I haven't watched the series yet - though all this bullshit about the movie has gotten me to put it on my Netflix list, so I can watch that and pretend the movie doesn't exist - but from what I've read, it wasn't a strictly Asian world, but one that used various cultures from the whole Pacific Rim. Which is how you can have the Inuit, Pacific Islander, and possibly even Central American cultures. I think it's just that the Asian-inspired stuff is the easiest for most lay people to pick out.
Whatever the details, though, the important thing is that this world is not filled with white people/cultures of European descent. And the people who use the argument about it not being "consistently Asian" are full of shit, because even if it isn't, you should then be using people *of the correct fucking culture/ethnicity/nationality* and not just dropping in white people because white people can't tell the difference between different kinds of brown people.
Yeah, I added it to my queue too, but I must admit the white dudes writing pan-Asian anime twigs my exotic/othering meter in a not good way. This is the same kind of thing that make me meh about casting a "non-white" Amber; what I really want to see is these kinds of stories told by people who were steeped in a different set of cultural references.
But I still want to see the anime version (and I'm actually interested in the special effects of the live action version, but I know I'm not seeing it until it comes out on DVD, if then).
I added it to my queue too, but I must admit the white dudes writing pan-Asian anime twigs my exotic/othering meter in a not good way. This is the same kind of thing that make me meh about casting a "non-white" Amber; what I really want to see is these kinds of stories told by people who were steeped in a different set of cultural references.
I feel this happens a lot both ways in tv/film/etc. Some of Miyazaki's movies were based off European things and there are opposites as well. Sometimes there's integration, sometimes not. I don't think Avatar would have worked if they tried to write it with "American" cultural references, not that I'm even sure what those would be.
Plus, I don't really feel like Airbender is the misappropriation of a story.. it's taken some myths and reinterpreting them in a fantasy world.
It's only because I've heard really good things about how well it's done on the show that I'm planning on watching it. Also hearing that the creators of the cartoon are really, really disappointed by the whitewashing of the movie both in terms of casting and in setting gives me a lot of respect for them and the benefit of the doubt.
And I've heard that all the stuff that might have made the movie at least mildly entertaining despite the racefail just completely sucks. It's kind of funny because a lot of the reviews I've read of the movie thus far boil down to "You know, we're actually glad they cast white people after all, because now Asians can't be blamed for HOW MUCH THIS MOVIE SUCKS ON ALL LEVELS." Which made me giggle. Ah, karma.
For most of my thoughts about Airbender I think of it as Pacific Rim more than strictly asian.. although the sand folks could be central asia... or the mid-east
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Whatever the details, though, the important thing is that this world is not filled with white people/cultures of European descent. And the people who use the argument about it not being "consistently Asian" are full of shit, because even if it isn't, you should then be using people *of the correct fucking culture/ethnicity/nationality* and not just dropping in white people because white people can't tell the difference between different kinds of brown people.
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But I still want to see the anime version (and I'm actually interested in the special effects of the live action version, but I know I'm not seeing it until it comes out on DVD, if then).
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I feel this happens a lot both ways in tv/film/etc. Some of Miyazaki's movies were based off European things and there are opposites as well. Sometimes there's integration, sometimes not. I don't think Avatar would have worked if they tried to write it with "American" cultural references, not that I'm even sure what those would be.
Plus, I don't really feel like Airbender is the misappropriation of a story.. it's taken some myths and reinterpreting them in a fantasy world.
just my two cents.
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And I've heard that all the stuff that might have made the movie at least mildly entertaining despite the racefail just completely sucks. It's kind of funny because a lot of the reviews I've read of the movie thus far boil down to "You know, we're actually glad they cast white people after all, because now Asians can't be blamed for HOW MUCH THIS MOVIE SUCKS ON ALL LEVELS." Which made me giggle. Ah, karma.
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