4 Reasons Why Hollywood Fails The Anime/Manga Genre

CASTING

Let’s look at Fist of the North Star. I think casting is the first place where these films go wrong. Casting white actors and actresses makes these types of films lack authenticity. However, that can be overlooked if the actor is good and brings a unique dynamic to the role. Unfortunately, that has not happened.

The Fist of the North Star manga was written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. Here is a synopsis of the story:

"Set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been destroyed by a nuclear war, the story centers around a warrior named Kenshiro, the successor of a deadly martial art style known as Hokuto Shinken, which gives him the ability to kill most adversaries from within through the use of the human body’s secret vital points, often resulting in an exceptionally violent and gory death. Kenshiro dedicates his life to fighting against the various ravagers who threaten the lives of the weak and innocent, as well as rival martial artists, including his own “brothers” from the same clan."

This is Kenshiro in the manga and the animated film:

Here is Kenshiro from the Hollywood live action adaptation:

Ok, what happened? Forget about the fact that this actor is white, but who the hell is Gary Daniels? Let’s be honest, if you don’t know who the title actor is, would even a loyal fan still be eager to see it? Does Gary Daniels make you want to go out and buy this on DVD? NO! Jean Claude Van Damme, maybe, but not Gary Daniels.

Not to discredit Daniels’ body of work. He’s an accomplished martial artist, but has never made it big in Hollywood because he can’t act. Look, if Hollywood insists on casting actors who are clearly not right for the role, this will assist in failure. I understand white-washing is rampant, but  my goodness; cast someone fans can be confident will carry the story and do it justice. Bad actor/actress = no box office drawing power = no dice.

Next: Direction