Is anime racist !!!

[ff7799]

Well this might be a bitchy topic however I don't know of too many anime series that have african americans in them. I mean their are a handful of series that have shown black characters as extra's however how many series do you know of where their is a black main character, I mean their are alot of series with white boys and girls( sometimes even hispanic) living in japan but how often does a series show blacks as main characters and not drawn with big lips and acting like some sort of show atractions. Lets here your ideas.

[Lambda]

Why would you expect African Americans to be the main characters in Japanese shows?

I think you need to think about this a bit more.

[Koshiba]

Well from what I hear there aren't too many african americans in Japan. It's rather rare to see in japan I guess? So why would they have characters like that in anime? ^^; If you don't even see them too often in real life. o.O

[lionken07]

Originally Posted by ff7799

Well this might be a bitchy topic however I don't know of too many anime series that have african americans in them. I mean their are a handful of series that have shown black characters as extra's however how many series do you know of where their is a black main character, I mean their are alot of series with white boys and girls( sometimes even hispanic) living in japan but how often does a series show blacks as main characters and not drawn with big lips and action like some sort of show atractions. Lets here your ideas.

what are you talking about? they do have big lips

and besides 90% of the Japanese anime have Japanese or Asian as their main characters so I don't really know what your complaining about. Go to a black nation and they WILL have blacks as their main characters. simply as that.

[ff7799]

Originally Posted by lionken07

what are you talking about? they do have big lips

and besides 90% of the Japanese anime have Japanese or Asian as their main characters so I don't really know what your complaining about. Go to a black nation and they WILL have blacks as their main characters. simply as that.

Are you telling me to go back to africa, Maybe the GHD needs to hear about this

*FF runs to the GHDPRO to bitch like a japanese school girl catching a guy peeking into the girls locker room*

[lionken07]

Originally Posted by ff7799

Are you telling me to go back to africa, Maybe the GHD needs to hear about this

*FF runs to the GHDPRO to bitch like a japanese school girl catching a guy peeking into the girls locker room*

no dude, its so simple

look at it this way, Japanese people making anime for who? Japanese people.

[Yuuko_Hajiwara]

As several people already said, not many african americans live in Japan. Hence, the japanese artists, who get inspired by stories and ideas when looking at things around them, don't really think of putting any in. It's not because they're racist or against anything. In fact, I think animes is one of the most tolerant things I know. Why, they have homosexuals, crossdressers, men who turn into women and vice versa, they have pretty much everything and anything you can think of.

However, there are several series that do have african americans in them. But I don't think they'd be considered african american.... for example: Record of Lodoss Wars. Look at Pirotess... she's one of the main characters, and her skin is dark, though her hair is white... now does that qualify? In anime also, they play around with colors of hair and such, so technically, there aren't really that many non-african americans in anime either, so would you call that racist?

I don't think you can.

[ff7799]

Originally Posted by Yuuko_Hajiwara

As several people already said, not many african americans live in Japan. Hence, the japanese artists, who get inspired by stories and ideas when looking at things around them, don't really think of putting any in. It's not because they're racist or against anything. In fact, I think animes is one of the most tolerant things I know. Why, they have homosexuals, crossdressers, men who turn into women and vice versa, they have pretty much everything and anything you can think of.

However, there are several series that do have african americans in them. But I don't think they'd be considered african american.... for example: Record of Lodoss Wars. Look at Pirotess... she's one of the main characters, and her skin is dark, though her hair is white... now does that qualify? In anime also, they play around with colors of hair and such, so technically, there aren't really that many non-african americans in anime either, so would you call that racist?

I don't think you can.

Well interestly enough full metal panic had featured numerous african americans and they have been able to draw them pretty accurately. Note none of them were main characters however they were drawn very well, that series is very diverse though, They have numerous cacasians, infact many of the main characters are cacausian, also their is actually a main character from the middle east which is something that pretty much almost never see.

[ff7799]

Originally Posted by lionken07

no dude, its so simple

look at it this way, Japanese people making anime for who? Japanese people.

I mean that is true, And Its probably easy to guess what a white person would like over a black, infact their are numerous dark skinned characters in many anime series however they have differrent colored hair, but we have to remember that the japanese are very deversified when it comes to hair colors (actually giving many of their characters blue hair) So it is reasonable that they could infact be drawing characters that are intended to be though of as black or as something of that mix which is actually perfect because they settle the racial barrier being that, the character could actually be their speculation of indian, tanned white, hispanic, and any other race out their.

