JAPANESE FANS REACT TO GHOST IN THE SHELL
Ghost in the Shell opened in Japan on Friday, and the Hollywood version is winning more plaudits in the land of the original manga and anime than it did in the United States. Meanwhile, a new Japanese addition to the franchise was announced Friday.
Rupert Sanders' take on the iconic manga/anime franchise is winning praise from Japanese audiences for its look, but less kudos for its storytelling. The film currently has a 3.5-star rating on Yahoo Japan Movies, with four stars for its visuals and three for its story.
That reflects the view of Tomoki Hirano, a big fan of the original manga and anime, who had just seen the Hollywood version at the Toho Cinema complex in Shinjuku, central Tokyo.
"It looked really cool and I really enjoyed it. They didn't just try and copy the original, but came up with an original story, which was a better approach," Hirano told The Hollywood Reporter.
"Because it was a Hollywood production they could use that size of budget to create those visuals of that quality," added Hirano.
Even most major Japanese movies don't run to 10 percent of the $110 million budget of the DreamWorks and Paramount production.
Hirano, like most Japanese fans, had no issue with Scarlett Johansson's casting.
"She was very cool. I loved her in The Avengers and I wanted to see this because she was in it. If they had done a Japanese live-action version they would have probably cast some silly idol [girl-band member]," said Hirano.
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