Notes from a Con [Series Introduction - Race and Otakudom]
by Latoya Peterson
While Arturo was gearing up for Comic-Con, and Joe hung out at the Asian American Comic Con, I spent the weekend at Otakon.
Stepping off the bus near the Convention Center, I felt myself involuntarily break into a smile. Neko ears, Naruto headbands and wings galore. For three days, the Baltimore Harbor area transforms into planet anime, and you never really know what you’ll catch out of the corner of your eye.
The locals tend to be amused. As I was walking down the street, a woman rolled down her window and hollered at the boy in front of me. “Excuse me – what’s going on here? Is it a Harry Potter convention?”
“What? No!” he said with a pained voice, pulling his Ichigo Kurosaki costume tighter around his thin brown frame.
I couldn’t help myself. I laughed.
Otakon has changed a lot since I started going. This was my fifth year at the Con, and my crew’s 10th. I stopped counting other minorities in 2007. When I first arrived, in 2005, I counted the number of other black women at the convention (5), the number of black men I saw (around 30). While I did not count Asians or Latinos, their numbers have also steadily risen along with con membership. While it is still dwarfed by the comics industry (manga has about half of the market share that American comics enjoy), it is a growing subgenre.
Walking around the con this weekend, I enjoyed the sheer diversity of it all. Interracial couples were so common as to be unremarkable, the united colors of nerd-dom where out in full force and the kids who generally can’t catch a break in high school were allowed three glorious days to let their freak flags fly.
I wonder, if I had started attending conventions now, would I hold the same views that I have on the crushing whiteness of fandom?
I don’t know. My perception as a reformed Otaku is colored by those first few years. So, before I set foot in Baltimore, I had already half composed a few pieces on normative whiteness in fandom, cultural appropriation and otakudom, the racial politics of cosplay, and the idea of cultural others. But going to the Con this year reminded me of why I go in the first place.
At its worst, anime fandom becomes a cesspool of orientalist thinking and othering, yet another way to take from the bounty of the world and exploit it for profit. However, at its best, Otakudom shows the power in cultural connection, in exploring and understanding others, and in finding things to celebrate about everyone.
So, it will be with these two ideas I approach this series on Race and Otakudom.
Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments. Articles are already planned on:
- Why Anime characters look “white” (Short answer: They don’t.)
- Wacky Japan and Profiting Off Stereotypes
- Samurai Champloo and the Art of Cultural Remix
- The Racial Politics of Cosplay
- Is Otakudom a White Space?
(Image Credit: Afro-Samurai Cosplayer, Otakon 2007, snapped by Robert Barker)
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Mimi wrote:
I’m looking forward to these posts, especially “the racial politics of cosplay,” since I’m teaching part of a unit about cosplay in my Politics of Fashion course this fall!
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 2:54 pm ¶
Logan wrote:
I’m not sure if this would fall under the Wacky Japan banter, but I’d be interested in a piece on stereotypes within Anime itself. Most fans that I know are aware of the, in general, Aryan stereotypes that white people get within anime (for a humorous take on this, look up Bandit Keith from Yugioh: The Abridged Series, based off the Yugioh series), which is funny cause most people only realize their race when defined by Anime. However, there exists, and definitely existed, many stereotypes based off of defined Chinese or other ethnicities from around the world. It might be interesting to look at if these could lend an insight into Japanese culture and thinking, or American influences upon Japanese culture.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 3:07 pm ¶
Kelvin wrote:
I wish I could go. I don’t know if I could pull off a Urahara Kisuke look though. Eagerly awaiting this series Miss Latoya.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 3:08 pm ¶
Persia wrote:
Latoya, having never been on the ground at an anime con, does the sex/race nexus factor in? I know that there are different takes on the sexual mores found in Japanese comics but I’m wondering if there’s more to be said about it.
Your preliminary ideas sound great, especially item one. I am so sick of hearing that one.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 3:23 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@Mimi – Any interest in sending me your lesson plan? Inquiring minds want to know…
@Logan – Oh, I can do that. The first time stereotyping in other countries (not directed toward blacks, I should note) it was looking at the depictions of Chinese people in Ranma 1/2. I’ll also see if I can find that lecturer who talked about comics, she brought up some great points about WWII and shaping perceptions of dominance through comic depictions.
