8 Asians

108 Comments to “White-Washing Avatar: The Last Airbender?”

• Danny wrote:

  floppity flop flop flop

  Posted on 18-Dec-08 at 1:40 pm | Permalink

• wondermann wrote:

  It’s a shame they are doing this. A total disregard of the people and the culture

  Posted on 18-Dec-08 at 1:53 pm | Permalink

• This Matters: Avatar the Last Airbender’s Friky Diky Cast « Lemon Water wrote:

  [...] White-Washing Avatar: The Last Airbender? – Moye (@ 8Asians) [...]

  Posted on 18-Dec-08 at 2:18 pm | Permalink

• Ernie wrote:

  I didn’t even know Avatar was American and not translated Japanese anime.

  Posted on 18-Dec-08 at 6:53 pm | Permalink

• CaliStunna818 wrote:

  Who isn’t surprised by this?

  They even tried to remake My Sassy Girl with an all-White cast…but it flopped…straight to DVD! lol

  Posted on 18-Dec-08 at 8:49 pm | Permalink

• p33mp wrote:

  Ernie – you gotta go out there and go buy this series on DVD!!!

  it’s freaking awesome!!!

  i hope m night stands up for asian american actors and casts at least one or two freaking asian leads!!! and please don’t cast asians for all the villain roles… that would be the ultimate slap in the face

  thanks for the hat tip…

  Posted on 18-Dec-08 at 11:04 pm | Permalink

• Ario wrote:

  Well its not really an anime per say because it is made by Americans but I can see why some are offended by what some are calling the “whitewashing” of the series.

  Personally I don’t mind the casting so much if they translate the themes of the series well but it makes me worried about how much effort they are going to even put into transitioning the Avatar universe into a film one.

  The original creators did their research. They did the leg-work. They hired historical consultants to help them fashion, they hired martial arts masters to work with their animators, they researched architecture & cuisine and in the end created one of the most nuanced, challenging universes in contemporary speculative fiction.

  I really really want this to work out but I fear something as cheesy as “Dragonball Evolution” in the end.

  Posted on 19-Dec-08 at 12:39 am | Permalink

• Pepper wrote:

  yes, the series is designed and written by American creators alright, but do people know that it was actually made by a Korean animation studio?

  http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=1587

  So…Asian culture, philosophy, costume, martial arts and animators are good enough to use for this series…yet not one Asian actor is? ALL of the leads are white? Even the dark-skinned leads?

  *sighs* Are people forgetting this series was successful around the world too? It’s not just successful in America (which btw has a large and diverse group of non-white people too in comparison to other nations). To cast them all as white, kinda ignores the non-white fans as well. I seriously doubt there are no non-white child actors with talent.

  Posted on 19-Dec-08 at 3:49 am | Permalink

• uRB4N wrote:

  Hrm.

  Guess you guys still haven’t realized that white peope like Asian culture. They like your food. They like your customs. They like the language. They like the history. They just don’t like YOU.

  Posted on 19-Dec-08 at 10:48 am | Permalink

• CaliStunna818 wrote:

  Most likely the Asian/Asian-Americans that do gain any major success in the U.S. mainstream are usually bi-racial/multi-ethnic. There’s so many celebrities I can name right now that are of Asian descent, yet not many people would view them as “Asian”.

  Posted on 19-Dec-08 at 3:08 pm | Permalink

• Daniel wrote:

  aiya…I watched a few times and even without thinking about race—it would have made sense if the characters were of East Asian background. In a sense, this is nothing new, just read up about the history of Black entertainment.
  However, it’s just fantasy and if they are able to do the film well, then whatever.

  Posted on 19-Dec-08 at 7:20 pm | Permalink

• Daniel wrote:

  Actually, I just remember that the show seem a bit more diverse…even more to ponder about.

  Posted on 19-Dec-08 at 7:25 pm | Permalink

• Urbancool wrote:

  Create article and it conveys the truth that paramount is totally oblivious to.

  Honestly I see no problem with an all Asia cast if Hollywood expects us asians to watch their movies with an all white casting.

  Seriously. That’s so disrespectful.

  Posted on 19-Dec-08 at 8:11 pm | Permalink

• Katara's Fan wrote:

  I kinda find this puzzling, too and I agree with some comments, but I believe some people (not saying who) are going overboard by using the word “racist”. I mean, they’re just making a movie by using their own actors/actresses. I’m sure they’ll get them to fit by darkening up their makeup or something, but I’ve seen it like this lots of time…especially with Indian movies.

  Most of the time, the original idea came from an English movie, but Bollywood makes it into their own version. I doubt that’s racist. (If you want, you can call it stealing.) There are movies made all the time and translated into another language and other countries can even create their own movie version.

  I would have thought that they would have used some Hollywood Asian actors/actresses FOR EXAMPLE, like Jet Li. He works in Hollywood and speaks English. Maybe Hollywood could search for talented Asian actors/actresses (teens)who speak English and are willing to be in the “Avatar: The Last Airbender”.

  I agree this is a bit odd, but I’m not upset to the point where I would write angry letters to Hollywood or would complain to the fullest extent. Nah…I’m just planning to see how it turns out…who knows? It might be good and we’re all getting upset for no reason.

  -Katara’s Fan

  Posted on 22-Dec-08 at 8:42 pm | Permalink

• Brian C. wrote:

  Moye brings up a good point that the creator’s are not even asian.
  Sounds like “Orientalism” to me. Had to read it since my professor wrote it.
  Edward Said (r.i.p.)

  Orientalism – Throughout history, almost everything the West knows or thinks of the East is through the eyes of a westerner to begin with. So how authentic is the West’s understanding of the Orient/East?

  This coming from a 2nd generation “twinkie” like me.

  Posted on 23-Dec-08 at 12:55 am | Permalink

• Daniel wrote:

  Well, it is true what the last previous commentators mentioned, especially the part about orientalism. In other societies, it wouldn’t be an issue (in a sense). Depends on what perspective you are looking at. I mean, Asian entertainment isn’t quite PC as well, and so are countless other media outlets.

  I think a point to think about is there’s probably a good number of citizens in the US (maybe Canada, but I’m not sure) where more is expected from these places—like a higher standard. It’s hard to blame members of their own society from having such ideals. There’s still people out there who’se image of Americans is still predomionantly caucasian white while those with darker complexions (and background) are few. Both inside the US and outside. I’m sort of refraining from using the term race because that word has somewhat been abused and may bring up different definitions to whoever is reading it.

  If you all want to go deep into history, it’s worth mentioning that there were and are Caucasian-whites (and many people from other backgrounds) who were against orientalism (or admiration of other cultures through western eyes) and wanted such images (whether fantasy or for some serious public event) to reflect more of reality.

  Posted on 24-Dec-08 at 12:42 am | Permalink

• cognitis wrote:

  Products now made by Euros have little value: all US retail news Media report only exciting but meaningless happenings, or they report meaningful events late; all US popular TV shows lack originality and insight; what few US makers remain like Apple only assemble components made in Japan or Korea; all US websites like Youtube or Facebook use dated technology, and they offer childish services (ooohh, pictures!).

