[TalnSG]

I am not japanese and I still had serious problems with Last Samurai. The casting of that idiot in the lead was only the beginning - that's a personal dislike of him. It took several tries before I could sit through the whole film, but there was much of it that was objectionable and the story's slant bordered on offensive. I would rather sit through a Kurosawa epic in black & white without subtitles, understanding none of the dialogue than endure that one again.

As for Memoirs, I understand both sides of the issue and find it regrettable that a suitable Japanese actress was not found to play such a culturally specific role. But I am glad that when none was found the production was not scrapped and that when complaints about the actress's heritage were raised the issue was not buried.

Anime - well.... there is very little of it I like, but then I am not a pre-teen.