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NEWS: Live-Action Death Note Film's Producer Responds to Whitewashing Controversy


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kiminobokuwa



Joined: 18 Sep 2015
Posts: 547
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 2:50 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Saying 'whitewashing' is also somewhat offensive... one of our three leads is African-American," Lee added, referencing Keith Stanfield's role as L.


This made me laugh for some reason.
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#861208



Joined: 07 Oct 2016
Posts: 423
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 2:51 pm Reply with quote
Also worth noting that people who want to see a Japanese version have several options.

Also worth noting that Korean, Taiwanese, etc. adaptations of manga also usually change the settings and names to make them local.

Also worth noting that L is the good guy and Light is supposed to be evil.
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 2:59 pm Reply with quote
I agree with him. I don't see the issue with changing the race/ethnicity/national origin of characters if you're going to completely change the setting and culture and just borrow ideas / general story from the original. It would be different if someone were taking a book that takes place in the US and has a black main character and a Japanese side character and made them both white in the movie. While they could have cast a Japanese or even Asian American as Light, there's no particular reason to do so here. There are already Japanese centric adaptions of the original manga (anime and movies). Changing the setting naturally will change the origins of the characters. He's right that there have been a ton of movies with ideas borrowed from foreign books / movies / etc. and when they take place in America, then they naturally star Americans.
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 7163
Location: Another Kingdom
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:01 pm Reply with quote
I am fine with the setting changed as it is. Death Note, as a premise, is universal and can be understood anywhere a writing system exists. There's nothing inherently Japanese about a story where a very smart young man gets a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it, using it to try to change the world for the better but going insane in the process, while a genius detective tries to work out who's doing this and put them behind bars.

I can also see why he is confused, as I don't think he's ever received feedback from hardcore anime fans before. Prior, he aimed at the mainstream, who really don't care where a story is set or if characters' races, genders, or ethnicities are changed and will treat the adaptation as its own independent story.

However, I feel he should not have responded. I know he's not used to responding to such a group, but frankly, those words of his will become fuel for more rage. There is nothing he can possibly say that will calm them down short of "I am cancelling production on this movie." I say he should keep quiet, focus on the movie, and let the movie's success or failure speak for itself.
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CCTakato



Joined: 24 Jul 2015
Posts: 514
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:05 pm Reply with quote
I find it a bit unbelievable to me they couldn't find a single Asian American actor that didn't speak "perfect English."
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Primus



Joined: 01 Mar 2006
Posts: 2774
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:09 pm Reply with quote
I would've just called every complainer anti-semitic. Laughing
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Parsifal24





PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:11 pm Reply with quote
This line of logic reminds me of when American Manga publishers used to flop volumes or change characters names to Western ones in hopes of getting more readers. It's a little awkward if you know the source material of a given work but I don't think it's inherently bad.
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catbot158



Joined: 04 Mar 2017
Posts: 232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:12 pm Reply with quote
If this really is a case of Americanizing the story, then some of the changes they made do make sense.

Light being a white male kinda works because Light as a character is suppose to be from an affluent part of American society. He has access to wealth and power, and that makes him all the more scarier when he goes on his crusade for "justice". (Though right now Light looks like a emo kid who'd watch Death Note rather than star in it, but I'll hold back on judgement for now until I see it)

L in this version works because he's not suppose to seem like a genius detective; he looks like an outcast, a weirdo. This version of L (from the promotional stuff so far) looks like he fits the bill, but we won't know until there's more to see. All I can say is that themes such as race and class could be a big part of this adaptation...

Still, I'm more concerned with what's going to be changed within the story. While Death Note has a universal appeal, there are nuances in there that work more for a Japanese audience than an American one. What are we going to lose with this adaptation, and what will we gain? It's too early to tell right now.


Last edited by catbot158 on Thu Apr 27, 2017 4:25 pm; edited 1 time in total
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catbot158



Joined: 04 Mar 2017
Posts: 232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:15 pm Reply with quote
CCTakato wrote:
I find it a bit unbelievable to me they couldn't find a single Asian American actor that didn't speak "perfect English."

Yeah that part I agree with. Come on guys, do your homework better, there are a ton out there.
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Connor Dino



Joined: 20 Dec 2010
Posts: 299
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:22 pm Reply with quote
I personally cannot wait for the Live-Action Hollywood adaptations of Attack on Titan and Fullmetal Alchemist,where they will cast the appropriate races in every role (they won't all be Asian) and be accused of White-Washing.

Wait...does that mean the cast of the Japanese live-action films of Attack on Titan and Fullmetal Alchemist mean they are Asian-Washing all the roles?

So confused....
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FackuIkari



Joined: 31 Dec 2013
Posts: 411
Location: Argentina
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:23 pm Reply with quote
I'm still waiting for someone to tell why this """"""controversy"""""" affects the pacing, plot, story, characters, writing and directing that makes this adaptation, that you have not watched, bad in any way, shape or form.

Don't you think we should be worried more about that and how is gonna represent Death Note instead of the f******g casting for an adaptation that has an entirely different setting? Does it really matter?
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Cetais



Joined: 02 Feb 2012
Posts: 507
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:30 pm Reply with quote
I totally agree about the issues of withewashing when it was about Ghost in the Shell; the movie was taking place in Japan, for fudge's sake.

.... But Death Note? Huh...
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TheRahi00



Joined: 20 Aug 2013
Posts: 154
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:40 pm Reply with quote
catbot158 wrote:

L being a black guy works because he's not suppose to seem like a genius detective; he looks like an outcast, a weirdo..


You do realize that this statement is incredibly wrong and racist lol. I'm sure you didn't meant in this way, but the words you chosed were not very clever.
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Lord Oink



Joined: 06 Jul 2016
Posts: 876
PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:45 pm Reply with quote
kiminobokuwa wrote:
This made me laugh for some reason.


Probably because its basically saying "I'm not racist, one of my best friends is black!"

Isn't saying its not whitewashing because its a retelling in America mean its just, uh, cultural appropriation then? Taking another culture's idea and using it yourself, or whatever?
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Re:SOUL





PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:49 pm Reply with quote
Well you see, this isn't 2002, it's 2017 and 2017 people are morons. Thank the internet for doing that
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