At its core, Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese story. The original manga, released back in 1989, told the story of an ultra-high-tech anti-terrorist task force fighting against a corrupt government and highly-advanced artificial intelligence — and even throughout the franchise's numerous incarnations, Ghost in the Shell has always been deeply rooted in Japanese culture and politics.

So, when it was announced that a major Hollywood studio (Paramount Pictures) would be producing an adaptation of the series, fans braced themselves for the worst. Many feared that Ghost in the Shell would be the latest in a long line of white-washed anime adaptations ... sadly, those fans weren't wrong, and the cast was soon filled with non-Asian actors and actresses playing Asian characters.

Don't worry — Paramount has just announced that Ghost in the Shell will indeed have an Asian actor in its cast! Sure, it's a small role, and one that'll probably only get a few short minutes of screen time — but going by Hollywood's rules, that still counts!

At the very least, Paramount's casting seems on-point: famous Japanese director and comedian Beat Takeshi will take on the role of Section 9 Public Security Chief Daisuke Aramaki (via Kotaku). It's a good fit, and it's easy to assume that Takeshi will take on the role of cranky old police chief rather well. If you haven't seen any of his work, look him up on YouTube — it's definitely worth watching.

The only real problem with the casting is that it highlights so many other problems with the project: namely, the fact that a whole bunch of white people are playing Asian characters. To be fair, there's no reason why Scarlett Johansson can't do a good job as Major Motoko Kusanagi because she's white — it's just that there are plenty of Asian actresses who would bring a bit more authenticity to the role. It's another case of Hollywood producers trying to bring in an audience with "someone they can relate to" — aka, a white person.

Sadly, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. The Last Airbender, despite being based on a series that focused on a number of different races, white-washed most of its cast; the god-awful Dragon Ball Evolution went so far as to change Goku from a young Asian kid to a white 16-year-old. Even Gods of Egypt, a 2016 film, featured a cast of Egyptian characters played by white dudes. One could argue that Hollywood's modern-day casting issues aren't quite as bad as the copious amounts of blackface from film's early years — but that doesn't really amount to much.

Just to be clear, the fact that Beat Takeshi is in Ghost in the Shell is great, and he could end up being one of the best parts of the film. It's just that the rest of the film's cast is proving to be yet another example of Hollywood white-washing — something that we, in 2016, should not have to worry about.

Ghost in the Shell is set to hit theaters on March 31, 2017.