Shingeki no Kyojin movie posters
I know, the news has been out for a few days already, but I thought I'd resurrect my LJ just for this. I mentioned on Tumblr that I was going to post my thoughts on the posters for the upcoming live action adaptations of Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin (there's going to be two films. Seems to be a trend going on here with everything being made into two films instead of one now).
Just one thing beforehand...I know this is a Japanese production, so I wasn't expecting the characters to all have Germanic names like they do in the source material. That would be hard to do in Japan, not to mention it being less believable. (Though on the other side of things, I don't know how people get away with casting white guys as Asians...Abrams, I'm looking at YOU.)
So here goes...
Haruma Miura as the main protagonist Eren. While I don't have any complaints about this guy playing the main character (I think he'll do okay...he looks the part in some of his other pictures--not to mention he has a *really* cute smile!), the only issue I have is how they're going to get away with him having the surname Jaeger. That's going to be tough to suspend my disbelief on. Though I gotta say, I kinda like the Japanese-Luke Skywalker vibe they've got going for him.
Kiko Mizuhara as Mikasa. I like this one. She looks every bit like Mikasa, and I don't doubt she'll do well in the role. :)
Kanata Hongo as Armin. I like this poster, but that's about where it ends. Just like with Eren, I don't know how they're going to get away with a Japanese guy having a European name (unless they're billing him as a half-Asian like Mikasa's character in the manga/anime...which is going to be difficult to explain, tbh).
Satomi Ishihara as Hange Zoe. I've seen her name billed as "Hans" and "Hanji", but to be honest, I wouldn't mind if it were either-or. Hanji sounds more Japanese, so I wouldn't be surprised if they go that route. I love how they've stayed true to her original design! The goggles, the greasy ponytail, the crazy smile. I love it! The only thing that I can't wrap my head around is the RPG gun she's carrying. I suppose that since the movie is clearly in a more modernized setting, it would seem appropriate she'd be the one with all the big guns. She seems the type. My initial reaction to this was more like "What?!" because of the RPG gun and her hugging it like so. Yes, Hanji is a rambunctious character, and she's more driven by a thirst for knowledge when it comes to the Titans, but I can't help but get the impression that they're going to flanderize her reckless gung-ho behavior.
Nanami Sakuraba as Sasha. I like this one too. Archery is always cool in my book, and Sasha Braus is no exception. But again, European name, Japanese actress, I'm not sure how they're going to pull it off. I'm hoping she's got Sasha's quirky habits at the very least...including the infamous potato scene.
Takahiro Miura as Jean. Same issue with the above characters...European name, Japanese actor. You can't see it on this one, but there was a poster for Jean elsewhere that had a subtitle under his name reading "Angry Blade".**
Hiroki Hasegawa as "Shikishima". I read that this guy is supposed to be "humanity's strongest" so I suppose he's going to end up being the Levi character. Before that little detail was revealed, I thought okay, maybe this guy is going to be the Erwin or Levi character. He's definitely in the Scouting Legion with that telltale cape and all. I wasn't too far off the mark. When it was revealed that he was going to be "Levi", fans had a lot of strong words to say about it, but I just sat there and went "...Huh. Okay. So. He's Levi." Giving him a Japanese name makes more sense in context of this movie, so at least that's one thing they got "right". Still, it's got fans upset.
Ayame Misaki as Hiana. I assume she's the Krista character. I can't quite make out what's in the red subtitle under her name (I've tried looking for larger photos, but it's still to blurry). Lady...something. I can't tell which faction she's with. My second guess would be Annie...maybe her subtitle hints toward her connections to the Female Titan?
Pierre Taki as Souda. Judging by the Garrison's twin roses patch, I would assume he's the Hannes character. The subtitle in red reads "Captain Sad" (which sounds a little odd at face value), which probably goes along with Hannes's regret over not being able to kill that first Titan and saving Eren's mother (which really sticks with him throughout his story). My second guess would have been Pixis, but he looks a bit young for the role in any event.
