According to Jeff Sneider, a journalist for Variety. News, "Japanese advertising agency Dentsu and Hayakawa Publishing Corp. have entered into a live-action feature rights deal for Japanese sci-fi novels that have attracted the interest of 'Transformers' producer Don Murphy and 'Shoot 'Em Up' helmer Michael Davis."
Don Murphy is primarily known as an American film producer for his science fiction films, such as the "Transformers" trilogy. "Transformers", "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" will be aired on WOWOW Cinema (charged), starting at 15:45, June 16. (I will get a chance to watch these then for the first time.)
Transformers Trailer
Michael Davis is primarily known as a screenwriter, and has written/directed "Shoot 'Em Up" (2007), which was produced in collaboration with Murphy.
Shoot 'Em Up Trailer
Tow Ubukata （冲方丁） is a renowned Japanese sci-fi author, who has given birth to works such as "Tenchi Meisatsu" （天地明察, probably best translated as "Eureka"） and "Out of Control". Some novels, such as "Fafner of the Azure" （蒼穹のファフナー）, have become hit anime adaptations. Davis is now considering a film adaptation of "Mardock Scramble" which has an on-going anime film trilogy, the third of which will premiere September 29 this year.
Mardock Scramble The First: Compression Trailer
Issui Ogawa （小川一水） is also another renowned Japanese sci-fi author with award winning works such as "Little Star" and "the Demon that King Arisuma Loved" （アリスマ王の愛した魔物）. Murphy plans to adapt "The King of Time-Sand" （時砂の王）.
Japanese on-lookers have mixed feelings about Hollywood film adaptations. Most do not deny the excellence in Japanese writers achieving global attention, especially concerning science fiction and fantasy literature, which are clearly neglected in Japanese society. However, Hollywood adaptations inevitably warp the Japanese style of conveying ideas, and many would argue that the works would be better represented in anime media. For instance, "Mardock Scramble" has an intense casino scene where the main characters play roulettes and cards in order to strategically rake in cash. Japanese people have the impression that this entire casino scene may be morphed into a flashy gun-battle scene, which would ruin the originality of the sequence of events. However, no adaptation can readily do justice to the original novel, so then others may argue that there is no problem as long as the adaptation is acknowledged by the original author, and the author is credited within the staff roll.
What are your ideas on Hollywood film adaptations of Japanese literature?
Source: Variety. International News, Don Murphy Official Site, WOWOW Transformers Information Page, Micheal Davis (imdb), Tow Ubukata Official Site
Hi1 This is Koichi.
ReplyDeleteThough I don't have idea that Hollywood film adaptations of Japanese literature, I found Japanese culture affects Hollywood film. For example Last Samurai. And also Japanese movies and actors or actress are praised these days not only in Hollywood but also other countries.
I think more and more Japanese people will play a big role in future.
More n more, not necessarily. Unfortunately, the whole samurai-ninja fad is dying down in the western world from overuse and the realization of the unrealistic view of that given stereotype. Anime will certainly keep a strong hold of the western hemisphere for another while yet, but the major themes that have affected Hollywood movies, not so much.
ReplyDeleteIf the scene changes that much, I think it would be better to just take the movie as a totally different thing. By the way, I think humen have been doing things like that for ages. For example, Japan's history "Sengoku Jidai" has been used for games like Basara, and China's "Saiyuki" has been the original idea for Dragonball. I understand that the size of the problem you are giving is much larger, but I think it would be best to recognize them as a completely different thing from the original.
ReplyDeleteThough, when watching movies like you gave above, I sometimes think what would the original author would feel if he or she it. It is true that there are really horrible ones.
Written by So
Hi, this is Ms. MacGregor. I think Hollywood adaptations of anything Japanese are horrible misreadings of their originals. Take for example, the spinoff on Shall We Dance? Americans turned it into a lame comedy. The original Japanese film was not a comedy at all. Here, the Americans didn't get the point of the original film, which was an intense family drama concerning the protagonist's insecurity through a mid-life crisis. Though he ended up less of a loser than he appeared when the film began, the protagonist was able to win back his wife after a long mental and emotional separation.
ReplyDeleteAmerican filmmakers (maybe Americans in genera?) don't misunderstand only things Japanese. Take the film called, in English, "The Lake," which was originally a beautiful Korean film about love and loss. Sandra Bullock turns the American flick into a trite all-too-neat love/heartbreak story.
Therefore, I agree with you that American filmmakers get adaptations wrong - big time - and getting adaptations wrong may include even things that are from American culture!