@Kelvin – Anything is doable.
@Persia –
Hmmm…what question are you asking?
Gender stereotyping of the genre (as Anime fandom is about 60% female and there’s a lot of misogyny in how people discuss anime and manga, mixed in with stereotypes about Japan)?
Sexual stereotypes that are based in race (i.e. the Asian girls are just hotter/believe in kawaii/are just waiting for a loveable dork with a love of undies defense)?
Gendered ideas in nerd culture as to what is sexy?
Or are you talking about actual sexual content, of which, there isn’t much. Outside of fan service, I find anime and manga frustratingly chaste. There’s more when you get into more josei titles, but most of the blatantly sexual stuff is in hentai.
Or are you asking about how much hanky panky is considered permissible?
I can see your question multiple ways, so I need a little more clarification.
Oh, and something I noticed in the past – Asian girl as con conquest. I observed this happening a few times and when I asked my Asian Am friends about it, they confirmed having similar experiences being photographed, followed, and propositioned at cons for no other reason than having an Asian face. That’s another interesting thing…
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 3:43 pm ¶
A. wrote:
I’d like to see the Cosplay one. I hear all the time about “White people can’t cosplay and Asians are automatically better” or “Black People should never cosplay because they never match the characters unless it’s Barret From FFVII or Yoruichi from Bleach.
It’s funny, because most of the pictures said people pull out are photoshopped pictures of professionals.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 3:59 pm ¶
Neev wrote:
I’m really excited for the rest of your series. I too noticed a distinct up-swing in the diversity of Otakon attendees.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 4:09 pm ¶
Kaonashi wrote:
You’re so lucky! I always wanted to go to Otakon, but I think I’m probably too old for it now.
Have a great time!
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 4:51 pm ¶
Cass wrote:
As an anime fan, I’m very excited to follow this series!
I’ve read a couple pieces/blog entries on anime and feminism, in particular, the magical girl genre and the over-sexualization of female characters, but I’ve yet to see anything written on how race plays a role in anime and fandom; it’s an issue that seems to be mentioned in passing frequently, but has never been discussed in detail.
Like Logan, I’d also be interested in a post on those stereotypes. From what I’ve seen, the most common foreigners in anime are either American, British, French, or German.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 5:13 pm ¶
RCHOUDH wrote:
I can’t wait to read your take on the race of anime characters!
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 5:37 pm ¶
mochajo wrote:
I have to admit that I’m super excited about this series. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since you first mentioned it. I have a lot of books of cultural essays on anime, etc. but I’ve yet to find much discussion about race in anime and manga fandoms.
I look forward to your future posts on the subject!
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 6:14 pm ¶
distance88 wrote:
I really appreciate these candid glimpses/posts into P.O.C. membership in subcultures I admittedly only have some to little familiarity with (steampunk, burlesque, cosplay). Thank you.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 6:41 pm ¶
ashlynn wrote:
Looking forward to reading more of this series. Though not into manga myself, I have plenty of friends who do who are POC; it’s been amazing to watch how the subculture really brings a mess of different people together…for me to laugh at. Just kidding.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 7:26 pm ¶
InJM wrote:
I have no idea why people go to conventions, anime or comic. I went to A-Con or whatever the Chicago anime con is called once and aside from the dealer room, I can’t see what people see in those things. I suppose having a place cosplay with other people or show off is nice (I occasionally do an odd type of cosplay) but other than that, I just don’t get cons.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 7:56 pm ¶
Daryle Lockhart wrote:
Very much looking forward to this series. As a really big anime enthusiast, I’ve been to many conventions and have noticed the rise of diversity in the attendees.
I have a feeling I’ve seen a lot of what will be in “Wacky Japan”, so I’m really looking forward to that part, too.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 8:07 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@InJM –
Ha. The dealer’s room is the last reason I would go. If you’re a resourceful urban otaku, there’s nothing there for you. After the first year or so, you should have been able to locate a cheaper/more consistent supplier for almost everything you can buy in the dealers room and they tend to mark everything up for no reason .
