Now, about that racism. Recently, Paramount’s Ghost in the Shell adaptation took a lashing for perceived racism and “whitewashing” of traditionally Japanese characters. Comments buried in some of the non-official YouTube rips of the Fullmetal Alchemist trailers (the official posts were wise enough to disable comments) are now crying foul for this film saying that the roles of Edward, at least, shouldn’t be played by a Japanese actor in a blonde wig. (First of all, it’s not a wig. Second of all, the European setting was simply the inspiration; there is no Resembool or Ishbal, nor is alchemy a thing that works. Thirdly, there’s no word on how sentient suits of armor feel about Al’s portrayal of their culture.) Is this a serious concern, a response to Ghost in the Shell‘s controversy, or a silly distraction?