Jun Kunimura as Kubal. Interesting to note, I thought this guy looked familiar, so I looked him up and found that he was in Kill Bill (he was the Yakuza boss who got beheaded by Lucy Liu). The subtitle under his name reads, "The Perfect Darkness". He's clearly a member of the Military Police, judging by the unicorn patch there. I don't think he's attached to any of the characters from the source material, but if I were to take a wild guess, I'd say the closest he'd be would be Kenny Ackerman, or somebody within the Central Branch of the MP Brigade. (The black trenchcoat and that subtitle seem like a dead giveaway to him being the movie's villain.)
Shu Watanabe as Fukushi. This one's tough. I don't think he's attached to any particular character either, but if he is, my guess would have to go with either Marco, Connie or Bertolt. Marco seems the most likely, since the subtitle reads "Guardian of Sorrow". (I think...I'm not sure if I got that first word right. Too blurry to know for sure.)
Satoru Matsuo as Sannagi. Judging by his stocky figure, I would say he's likely to be the Reiner character. OR, he could be Bertolt...the subtitle under his name reads, "Gentle Warrior", which sounds more fitting with Bertolt's temperament. Now, he could be an original character with no ties to any of the canonical characters, but again, this is just a theory. I'm still going with him being Reiner, though. Reiner was known for being a formidable warrior, but he cared deeply for his comrades at the same time.
Rina Takeda as Lil. Her subtitle reads, "Love of Hell". This one's tough...my first thought was that maybe she's Annie. But then I spotted the Wings-of-Freedom patch on her shoulder there, and thought hmm...maybe she's Ymir? Or what if she is the "Annie" character and decided to join the SL? Or maybe Krista? Or perhaps Petra (but that would be a bit of a stretch). Again, this could be an original character with no ties to the canonical cast, but you never know.
**EDITED TO ADD: Hange, Sasha, Jean and the Shigashina trio all had subtitles under their names too. (Over here on the Mary Sue.)
Jean's reads "Angry Blade",
Hange's reads "Mad Innocence",
Mikasa's reads "Beautiful Weapon",
Armin's reads "A Little Genius"
I'm not sure what Eren's or Sasha's read as. I think they're "The 'Monster'" and "Hungry Sniper", respectively, but I could be wrong. They're too blurry to know for sure.
Just one thing beforehand...I know this is a Japanese production, so I wasn't expecting the characters to all have Germanic names like they do in the source material. That would be hard to do in Japan, not to mention it being less believable. (Though on the other side of things, I don't know how people get away with casting white guys as Asians...Abrams, I'm looking at YOU.)
So here goes...
Haruma Miura as the main protagonist Eren. While I don't have any complaints about this guy playing the main character (I think he'll do okay...he looks the part in some of his other pictures--not to mention he has a *really* cute smile!), the only issue I have is how they're going to get away with him having the surname Jaeger. That's going to be tough to suspend my disbelief on. Though I gotta say, I kinda like the Japanese-Luke Skywalker vibe they've got going for him.
Kiko Mizuhara as Mikasa. I like this one. She looks every bit like Mikasa, and I don't doubt she'll do well in the role. :)
Kanata Hongo as Armin. I like this poster, but that's about where it ends. Just like with Eren, I don't know how they're going to get away with a Japanese guy having a European name (unless they're billing him as a half-Asian like Mikasa's character in the manga/anime...which is going to be difficult to explain, tbh).
Satomi Ishihara as Hange Zoe. I've seen her name billed as "Hans" and "Hanji", but to be honest, I wouldn't mind if it were either-or. Hanji sounds more Japanese, so I wouldn't be surprised if they go that route. I love how they've stayed true to her original design! The goggles, the greasy ponytail, the crazy smile. I love it! The only thing that I can't wrap my head around is the RPG gun she's carrying. I suppose that since the movie is clearly in a more modernized setting, it would seem appropriate she'd be the one with all the big guns. She seems the type. My initial reaction to this was more like "What?!" because of the RPG gun and her hugging it like so. Yes, Hanji is a rambunctious character, and she's more driven by a thirst for knowledge when it comes to the Titans, but I can't help but get the impression that they're going to flanderize her reckless gung-ho behavior.
