1Up Culture with Trent Breward Ghost In The White Shell Remember how a while back after talking about The Raid I said Id tackle another looming issue regarding hit foreign franchises? Here, let me refresh your memory: “But within the next week or two (A Jurassic World trailer is set to release this weekend which will likely take precedence) 1Up Culture will be tackling the long proposed Americanisation of one of the biggest anime franchises of all time.” That was the end of November, so yeah Im a bit slow on the follow up. But as it was during my absence my prediction came true and brought the issue back into the forefront. The long rumoured casting of 1UP Cultures queen of 2014 Scarlett Johansson as the Japanese cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi, in the live action adaptation of one of Japans iconic anime franchises: Ghost In The Shell. Now tentatively set for an April 2017 cinematic release, the massive manga/anime franchise will be coming out in the height of the geek takeover of Hollywood and a rejuvenated sci fi scene, and will bring with it a different prescribed niche and hoping to draw in a host of new fans. And it will be doing so with one of Hollywoods big name actresses and action stars at the forefront. The response regarding the casting was as one would have expected. Some are excited by the prospect of Johansson getting her hands on a dynamic and interesting character who is both intellectually and physically imposing. The movie Lucy was essentially an audition, a warm up for what we might be in for in a few years. The added star power from Johansson will help boost the profile of a series that while big, is still a relative unknown to many out West. Lets make no mistake here, a live action Ghost In The Shell could be as big as the Matrix if they pull it off. The story is a high concept near future exploration of what it means to be human as Public Security Section 9, the agency the Major works for, battles cyber terrorists and conspiracies and the like. Done right, and it could redefine what it means to be a smart action film, and has the potential for a franchise of live action movies and a female lead that could appeal to both genders. That character though is the exact reason why not everything is thrilled about Scarletts casting. Why wouldnt they be thrilled about Johansson playing Major Motoko Kusanagi? Well, let me take you back to a movie that according to the fanbase never actually happened The Last Airbender was the live action adaptation to the massively popular not-really-but-kinda-anime cartoon by Nickelodeon called Avatar: The Last Airbender. While the movie is completely worth forgetting and a poor translation to a brilliant cartoon, red flags went up immediately to fans when the very white casting was revealed for a culturally diverse cast of characters. The only lead in the movie to really retain their race was Zuko, the Asian Fire Nation antagonist, while the heroes were all plenty white. It is not exactly hard to see that the name Motoko Kusanagi is not an American (or if I can put it bluntly, white) name. Scarlett Johansson on the other hand, is rather Caucasian in her appearance. It has been mentioned that Kusanagi is not overly Japanese in her appearance, but it is not unusual for anime to go this route in its visual design. While this casting is literally the only information we have thus far regarding the live action version, its caused plenty of commotion and I can see both sides of the argument surrounding the casting choice. Its not the only film to come under scrutiny for its racial casting. In an ironic reversal of the norm, the apparently upcoming Fantastic Four reboot (trailer coming February 13!) has Michael B Jordan playing the normally white Human Torch. The reception to that has been mixed at best. Messing with an established characters race rarely goes well regardless of the medium, especially if it is done for seemingly arbitrary reasons. The fact an American made movie will be replacing an Asian lead with an American simply creates a target for their backs. There are quite a few capable Asian female actresses in Hollywood right now, and while they are talented and some are also proven in action movies, none of them carry the kind of star power that Johansson has right now. The argument is cyclical of course, since these actresses get fewer chances to prove their drawing power when instead relegated to side characters. Lucy Lui has established herself as able to draw, but is there any reason a Rinko Kikuchi (Mako Mori of Pacific Rim) couldnt prove herself as a capable action star if given the chance to lead a blockbuster like Ghost In the Shell? Ghost In The Shell needs a strong investment and financing to be done well. It wont be a cheap movie to produce, and while anime and Japanese pop culture in general is growing in popularity out west, its far from a guaranteed hit right now. Being able to sell the movie off the back of Johansson (who has proven to be a draw) is smart, and she is a capable enough actress to tackle the complex and physical Major. And while it didnt help, The Last Airbender didnt fail because of the heritage of the cast. It was just a bad movie. Still, is Johansson going to be the only predominately white character in a very Asian movie? Motoko is a cyborg, and she changes her shell in the series, so it would be easy enough to explain in story as to why a Japanese character is inhabiting a white body. But its also possible the story gets transplanted to an American setting, ditching many of the Japanese elements and replacing them in a New York-esque setting. This could prove more of a problem. Many concepts and more subtle story points will have to be changed if they drag the movie out of its Asian background to a more neutral or American setting, and there is only so much changing to the concept before the movie becomes Ghost In The Shell by name only (Looking at you World War Z). Done wrong, and it could just appear to be an outdated attempt to leech off of The Matrix, because it shares some core similarities despite ultimately being distinctively different end products. Ultimately I dont believe this movies hinges on the ethnicity of the lead actress, and while I was mostly against an Americanised remake of The Raid, Im more optimistic about Ghost In The Shell. It will be different, and unfortunately hardcore fans will almost definitely be disappointed but it wont be because of Kusanagis race. Hollywood blockbusters and high concept rarely go hand in hand. The Matrix tried it, and it worked for one movie before tripping over itself for two. Ghost In The Shell is not a simple story, and the anime movies especially enjoy taking time to enter convoluted philosophical debates that simply wont translate to the summer blockbuster. Itll be dumbed down to a degree, though for the movie to work as Ghost In The Shell it still needs to be a deep and thought provoking movie. The best example of how the American movie might look can be found in the second GITS Arise episode (border) titled Ghost Whispers. While there is still a bit of intellectual musing to be found, its a far more typical action affair. And it works. It is easy to picture Hollywood building a similar base and expanding upon it, giving the audience plenty of action and Hollywood storytelling with enough philosophical debate intertwined between Scarletts Kusanagi and the ensemble. The movie wont please all of the fans, especially because for some part of the appeal comes in the more complex and mind bending narrative and themes present. And that kind of film is unlikely to draw the kind of money its investors want. The Live Action GITS will be more action based, and will likely lack some of the more thematically Japanese aspects. How much this compromises the true Ghost In The Shell remains to be seen. The solace for those who find the casting or the movie offensive to their tastes should be this: Ghost In The Shells legacy will not be tainted by the movie. The anime will continue to be a genre classic and just like weve seen with the prequel Arise, it will likely to continue in one iteration or another. But the movie may be the necessary stepping point for those unfamiliar with the franchise, and if more people find and fall in love with the anime, that can only be a good thing. I do like Scarlett Johansson as a casting choice, but I fully appreciate and understand the reservations and disappointment surrounding it. Would it be nice to see someone with Asian heritage getting the chance to play what is a career defining role? Definitely, but the movie can still work and maybe even thrive with Scarlett. The problem is no so much with Johansson, but with the conversation that would have been had by the executives who decided they needed to whitewash the role in order for the movie to succeed. Read more: altn8dimensions.proboards/thread/1009/ghost-white-1up-culture?page=1#ixzz3PFQ37BNR
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 06:52:58 +0000