  Don’t watch childish and meaningless US TV shows (your kids learn what exactly by watching “Survivor”?); don’t by cheap childish US goods like Gap clothes; don’t buy US cell phones, since the Japanese only license five-year-old tech to Americans (first iPhone didn’t even have 3G tech, a tech almost 10 years old in Japan); don’t buy US cars, since soon all will lack warranties with makers’ bankruptcies.

  Japanese and Korean Americans could use 0 products made outside Japan and Korea and lack 0; Euros would live in the third world should they use 0 Japanese and Korean products. US and Europe could disappear tomorrow, and Japanese would still download at 1Gbps to their computers and at 4Mbps to their cell phones.

  Posted on 25-Dec-08 at 11:02 am | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  I’m a fan of the Avatar Series.

  Guess one film, I won’t be watching.

  Posted on 26-Dec-08 at 6:02 am | Permalink

• Anonymous wrote:

  The point isn’t even really that. I think the fans would have been happy with just one asian lead. I’m disapointed.

  Posted on 27-Dec-08 at 9:48 pm | Permalink

• Pierre wrote:

  Hi, I’m a Frenchman who reads this blog when I want to laugh at political correctness. This time I haven’t been disappointed. How fucked can one be if one doesn’t wanna watch a movie because of the skin colour of the actors that play in ?
  Do you imagine white people doing the same in KKKommunist KKKina ? Would be laughed at, I presume. So get a fucking life, folks.

  Posted on 29-Dec-08 at 2:33 pm | Permalink

• Moye wrote:

  Where is this “KKKina” country you speak of? Cause I’ve never heard of it.

  Posted on 29-Dec-08 at 4:31 pm | Permalink

• Chen wrote:

  I dont care. It was made by americans for the u.s market. None of the characters look asian anyway, but then neither do 90%+ of other anime charcters coming out of japan. .

  Posted on 29-Dec-08 at 5:52 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  @Pierre:

  You would be okay with Tintin being played by a non-Frenchman? Perhaps an Asian star or perhaps by an African American?

  Not sure, but the purist in me would be a tad put off.

  Posted on 29-Dec-08 at 6:08 pm | Permalink

• kho wrote:

  Who cares???!! You guys take things waaaay too seriously. As an Brown American so much of our culture has been stolen and duplicated and so on that it’s not even funny…then again… yeah, it is funny!!! Develop a sense of humor, shit happens and it’s commercialism so….get past it! It’s not the first time and it damn sure won’t be the last. Enjoy life and as a fan of all animation…a 46year old fan at that, I enjoy the watching The Avatar and it makes no difference what nationality Aang,or Zukko or Toph or any of the others are “supposed” to be, it’s a great animation and the story line flows well and that’s it!!! Get on with your life and leave the political debates to the more serious stuff the stuff that really affects you as a people!!!

  Posted on 30-Dec-08 at 9:09 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  Nothing to do with politics.

  For instance:
  The latest Indiana Jones films tops the gaffes list at 67.
  One major error of the movie, which is set in 1957, includes a shot of a map featuring the country of Belize even though it was called British Honduras till 1973. Jones also drives a post-2000 Harley Davidson.

  That film was expensive.

  Did I enjoy the film? After ignoring the Harley, pretty much.

  Do I enjoy my intelligence insulted at the film maker’s clumsiness? I would have to say NO!

  Posted on 02-Jan-09 at 5:24 am | Permalink

• |Creative Differences Blog| » Yellowface racism in “Airbender”? wrote:

  [...] The four lead characters in the new live adaptation of popular Nickelodeon cartoon series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” have all gone to causasian actors. Director M. Night Shyamalan is taking serious heat from fans. (See details in 8Asians.com) [...]

  Posted on 03-Jan-09 at 4:15 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Ok, here’s what I think.

  I was upset about the casting when I first saw who they were. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something.

  First off, there’s the art of makeup. Compare some actors to the charaters they play, and you’d be very surprised on how different they are.

  Secondly, IT’S A MOVIE! There’s always a chance of remakes by someone who will cast asian actors.

  Also, we don’t even know what Noah looks like. This guy playing Aang could be asian. And I will laugh if he looks like him.

  By the way, we all have got to realize that we are all part of the same world. So what if they’re not asian? I don’t think it matters anyway. Not all asians are white skinned, black hair. They differ as much as Americans do. I’ve been told numerous times I look like Katara, and I’m partially Scotish!

  Then, there’s the important thing. We are ALL fans of Avatar, and at lease WE’RE GETTING A MOVIE! Come on guys, we should be happy! Our show has made it to the big screen!! Can’t we all just get along?

  You can comment on my site about this. It’s http://www.avatarstillsurvives.weebly.com

  Posted on 06-Jan-09 at 4:02 pm | Permalink

• Moye wrote:

  Whoa, I think you’re moving into dangerous waters about when you say you’re okay with using make-up on white actors to make them appear more Asian.

  Posted on 06-Jan-09 at 4:15 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Well think about it. Have you even seen any movies? I’m not talking about just face paint, I’m talking about the whole deal. Special effects, computer graphics, etc.

  Posted on 06-Jan-09 at 4:17 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  Dangerous waters indeed.

  We have had several films where they used more eurocentric actors for the market:
  Ben Kingsley for Gandhi
  Keanu Reeves for Buddha
  David Carradine for Kung Fu

  The way they used makeup for Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder was pretty good. Then again, that was a comedy. The dude, playing a dude, playing another dude.

  I understand the context of the films made thirty years ago. More prejudice and less communication. It is the 21st Century.

  I thought we should have gone beyond Marlon Brando being applied makeup to look Okinawan.

  Posted on 07-Jan-09 at 2:09 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Well anyway, my point is maybe we’re all getting upset over nothing and the movie could be amazing. I mean, we haven’t even seen the final product yet, have we?

  Posted on 07-Jan-09 at 2:09 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  It could be or it could be another Hollywood travesty.

  I’m reminded of Ursula K Leguin’s Wizard of Earthsea.

  They turned it into a miniseries.

  The writer disowned the film. I hired the DVD. Turned it off after 10 minutes. THat was 10 minutes of my life, I’ll never get back.

  I’m a fan of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. They should have named the film something else.

  My position is that we as fans should watch these so-called film producers to ensure they do not make the film an insult to us.

  This film will either break the vision of Avatar or will gain it more fans. So far, not very impressed with their decisions.

  Posted on 08-Jan-09 at 12:51 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  I agree. I’m really not gonna take sides on this one, however I think we all should be optimistic. Anyone seen 10,000 BC? The people playing in it don’t look anything like their characters! Maybe we shouldn’t be upset on the casting, maybe we need to look into the makeup artists.

  Posted on 08-Jan-09 at 5:21 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  10,000BC was another film that was a disappointment. Boring.

  Lets see:
  I Robot. = turned it off.
  I am Legend. = Boy was I annoyed.
  Does Will Smith even read the books before taking on the roles???..sheeesh..

  Thank you Hollywood for ruining some of my books!!!! If you can’t be faithful to the legend. Then change the dam*ned TITLE!