(Five dollar pocky is a fucking insult, y’all. However, I would pay that much for a green tea kit kat.)
The folks who live in less urban areas, they might have a little more trouble, but the internet is mighty. Occasionally, you find that miracle dealer that sells really great DVDs for 5 bucks/gothi-loli accessories/rare Japanese video games and mod kits/region 2 DVD players and what not but once you know what you want, it’s normally better/cheaper somewhere else.
Why do you go to Cons? You do so to:
1. Bond with friends you don’t normally see, especially those who have moved where it isn’t convenient just to hang out anymore.
2. To find new things to watch/read without investing cash upfront. The manga library and video rooms are great for that.
3. To bond with other Otaku. This need is more pronounced for those of us who don’t have friends into the same things. It’s like Otaku summer camp.
4. Sometimes, you learn things. The panels at these are fairly basic, but can be really informative.
5. You like the guest speakers. Lots of anime celebs (voice actors, jrock stars, etc) do attend these cons.
6. You want to sell your work. Artist alley is popular for this reason.
7. You want to walk around dressed like a video game character and no one will say anything.
8. You want to extend your fandom. Every year, there’s a little more blurring of the genre lines. I spotted a Steampunk panel on the schedule, they played Thai and Korean films, and the game rooms are normally packed all day and night.
9. You want to break into the industry. (My reason #1 – going to cons is a fast way to be reimmersed in a culture you’re growing away from.) There are lots of industry pros that are willing to share their knowledge, and Otakon works like most other conventions. You find them, buy them a drink, and talk.
10. You and your friends are too fucking cheap to spring for a real vacation. (My reason #2.) After a while, Cons are tradition. Even if you realize you’ve seen everything or your friend already bootlegged it. Even if you no longer go to panels because you already know everything. Even if you are the only J-hip-hopper you know in a sea of J-pop. At some point, our con going went from color coded schedules to heckling and drinking, and yet we STILL fucking go – probably because it’s still a $300 weekend, and we end up on what’s functionally another planet.
Also note – all cons are not created equal. (We generally go to Katsucon and Otakon, but are debating AnimeUSA.) If the one you went to sucked, sorry!
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 8:20 pm ¶
Latrice wrote:
I’m a black female who has been an anime fan for almost 13 years. I think I’ve gone through every stage of Otakon from “super n00b” to “older anime fan that thinks new anime is crap.” : P
It was frustrating being an anime fan in the mid-90s. It was slim pickings in terms of selections. As a black female fan, I encountered a lot of hate from black male fans who would roll their eyes at me when I said I liked Sailor Moon or gave me “WTF are YOU doing here!?” looks when I was in the anime section at Suncoast. I was also into drawing manga-styled art (still do but not as much as I used to), and would get ragged on for my characters not looking “anime” enough and not looking “black” enough (and there seems to be some general misconceptions about girls wanting to be comic book artists). It was upsetting to me because I felt like an outcast in a subculture. I didn’t meet any black female anime fans until I was a freshman in college. Those girls are still my friends today and as a group (self-proclaimed BGAA–Black Girls and Anime) we have attended Anime Central for about 4 years and we went to Otakon last year. Solo we attend cons in our area (CA/WA for two of my friends, VA/DC for me, and IL/MI for my other friend). LOL when my friends and I went to ACen in 03, we definitely noted the lack of diversity. But again this has been changing as well. One of my friends and I worked in Japan too and got to experience otaku culture in Tokyo.
Funny my friends and I wanted to start a blog about being black female anime fans, but life got in the way and we got lazy. But we talked about stuff all the time. This is some of the stuff we like to discuss, and it would be interesting to here other opinions on these topics:
- Being an older anime fan (25yo and up)
- Gender divides among black fans
- Being a fan of yaoi WITHOUT being a rabid fangirl
- Black artists and fanart
- Generational divides between anime fans (1980-90s fans vs. 2000s) fans
- Japanese people ARE NOT anime fans
- The ideas of “acting white” and black anime fans
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 8:52 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@latrice –
As I said before, submissions welcome. Hit me up at latoya@racialicious.com
And I’ll cosign you on:
*being a 25 year old fan (half of our issues stem from this)
* gender divides among black fans (though the men I rolled with initially were always cool, I felt that static you described from *many* others)
* Generational divides (though I started my first con in 2004, so technically I’m on the other side from you and my peeps)
*Japanese people are NOT (necessarily) anime fans
*Acting white, black anime fans, and I’ll one up you – quirky black girls in nerd space. For some people, it’s the ultimate “and why are you here?” moment.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 8:59 pm ¶
m. wrote:
I can’t wait to read these posts, especially #1!
