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nakobass
Joined: 28 Dec 2010
Posts: 57
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:07 pm
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Never was a big fan of the original Akira, but if they get the Bike to look just as cool as the original, I'll give it a shot.
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OtakuKitten
Joined: 03 Dec 2009
Posts: 72
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:58 pm
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Diedrupo wrote: | I think people complaining about the Akira live-action movie either have nostalgia goggles on, or they have some misguided notion that every movie based on a japanese-originated license needs to star asian actors - which is ridiculous. No offense to George Takei, but there is no reason why a hollywood version of Akira needs to star asian actors.
Now do I think this movie will be terrible? Yes. Akira (the manga) is just too long for anyone to adapt properly into a motion picture. That is the only reason why this movie was doomed from the start. It has nothing to do with them casting white actors or changing the character's roles. They could have copied the animated movie's plot but then people would have realized that the animated movie they watched when they were 12 was actually terrible.
But hey, this movie actually has Akira in it, unlike the animated movie. |
I think a large reason why Japanese stories don't work when Hollywood gets a hold of them is that, for the most part, it is a completely different culture. Americans do have the same perspective as the Japanese in things like war and destruction; thus by taking a story that is at it's core a very Japanese mindset and altering things to work with an audience for another culture the meaning behind the story is lost.
Now CAN Akira be adapted into something for Americans? i don't see why not; HOWEVER, if the studio really wanted to do that then they shouldn't leave in the Japanese names and title.
Maybe a lot of the fan complaining could be set aside if they make this movie its own thing and just have and "inspired by" que card in the credits. (It worked for the Walking Dead show)
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Apollo-kun
Joined: 11 Feb 2010
Posts: 1213
Location: City 7, Macross 7
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:00 pm
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Hmm... Ahh, my computer's calender must be wrong! It says November 29, but surely this is April 1'st. Lemme sync it up with the internet... Wait... This isn't a joke? Well, way to ruin one of my favorite manga series, Hollywood (I'm neutral towards the original film). Hell, while you're at it, why not just take some of Tezuka's darker works and turn 'em into romantic comedies?
On a more serious note: This plot reeks of cliches. It seems like a lame rehash of a great deal of North American dystopia movies, and to see something so classic be treated like a sub-par excuse for cool special effects, hot young stars and motorcycle chases is frustrating. I would even go so far as to say that the "brothers going different ways and one having to save the other" sub-plot is ripped wholesale from a number of recent movies. I feel kind of like puking, and what makes it worse is that this actually seems like something average moviegoers would lap up in an instant, ignorant to the source material. Sorry if my fanboy is showing; it just irks me to see another's work defecated upon.
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Emerje
Joined: 10 Aug 2002
Posts: 7391
Location: Maine
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:21 pm
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Diedrupo wrote: | I think people complaining about the Akira live-action movie either have nostalgia goggles on, or they have some misguided notion that every movie based on a japanese-originated license needs to star asian actors - which is ridiculous. No offense to George Takei, but there is no reason why a hollywood version of Akira needs to star asian actors. |
It'd be one thing if they completely Americanized it, but if they're going to keep the Japanese names they can't use a bunch of western actors and expect it to work. They've already bastardized the story, why stop short of changing the names? A white guy named Tetsuo just isn't going to cut it.
Emerje
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Actar
Joined: 21 Nov 2010
Posts: 1074
Location: Singapore
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:53 pm
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Emerje wrote: |
It'd be one thing if they completely Americanized it, but if they're going to keep the Japanese names they can't use a bunch of western actors and expect it to work. They've already bastardized the story, why stop short of changing the names? A white guy named Tetsuo just isn't going to cut it.
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That's exactly what I thought. Really? Neo-Manhattan but still keeping Kaneda, Tetsuo and Akira? Why not change it to Ken, Teddy and Andrew?
Seriously though, they can adapt, white wash and Americanize the story/plot for a US audience, but why don't they just change the title? They did manage to adapt GiTS/Megazone 23 into 'The Matrix' after all...
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Ulinox
Joined: 22 Aug 2009
Posts: 687
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:24 pm
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Yeah, it's really something when the plot sounds bad already from the first line of the description.