  There are now calls to turn these characters gay:
  TINTIN
  Samwise of Lord of the Rings fame along with Legolas and Gimli.

  I admit, a segment of the population would be happy.

  Perhaps they should do the same with one of the Avatar characters?

  I know this film will cater for the so-called Western Countries and they believe it will work with White actors playing the roles. They should really remove their blinders.

  Posted on 09-Jan-09 at 2:24 am | Permalink

• Paul Bens wrote:

  Whoa, I think you’re moving into dangerous waters about when you say you’re okay with using make-up on white actors to make them appear more Asian.

  Amen!

  As someone who remembers the whole “Miss Saigon” fiasco and the “Remo Williams” fiasco, suggesting causian actors can be put in yellow face is a very, very slippery slope. Asian Americans are marginalized in American media anyway. Some producer gets the idea that *anyone* thinks yellowfacing is OK, we’re gonna end up with fewer Asian American actors employed and a lot of white folks running around in bad make-up. It’ll also give Hollywood another reason to cry “Oh, there aren’t enough Asian American actors to choose from.” Which is total crap and, IMO, really, really offensive.

  I’d hoped we’d gotten past the days when anyone thought it was OK to take a Mickey Rooney, Joel Grey, Marlon Brando, Jonathan Pryce and slap some prostethics on them. I really, really hope we have.

  Posted on 09-Jan-09 at 8:14 am | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  Wonder what would the uproar have been like if they had decided to cast a non-Black actor for “Blade”.

  I’m certain other purist, like myself, would have been a tad upset.

  Posted on 09-Jan-09 at 8:30 am | Permalink

• Moye wrote:

  ATLA Fan Club, I can’t help but disagree with you. Focusing on the make-up artists seems really misguided; they’re hired as part of a crew to put together the vision of the director–in this case, if Shyamalan wanted his all-white cast to look more Asian, then we’d have to take this issue up with him. It all starts with the casting, NOT the makeup.

  And I don’t understand why you think it’s okay. I understand your point that the movie hasn’t even been made yet, but the casting news has revealed that the fans and viewers of the show have a VERY different perspective on the show than the producers in Hollywood.

  This is just another movie in the long cinema history of Hollywood white-washing stories to make it more appealing to a wider audience. It’s offensive. I mean, we have a great and original storyline with a strong audience, but the first thing they change is the racial aspect of the show–which ironically (in my opinion) was probably a strong aspect that attracted its fans.

  Plus, I was really disappointed that the people in 10,000 BC didn’t even look like the cavemen from The Far Side. Who thought that giving a bunch of people dreadlocks would make them look more prehistoric? Give me my protruding eyebrow bones and jawlines, please.

  Posted on 09-Jan-09 at 9:22 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Shesh, what is ya’ll’s problem I’m on your side! I agree, the whole point of Avatar(well, pretty much) was unity among nations. And yes, we’re all angry about the casting, however, why don’t we all unite and be happy for once! I’m only trying to look at this in an optimistic view instead of mopping around like you people!

  I hate the casting. None of the actors look like the characters. But really, what’s the use in getting angry?? IT’S JUST A STINKIN MOVIE!!!!! It’s not like this IS the show’s future!

  And the way you all are acting is truly sad….I’ve had enough!!!! Can’t we all just get along and be glad Avatar has made it this far???

  Posted on 09-Jan-09 at 4:02 pm | Permalink

• Paul G. Bens, Jr. wrote:

  And the way you all are acting is truly sad….I’ve had enough!!!!

  Uhm…I thought the conversation here was actually pretty civilized (except for a few comments way up the thread) especially internet wise. ATLA, I don’t particularly feel anyone was being harsh with you or being mean to you at all. Heck, this is probably one of the most civil discussions I’ve ever seen on the internet.. However, there is a long history of exclusion of Asian American from American media and long history of “yellow facing,” both topics which, IMO, warrant discussion.

  Yes Avatar is a great show. Yes, it is based on Asian culture and Asian themes and, ironically, it is a show about getting along and “how we are alike far outweighs our differences.” Yet, the culture which inspired the show has effectively been cut out of the equation by casting all white leads. The joy of diversity the show has in it is being excised from the movie. That’s not something to be ignored at all. You certainly can be excited about the movie, but for others this is just another slap in the face and discussion of it doesn’t negate how you feel. It’s a discussion.

  @Moye: I appreciated the point you made about reappropriation of culture. Gave me a lot to think about.

  Posted on 09-Jan-09 at 8:52 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  @ATLA

  It might be the show’s future. The Star Trek franchise could have ended up in the dustbin if Rodenberry was not adamant in his views about his vision.

  The same with Star Wars. I know that the new films had their detractors, but Spielberg’s Universe still exists.

  I liked the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Harry Potter. Both film series do not compare to the books, but the producers were aware of FanATIC sensibilities.

  Spielberg is now in the process of producing The Adventures of Tintin. I read the graphic novels as a kid. I do know that he treats artist sensibilities with respect, but I would be watching what he does to a beloved series.

  Posted on 10-Jan-09 at 2:58 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  To Paul J. Bens jr. i’m saying it isn’t civilized, I’m just trying to make a point. I’m angry at the casting just as much as you are, however I’ve discussed this with some friends and they say that, “even though we all hate the casting, M Night Shymalan is spending millions of dollars to make a movie FOR US.” If that doesn’t get my point across, I don’t think anything will. yes the casting sucks, but is that a reason to turn our backs on Avatar? Is that a reason to write hate letters to him? Is that a reason to get angry and upset like we are? Why don’t we do the right thing here and be thankful. We asked for this in the first place.

  Posted on 10-Jan-09 at 4:56 pm | Permalink

• Meredith wrote:

  @ ATLA FCP

  They’ve betrayed the original vision of the show by this casting. They’re not making the film for us, they’re making it for themselves. To make money. Our money. I won’t take the moldy scraps and be thankful. I care too much about this issue to just let it go.

  I’ll always be a fan of the series. But I hate how the movie misrepresents it and squanders this opportunity. This is the godawful Earthsea mini all over again.

  Posted on 10-Jan-09 at 5:24 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  See, exactly what I’m talking about. Maybe we all need to take a lesson from our own show.

  Shesh we’re all people. Can’t we get along? The casting upset me so I tried to find a site where other people expressed their feelings on the subject. I was shocked when I saw the comments. Angry over a casting. A casting! You know I was just as upset however I thought this was ridculious so I commented an optimistic view and BAM! look at the responses. It’s like none of you are even trying to look on the bright side.

  lol forget this. It’s getting out of hand.

  God bless all fans of Avatar, and God bless M Night Shymalan!

  Posted on 10-Jan-09 at 5:40 pm | Permalink

• Paul G. Bens, Jr. wrote:

  lol forget this. It’s getting out of hand. God bless all fans of Avatar, and God bless M Night Shymalan!

  Wow. That’s all I have to say. Just wow.

  Posted on 10-Jan-09 at 5:43 pm | Permalink

• jozjozjoz wrote:

  Hmmm…

  http://aang-aint-white.livejournal.com/646.html

  Posted on 10-Jan-09 at 8:18 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  lol I can’t leave I love debating. (don’t worry, I’ll drop it down a level.)

