<html>
<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Collett-Serra’s focus is on low-budget horror films. He should know about one-note characters as leads, who usually have some rote backstory (cop with son who died tragically, etc). That’s likely what he means re: Kaneda. That said, I can’t imagine Studio Canal will give him enough money to make AKIRA. I’m not sure what he means nor would I want to try to parse his statement regarding “Japanese culture.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> KineJapan [mailto:kinejapan-bounces@lists.osu.edu] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Jun-Dai Bates-Kobashigawa<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, April 14, 2016 1:27 PM<br><b>To:</b> Kinejapan <kinejapan@lists.osu.edu><br><b>Subject:</b> [KineJapan] Akira remake and flat characters in Japanese films<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Hi all,<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I hope this doesn't count as trolling :-/ While reading about yet another attempt to get a Hollywood version of Akira of the ground, this comment really stuck out to me:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>> Nobody’s interesting. Tetsuo’s interesting because weird sh*t happens to him, and Kaneda is so two-dimensional. That’s part of the Japanese culture, they never have strong characters. [1]<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>This seems fairly offensive, and also makes the director seem like an incredibly poor choice for working on this material (not that a Hollywood remake of Akira sounds promising to begin with). Luckily, it looks like Collett-Serra is not going to be working on Akira, but I'm curious if anyone knows what he's talking about? Is it total nonsense, or has Mr. Collett-Serra captured something essential about Japanese film/literature that has until now escaped me? Are the characters in Akira (or Japanese films/literature in general) any flatter than, say, Hollywood?<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Yours,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> Jun-Dai Bates-Kobashigawa<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>[1] source: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__comicsalliance.com_akira-2Dlive-2Daction-2Dremake-2Ddirector-2Djaume-2Dcollett-2Dserra-2Djapanese-2Dculture-2Dstrong-2Dcharacters_&d=CwMFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=e7qMG9KFq7WNnPQWULWHJA&m=v0kUJryYFtyJTwvSL5aH_APo6BILDYwF6OfaoqHv3u8&s=xihzHBnx0XVYkbinMAINZOStu5KVzOTHcQUkQKDU1wY&e=">http://comicsalliance.com/akira-live-action-remake-director-jaume-collett-serra-japanese-culture-strong-characters/</a>)<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>