I am a don’t-know-shit-about-anime, but going by what I’ve seen (I lovelovelove Hayao Miyazaki’s work and Studio Ghibli films, but I don’t think that counts): I don’t think the characters look white at all, but there are *some* with sort of racially ambiguous features. I always kind of assumed they looked like that because the plot of the story took place in either a non-Asian country or a fantasy world. I saw ‘The Castle of Cagliostro’ for the first time with a friend who voiced this complaint about the main characters of the film. I disagreed with her, because they had black hair and the rest of the characters were blonds or redheads. Turns out, they were Japanese, and they had traveled to Europe.
I feel like some white people who make these claims just enjoy/are attempting to white-wash everything in sight. White people obviously don’t realize they have enough representation in this world, so they have to ruin anime/manga as well. Or just pick at it. Basically, I think they expect Asian artists and animators to either produce characters with hyper-Asian features or straight-up stereotypes. Because in their eyes, that’s the only way to racialize an animated character.
I wonder if some of the characters in anime/manga could be mixed race? Funny thing is, I have a friend who’s mixed (Korean and white) who likes to claim Disney’s version of Snow White (as Korean and white, specifically) even though she knows that’s not what the animators had in mind. When I told her Snow White looked awfully Caucasian to me, she told me to take a good look at herself, then a good look at Snow White. Also, that the colors of her dress (red, yellow and blue) are traditional Korean colors and she likes to think of the dress itself as a modernized take on the hanbok. I bet a lot of little white girls would be irritated (or even crushed) to hear that a character from one of *their* animated films (the first Disney feature, no less!) looks/is Asian. Yeah, I find it funny.
Same with Betty Boop: many chican@s in East L.A. like to claim her as one of their own. Anyone who’s lived in Los Angeles has probably seen the murals on buildings, statues and logos used on her storefronts. It actually got me believing that Betty Boop is mestiza.
So there’s that.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 10:55 pm ¶
Erika wrote:
I’ve been to a con maybe twice in my life — way back in the early 00s — and found that as soon as some Asian fetishist asked me what nationality I was and I told him Japanese, people would think that was OMG SO COOL. I remember finding that both hilarious and creepy.
Nowadays cons are bigger, more diverse, and less weird in that way. There certainly are a lot of guys with Yellow Fever there, though…and because of that and because I’ve had a falling out with anime recently, I haven’t been to one in quite some time.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 11:46 pm ¶
supern00b wrote:
i’m not a con going person, but the one i actually did go to was earlier this year, i believe it was katsukon (i went to see a band playing there). although it was predominately white, i was actually surprised at the racial diversity of con-goers. especially at the amount of black con-goers. i mentioned it to my friend, and he called me racist…. (jokingly, i think…)
i guess i never thought about the diversity of anime fans. although, to be fair, i do have a bit of a prejudice against anime fans. something about wild misconceptions and idolization of a culture, yadda yadda… you get the point.
i look forward to reading your future articles on those topics, latoya. i always enjoy reading your articles and comments. very insightful.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 12:04 am ¶
Mimi wrote:
Latoya, I’d be happy to send you the syllabus once it’s finished! But it’s quite hard to find decent academic work on some of the things I want the course to look at, including cosplay. Mechademia, a sort-of academic journal, has been one source so far.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 1:11 am ¶
Heather wrote:
As a Chinese-American otaku with a little interest in cosplaying (though the last couple cons I’ve been going in lolita fashion), I’m really looking forward to this.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 1:32 am ¶
little mixed girl wrote:
ahh…it is the anime con season in the US.