  So, I think the different cultures is a big deal in Avatar. Unity among nations, that whole thing. So technically, you’d suspect that M Night would chose people of different cultures right? Naturally. So why’d he pick just white? I think we all have some unanswered questions. But if these actors portray the characters well, then we have nothing to worry about. However with the people he picked this is questionable. I mean, I’m trying to look at the bright side, but even now it does seem a little far fetched. Nothing against the actors but….still….

  Then again, we don’t know who this Noah Ringer is. Perhaps he is Asian, and at least the main charcter can be portrayed correctly.

  IDK. This I’m not sure I’m gonna pick a side just yet. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

  Posted on 11-Jan-09 at 9:26 am | Permalink

• Alyssa wrote:

  How hard is it to find people that look like the characters? I thought they were holding auditions, not just pulling stars out of a hat. Something so obvious should be taken seriously. The creators & Shyamalan should’ve known that the fans would be dissapointed at their poor choices. I hope they change their minds or they’re gonna have a low blow below the belt at the box office. I thought they were making the series into movies because of the fan’s love for the show? But they aren’t doing a good job at all…..

  Posted on 14-Jan-09 at 6:28 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  I agree. Maybe they really are just not tryng.

  Posted on 14-Jan-09 at 8:00 pm | Permalink

• p33mp wrote:

  T TL Fn Clb Prs…

  jst dmt y r stpd crckr…

  wld w vn b hvng ths stpd “dbt” f vtr ws bsd n frcn trbs nd cltrs?

  th prdcrs wld nt hv th gts t cst wht ppl nd pnt thm blck nd gv thm frs… t ply frcn chrctrs…

  pprntly Yllw Fc s fn wth y… hv y hrd f BLCK FCE?? wld y cst wht ppl t str n lv ctn dpttn f th BNDCKS?

  jst bcs ths mv s bsd n sns… n n s scrd t mrgnlz s nd rplc s wth wht ppl…

  F … nd g bck t yr trlr…

  Posted on 15-Jan-09 at 9:52 pm | Permalink

• p33mp wrote:

  to ATLA Fan Club Pres,

  just admit you are racist

  we would not be having this “debate” if Avatar was based on African tribes, martial arts and cultures…

  So everyone’s argument are moot… hollywood would not dare mess with Black folks… but asians are fair game

  Posted on 15-Jan-09 at 10:14 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  i was thinking this is a bit raciest…and you’re right. completly right, actually. It’s kinda sad if you think about it….

  Posted on 15-Jan-09 at 10:16 pm | Permalink

• p33mp wrote:

  we’re screwed…

  http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1602757/story.jhtml

  Posted on 15-Jan-09 at 10:58 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  To p33mp.

  First: I presume someone pointed out that the first post, consisting of text speak, is as insulting as, defacating on the pavement.

  Second: How did you come to assume that due to ATLA, thinking differently, equates to racism?

  Grow up.

  Posted on 16-Jan-09 at 1:20 am | Permalink

• Paul Bens wrote:

  we’re screwed…http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1602757/story.jhtml
  

  Ah…”pull my hair back, shave the sides, get a tan”…hmmmm…well, he’s certainly already self-justified the yellow-facing.

  Posted on 16-Jan-09 at 8:21 am | Permalink

• Rosa wrote:

  I do believe the the producers are being racist. It is a show soley based upon Asian cultures. I could care less if they decided to drop in a few caucasions, but at least give the roles to asians. Personally as an asian I don’t mind that they picked Jackson Rathbone because i can see him kick ass as a martial art person. However how does Jesse McCartney fit in? If you’re gonna give a Causcasion an asian role like Jackson, then at least give the rest to asians. make it a 5:1 ratio for asians to Caucasions for goodness sake! If they can round up an asian crowd for other movies, how is this movie any different. Asians alone have the hardest finding their way into the Hollywood business, so let the caucasions step aside and let us have our limelight for once. This always happens the asians here in America. Whatever happened everyone is equal. Yeah right. Just because the U.S. is Caucasion dominated doesn’t mean they are the dominating race.

  Posted on 22-Jan-09 at 5:25 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Right. I completly agree. One of the whole points of avatar was unity among nations, cultures, races. And the WHOLE show was asian-influenced. You’d think they’d know that right?

  Posted on 22-Jan-09 at 7:22 pm | Permalink

• Harold wrote:

  Its not a surprise that its all white actors, they do this ALL the time.
  They did it in Hollywood in 1950 when anyone COLORED could not starr in a movie and it still goes on today.
  get your head out of your ass asian ppl! just because “we the people” elected a black president does not mean “the people of hollywood” are gonna be generous to other races out there. Thats why we have every blue moon, a random black comedy movie, you dont see any random asian comedy movies, except for the ones Jet Li and Jackie Chan are in, but those are only like 5 or 6 if you add all them up.
  The directors dont give a fuck, M. Night Shamalan doesn’t give a fuck. He’s white, of course his vision is of white people, he sees no color in his world, in fact many directors in hollywood don’t either. get over it, maybe if your seeking to be an actor and you’re asian you can star as the “an asian nerd” or on the American Pie movies as a “Twinkie” with John Cho.
  Hollywood, would rather a white man play an asian than a real asian do the part, they did it with bruce Lee, get the fuck over it and and enjoy the movie, and if you chose not go, then go to japan and ask for a remake and stfu!

  Posted on 23-Jan-09 at 5:36 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  To harold

  no offense but you’ve given me the idea you don’t even watch the tv show.

  Posted on 24-Jan-09 at 2:15 pm | Permalink

• 8Asians.com » Slumdog Millionaire not so golden to some Indians: An Asian American/Asian Canadian Blog wrote:

  [...] by Western art and entertainment, ranging from the opera Madame Butterfly to the controversy over the casting of the Avatar movie.  Many questions come to mind also.  Are portrayals of a culture by someone outside of that [...]

  Posted on 25-Jan-09 at 9:14 am | Permalink

• 8Asians.com » Dr. Horrible’s Commentary: Nobody Asian in the Movies: An Asian American/Asian Canadian Blog wrote:

  [...] stabs may offend the very many AngryAsianMen out there, but given all the news in the blogosphere about that Avatar movie, the song feels less like irony and more like a honest to God statement on how Asian Americans are [...]

  Posted on 26-Jan-09 at 7:07 pm | Permalink

• Arkady wrote:

  It’s ironic that M. Night Shymalan isn’t white like Harold said but is asian and was born in Mahi, Pondicherry, India. Still I think we can all agree that Jesse McCartney is a terrible choice.

  Posted on 26-Jan-09 at 7:14 pm | Permalink

• Marilyn wrote:

  I posted this @ ATLA FCP’s link, but I can share:

  Yes, it is just a movie. And no, I don’t think the studio’s move was racist. It was about money, about who would draw in the larger audience. It must be noted, however, that as a minority in America, it gets offensive and discouraging to only have white superheroes.

  Avatar was a show minorities could get excited about because, for once, we had minority leads. Two of the main characters were brown-skinned and the popular and attractive villain-turned-hero was an Asian guy. How many American shows allow an Asian man to be the attractive, desirable lead? How many brown-skinned girls get to be the desired romantic interest?

