[Qoo Otaku] Japanese vs. Westerner: Should live action Fullmetal Alchemist cast Japanese?

As the premiere day of live action Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師) is approaching, many otaku around the world have been asking one question: why a Japanese cast?

These comments are literally everywhere on the internet, from QooApp to a Japanese discussion board.

People on the “Western side” say: the characters are all westerners, and to be faithful to the original work the cast should be westerners. On the other hand, people on the “Japanese side” believe: it’s only natural for Japanese to be cast in a Japanese film, and those who say otherwise are mentally disabled. The heated debate has caught the attention of the movie’s director Fumihiko Sori, who decided to set up a Twitter account and answer this question once and for all.

Right: Fumihiko Sori

The director felt like cultural differences between Japan and other countries also meant a difference in perceiving family bond. He said, “I chose a Japanese cast because the movie emphasised on characters’ mentality. I want to portray the bond between brothers just like the manga does.”

He added that it was quite difficult for foreign actors to be familiar with Japanese mindsets. “I believe it is quite impossible for foreign actors to portray a Japanese-style story and characters with Japanese mentality. This is (a Japanese cast) the best choice through and through.”

A more practical reason is that the script written by the original mangaka Hiromu Arakawa is in Japanese.

Given that the script is written by Arakawa Sensei instead of a foreigner, it should be understandable that the director sticks to the story rather than the characters’ appearance (perhaps at least give Winry Blonde hair) and nationality, right? Otherwise, it may end up like the aborted Bleach movie and the very distasteful Dragon Ball movie.

In fact, many live action adaptions of Japanese manga feature Japanese actors as foreign characters. Not only are these movies successful, the actors who play as foreigners get praised a lot as well.

Thermae Romae is the best example.