When I was in HS, my big dream was to go to the 3-4day one in California that took place every July.
As it happened, my first and last con was Toronto’s Canadian National Anime Expo.
If you don’t live close to an area where a con is taking place, or where the con is taking place is in an expensive area, then there’s not too much hope of going.
I love cosplay, I like the somewhat older shows (EVA!), but I could never get too much into the anime culture in America.
I especially hated the debates surrounding whether or not anime characters looked white, whether or not Japanese people wanted to be white, and people using anime/manga references at the worst times.
There was also that huge subs vs. dubs thing.
Seriously, can those cons stop inviting the dub VAs? pls?
latrice- what anime cons are in Michigan?
The closest thing to an anime con I know of is the Animania’s annual thing in Oct or Nov.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 2:14 am ¶
A. wrote:
I know all about the “Why are you here” moments. I went to ACen 2008, and I encountered this at a lot – particularly while being dressed as a Gothic Aristocrat. I either got random dudes that took pictures of me and then hit on me, or people that felt that I was out of my place and that I should have been on the South side getting into fights.
I’ve noticed that, at times, there is a marked disdain towards black women in particular at anime cons – a disdain that isn’t entirely there for people – men or women – of other racial groups.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 4:37 am ¶
Jess wrote:
OK, I am officially old.
I haven’t been to a con (it was a comic book con) since 1986, so I’m way out of date on a lot of thins I am sure. And I got my first look at the possibilities of anime as a kid in the 70s (waaay back when there were only UHF channels if you wanted to escape network TV) and saw what i later learned was Gatchaman — before they gave them porn-actor names and silly voices– and I remember the first time I saw Star Blazers and thought “crap, I’ve been watching shitty cartoons all this time.”
And my first theatrical anime experience was Akira. Remember, DVDs weren’t invented yet.
So. I’m looking at this from a longer view than a lot of you, perhaps. And I envy you a bit, in that the stuff available is so much more than anything I had years back.
One question that I thought was interesting is why you (Latoya) think anime characters don’t look “white” — I mean, I think you are right in one sense, if you look at it from a tradition of Japanese art that dates back quite far. But the blond hair and big eye look says “white” to me, and what makes it even more interesting is that all this stuff was invented in Japan.
Japan was never colonized, and is the one non-Western country that made a real success of capitalism et. al. They even managed a colonial Empire on a par with the Europeans and made the Russians look damned silly. I’m not saying other countries haven’t done so recently, but I think it’s important to note that all the post-colonial stuff we apply to places like India or Malaysia simply doesn’t apply there. So I think asking why they look “white” is perhaps an incomplete question.
I might put it another way – are we perhaps seeing Japanese stereotypes of westerners/foreigners? Is it just that we’re seeing Japanese “placeholders” for their perceptions, which may not make any sense when translated for us? (Any more than our perceptions would over there).
I also think it interesting that anime has been hands down the most successful Japanese cultural export. I mean, that was never inevitable.
As to normative whiteness, can I say I am glad to hear that there is more diversity in this stuff than when I was a teenager.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 7:26 am ¶
Shelly wrote:
I can’t wait for this! I’m also an older (26) black female anime fan. I remember the dark days of passing around 2nd gen VHS fansub tapes between friends. The last con I went to was Otakon ‘06, and I had gone several years in a row before that, but then I graduated college and started working, and just started to feel ‘too old’ for cons. My tastes have changed, and whenever I dip into the general online fandom I start to feel like a curmudgeon. But my younger brother just got back from Otakon (I passed the sickness on to him!) and his stories and those of others are making me want to go again next year.
I first got into anime in HS when I fell in with the nerdy table top RPG playing, fantasy/scifi novel reading, mostly white and male clique. There was only one other girl, a half japanese military brat and my best friend at the time, but she moved away before senior year. To their credit, the boys never purposely made me feel unwelcome. There was the occasional insensitive comment like “you’re the whitest black girl ever!
