Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira whitewash

[JarodRussell]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

I go with what Britannica and other encyclopdias say, what I learned in school, and simply what the general consensus is.


Encyclopdias, Craig? YES!

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Encyclo-PAYdia

 

[IndyJones]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Sure, but are they pretending to be ethnic Hawaiians?

You mean acting?

Daniel Dae Kim's character's last name is Kelly. Is that ethnic Hawaiian? Was his character adopted? Did Chin have a distant who was ethnic Hawaiian with mostly genetically Korean family members closer on the tree?

We don't know nearly enough about these characters to rule out legitimate reason for why they're being played by Koreans.

 

[Sindatur]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Sure, but are they pretending to be ethnic Hawaiians?

You mean acting?

Daniel Dae Kim's character's last name is Kelly. Is that ethnic Hawaiian? Was his character adopted? Did Chin have a distant who was ethnic Hawaiian with mostly genetically Korean family members closer on the tree?

We don't know nearly enough about these characters to rule out legitimate reason for why they're being played by Koreans.

I think it's probably just a case "They're Asians, who'll know the difference". Their local relatives seem to be actually Hawaiian looking (from what I remember. I only watched the first 5-10 episodes, then lost track of the show, with too busy a veiwing schedule)

 

[Forbin]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Sure, but are they pretending to be ethnic Hawaiians?

You mean acting?

Daniel Dae Kim's character's last name is Kelly. Is that ethnic Hawaiian? Was his character adopted? Did Chin have a distant who was ethnic Hawaiian with mostly genetically Korean family members closer on the tree?

We don't know nearly enough about these characters to rule out legitimate reason for why they're being played by Koreans.

I think it's probably just a case "They're Asians, who'll know the difference".

This. Hollywood has always lumped all the Oriental and Polynesian ethnicities together when casting, assuming us western folk would never notice.

 

[IndyJones]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Or just assuming that ethnicity isn't the most important factor in accepting an actor as a character. Daniel Dae Kim isn't a cop either, but I still buy him as that character.

 

[JarodRussell]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

George Takei Japanese, John Cho Korean, who cares?

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

I love how you guys are playing "Name the Asian!"

 

[firehawk12]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

For Hawaii 5-0 specifically, they've basically used every English speaking Asian actor available in America at this point, mostly because there are only like 100 of them in the entire country.

It's not like they can be picky.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

George Takei Japanese, John Cho Korean, who cares?

I do?

I'm not RAGING at the casting, I like John Cho, we was great. But I do think it's interesting that East Asian are apparently replaceable and no one can tell the difference. Because no one cares.

And I think it's important, because quite frankly, there are even LESS casting options for East Asians, South Asians than there are for other minorities.

That's why I am all in favor of what seems to be opposite positions: 1. keeping Asians roles for Asians, and hell, if a character is Japanese, maybe cast someone with Japanese ancestry... Memoirs of a Geisha, looking at you, and 2. changing roles that might go to a white person, and putting someone of a different ethnicity in.

 

[Skywalker]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

I think Professor Zoom either missed my post or is ignoring it...

 

[Professor Zoom]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

I think Professor Zoom either missed my post or is ignoring it...

Missed it.

I'm only popping in and out. Generally I find discussing issues of race very difficult on the internet, and generally leads me to get very hostile towards people who I think are being dumb.... so... popping in and out.

 

[Skywalker]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

No worries. I agree that, like religion, race is a very touchy subject, and not something I generally like to discuss for that very reason.

Anyway, I just pointed out that there's nothing wrong with a Korean American playing Sulu because he was always meant to be of mixed Asian descent, not solely Japanese. That's why Roddenberry took his last name from the Sulu Sea in the Philippines.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2ALsvU50wQ[/YT]

 

[Professor Zoom]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

No worries. I agree that, like religion, race is a very touchy subject, and not something I generally like to discuss for that very reason.

Anyway, I just pointed out that there's nothing wrong with a Korean American playing Sulu because he was always meant to be of mixed Asian descent, not solely Japanese. That's why Roddenberry took his last name from the Sulu Sea in the Philippines.

However, as the more and more about Sulu was created, including a first name, it seems he is of Japanese decent.

 

[Skywalker]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Of course, but you can be of Japanese descent and also be of Chinese, Korean, and Filipino descent, too. I mean, my last name is French and my first name is English, but I'm also of Scottish, Irish, and Native American descent.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Of course, but you can be of Japanese descent and also be of Chinese, Korean, and Filipino descent, too. I mean, my last name is French and my first name is English, but I'm also of Scottish, Irish, and Native American descent.

Fair point.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Again, this brings back the question I posed a couple of posts ago; why aren't the Japanese filming this movie? And what's the reason not?

Again, it's simple: they don't have the money. You brought up Toho as a viable production company, but looking at wikipedia, it seems like their most expensive films are budgeted at $20-25 million. There's no way they could produce a live-action version of Akira with that kind of money and have it be comparable to a Hollywood production of the same material.

If the Japanese film industry has been in the business of making films budgeted at $150-200 million, I certainly haven't heard of them. Which is sort of the problem. Can you name any?

Well, there are several options. They may not own the rights to it any more, they may just not want to, or they may just think there's not much of a market out there for a live-action movie. And who knows, maybe they will film their own version and we can all get enraged that they didn't cast any white people.

Actually, the Akira Committee is still probably around, and could film this movie, and most of the Japanese film companies (my sad attempt at a April Fool's Day prank notwithstanding) are as big as the American ones-big enough to do this movie if needed. So, what's the holdup, Toho? Why not steal this out from under the Americans and make a set in Japan filmed with Japanese actors in Japan movie of this property?

Um. Maybe they don't have the legal right? Perhaps, which ever American film company, bought the WORLD WIDE RIGHTS to make the movie. Somebody made money from selling the rights, you should talk to them.

The Akira Committee is a group of several companies that came together to do the movie (including Toho itself, IIRC.) If, say, Toho and Shockiku wanted to get together and do a movie, it wouldn't be a problem (much like Paramount and Warner Bros. getting together to make Watchmen, or Touchstone and Tri-Star getting together to make Starship Troopers.)

So again, the question is-What's holding up Toho and the others from doing this?

 

[Deckerd]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

Hollywood has always lumped all the Oriental and Polynesian ethnicities together when casting, assuming us western folk would never notice.

On the other hand, actors like Burt Kwouk has enjoyed an entire career playing every single one of those nationalities. He's not alone either.

 

[Roshi]

Re: Racebending and other Asian-Americans speak up against Akira white

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ns-kXeQCMk[/yt]