  To be honest, I wouldn’t mind them casting Aang as white, but to do so with the most ethnic-looking characters is an insult. It’s like saying that Asians aren’t good enough to play the roles they and their culture inspired. Imagine what that says to the little brown-skinned girl who thinks she looks like Katara? Despite all this, I’m curious if the movie will be any good since the studio doesn’t seem as meticulous in the creation as the initial creators were. But to step out of character and be rude for a moment: I plan on watching the movie; I just don’t plan on paying for it.

  Posted on 27-Jan-09 at 8:07 am | Permalink

• Anonymous wrote:

  why are there people that are ok with casting everyone as white? Let’s look at the facts of the series that indicate the cast SHOULD be Asian:

  1. the setting was Asian (most likely Chinese)
  2. the martial arts was Chinese (Hung Gar, Taijichuan, Bagua, Shaolin Long fist)
  3. THE NAMES SOUNDED ASIAN (ever see a white guy named Aang?)
  4. the armies had Asian armour on
  5. the characters looked Asian/ Native (although there is a strong suggestion that Natives are of Asian descent soo yea kidna rules in favour of Asian)
  6. the Air benders had temples, and thier monks looked alot like Shaolin monks
  7. the whole godamn theme was Asian

  Now you can go on ranting on the technicalities of being racist, but the simple fact is, this is racism. Taking something that was CLEARLY AND OBVIOUSLY Asian and whitewashing it is racism. you’re basically promoting that the white man is superior to Asians. man when will hollywood learn, if you get the ethnicities right, then maybe there wouldnt be soo much hate crimes (KKK for example).

  And it’s soo true that hollywood doesn’t want an Asian guy to be the lead. Sure you can catch the half Asian as the lead, but you never see a full blooded Asian. you also always see the white guy getting the Asian girl. You always see the Asian guy in the movies as nerdy/scrony/not confident/supporting role. I can bet you, that if you were to see in real life, go to a school that has Asians, you will see Asian guys as the leader of cliques and there are Asian guys that are good with the ladies, we just don’t brag about it cause we know how to treat women right. And when i mean Asian, i dont mean the twinkies. Asians arent scronny, go ahead, i dare anyone to try to contradict that to an Asian on the street and see what happens. Not all Asians are nerdy, some are, some arent, jus the same ratio as any other races. Us Asians will stand up for each other, if i heard someone saying to an Asian “open your eyes”, their face is getting bashed in.

  A side note, i have nothing against any race, we’re all equal, except for child molesters/ rapists/ murderers/ assholes/ racists.

  Posted on 27-Jan-09 at 9:18 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  Read this and thought to post the link.

  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/01/28/apop012809.DTL

  Asian Pop – Jeff Yang
  Bent Out of Shape

  The movie “21″ was a reimagining of real life, not a documentary, and thus free to remake truth in the pursuit of what its producers thought was commercially viable. By contrast, the “Avatar” movie is being presented as a direct translation of its source material — which by definition demands adherence to the series’ internal, spiritual truth.

  It’s hard to imagine the “Harry Potter” films working with characters that don’t visually fit the books’ British boarding school sensibility. “And I don’t think it would’ve been true to the spirit of ‘Lord of the Rings’ if the movie hobbits had Asian features, given the strongly Anglo-Saxon tradition of those books,” Yang notes. In short, these casting decisions ring false with the show’s spirit; the very spirit that has transfixed millions of young fans and brought legions of Avatards together into a passionate community.

  Posted on 29-Jan-09 at 1:10 am | Permalink

• J.T. wrote:

  >but do people know that it was actually made by a Korean animation studio?

  So is Family Guy. Pretty much every cartoon is made by Korean animators. That doesn’t mean they designed it, it just means that they draw the panels. And it’s in a parallel universe, and it always confused me why everyone from Outworld in Mortal Kombat is Asian.

  Posted on 01-Feb-09 at 2:57 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Yes, I was aware of that. However, it has no effect where it was made. The show carries an asian theme, whether or not it was made in Korea.

  Posted on 01-Feb-09 at 6:14 pm | Permalink

• AtLA’s Friky Diky Cast Media Coverage Roundup! (Under Work) « Lemon Water wrote:

  [...] White-Washing Avatar: The Last Airbender? – Moye @ 8Asians [Dec. 18, 2008] [...]

  Posted on 01-Feb-09 at 10:51 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  http://www.zazzle.co.uk/where_everything_is_asian_except_the_people_tshirt-235275361275355166

  Get your new T-shirts.

  Posted on 14-Feb-09 at 3:41 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  LOL Oh you’ve got to be kidding! WOW. this debate is gonna go down in showbiz history!

  Posted on 14-Feb-09 at 8:36 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  I thought there won’t be that much publicity, but now we have the internet.

  I do wonder if they will get Brad Pitt to play Barrack Obama, at some point. After all, they are supposedly related.

  Posted on 16-Feb-09 at 12:45 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  hey they changed the casting for zuko. It’s now going to be Dev Patel(i know i spelled that wrong) from slumdog millionare… … And I’m kinda enjoying the attention avatar is getting. It’s bringing fans together and showing how passionate we are about our show.

  Posted on 16-Feb-09 at 9:26 am | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  Dev Patel is of Indian descent.

  He does not look like Zuko.

  Posted on 16-Feb-09 at 9:38 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  I know. I told my friends I want jessy McCartney back….and that’s saying something coming from me. I love Zuko He’s like the most awesome guy ever(and even though he may be a tv show character he still rocks). SO I really wish they’d get someone worth playing Zuko on there.

  Posted on 17-Feb-09 at 9:20 am | Permalink

• NEMOGBR wrote:

  I don’t know whether they are obtuse or just simply do not care.

  I did like Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire and he was correct for that character. I suppose they will change the Fire Nation to reflect his ethnicity. Turn them from a Japanese to a more Indian Mythos.

  Posted on 17-Feb-09 at 9:39 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  i heard that M Night actually became a fan of Avatar before he decided to make the movie…that doesn’t really seem to be true in my opinion. With all that’s happening in the production it seems like it’s just another way to make money, not make a movie Avatar Fans will appreciate.

  I haven’t seen slumdogg Millionaire yet so I suppose I can’t make any judgments on his acting, but on looks alone…sigh this is becoming quite a mess I figured M Night would do a better job. But who knows? Maybe the final product wil be amazing.

  Posted on 17-Feb-09 at 9:51 am | Permalink

• just me... wrote:

  Hi, I really like Avatar.
  in my opinion, it’s the best cartoon in the world (or anime, whatever…)
  it shows the asian places so well, for me the “earth kingdom” has everything to do with China.
  If you watch it, you will know what I mean.
  I don’t understand the “white washing” stuff…

  Posted on 17-Feb-09 at 11:13 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Just me…to catch you up and what “white washing” is….

  Avatar is asian based. it was made in a korean studio, the bending forms are based on martial arts, and soooooo many etcs.

  Well in the movie they’re making all the main characters white(mostly), thus “WHITE WASHING”.