” but most of the time my blackness was less my identifier than my penchant for shoujo and cat ears. I’m still friends with them, even met my BF through them. But I was still the only black girl in what I perceived as a very white hobby. I kept it a secret from everyone. I was ashamed of anime, cause it wasn’t something a ‘real black person’ did, as silly as that is. It took the guys YEARS to talk me into going to a con, because I was convinced I’d be the only brown face in the place. My first trip to Otakon (’02 I think?) I was actually too embarrassed to tell my parents where I was going, and lied that we were headed to the Baltimore Aquarium instead. The con was the first time I realized I was not the only black anime fan, that was actually OK, an it was like a whole other world opened up and my guilt went away.
Looking at my brothers photos from the con, it’s crazy how diverse it’s become. Lil bro even took part in a black cosplayer meetup and photoshoot.
Latoya, if you read this, can I suggest a series to you? The show Planetes actually has an impressive multiracial/multicultural cast, and deals with issues like racism and the disadvantage poorer nations have to go up against to compete in industries with wealthier ones.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 9:21 am ¶
Notebook wrote:
@little mixed girl
Funny you mention the sub vs. dub debates, I was going to mention something like that to Latoya. Admittedly, my experience with that particular subject is only limited to internet message boards but it seems like it only comes down to some sort of ridiculousness like sub elites liking Japanese voice acting because “the women sound like their from hentai” [not an exact quote but it's close]. And I’ve heard dub elites hating Japanese voice acting for the very same reason. I think there’s a term for this but I can’t think of it right now. Perhaps I’m just horribly cynical on any intelligent discussion about the topic anywhere on the internet, just like most things.
Though I don’t watch much anime, I’m into Japanese RPGs. They have as much stigma as anime since they’re usually categorized into the same thing. Though I definitely think that the entire process of localization is something to be looked at. One particular huge example is Ar tonelico 2, which got a really poor localization and even a freezing bug to boot, although luckily that’s easy to get by, although for the most part the typo-ridden script can be fixed by having an actual editor look at it. That won’t fix the lack of voice acting [both English and Japanese] though.
The fans are outraged at NISA [the people who brought it over for the US] for screwing up, as they should be, but I can’t help but to detect something off from the more vocal critics. It’s not like I disagree with them but I don’t know.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 10:20 am ¶
Collie wrote:
I can’t wait to read this. I’m not an anime fan at all (I’m pretty indifferent to it); the closest I come to it is my collection of horror comics including ones from Japan. But fandom is FASCINATING for some reason.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 11:47 am ¶
Cass wrote:
@ little mixed girl:
There are several anime cons in Michigan.
http://www.animecons.com/events/state.shtml/MI002
AnimeCons.com lists upcoming cons (anime, comics, sci-fi, gaming) worldwide.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 5:39 pm ¶
x0x wrote:
This reminded me of the post from a few days back about an often misquoted proverb and the “essentializing” of Japan by self-appointed “experts”. A lot of people I know have gone abroad to Japan and, although I don’t have the economic privilege to be able to enjoy that for myself just yet, I try to imagine the feeling of being the Other in country where whites are not the majority.
What would the perceptions of others be if, say, I decided to don traditional attire daily or decided to pursue traditional arts such as calligraphy, kendo, or even swordsmithing or traditional theater?
If I weren’t as versed as I am in the history and language of Japan, I could understand such actions might seem like a weird kind of ignorant appropriation (although anyone who continued in these arts would surely move beyond that as they continued, and those who had only a shallow interest would soon give up). But what about someone who has spent time in Japan and understands the historical and cultural significance of their actions? Is there something, besides the experience of actually having grown up in the culture (save the exposure one has had beyond the usual anime, manga, etc.), that I lack which prevents me from doing these things? Is there some sort of “authenticity” that is missing?
I have seen this idea played out in the classroom as I studied with my peers. Their attitudes towards the language, ideas about who is “fit” to speak, a desire to have been born Japanese for some reason or another (beyond the convenience of growing up in the language), the act of befriending Japanese students/faculty (wants to have “Japanese” friends just because they are Japanese). It’s a big sticky ball of intersecting issues that I could probably write a ten page paper on, but it’s all pretty much based on the same idea of an “essential” Japan.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 7:02 pm ¶
Titanis walleri wrote:
“I wonder if some of the characters in anime/manga could be mixed race? ”
Some of them probably are (like Edomae Lunar in Seto no Hanayome, who is at least half white. Or the mermaid equivalent thereof.)
