Whitewashing "Akira" (Now with Liquid Bleach to Keep Your Whites Even Whiter!)

Prince on the Web: http://princegomolvilas.com
Prince on Blogger: http://bamboonation.blogspot.com
Prince on Faceboook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bamboo-Nation-by-Prince-Gomolvilas/307274962650819
Prince on Twitter: http://twitter.com/princegom

In this video monologue, playwright/performer Prince Gomolvilas talks candidly about the upcoming film adaptation of "Akira," in which a number of white actors are being considered for the lead roles. This monologue would normally be saved for JUKEBOX STORIES--a storytelling, song-singing, bingo-playing, theatrical extravaganza starring Prince Gomolvilas and musician Brandon Patton--but the subject matter begs to be discussed right now. Prince also teaches in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.

Want to have Prince come speak to or perform for your organization or school? Contact him: http://kontactr.com/user/princegom

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Asian
• American
• Akira
• Manga
• Anime
• Comic
• Book
• Animation
• Animated
• Film
• Movie
• Japan
• Japanese
• Katsuhiro
• Otomo
• Tokyo
• Kodansha
• Marvel
• Comics
• Epic
• Shōtarō
• Kaneda
• Tetsuo
• Shima
• Warner
• Bros.
• Legendary
• Pictures
• Robert
• Pattinson
• Andrew
• Garfield
• James
• McAvoy
• Garrett
• Hedlund
• Michael
• Fassbender
• Chris
• Pine
• Justin
• Timberlake
• Joaquin
• Phoenix
• Race
• Racism
• Racebending
• Blackface
• Yellowface
• Discrimination
• White
• Actors
• Controversy
• Whitewashing
• Boycott
• Protest
• Petition
• Albert
• Hughes
• Allen
• Brothers

[dechha1981]

I think they might get away with replaciung the kid from Yugio with a white actor since he has blonde hair and big round eyes, and in fact quite a bit of anime has characters that look white and have wierd coloured hair. (It's especialy noticeable in Crying freeman, where allo the Japanese characters look white but al the Chinese characters look Asian).

However, this is not the case with Akira. Even the background music sound like... what is that? Bamboo drumbs?

[dechha1981]

Replaceing all the characters in a foregin thing with American actors sounds pretty stardard hollywood to me. However, I was pissed off when they have Aeon Flux a happy ending and I am NOT watching the American version of Akira if the Clow gang doesn't rip that girl's shirt off. That's where I draw the line. Don't want me to watch it, tell me they tok out the nudity. That'll do it.

[1leerick]

i think kaneda is gonna be white and i am so mad about this but i am going to pirate this movie thou when it comes out

[Shadowrunner6969]

Now that Jeremy Lin has PROVEN Asian males can be accepted and welcomed with open arms in America with "Lin-Sanity" with the Knicks, can Hollywood wisen up now and let Asian-American male actors dominate the major/main roles of Akira?

[Akira625]

As a fan of the original Akira, I feel that any remake is unnecessary, remakes show the complete lack of originality in Hollywood. To the issue of Akira characters being played by white actors, I ask "Why?" Why is it that in 2012, in supposedly a post-racial America, is Hollywood still squeamish about Asian-American actors in lead roles? These yellowface roles should've gone the way of Fu Manchu and Ming The Merciless. Our country's still got a lot of work to do when it comes to equality.

[biffodio]

I heard Kurosawa is planning a "King Lear" remake that replaces all the Celtic characters with Japanese actors. Let's hope he never commits such a blatant act of racism (see: "Ran" 1985). But seriously, the intent in some cases (not with "21") is to give a story newness by shifting its cultural background. This "Akira" remake looked awful, but at least it wasn't entirely redundant (maybe 95%). I'm sure the race changes were more of a secondary bonus for the assholes in charge.

[OmegaTrickz]

It would be strange to have white people playing Characters from the Boondocks. However the Characters in Akira look mixed half Asian Half Western. if you really want to be fair you need to find an actor who is a mix of both. most of the popular Anime shows the main Characters look like white Guys Naruto,Dragon Ball, Bleach, etc if anything you should be pissed at the animators for making them look so white!

[Shadowrunner6969]

@SteelCityDucati There's enough blame to go around, not JUST Hollywood. You and the other Hitler wannabes are to blame as well. :-D

[SteelCityDucati]

@Shadowrunner6969 Yeah, blame Hollywood. Don't blame Americans for liking white actors more than asian actors..

[Shadowrunner6969]

@brendanraymond Then how do you explain us "yanks" having an African-American President? Seriously, Hollywood needs to get with the times and stop thinking "white" as the default. And "profit" didn't get in the way of the likes of Supreme Court Case "Brown versus Board of Education."