Race

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:28 pm

When you watch anime, do you see the characters as particular races that we can relate to in real life or just 'anime characters' unto themselves in their own little world?

I know that the early manga/anime creations were initially inspired by western 50's animation like the Betty Boop eyes for example, but why are so many of the characters caucasian looking? I'm not saying this is good or bad, just an observation.
Sure, there are many asian-looking characters too in the grand scheme of anime (even if many do look half-caste). But we see very few black characters and I wonder why... anyone else thought this?

I think I know some of the answers but I wonder what you think

Shampoo · Post by **Shampoo** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:57 pm

I read an article lonnnnnng ago about this issue Krafty

Basically it mentioned how making certain characters ethnic created a stir, the earliest the article talked about was Nadia and how originally they tried to make her black w/ afro curls etc, but because it was already borderline no-no in their eyes they decided to give her a different hairdo and make her more tan. Still ethnic but kinda keeping back...

aernath · Post by **aernath** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 4:00 pm

I keep hoping for the day everyone looks at the person inside, and not the shell that houses the spirit.

glorff · Post by **glorff** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 4:19 pm

I am not sure about thos "Blue Haired people", and what about those Pink Haired ones- a lot of them have those little eyes that I don't trust. And then there are those "Red Haired ones", what about them !

Ashura · Post by **Ashura** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 5:53 pm

glorff wrote:I am not sure about thos "Blue Haired people", and what about those Pink Haired ones- a lot of them have those little eyes that I don't trust. And then there are those "Red Haired ones", what about them !

Oh Glorff

you're silly

On a personal note, I have a thing for "blue haired people", too bad my mother will never approve of their kind

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 6:11 pm

The only time I think much of race is when I'm watching an anime with an artstyle like Kawajiri's Biohunter or an anime that shows white American military people as being stereotypically big boned or even somewhat fat as is the case of how they often portray top US military brass.

Baakay · Post by **Baakay** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 7:55 pm

I've often wondered about that too.

I would think that some shades other than pasty white or very light tan would add a whole realm of possibilities to character design. ... I mean look at Nadia, she's gorgeous!

(From a person who thinks dark skin is fabulous... I personally like to call myself "Slug White")

I was going to say "ooo! Zipang is fairly natural looking..." But actually some of the characters remind me more of the guys from McHale's Navy

There are a few genuinely Asian looking characters among them, which is interesting.

Of course we know the story about the eyes coming in part from Tezuka's love for Walt Disney, right?

Big eyes, small mouth.

kenshikenji · Post by **kenshikenji** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 8:00 pm

speaking of ethnicity in anime, anyone watching buzzer beater? are those aliens analogous to black people?

Deadly Whispers · Post by **Deadly Whispers** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 9:18 pm

What an interesting discussion!

I think there's another part of this that has entirely to do with the art side of animation. An eye is an eye, right? Everyone draws an eye differently, but enough alike that we can all recognize it as an eye. So why is that?

Because a drawing of something is a symbol of something. It's a representation. Which is always open to interpretation.

I think of it that yeah, I see Caucasians when I watch anime, and I see impossible hair, eye, and skin colors. Not only are eyes blue, but they're a blue that put Crayola to shame. Anime was, once upon a time, patterned after Western animation, and that background will never go away. Not having ever worked in the Japanese animation industry, I have no clue if it's a given that the characters have to look Caucasian.

But I also think I see Caucasians when I watch anime because I AM Caucasian, from Caucasian background surrounded by other Caucasians. It's what I know, it's what my eye is used to seeing. So when I see this representation of humans in cartoons, then I associate the symbols with my Caucasian heritage.

Yeah, if that made sense, kudos to me! I'm a bit sleepy . . . hee.

~ Deadly Whispers

hanaeleh · Post by **hanaeleh** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 10:56 pm

Hum. Interesting. I personally don't know of too many people with purple eyes or hair, and yet could count a ton in anime....

I was always told that the eyes are bigger in animation because so much can be expressed with the eyes, not to make them look like one race or another.

As far as the females are concerned, I just figured a LOOOONG time ago that most animators are male and have no life... and you can take it from there.