“Basically, I think they expect Asian artists and animators to either produce characters with hyper-Asian features or straight-up stereotypes. Because in their eyes, that’s the only way to racialize an animated character.”
It’s quite possible to draw a recognizably Japanese person in manga, most artists just don’t for whatever reason.
And then they draw *actual* white characters (usually American, usually blond and blue-eyed, almost always female and attractive) pretty much the same way they draw everyone else, and stereotype the hell out of them to compensate.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 8:06 pm ¶
Aris wrote:
@ Titanis walleri: I totally agree. Look at the Korean manhwa, Pink Lady, for example. The characters look visibly Asian. It’s entirely possible…..
I still enjoy anime though. I’ve been an anime fan since I was 8!! I can’t wait for LaToya’s articles!
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 9:04 pm ¶
johnjihoonchang wrote:
Looking forward to it. While I’m an anime watcher, I wouldn’t be able to call myself a fan. Either way, I have some friends who are somewhat into this culture, both white and PoC and while I can’t fully understand fandom on the whole (regardless of type) it’d be interesting to hear your thoughts on the cross section of anime/manga fandom and race.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 9:41 pm ¶
little mixed girl wrote:
@ notebook-
!!! are there really people arguing about subs/dubs from that angle?!
I hung out with girls who were more into subs because they were the original and the dubs sounded like cheap Saturday morning cartoons.
I didn’t get into forums until university, so I think that protected (?) me from the weirdos. Plus Animerica mostly published letters in the same vein (subs sound better, dubs are for lazy people) :p
@ Cass
Thanks for the heads up!
I am guessing these are newer ones?
—–
I have to laugh at the people near my age who are calling themselves “old”! Stop that! You’re in your 20s, you’re not old at all!
Since more comments have come up about anime characters looking “white”…and I was going to save this for the topic, but I’ll put a short version here…
Basically, what gets to the US is only a fraction of what’s available in Japan.
Also, manga that’s drawn by women often has a certain glorified style.
When white or bi-racial characters appear, it’s immediately apparent (I would post the pics that I have if I could).
The manga/anime that’s pushed out in the US is often girl’s manga/anime or super popular kids anime (pokemon/etc).
These all tend to have a certain style, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only style.
And, why do people always bring up blonde hair? There are characters with green, pink, red, purple, blue hair, and no one uses that as evidence that the characters are white.
anyways, i’ll save the rest for that post.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 10:14 pm ¶
Ay-leen wrote:
Just wanted to throw my two cents that I’m also extremely excited about these articles, especially the last topic.
Posted 24 Jul 2009 at 11:05 am ¶
Tlönista wrote:
On characters in anime/manga “looking white”, I’d also like to point out that art styles vary for different genres and demographics. In much seinen (think Dragon Head and, more recently, Detroit Metal City), art is less stylized, and Japanese characters “look Japanese”.
Definitely looking forward to the whole series!
Posted 24 Jul 2009 at 3:45 pm ¶
JT wrote:
I’m 19, so I suppose I cout as a young’un in terms of being a Black, female anime fan, but I must say, I’m pretty excited about these articles
Especially the Cultural Remix ones.
(Latrice, you sound like my long, lost, big sister.)
Posted 24 Jul 2009 at 5:49 pm ¶
eff wrote:
I’m a little late to the conversation here, but I just wanted to ask – Latoya, (or anyone, for that matter) have you seen Michiko & Hatchin?
Posted 24 Jul 2009 at 10:18 pm ¶
immemorabilis wrote:
I’m terribly excited to read these articles! I’m a casual anime/manga fan with a few titles I follow obsessively; I’m part of the “nerdy” crowd at my school.
In regards to the “anime characters looking white” thing, I remember reading that many earlier manga (I’m thinking 1970s here) were set in foreign, western countries so that the authors would be able to write women acting in ways outside of the traditional Japanese feminine sphere. I think it was Rose of Versailles (1970s manga telling a fictionalized account of Marie Antoinette’s life, alongside a woman warrior who was raised as a boy) that set the precedent, at least in shojou.
