Let’s Talk Movies: Anime to Live-Action

Since word has been told that the hit American-made anime Avatar: The Last Airbender was going to be turned into a live-action movie, people have been speculating who the casts were going to be. And when the four main characters of the movie were finally casted and announced, a huge uproar has been heard from fans all over the world.

This has brought into the light several other anime-turned-live action movies that were said to be poorly casted.

1. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2010) – Lead characters Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko were casted with white actors Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Jesse McCartney respectively.

2. Dragon Ball Evolution (2009) – Lead character Son Goku is portrayed by Justin Chatwin, and secondary characters Bulma and Piccolo are played by Emmy Rossum and James Marsters respectively.

3. Cowboy Bebop (no release date yet) – Lead character Spike Spiegel is to be portrayed by Keanu Reeves.

No offense to white actors on their acting prowess(?) and sellability. But most of the characters in these movies are clearly Asians. So why cast white people? Can’t they find Amerasian (American-Asian) actors that fit the shoe better?

Not to play the whole race issue again, but movie-goers watch these movies mainly for the story, not the actors. Of course the acting is going to be a factor to the audience’s satisfaction, but people who’ve followed the anime long enough will be raising eyebrows on the casting choices.

Let’s go through some of them one by one, shall we?

Jesse McCartney – I don’t quite think this dude will be able to portray angsty, angry, emo Zuko avatards of all ages have come to love.

Jackson Rathbone – Too pale to be Sokka. I don’t think any amount of tanning will turn him into a shade of brown closer to what Sokka’s color is. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t really get much rave reviews for his acting in Twilight.

Justin Chatwin – I’m not going to play the he’s-not-Asian card here because Son Goku’s an alien, and therefore doesn’t really have a specific (white or yellow) race. Although you have to admit that he makes Son Goku look gay and incapable of saving the world. He’s too, I dunno, teeny-booper-ish?

Emmy Rossum – Sure she’s hot and she’d cut the part. However, their new character design of Bulma removed her trademark, cyan-colored hair. That’s like taking the stripes out of a zebra.

James Marsters – No comment on this, Piccolo’s going to be heavily made up so it doesn’t really matter who the actor’s going to be.

Keanu Reeves – Now, I won’t talk about his becoming Spike Spiegel as a problem because he’s white. I don’t recall any specific mention of Spike’s race in any of the Cowboy Bebop series. But he’s just not that good in acting. He’s got, like, the acting prowess of a wooden plank.

But this is just me talking. What do you guys think?

Other animes turning into live action flicks in the near future are Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ninja Scrolls, and Afro Samura. The first two movies are to be directed by reknowned director Steven Spielberg.

Afro Samurai is said to be released this year, Akira and Ghost in the Shell in 2011, while Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ninja Scrolls, and Afro Samurai still have no release date as of late.

My friends who have watched the anime movies wish the producers goodluck in turning Akira and Ghost in the Shell into actual live action movies. No cast listings have been mentioned on the first four movies mentioned above. On the other hand, Afro Samurai is rumored to be played by Outkast’s Andre Benjamin, who now goes by the name Andre 3000.

Seriously, why can’t they just leave the anime movies as they are? Are American movie writers running out of ideas so they just choose an anime of their liking and making poor adaptations of it? God, it’s like taking a precious childhood memory and breaking it right in front of your face.

I’m not an Asian rights activist, nor am I a famed movie critic. All I am is a movie-goer who makes sure that the movies I watch are worth every goddamned peso I spend on them. I just don’t see any promise to these new movies, considering all the ill reviews and controversies surrounding its casting.

What do you think about all these shenanigans?