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It is a known fact that most live-action adaptations are ridden with controversies. Be it whitewashing or inauthenticity, films, and anime adaptations are often met with contempt. Like most anime live-action films,Alita: Battle Angel, wasn’t exempt from its fair share of controversy. This holds especially true with whitewashing.
However, the overarching claims of whitewashing associated with this James Cameron movie are false. This is clear in the author Yukito Kishiro’s revelations from his interview regarding the backdrop of the storyline.
Yukito Kishiro created a multi-racial backdrop in Battle Angel Alita.
Battle Angel Alitafollows the story of a cyborg Alita who sets out to uncover her past and true identity. Written byYukito Kishiro, the manga is set in a post-apocalyptic and dystopian space. Like most cyberpunk manga, the series outlines futuristic elements as well as themes of humanity and individual identity. However, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
As opposed to other cyberpunk manga, Kishiro’s series focuses on individualism. The cyborg’s relentless search formeaning and her identityin a post-apocalyptic world set a different tone to it. While the series focuses on the cyborg’s human tendencies, it also retains some of the core elements of the cyberpunk genre. Furthermore, the series encompasses a multi-racial diverse world as the author revealed.
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In aninterview with Kodansha, the author revealed the backdrop for his series. In doing so, he also debunked the myth of the characters being all-Japanese as some fanatics suggested. He quoted:
If the story was set in future Japan, I would introduce plenty of Japanese people, but that’s not the world of Alita. Putting aside the fact that the setting makes it impossible otherwise, I intentionally chose to depict a diverse, universal, foreign vibe for the story. I wanted to draw something that was clearly “not here.
As opposed toGhost in the Shell, this live-action adaptation stays true to the essence of the author’s storyline. The allegations of whitewashing thus fall flat. Apart from individualism and self-exploration, the series underscores violence, gore, and dystopian themes. Needless to say, the live-action maintains the essence of the original storyline.
James Cameron’s live-action adaptation retains authenticity in every sense.
Be itGhost in the ShellorDragonball Evolution, most live-action adaptations have faced backlash for their whitewashing. Despite maintaining authenticity to the source material,James Cameronwasn’t exempt from this controversy either. Some of the major concerns associated with live-action adaptations include the lack of authenticity, whitewashing, and underwhelming responses.
However, this live-action adaptation of Kishiro’s manga stays true to the source material. Be it Alita’s eyes or the conception of Zalem, Cameron perfectly captured the essence of the manga through the film. The author revealed his experience of working with the director in the interview where he quoted :
In January 2017, I visited the set in Austin and got to meet Robert Rodriguez and members of the movie crew. I really felt a strong enthusiasm and respect for the source material from them. So I put my full trust in them to make the movie as they see fit, and I’m looking forward to the film as any other viewer would.
Moreover, the film was well-received and won several accolades. It was also one of the highest-grossing films by Robert Rodriguez.
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All in all, the allegations regarding whitewashing are truly baseless. As opposed to other live-action films, Cameron’s rendition of this cyberpunk manga retained its authenticity. Moreover, it showcased the director’s excellence in the cyberpunk film genre.
Alita: Battle Angelis available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Himanshi Jeswani
Anime Writer
Articles Published :993
Himanshi Jeswani is an anime writer at Fandomwire, with her work spanning over 900 articles. Her articles cover shojo, shonen, seinen, and all things beyond. Her interests, however, aren’t limited to simply anime. She has a penchant for exploring different genres of manga, be it horror, yanki, music, and food. She brings out her specialization and expertise in the performing arts through her articles. As a writer, she strives to bridge the gap between the viewers and the medium itself. To her, anime is a revolutionary medium that is capable of creating communities and stories after all.