I read a really excellent essay talking about this very thing; I’ll have to look for the bookmark. I’m so looking forward to reading this series!
Posted 25 Jul 2009 at 4:41 pm ¶
Amanda wrote:
Hello! I find this post and the proposed future posts incredibly interesting! I’m doing my Phd on Japanese anime, Otakus, and fandom, and am currently TAing for a race ethnicity and media course, so this is a really amazing intersection of analysis for me! not to throw more facets into the mix, but I’m also interested in how this increase in minority participation reflects American fandom, in particular, does this come into play in your analyses? And does class come into play at all?
Posted 25 Jul 2009 at 5:39 pm ¶
Kendra wrote:
I wonder if anyone has read Berserk. I was thinking about potential orientalist aspects of the series as well as its treatment of rape and molestation suffered by male children. Also, one of the main female characters, Casca, is colored like a woman of color (at least in my mind) and I am surprised how mostly white fans seem to receive her and draw fanart featuring her without diminishing her skin tone.
Oh, and I too am a black female anime fan. Just turned 20 and I have been meaning to go to an con and cosplay. Sailor Neptune is one of my favorite female characters as well as Casca.
I read a book about black and Asian relations which had a small segment discussng the “white” characters in anime.
Posted 25 Jul 2009 at 11:44 pm ¶
MangaReader wrote:
“Is Otakudom a White Space?”
No, it isn’t. Most anime/manga fans are from Asia. Even if you exlude Japan as their participation in most English anime/manga fan websites is to reverse import their own culture for free asia still has the majority of fans (based on the records to my own network of anime/manga fansites and other sites I have worked on). I get huge numbers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philipines, Singapore, etc. The only way to get the fandom as white would be to specifically exclude non-white majority countries.
If your idea of “fan” is the white teen who sits in Barnes and Noble or Borders’ cafe and reads manga you are probably right, they are mostly white kids with too much time on their hands and a pocket of money (which they don’t spend on books but food). Same goes for the cons, which cost time and money and skew towards the wealthier, younger crowd. But that isn’t an accurate monitor of the real fans, the ones who really discuss and enjoy the content. Those are all over the world, from Iran and Nigeria to Chile and Denmark. They come to the English sites as they are the fastest and largest sources around and most people know some English.
Posted 28 Jul 2009 at 12:21 am ¶
Zahra wrote:
I am very much looking forward to this series!
In addition to the great topics above, I would love to see a piece about dark-skinned anime characters–the ones who DON’T look white, even to a Western audience. When my friends in college got into Revolutionary Girl Utena, I kept asking, “Who’s the black girl with glasses?” It fascinated me that the story centered on Utena protecting a shy, meek, helpless-princess-type black girl, in part because this flew in the face of some many US stereotypes.
Except I’m not sure that Anthy and her brother are black–I think she might be South Asian–and I’m not sure how her depiction works within social categories in Japan. I’d love to hear more about how the racial meaning and baggage of these darker-skinned character changes as the material crosses cultural lines.
Similarly, I’d love to read something about the intersections of race and queer sexuality. The anime fans I knew in college were often white queer women who were looking for reflections of LGBT life and not finding them, or not finding them adequate, in US media. But they found representations & genderplay in manga & anime (transwoman character in Fushugi Yuugi! lesbian couple in Sailor Moon! whatever-the-hell-is-going-on in Utena! gender-switching in Ranma! female voice actor playing man lead in Ruruoni Kenshin! bishonen everywhere!).
I always thought this led to some curious and complicated issues of appropriation, given both white privilege and the all-pervading fear of homophobic violence in those years. (Full disclosure: I’m 32, the age Matthew Shepard would have been had he lived.) I’m curious about this, and about how it may have changed in in the intervening years, when both LGBT people and anime have become MUCH more mainstream in the US.
Posted 28 Jul 2009 at 11:14 am ¶
Roxie wrote:
@Latrice: I feel you! That was/is me!
Posted 07 Aug 2009 at 6:19 pm ¶