Yes, I totaly forgot about that !
I doubt this would cause any âproblemsâ, as even amine for children contain references to sexual relationships and even joke about kink, usually without being very graphic about it. A post-watershed show would probably have no problems. Even in the west itâs hard to cry âstandardsâ since cyberbrain sex could look however you want it to.
I guessed that SAC were just trying to focus on more serious stories and didnât find the sex angle very interesting.
I mean, thatâs what happened. I have encyclopedic knowledge of Ghost in the Shell, excluding ARISE, because Iâm waiting for the english dub. (Fun opinion, I think Ghost in the Shell, and Cowboy Bebop are both better in English dubbing, which says a lot, because Iâm a purist, whoâs watched hundreds of episodes of other animes in the original Japanese with subs.)
Iâm so glad itâs not just me that thinks this. For a while it was always being recommended to people as âthe anime film you have to watchâ, despite barely having a plot.
Stand Alone Complex on the other hand was great, especially the second series.
Anyway, as long as the Tachikomas are present and correct Iâll be happy.
@popobawa4u Iâm watching standalone complex now, and I love it. The tachikomas are the best! Why does anime have such terrible intros and ending songs, though? Damn.
I admit the movie not always survives a first view, but maybe a previous reading of masamune shirowâs work would help you fill in the holes the movie doesnât always fill. And yeah, I know the film should stand on itâs own two feet, but still.
Wait. What?
Was that algorithmically generated by some sort of mad YouTube bot, or did I just have an acid flashback?
1 Like
Makes you wonder who will be cast as Batou - Dolph Lundgren? And John Hurt as the Chief?
This is either going to be an okay movie, or a really bad movie. The movie Lucy was a pretty movie but without Dr. Freeman and Ms. Johansson, I doubt it would have done that well at the boxoffice. I hope this movie is well thought through.
Iâve loved Ghost in the Shell since I was introduced to the original movie followed by the Manga/Comic. Iâm still not sure how Scarlett Johansson is going to play the Japanese Motoko Kusanagi.
Sort of like Aeon Flux. It has this familiar feeling to it, sure some things are a bit different, but you are really just watching a new story unfold in a place youâve seen before.
Of course Aeon Flux was more like the series, less like the shortsâŚ
1 Like
Cowboy Bebop, yes. Ghost in the Shell, HELL NAW.
The objection which sticks out in my brain, having not watched either in at least a year? The English voices of the Tachikoma tried, but they donât do it for me. To my Western ear, in the Japanese they really do sound like hyperactive children (and the one bookworm) who also happen to debate philosophy and are capable of killing on demand and otherwise sacrificing themselves for the safety of human (more or less) team members. Itâs as if the âkawaiiâ and the âgenkiâ couldnât co-exist to an English voice actor.
But that may be a rationalization, and the true reason may simply be preference for first exposure (to Bebop on Cartoon Network; to GitS via subs).
That the story was originally set in Japan is meaningless. The culture itself was not central to the story nor was the story dependent on being set in Japan. The race of the characters never really plays a roll in the story either. Finally, since the story is set in a future reality and is entirely fictional, no âfactsâ need be changed to tell the story other than setting it in a familiar large city just as the original creators chose to do. Using actors the director thinks will best tell a tale and sell some tickets without regard to race seems a natural choice.
The whitewashing claim here seems hollow and more along the concern troll vein.
Well then you would have a point. They would also be doing something stupid like take an established character and story and change it for no reason. Which I canât stand. Like the new TMNT. What the ever living fuck? The original origin story made sense and was elegant. Zero reason to change it.
Japan is a nationality, not a race. In the future with cyborg bodies you could look like anything you want. (ETA - and there are lot of light-skinned Japanese who, depending on the context, could pass for white European/American).
But at any rate, in my opinion the race of most Anime characters is itâs own class of Anime. They may be from Japan in the story, and may have light skin, but they arenât European/American white, nor are they Asian. They might have some elements that barrow from different ethnicity, but the style trumps any real world depiction.
Of course it depends on the Anime. Some of them have characters that are clearly Asian or black or what ever. But look at something like Robotech. Takes place in Japan. How many of these characters would the average person assume is Japanese or Asian?
What nationality is this stick figure? What answer do you expect when you ask someone who lives in Japan?
Unless otherwise stated, all characters in anime are Japanese. You will get huge hints otherwise, with blatant stereotypes, badly spoken Japanese, or an info dump on a characterâs background.
2 Likes
You know itâs going to be Bautista
What race is that stick figure? Would anyone care if Scarlet Johanson portrayed it in a movie?
1 Like
I disagree. Itâs not the landmarks or appearance that are at issue, but the attitudes and cultural contexts that frame the story. When a story would not have come from another culture, and somebody wants to borrow it because they think itâs cool, the results are generally daft. Itâs easy to copy some superficial aspects, but these things tend to be original works which compare poorly to the original. Not unlike how a Japanese movement of bluegrass music would probably be essentially different than what inspired it. Is that a huge problem? Not really, but itâs pointless at best. If itâs going to be original in essence, why not do something original without needing to bastardize something else?
To be even more cynical, Hollywood can hardly even depict US culture without insulting the intelligence of their viewers, and pulling this off should in theory be easy! This is not to say that some people in the US or elsewhere might not understand the original, but they would never be allowed to make this movie. If this production has motivations as sound as Shirow, Oshii, and Production IG, then I will be happy to adjust my appraisal accordingly.
I think you owe Shoji Tabuchi an apology:
http://www.moonlitwindow.com/blog/shoji-tabuchi-the-far-east-meets-country/
1 Like
Itâs always safe to assume the blonde one is American or maybe British, but still canât pronounce the letter L.
Iâm holding out for Seth Rogen and James Franco. And wouldnât it be cool if instead of Johansson we got Sarah Silverman or Ellen Page? I think thatâd be something completely different.
It would also be nice to see Jeunet team up with Caro again to direct this.
How did they not cast Angelina Jolie as Aeon Flux? That should have been the number one requirement of the whole project.
For Batou, Iâm going to suggest the guy who played Khal Drogo rather than Ivan Drago (Dolph).
1 Like
