Back in the '90s, the anime film "Ghost in the Shell" broke through Japan and enamored the whole world. With its intelligent storyline and philosophical undertones, "Ghost in the Shell" became a standard in anime that was matched by very few. Now, with a Hollywood adaptation in the works, fans of the anime are up in arms over the movie's alleged "whitewashing."
Playing the iconic Motoko Kusanagi is popular Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, who is notable for playing intense roles such as Black Widow from "The Avengers." Indeed, considering her background in movies that are as deep into the source material as "GiTS," her casting does make sense. After all, Motoko is a very complex character, and having no less than an A-list actor would suffice.
However, fans of the anime, and numerous personalities in Japan, are reacting negatively to the casting of the white actress. This has gotten far more volatile when the first still from the movie was released, which featured Scarlett Johansson in a bob cut looking at a glass pane. Of course, with the image, fans of the anime exploded once more, only this time, even sympathizers for diversity in Hollywood have entered the fray. Some bashed the upcoming movie, stating that it is completely removing the Japanese element from the film, while others have suggested that other Hollywood actresses, such as "Pacific Rim" actress Rinko Kikuchi, who is actually Japanese, would be a better fit for the role.
With all the controversy over the alleged whitewashing of the movie's cast, one has to keep things in perspective. After all, "Ghost in the Shell" is arguably the most ambitious anime to get a live-action Hollywood adaptation to date.
Sure, there have been really bad adaptations before, such as "Dragon Ball Evolution," but "Ghost in the Shell" is an anime story far beyond the conventional anime in the first place. Simply put, "GiTS" is not an average anime at all. Rather, it is a work of fiction that is immensely deep- existentialist, even.
In order to bring the adaptation properly to the West, the producers of the Hollywood adaptation need a name that would instantly be recognizable. Thus, the choice of casting Johansson for the main role.
Also, amid all the outcry over the still from the movie, other fans of the classic anime film have remarked that the original setting of "Ghost in the Shell" is a futuristic Japan. Thus, even Motoko herself does not look very Japanese at all. In fact, if one looks at the features of the main characters in the anime film, they appear Western, not Japanese at all.
Plus, being stuck on the race of the cast seems like a very shallow point to drive forward anyway. After all, what made "Ghost in the Shell" so iconic in anime is the fact that its plot was fleshed out in a way that is both artistic and intuitive. Rather than focusing on the details and bashing the movie for decisions that are quite obviously designed to kindle interest in the West, fans of the "Ghost in the Shell" are better off worrying about how well the story of the film would be fleshed out.
After all, when the popular "Attack on Titan" anime was adapted for live-action, the characters were all cast as Japanese despite them being European in the source material. There were no controversies then.