  Posted on 18-Feb-09 at 12:00 am | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  A white washed Earthsea.

  Just thought to post this here as well. Ursula K. Leguin’s letter after her bool “Wizard of EArthsea” was turned into a mini-series.

  http://www.slate.com/id/2111107/

  How the Sci Fi Channel wrecked my books.
  By Ursula K. Le Guin Posted Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004, at 9:14 AM ET

  On Tuesday night, the Sci Fi Channel aired its final installment of Legend of Earthsea, the miniseries based—loosely, as it turns out—on my Earthsea books. The books, A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan, which were published more than 30 years ago, are about two young people finding out what their power, their freedom, and their responsibilities are. I don’t know what the film is about. It’s full of scenes from the story, arranged differently, in an entirely different plot, so that they make no sense.

  My protagonist is Ged, a boy with red-brown skin. In the film, he’s a petulant white kid. Readers who’ve been wondering why I “let them change the story” may find some answers here.

  When I sold the rights to Earthsea a few years ago, my contract gave me the standard status of “consultant”—which means whatever the producers want it to mean, almost always little or nothing. My agency could not improve this clause. But the purchasers talked as though they genuinely meant to respect the books and to ask for my input when planning the film. They said they had already secured Philippa Boyens (who co-wrote the scripts for The Lord of the Rings) as principal script writer. The script was, to me, all-important, so Boyens’ presence was the key factor in my decision to sell this group the option to the film rights.

  Months went by. By the time the producers got backing from the Sci Fi Channel for a miniseries—and another producer, Robert Halmi Sr., had come aboard—they had lost Boyens. That was a blow. But I had just seen Halmi’s miniseries DreamKeeper, which had a stunning Native American cast, and I hoped that Halmi might include some of those great actors in Earthsea.

  At this point, things began to move very fast. Early on, the filmmakers contacted me in a friendly fashion, and I responded in kind; I asked if they’d like to have a list of name pronunciations; and I said that although I knew that a film must differ greatly from a book, I hoped they were making no unnecessary changes in the plot or to the characters—a dangerous thing to do, since the books have been known to millions of people for decades. They replied that the TV audience is much larger, and entirely different, and would be unlikely to care about changes to the books’ story and characters.

  They then sent me several versions of the script—and told me that shooting had already begun. I had been cut out of the process. And just as quickly, race, which had been a crucial element, had been cut out of my stories. In the miniseries, Danny Glover is the only man of color among the main characters (although there are a few others among the spear-carriers). A far cry from the Earthsea I envisioned. When I looked over the script, I realized the producers had no understanding of what the books are about and no interest in finding out. All they intended was to use the name Earthsea, and some of the scenes from the books, in a generic McMagic movie with a meaningless plot based on sex and violence.

  Most of the characters in my fantasy and far-future science fiction books are not white. They’re mixed; they’re rainbow. In my first big science fiction novel, The Left Hand of Darkness, the only person from Earth is a black man, and everybody else in the book is Inuit (or Tibetan) brown. In the two fantasy novels the miniseries is “based on,” everybody is brown or copper-red or black, except the Kargish people in the East and their descendants in the Archipelago, who are white, with fair or dark hair. The central character Tenar, a Karg, is a white brunette. Ged, an Archipelagan, is red-brown. His friend, Vetch, is black. In the miniseries, Tenar is played by Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk, the only person in the miniseries who looks at all Asian. Ged and Vetch are white.

  My color scheme was conscious and deliberate from the start. I didn’t see why everybody in science fiction had to be a honky named Bob or Joe or Bill. I didn’t see why everybody in heroic fantasy had to be white (and why all the leading women had “violet eyes”). It didn’t even make sense. Whites are a minority on Earth now—why wouldn’t they still be either a minority, or just swallowed up in the larger colored gene pool, in the future?

  The fantasy tradition I was writing in came from Northern Europe, which is why it was about white people. I’m white, but not European. My people could be any color I liked, and I like red and brown and black. I was a little wily about my color scheme. I figured some white kids (the books were published for “young adults”) might not identify straight off with a brown kid, so I kind of eased the information about skin color in by degrees—hoping that the reader would get “into Ged’s skin” and only then discover it wasn’t a white one.

  I was never questioned about this by any editor. No objection was ever raised. I think this is greatly to the credit of my first editors at Parnassus and Atheneum, who bought the books before they had a reputation to carry them.

  But I had endless trouble with cover art. Not on the great cover of the first edition—a strong, red-brown profile of Ged—or with Margaret Chodos Irvine’s four fine paintings on the Atheneum hardcover set, but all too often. The first British Wizard was this pallid, droopy, lily-like guy—I screamed at sight of him.

  Gradually I got a little more clout, a little more say-so about covers. And very, very, very gradually publishers may be beginning to lose their blind fear of putting a nonwhite face on the cover of a book. “Hurts sales, hurts sales” is the mantra. Yeah, so? On my books, Ged with a white face is a lie, a betrayal—a betrayal of the book, and of the potential reader.

  I think it is possible that some readers never even notice what color the people in the story are. Don’t notice, don’t care. Whites of course have the privilege of not caring, of being “colorblind.” Nobody else does.

  I have heard, not often, but very memorably, from readers of color who told me that the Earthsea books were the only books in the genre that they felt included in—and how much this meant to them, particularly as adolescents, when they’d found nothing to read in fantasy and science fiction except the adventures of white people in white worlds. Those letters have been a tremendous reward and true joy to me.

  So far no reader of color has told me I ought to butt out, or that I got the ethnicity wrong. When they do, I’ll listen. As an anthropologist’s daughter, I am intensely conscious of the risk of cultural or ethnic imperialism—a white writer speaking for nonwhite people, co-opting their voice, an act of extreme arrogance. In a totally invented fantasy world, or in a far-future science fiction setting, in the rainbow world we can imagine, this risk is mitigated. That’s the beauty of science fiction and fantasy—freedom of invention.

  But with all freedom comes responsibility. Which is something these filmmakers seem not to understand

  Posted on 10-Mar-09 at 2:55 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  That uis very insightful. I was thinking alot about it lately, and the truth is, to M night and the actors for the movie, it’s nothing but showbiz. They don’t care about how much the fans love the detail of the original television production, as long as they’ve got big name actors and they’re making a profit, forget the real storyline. That’s just how it is, and there’s not much we can do to stop it.

  I’m just hopeing that maybe someday the actual tv show will continue, and possibly even a remake of the movie.

  Posted on 10-Mar-09 at 12:38 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  People Against Racebending: Protest of the Cast of The Last Airbender Movie
  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=54866461619&ref=ts

  Some people proclaim that it’s only a CARTOON!!!

  That we are reading “unfair bias” topic on a kids cartoon. Where do we start??

  Rosa Parks started on a bus seat.
  Gandhi was on a train carriage.

  Some others started on a where they can drink or which toilet they could use.

  It’s still only just a bus seat.
  Just a train carriage
  Just a drinking fountain
  just a toilet
  just a cartoon.

  Posted on 12-Mar-09 at 4:13 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  I love how you put that!!!! It’s soooo true!! This show is far from JUST a cartoon…..