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Lev
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
Posts: 16
Location: PA, Canada
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:04 am
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Meh, still gonna watch it. Seems like they're trying to stick in as much of the original plot as they can in an Americanized sort of way.
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Hellfish
Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 391
Location: Mexico
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:27 am
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Well I guess this makes it official. Akira will only be and live action adaptation in-name-only.
I am wondering if nobody gave the manga or even the movie to the scriptwriters and just passed them a checklist of Science fiction and distopian tropes they needed to follow... O.o
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Romuska
Subscriber
Joined: 02 Mar 2004
Posts: 804
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:50 am
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Who else couldn't get past the first paragraph?
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firecrouch
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 125
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:59 am
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Maybe it's because I haven't read the manga but this doesn't seem too far off from what I remember from the movie, and what little I know from how the manga differed. I really don't know how much this differs besides the whole bar owner thing but this doesn't sound bad, I'd like someone to explain.
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PBsallad
Joined: 19 Dec 2009
Posts: 338
Location: Phoenix
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 4:23 am
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I haven't read the manga or seen the movie in years, but your right. There doesn't seem that much of a difference. The only ones I can think of are; bar owner, they're older, and being brothers (implying they're blood related).
opn wrote: | okay....that plot sounds complete BS. its completely stupid how their changing kanadas character and from the sound of it he's now a adult NOT a teenager which is stupid. second of all the colonel TRIED to destroy tetsuo from the way the plot sounds it makes it sound like he's helping him instead of trying to waste him. ... |
Helping...?
The only thing this brief plot summary says is the Colonel is kidnapping him. And isn't that what happened in the original? He only started trying to kill him after he ran away and caused havoc. But as I said, it's been years and I could be wrong.
edit: fixed bee to be.
Last edited by PBsallad on Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:37 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Lycosyncer
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Posts: 526
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:31 am
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It's official: Hollywood really hates putting Asians as main central leads in non-martial arts films and especially in films where having Asian main leads would make the best sense but here, this is just insulting.
Having the film still named Akira and having Kaneda and Tetsuo's names intact but cast white actors to play them just reeks of intentional spite to Asian actors everywhere.
For those defending these choices I have to ask, why? Why does the Americanized version always have to change from the original Japanese to white? Before you say, "Oh Asia does it too!", remember that their populations don't have high notable minorities of Caucasians but here in America, we got plenty of notable Asian minorities and not getting Asian American actors for these roles just doesn't justify something like this.
If your American adaptation of a popular anime/manga has Asian main leads and you still use those names in your adaptation, you better have Asian actors to play them. Otherwise, it's just a big insult.
I'm still baffled that how come Hollywood still hasn't adapted Fullmetal Alchemist, yet? If they hired white actors for something like that, we wouldn't even be in this mess, would we?
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aeris2001x2
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Posts: 64
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:35 am
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As i thought the movie which I loved was superior to the Manga which I found disappointing, I don't mind this being an adaption.
I don't care if it has Western or Asian actors, or they change the plot, or they Westernise it if it is actually good!
This will be achieved if the direction is good and the acting is top notch. But considering they have roped in the Twilight girl to play Kei and that other douche to play Kaneda, I am not going to hold my breathe.
Just please do NOT cast Patterson as Tetsuo!
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Ulinox
Joined: 22 Aug 2009
Posts: 687
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:01 am
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aeris2001x2 wrote: | As i thought the movie which I loved was superior to the Manga which I found disappointing, I don't mind this being an adaption.
I don't care if it has Western or Asian actors, or they change the plot, or they Westernise it if it is actually good!
This will be achieved if the direction is good and the acting is top notch. But considering they have roped in the Twilight girl to play Kei and that other douche to play Kaneda, I am not going to hold my breathe.
Just please do NOT cast Patterson as Tetsuo! |
Of course not. Everybody knows Taylor Lautner would be a much better fit as Tetsuo.
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prime_pm
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2354
Location: Your Mother's Bedroom
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:36 am
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And Shia LaBeouf as Tetsuo!
According to the wiki for this, the actual frontrunners for Tetsuo are Alden Ehrenreich, "Jimmy" Darmody, the Sunday Brothers, Flint, that one captured German from Band of Brothers (he's 35), Johnny Quid, Robb Stark, and the gay pharoah.
Last edited by prime_pm on Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:08 am; edited 1 time in total
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