_D_ wrote:Problem is that the Japanese don't do good adaptations themselves. Anyone check out the new Patlabor movie? How was it? There was a lot of hype, then nothing. The Space Battleship Yamato live movie wasn't all that great. Now we are going to get an Attack on Titan film with an all Japanese cast. Now, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the characters in the manga all (but one) non Japanese? So, how's that going work? So, it's not just Hollywood that makes weird casting decisions. Why no international production? You'd think that would be the way to go especially with universally popular titles that are hits in many countries. This has been ongoing for years and years now...
Well, yes, that's why in my comment I wanted to solely focus on that fact, because the whole issue of 'whitewashing' is, to my mind, foolish. The focus should be on the skill of the actor, not the color of their skin.
(must we talk racism? OK, how about how Hollywood is biased towards light skinned blacks? The reasoning is embedded, not wanting to 'offend' the Southern marketplace. Light skinned blacks are seen as 'acceptable' and 'safe' and 'non threatening' to the perceived prejudice. There, that should send the snake to eating its own tail.
)
But that gets all messy and sticky and stuff. Hence my desire to throw it away in the discussion.
Yes, Japan is just as bad about adapting. I've seen a little of the Live Patlabor and man, it's just flat and poorly produced, and the noble attempt with full scale Patlabors is completely wiped out by the clumsy '90s vidgame CGI robots used for any scene needing actual movement. The acting struck me more on a par with a comedy sketch troupe. Maybe the problem for me was, in addition to not seeing the whole thing, it just has the air of "we changed the names but these really are supposed to be the same people from the anime, really!" going on. Maybe it's on me. Maybe I don't understand enough about how the Japanese Police act, what is 'normal' so I can laugh at how 'outside the norm' SV2 is.
And I've not heard anyone speak of the Live Gatchaman that came out. That thing vanished from the public eye faster than snow in August.
I said it before and will say it again, the Live Yamato was the best we could have hoped for. Even with the changes, some of which do rather eviscerate the core of the MEANING of the story, it still hangs together reasonably well.
Naturally, it's sad when the most one can hope for is "well, it didn't suck".
The good news is, all the American anime adaptions supposedly in the works, I don't expect a single one of them to actually go before the cameras. Speed Racer doing poorly at the American box office (and I mostly LOVE that movie) was a huge poison pill, Pacific Rim also doing bad in the U.S. (not anime of course but obviously informed and inspired by) was another nail in the coffin. The adaption of Kite came out, right? haven't heard much of anything on that either.
It's people making "I'm DOING SOMETHING" noise. Some are struggling to get on board that 'super hero and/or comic book' train that is already pretty much 'done' for everybody other than Marvel, and some remember that there anny-may stuff comes from comics called MAAAAANNNNNGGGAA (ha, see what I did there?
), so let's scoop up some rights and put out a press release to make it HAWT.