  Posted on 13-Mar-09 at 12:55 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Hey guys, i think you all should look at this….they didn’t recast the main characters but apparently m night’s heard our cry check out this site//

  http://www.lastairbenderfans.com/

  Posted on 19-Mar-09 at 8:57 am | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  Got that already.

  People Against Racebending: Protest of the Cast of The Last Airbender Movie
  http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=54866461619#/group.php?gid=54866461619

  Unfortunately, they seem to have made it worse.

  THe Good guys will be
  White People
  Water
  Air

  Background.
  Asians
  Earth Kingdom

  Bad Guys/Antagonists
  Fire.
  All of a certain skin colour.

  Perhaps new name for the film:

  Avatar: The Last War on Terror.

  Posted on 19-Mar-09 at 9:30 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  this has become a bit out of control…M night needs to get a grip…I’m soooooo upset they cast my zuko with dev patel

  I had a dream they brought the tv show back, and i pray they do cuz this movie just ain’t working for me…

  Posted on 20-Mar-09 at 2:06 pm | Permalink

• insert name here wrote:

  I don’t think Nicola and Dev can play as their characters. And Yeah, I agree! They are all white except for Dev (the guy playing Zuko). Zuko’s supposed to be white anyway. Augh, what happened to Avatar? I think this movie’s going to FLOP

  Posted on 30-Mar-09 at 8:39 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  It just makes me sick…….I’ve tried to look at the bright side but there is none…..FLOP IS CORRECT!!!

  But that’s showbiz for ya..like they care who plays who as long as they get money..and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?????

  But, they’ve already begun the filming process, soooooooooooooooooooooo….hopefully the effects will be decent*smile*

  Posted on 31-Mar-09 at 9:41 am | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  It was going to be billed as Lord of the Rings meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

  Instead it’s going to be like an episode of Power Rangers.

  Posted on 31-Mar-09 at 12:14 pm | Permalink

• Lurker wrote:

  Why don’t they have Vin Diesel and Paul Walker as the stars since they’re both clearly Asian. I mean “Paul” is totally a Korean name..Paul Kim, umm, Paul Kim. Totally Asian.

  Sorry, F&F2 Miami is on tv and I saw the relevance to this thread.

  Posted on 31-Mar-09 at 4:03 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  I agree with nemogbr..and i personally was expecting some awesome epic movie but i hear it’s gonna be rated pg…perfect, huh?

  Posted on 02-Apr-09 at 8:30 am | Permalink

• Alex wrote:

  If people wan’t to see Asian people cast as the main characters of anime made into live action then they should produce some anime with Asian looking main character!

  Even though Anime comes from Japan they portray most of the main characters with white skin, they don’t even have the typical Asian eye structure (ie narrower eyes and more slanted eyebrows). Avatar even comes from white culture and the characters speak English so it has an even stronger argument for choosing white actors

  Fair enought anime made into live action often uses japanese actors to display white looking characters because more asian people will watch it and probably for language reasons but don’t start telling us that we have to use Asian actors for non-Asian looking characters just because Avatar borrows from Asain culture.

  The pictures at the top of this page show Zuko and Azula with angry expressions, thus narrower eyes and more slanted eyebrows but that’s not how they look most of the time

  Aang clearly looks Caucasian
  Sokka and Katara look Indian
  Zuko’s eyes could be either Asain or Eastern European but clearly has white skin meaning that if you cast someone who wasn’t white it is always going to look slightly off

  Name one main character in Avatar who looks like a typical Japanese or Chinese person?

  Look at the Death Note movie or other live action movies you may have seen, it just looks weird having Asian actors playing white looking characters.

  If you still wan’t to argue that anime characters look japanese then look at Naruto or Ichigo from the two biggest animes in japan. Notice the blonde hair? Do Japanese people have naturally blonde hair?

  Posted on 07-Apr-09 at 12:03 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  Where did you come up with the part about Avatar coming from White culture, apart from the writers being American White Males?

  Japanese do not naturally have blonde hair, but there are SE Asians with natural red or blonde hair.
  As far as I know, most people in this world do not have blue, green or purple hair either.

  As for the part of skin colour. You need to meet more people of Asian extraction.

  We don’t all look alike.

  Posted on 08-Apr-09 at 12:41 am | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  Also, “Alex”, Avatar is mostly created in a japanese studio in Japan..and most of the people working on the project are japense except the creators Mike and Bryan..so you’re kinda wrong there.

  Posted on 08-Apr-09 at 10:56 am | Permalink

• Paul G. Bens, Jr. wrote:

  @Alex:

  You might want to read this interesting article about why white people think manga characters are white. It’s called “The Face of the Other” by Matt Thorn.

  Posted on 08-Apr-09 at 11:19 am | Permalink

• Paul G. Bens, Jr. wrote:

  Well…it would help if I gave the link, now, wouldn’t it. Apologies.

  http://www.matt-thorn.com/mangagaku/faceoftheother.html

  Posted on 08-Apr-09 at 11:19 am | Permalink

• Daniel W. wrote:

  I hate to say this but after reading Matt thorn’s article (thanks Paul), a lot of things make sense. It sort of makes us (”Americans in general, regardless of background) “appeared” to be more superficial and arrogant. Relatively speaking.

  I remember being in a conversation on such a topic…why does anime have caucasian features, with a woman from Japan. Based on that discussion, I got the impression that she didn’t really think much about it and from what I heard, it sounded like a general view for a lot of other Japanese. Reflecting back, I’ve watched Bleach, Eyeshield 21, and other anime series…the more I got into it, the less I really thought about the character’s background unless it was explicitly stated in the shows.

  However, it’s just one opinion out of many. We can’t judge an entire people as one big monolithic group, especially when it comes to personal opinions.

  Posted on 08-Apr-09 at 2:32 pm | Permalink

• Paul G. Bens, Jr. wrote:

  Also, to correct (and someone please correct me if I’m wrong), but the animation for Avatar is not done in Japan. It was done in Korea by two Korean companies, Dr. Movie and JM Animation Co.

  Posted on 08-Apr-09 at 3:22 pm | Permalink

• Moye wrote:

  Thanks for posting that link. It makes it a lot easier than trying to explain the whole anime look over and over again. It’s annoying to keep reminding people that the minorities that exist here in America are not necessarily minorities in other countries, and therefore, there’s going to be a different perception and understanding of race.

  Also, a lot of animation is done overseas in Asia. I personally don’t think that validates this show to be more “Asian” than others, since the story was created and written by two white guys–hence my personal conflict over the whole show. But they do play a clear homage to pan-Asian cultures which the casting fails to represent.

  Posted on 08-Apr-09 at 5:30 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  Thought to post this update.

  It seems Margaret Cho has also now gotten into the fray. Hope we get more high profile people into the debate.

  http://www.margaretcho.com/blog/2009/04/14/the-last-airbender-is-the-last-straw/

  The Last Airbender is The Last Straw

  I am never surprised when Hollywood takes a story with Asian characters and casts white people instead of Asians. This is so typical and happens with such frequency! I always thought that in order to make our presence known in entertainment, we should be writing, bringing our dreams and realities to the cinema, but now even telling our own stories isn’t even enough.