[Yuuko_Hajiwara]

I've seen FMP and was thinking of mentioning it as well, and they have a very diversified cast because their storyline deals with the real world "EARTH" and real countries and their relationships. Most anime however, takes place in japan, and revolves around plotlines that could never be real. This is also one of the reasons they use different, unusual colored hair, to depict the more fantastical and unreal aspect of the situations.

You say that if they change hair colors, they should also change skin colors? Well then would you call a series racist against blacks AND whites if they had a cast of people with blue and green skin?

I think some people go too far when looking for racism. Yes, *looking*... often, things tend to be a lot less offensive than you imagine them to be. I'd be willing to bet that almost every anime author (if not every one) did not think at all about discrimination or racism when choosing to have all pale-skinned casts.

And you have to remember that if you travel, some places are not as uncomfortable or biased against races as many people are in the United States. It's amazing that people will be outraged if Target or somewhere doesn't include an asian, a white and a black person in each commercial.

[E X]

Anime being racist? Nope, no way no how. I live in Nicaragua and could think: why is there no latin people in anime? For the same reason everyone else has mentioned. The population in Japan is not nearly as diverse as in the US or Europe. I can see why in your country people are very sensitive with those issues knowing how messed up things where only 50 years ago (even today), but outside not many people even care, I know here we don't.

[hunterx]

Japan is not america, it's full of Japanese people and guess what, most of them are white/asian looking. I'm sure they are a few black in there but they are about as little as you see them in the anime. Lots of old anime do have black characters in them, I think Jojo's Bizzare Adventures had a black dude in the group, ikkitousen has one too and many more but they are few just like blacks are few in Japanese society

[method]

Since everyone has covered the main reason there are few blacks in anime, I go a little different route. Also take into consideration that the Japanese exposure to Blacks or Hispanics is through Hollywood media or the American military that is stationed in Japan.

@Lambda: I read in an article about African-Americans in Great Britain. Don't you love political correctness.

[Lambda]

Originally Posted by Yuuko_Hajiwara

However, there are several series that do have african americans in them. But I don't think they'd be considered african american.... for example: Record of Lodoss Wars. Look at Pirotess... she's one of the main characters, and her skin is dark,

Um, why does dark skin=African American? The Americans didn't manage to enslave every single dark-skinned person in the world, you know.

It's as bad as Americans not realising North Africans, Arabs, Indians etc. are all Caucasian.

[Master Ran]

Anime... Racist? hmmm..

Anyway, why do you think most movies (and some toons for that matter) portray asians (most likely Chinese and Japanese) as masters of martial arts or great fighters.

Kinda like in the days of old scenes where you see japanese having thick glasses and very large front teeths.

I think everything has a pinch of racist in it... albeit unintentionally.

Master Ran

[Lambda]

Nah, that's just stereotyping. Racism is treating people more or less favourably due to racial prejudice. A requirement for something to be racism is that one group of people is actively favoured over another.

[Shii]

I dub this thread a product of absurd political correctness.

[Joe Dalton]

........ this is serious or are you joking around?
God i hope your joking around

[cf18]

Only a racist would care about the skin colour of characters in an animated show.

[Yuuko_Hajiwara]

Originally Posted by Lambda

Um, why does dark skin=African American? The Americans didn't manage to enslave every single dark-skinned person in the world, you know.

It's as bad as Americans not realising North Africans, Arabs, Indians etc. are all Caucasian.

Well FF7799 was talking about skin color, not racial origins. Since that's not always apparent by their skin tone, I was using the example of a dark-skinned person. And note how I said that she probably wouldn't be considered African American. If someone told us that she was however, I don't think anyone would argue because it's plausible (apart from the fact that she's an elf). I said that in general there are african americans, but because anime changes how a normal person would look, for example giving them white hair, then I was asking if, from the way they drew her, would she be considered african american? Or african, or black, or whatever you choose to call it.

And just because I say African-american does not mean that I am referring only to people who used to be enslaved. Not all blacks in the USA used to be enslaved.

You think I am ignorant by saying what I posted earlier? No, I was only saying that there are people with a skin tone other than white in these shows. If you misunderstood what I was trying to say, that's not my problem.