Y'know looking at these and predicting that the reactions to the Avatar fan forums will be mostly positive, I'm suddenly struck a realization - yes, I'm slow, so bear with me. XD

The reactions us on racebending have thus far been 'GOOD GOD NARNIA: PSEUDO-ASIAN VERSION' whereas pro-casters have said 'ZOMG IT'S PERFECT!' and I've been wondering how on earth they could POSSIBLY see this as a good adaptation to the cartoon.

It's because they don't see Asian culture in the cartoon! Right? I mean, they look at the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon and think it's another version of Narnia with some cool differences...but they simply don't connect those differences to being so completely, inherently Asian/Inuit in origin. To them it's just...cool differences.

...

Hmm, I still can't explain how they justify the CLEARLY Chinese writing in the cartoon. I guess to them, it just looks like gobbeldygook, since REAL writing should only ever use Latin-based letters in their small cloistered bubble-world?

----

All that said, I just. Yeah. Their outfits are not even trying to be Asian or Inuit or anything other than Generic (read: Euro) Children's Fantasy for Lots of Revenue.

The effort to excise anything Asian from this movie is becoming obvious to me. The fact that pro-casters don't even understand the loss of Asian influences is becoming obvious to me as well. What a complete write off. :/

Edited at 2009-07-14 11:29 pm (UTC)

Honestly, I'm not sure what the people who think this looks like Avatar are thinking. I mean at all. The only thing I can come up with that sounds remotely logical is that the vocal ones aren't the young demographic, but tween/teen fans who are just excited about seeing sparklyvampire!Sokka. Other then that, I cannot wrap my head around how they see the live action as looking anything like the TV show at all.

Unless they liked the TV show despite all that pesky Asian stuff.

On the other hand, most of the forums I've been to that aren't Avatar fan sites have had the same reaction we've had. In the end, I think the images are going to be that does this film in. The less and less it looks like the source material, the less casual fans will be interested and the general movie going public will see it as generic kid schlock and take a pass for PIXAR.

It may not fail on the level of DragonBall Evolution, but I think we can expect at least Eragon fail levels.

I have sat in the shadows. For all of this time. Just...WATCHING.

But now...NOW, I speak.
WHAT IN GOD'S NAME, WHAT. IGNORING the racefail for a moment, SINCE WHEN do Katara and Sokka wear fur?! Where are Katara's HAIR-LOOPIES?! Aren't their clothes supposed to be BLUE? Further, Aang doesn't have a cape and Zuko doesn't wear...that.
*sigh* I'm disgusted and disappointed. For srs. Honestly, if you're going to take a cartoon that manages to break hundreds of thousands of horrid stereotypes ("OHEY GAIZ. LET'S ADVENTURE NAO." "'KAY." *stupid fail plot*), at least have the decency to TRY when you make a live-action movie adaption.

UGHHHH.

SINCE WHEN do Katara and Sokka wear fur?!

Quite a lot, really. But their fur is white, and their clothes are lovely shades of blue. Not this boring ass raccoon-fur-on-brown that we see in those promo pics.

some people bust into the argument that there's no race in Avatar, which, in my internet travels, is the biggest reason people are STILL supporting the cast.

But, if that's the case, then no human can possibly portray these "humanoids" of the Avatar-verse, and therefore, cannot be properly portrayed at all!

Then, with that in mind, does that mean humans can't play humanoid species, especially ones that bear exact resemblance to them?

In other words, the "no-race" argument is invalid.

No, you got that wrong. "No race" means "whites only". *eyeroll*

Like, this just makes me sad. Because, look, you can be white or you can be an Eskimo (or faux-Eskimo, or Inuit, or an indiginous people of the north). You cannot be a white Eskimo. If I put on a parka and put my hair in a ponytail, I would still be a priveleged WASP (only ex-Catholic). Kindergarten children know the difference between eskimos and Caucasians; this is almost as bad as that thing with the teepees in Greenland. Sigh.

Also, note that JR has not shaved his head/ponytailed or gotten a tan. Sigh. And that scar... *shakes head*

You know how Aang only looks "kind of" Asian as opposed to fully stereotypically Asian? For some reason, Noah Ringer seems to have all the Asian traits that Aang doesn't have. I don't get it either. It's like every single aspect of this movie gives it a new level of fail.

don't tell that to the pro-movie folk that our guts.

*SOBS*

I'm trying really, really hard to not just start shouting at my computer. I'm trying to just rage in my head about the sheer fail - both the racial part, and the not-respecting-the-source-at-all part - but every time I see a new promo image, I just... just.... want to break something.

Jackson Rathbone would be the Scandinavian version of Davy Crocket, if Davy Crocket were a fashion model for.

Aang still screams "Jedi!" to me.

Dev has Zuko's SRSBSNS expression down, but whoever did the makeup for that scar must have never seen a real burn scar.

And I'm really, REALLY feeling sad for whichever animal died to make the costumes Nicola and Jackson are wearing. How hard would it have been to do the blue parka with a fake white fur trim? >:(

Seriously. For the water tribe, I was totally thinking greys or slate blue if they wanted to go "realistic" look.

Aang...for the love of Mike, the most I see him to more I see Western monk. Doesn't help that the kid has a rather dramatic naturally down turned mouth that just makes him naturally look rather dour. Even adult actors who have mouths like that don't have very natural looking "Aang happy" smiles. I don't like pointing out things that people have no control over, but I'm not certain how M Night saw him and automatically thought Aang. I mean, if he was a cosplayer or something sure, but when you cast for a film, I'd like to see someone with a naturally light expression. Parris for example had a very light expression. When you didn't see him smile, he still had a rather happy look to his expression.

...So now I'm pretending this is a different franchise from the show and they coincidentally have the same name.

Seriously. If it weren't for the title I don't think I would know.

Whatever happened to all the color symbolism that was in the show?

Apparently that wasn't realistic enough for M Night. Seriously, he's watering this down to the most basic of things to even call it Avatar. We got kids(and one creepily old adult), we have bending using generic martial arts and we have certain Asian-ish things in certain places.

Never mind that Chinese directors have been making visually amazing and dramatic films with vibrant colours for years...

Seriously, if any movie should be over the top, it should be this one. The action is based off some of the most dramatic martial arts and influenced by wild anime and wire-fu based films. Watering it down to a Lord of the Rings low fantasy is taking away what was so eye catchingly awesome about it.

Well, he has a down turned mouth that naturally makes you look more dour and serious. Lots of people have it, but it does make me wonder more what M Night saw that made him think of happy go lucky Aang, unless the film was going to be darker from the get go like it now seems like it was.

Every time I look at Jackson Rathbone's face, I throw up a little bit in my mouth.

I thought I was the only one having to constantly get up and wash my mouth from seeing the GAP model.

I'll just let real Zuko do the talking for me. This is just so wrong, especially Katara and Sokka.

Can't see the detail too well on Noah's arrow.