  Why is it better to have white actors play the roles of Asians? I don’t understand. Because it sells more tickets? I am not white and I have had no trouble selling tickets. Maybe the powers that be should ask me what to do. I would tell them. “The Last Airbender” is the last straw to a lot of people:

  Posted on 16-Apr-09 at 1:08 pm | Permalink

• ATLA Fan Club Pres. wrote:

  interesting…I also would like to post an update.

  The trailer will be out June..either 4th or 9th i don’t remember…It will be in the transformers 2 commercials…so…yeah…

  Posted on 17-Apr-09 at 1:30 pm | Permalink

• tim wrote:

  I’m kindoff jumping in at the end here, apologies. but I think many here have missed a few things.
  find a site that has a pic of the map and look at it. what do you see? not china, or korea or any other asian nation. it is an alternate earth were the entire planet is “asian”. with hogmonkies, and other nonexistant animals.
  look at aang what do you see? pale white skin, round caucasian eyes. other characters are similar.
  this is eastern influenced yes but not real asian, not chinese not korean. you all probably would have had a problem if all actors where japanese even though that fits as well as anything with the alternate earth continuity.
  what I’m saying is this, you are telling them what their vision is even though you don’t seem to understand it yourselves. these characters are citizens or the four nations, not china, korea, japan, holland, russiam whatever.
  I think you are seeing race (being racist perhaps) more than anyone invovled in the casting.
  give it a chance. I would be suprised if noone of asian descent whas in the movie, since some of the original (NOT all) where asian.

  Posted on 23-Apr-09 at 5:05 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  To Tim:

  You are jumping at the end and it is obvious, you have not read any of the previous posts. Here’s a few you missed:

  This Link provides a paper on whether the Anime look Asian or Caucasian.
  http://www.matt-thorn.com/mangagaku/faceoftheother.html

  I presume you read Lord of the Rings and perhaps saw the film?
  Why did they all look Caucasian? I think the only ones we could think of as people of colour were the badguys in the last film. Even then we could think of those as white people with tans.

  In this film:
  The main cast was changed to Caucasian or other = Caucasian.
  The extras = Asians, especially with Martial Art skills.

  1. the setting was Asian (most likely Chinese)
  2. the martial arts was Chinese (Hung Gar, Taijichuan, Bagua, Shaolin Northern Style)
  3. THE NAMES SOUNDED ASIAN (ever see a white guy named Aang, Sokka?)
  4. the armies had Asian armour on
  5. the characters looked Asian/ Native (although there is a strong suggestion that Natives are of Asian descent soo yea kidna rules in favour of Asian). Look at all the photos and you will see that Katara and Sokka are Inuit.
  6. the Air benders had temples, and thier monks looked alot like Shaolin monks
  7. the whole godamn theme was Asian

  If you mention that the show was made for the American market.
  That’s the reason for the language.
  It has also gained a following in Malaysia and it has been translated into Malaysian.
  Dragonball was Japanese translated for the American Market.

  The company who made the cartoons were based in Korea, not America.

  If you also mention that the voice actors were mostly white. someone already answered.
  Bart Simpson is voiced by a woman.
  Apu is voice by a white male.
  Would we even contemplate a film with an Actress playing Bart Simpson and a White Actor playing Apu?

  The only non-Asians in this cartoon series were the creators and the language.

  Any more questions???

  Posted on 23-Apr-09 at 11:06 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  These people were so concerned over being authentic. The new film after Twilight had to bring thier birth certificate proving their heritage.

  http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-04-21-newmoon-side_N.htm

  >>>>>>By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY
  It took a couple of months and thousands of hopefuls to find a quartet that fits the requirements for New Moon’s wolf pack.

  No. 1 on the list: Native American or First Nation ancestry, because their characters belong to the Quileute tribe, based in La Push, Wash., both in the book and in real life.

  “They had to have papers that proved their heritage,” says director Chris Weitz, who was the one who insisted on hiring within the community. “And they had to be in good physical shape.”<<<<<<<<

  Posted on 23-Apr-09 at 11:08 pm | Permalink

• 8Asians.com » One Show Only! Catch 18MMW and OPM Comedy together at the Los Angeles Comedy Festival wrote:

  [...] World Premiere of “AVATAR: The RACE BENDER,” (see Moye’s previous 8Asians post: White-Washing Avatar: The Last Airbender?) which also includes a sketch about Korean cannibalism (you’ll have to go to find out what [...]

  Posted on 10-May-09 at 12:01 am | Permalink

• It’s almost over: the final week of L.A. Comedy Festival | Los Angeles Metblogs wrote:

  [...] World Premiere of “AVATAR: The RACE BENDER,” (see Moye’s previous 8Asians post: White-Washing Avatar: The Last Airbender?) which also includes a sketch about Korean cannibalism (you’ll have to go to find out what [...]

  Posted on 10-May-09 at 1:05 am | Permalink

• jay wrote:

  I dont know where to start… I’m a 31 old white male and I’m so frustrated, angry, saddened about the casting of this film. I am a huge fan of the animated show and was so excited to hear about the film. I was the first of my friends/family to find the show and by the end of the 3rd season, my friends/family were all in love with the show and excited there was a film being made. However after reading about the blatent disregard for the source material as far as casting, none of us are going to see this movie that we looked so forward in seeing. Its a damn shame, Avatar is one of the best written, smartest shows animated or not. I don’t understand how they can say that 4 white kids were the only ones they could find to play these roles. I utterly refuse to believe that. I really wish Shayamalan and his casting director’s would have taken a que from Chris Weitz, the director for the second Twilight movie. He insisted that the Native American werewolves had to be played by Native American actors. He spent months auditioning thousands of Native Americans, all of whom had to have papers proving their heritage to even be considered for the role. I have nothing against the actors they cast to play Katara, Sokka, Aang or Zuko, hell I dont even know who half of them are, I’m just saying that i refuse to believe they were the only actors they could get to play these roles and it saddens and angers me that this wonderful work of art is being ruined by some of the most blatent racial bias we’ve seen.

  Posted on 18-May-09 at 7:21 pm | Permalink

• nemogbr wrote:

  http://www.racebending.com/

  http://www.youtube.com/user/racebending

  Several sites that are continuing the protest.

  Posted on 19-May-09 at 3:44 am | Permalink

• VIP20000 wrote:

  it does matter what they look like. the movie will not make sense because the theme of this series is more asian than white, the martial arts, the chinese at the beginning of each episode, the theme is just asian. its not gonna make sense to have some caucasian doing martial arts. even the names are more asian than caucasian. aang, sokka, zuko, zhao, iroh? lol how many caucasian have these names. and for your information “Look at the Death Note movie or other live action movies you may have seen, it just looks weird having Asian actors playing white looking characters” thats what everyone is complaining about a different race acting out different races……..so like what ppl are getting at “it's weird having white actors playing asian looking characters”

  Posted on 20-Sep-09 at 7:39 pm | Permalink

• VIP20000 wrote:

  totally agree with you

  Posted on 20-Sep-09 at 7:40 pm | Permalink

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