to use a visual stereotype.
If a live action Ghost in the Shell were to be done by a Japanese studio, they'd use a Japanese actress. Probably. They might choose a S. Korean singer for the slightly 'exotic' air. Or more likely because of some cross-national money/rights/production deal.
But as to the core of Hollywood screwing up any anime adaption, deal with it. Happens with books, happens with plays, happens with re-imagining a previously produced version, happens when a TV series gets picked.
Lots of reasons why. Lots. Insecurity. Lack of faith in the parent material. Copyright issues. way way too many brain dead people in positions of power, feeling a burning need (insecurity!) to prove they're JUST AS GOOD and JUST AS SMART as a writer, producer or director.
I mean, David Lynch is by all accounts a pretty with-it man (tho clearly deeply, deeply disturbed) so he should have gotten the POINT of Dune the relationship of the politics, the Spice, the Spacing Guild and what Paul threatened, but that 'rain on the whole planet' ending showed that the visual trumped everything. (for those that don't know Dune, that ending meant the complete death of star travel for the entire civilization, as rain like that would kill ALL the worms and it was the Spice that allowed safe starflight. blah blah.
)
But to paraphrase others, a crappy Hollywood adaption doesn't kill enjoying the original. Unless you don't have a copy in your collection.
a bit. A live-action Robotech seems like a pipe-dream....I'm not convinced that would be something that would perform very well at the box office unless it had an all-star cast, amazing budget, and a well-written script (all 3 seem very unlikely). Out of all of those, really I think Astro Boy would be the only one that could MAYBE do well? But considering what a flop the last Astro Boy film was, and how AB is definitely not the well-known character he used to be in US mainstream, I'm not really holding out any hope (although I heard some of the people behind the Lego movie want to do it, and that was a fun movie, so...I suppose it's possible?)
you are absolutely right. I really do need to remember to lower my expectations even lower than they are already...these adaptations are never meant to be taken very seriously.
