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Katherine Barron is a sophomore at CSUSB. Currently she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English.

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    Why an American Adaptation of Akira is a Bad Idea

    Lately I've been hearing rumors of Hollywood adapting Akira into a movie of sorts. While I haven't exactly watched Akira myself, I know enough about it to understand that Akira is largely about/symbolic of Japan struggling to find an identity post-World War II, and features the start of the body horror genre, which, in Akira, was meant to mirror those who suffered from the effects of radiation after the United States deployed nuclear weapons on Japan. Am I the only one who feels that the United States making any sort of adaptation on Akira is a bit terrible?

    • All true, but you missed a few other reasons. American live-action interpretations of anime have had results ranging from terrible, all the way down to Dragon Ball Evolution. And honestly, even the anime film adaptation of Akira really wasn't a good idea; the original manga is much too long and complex, and the film, while it looks very pretty, is a narrative mess. – LangsEnd 9 years ago
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    • I certainly would agree. American adaptions of anime tend to be disrespectful of the source material. Hollywood suits seem to be under the impression that American audience aren't interested or capable of understanding other cultures. Besides Josh Trank's "Chronicle" is sort of the American "Akira" already. – Cagney 9 years ago
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    • It would definitely be a terrible idea just because you know they'd probably whitewash the entire cast. – Kayla Novak 9 years ago
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    • Hollywood has a history of not only fundamentally changing the original idea behind the movie but, as Kayla already stated, whitewashing the entire cast. I'm still highly pissed about the remake of Old Boy which I realize is a Korean film, not Japanese. – nighteyes 9 years ago
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    • Maybe you should focus on WHY it would be near impossible to adapt the source material correctly than to just say an American adaption will be a bad idea. – RGM 9 years ago
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    • I think you should bring up the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie, and how that's not as egregious because Ghost in the Shell isn't as closely connected to Japanese history and culture like Akira is. We don't lose much whitewashing Motoko Kusanagi, but we do lose a lot by white-washing Tetsuo. – MaxEngel 9 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    I’d also recommend Utena, but I would not recommend that to a beginner, if only because Utena goes far and beyond it’s genre (and in fact, I’d argue that Utena is to magical girls as NGE is to mecha anime). I’d set someone on something like Yuki Yuna is a Hero, if only to get them up to speed on the current trend of anime.

    Anime for Dummies: What Starters Should Watch

    Man, I remember listening to Vocaloid songs back when I was a young teenager. I don’t think any other songs have ever made me cry.

    Vocaloid, as you’ve said, is a very unique outlet for people who lack the voice. It can also lead into other things as well – for example, the anime Black Rock Shooter was based on a Vocaloid song of the same name, and Mekaku City Actors was based on a song series done by IA, another Vocaloid. It’s unfortunate that Vocaloids don’t have as strong a presence in the west; it’d be interesting to see what sort of influence a Vocaloid could have on the music industry.

    Hatsune Miku: How a Virtual Idol Inspired Creativity

    Light was always terrible, morally speaking. There isn’t any shift at all. He murdered people willingly and justified it to himself that it was okay because they were ‘criminals who deserved it.’ Then it became ‘People who got in the way of justice.’ Then suddenly, he thought himself a God, and thus all his actions were morally sound.

    I honestly stopped watching the show for a while because even though all the mind games were pretty fun, following a law school kid continuously get away with murder started getting dull. And in the end, Light’s personal failings were the only thing that led to his eventual capture. You could argue that he is a tragic hero, but again, I find that there was never any real redeemable quality to him that could lead one to conclude that he was ever a hero at all.

    Death Note: Light Yagami's Transformation a Ruthless Killer