Seiji Mizushima, the director of the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, believes that it was a bad idea to hire an all-Japanese cast for the forthcoming live-action adaptation.
Fullmetal Alchemist premieres in Japanese theaters on December 1st.
The latest attempt is a live-action version of Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist.
The issue of race in movie casting and “whitewashing” is a hotly debated topic in the movie industry at present and recent Western anime adaptations such as Death Note and Ghost in the Shell have been mercilessly hammered by fans and critics for casting U.S. actors in Japanese roles.