Nanami Sakuraba as Sasha. I like this one too. Archery is always cool in my book, and Sasha Braus is no exception. But again, European name, Japanese actress, I'm not sure how they're going to pull it off. I'm hoping she's got Sasha's quirky habits at the very least...including the infamous potato scene.
Takahiro Miura as Jean. Same issue with the above characters...European name, Japanese actor. You can't see it on this one, but there was a poster for Jean elsewhere that had a subtitle under his name reading "Angry Blade".**
Hiroki Hasegawa as "Shikishima". I read that this guy is supposed to be "humanity's strongest" so I suppose he's going to end up being the Levi character. Before that little detail was revealed, I thought okay, maybe this guy is going to be the Erwin or Levi character. He's definitely in the Scouting Legion with that telltale cape and all. I wasn't too far off the mark. When it was revealed that he was going to be "Levi", fans had a lot of strong words to say about it, but I just sat there and went "...Huh. Okay. So. He's Levi." Giving him a Japanese name makes more sense in context of this movie, so at least that's one thing they got "right". Still, it's got fans upset.
Ayame Misaki as Hiana. I assume she's the Krista character. I can't quite make out what's in the red subtitle under her name (I've tried looking for larger photos, but it's still to blurry). Lady...something. I can't tell which faction she's with. My second guess would be Annie...maybe her subtitle hints toward her connections to the Female Titan?
Pierre Taki as Souda. Judging by the Garrison's twin roses patch, I would assume he's the Hannes character. The subtitle in red reads "Captain Sad" (which sounds a little odd at face value), which probably goes along with Hannes's regret over not being able to kill that first Titan and saving Eren's mother (which really sticks with him throughout his story). My second guess would have been Pixis, but he looks a bit young for the role in any event.
Jun Kunimura as Kubal. Interesting to note, I thought this guy looked familiar, so I looked him up and found that he was in Kill Bill (he was the Yakuza boss who got beheaded by Lucy Liu). The subtitle under his name reads, "The Perfect Darkness". He's clearly a member of the Military Police, judging by the unicorn patch there. I don't think he's attached to any of the characters from the source material, but if I were to take a wild guess, I'd say the closest he'd be would be Kenny Ackerman, or somebody within the Central Branch of the MP Brigade. (The black trenchcoat and that subtitle seem like a dead giveaway to him being the movie's villain.)
Shu Watanabe as Fukushi. This one's tough. I don't think he's attached to any particular character either, but if he is, my guess would have to go with either Marco, Connie or Bertolt. Marco seems the most likely, since the subtitle reads "Guardian of Sorrow". (I think...I'm not sure if I got that first word right. Too blurry to know for sure.)
Satoru Matsuo as Sannagi. Judging by his stocky figure, I would say he's likely to be the Reiner character. OR, he could be Bertolt...the subtitle under his name reads, "Gentle Warrior", which sounds more fitting with Bertolt's temperament. Now, he could be an original character with no ties to any of the canonical characters, but again, this is just a theory. I'm still going with him being Reiner, though. Reiner was known for being a formidable warrior, but he cared deeply for his comrades at the same time.
Rina Takeda as Lil. Her subtitle reads, "Love of Hell". This one's tough...my first thought was that maybe she's Annie. But then I spotted the Wings-of-Freedom patch on her shoulder there, and thought hmm...maybe she's Ymir? Or what if she is the "Annie" character and decided to join the SL? Or maybe Krista? Or perhaps Petra (but that would be a bit of a stretch). Again, this could be an original character with no ties to the canonical cast, but you never know.
**EDITED TO ADD: Hange, Sasha, Jean and the Shigashina trio all had subtitles under their names too. (Over here on the Mary Sue.)
Jean's reads "Angry Blade",
Hange's reads "Mad Innocence",
Mikasa's reads "Beautiful Weapon",
Armin's reads "A Little Genius"
I'm not sure what Eren's or Sasha's read as. I think they're "The 'Monster'" and "Hungry Sniper", respectively, but I could be wrong. They're too blurry to know for sure.