Something Strange I noticed in Japanese Videogames/Anime

[Monica]

Okay, first of all, let me get it out of the way that I'm white, and I'm not at all meaning to sound racist, I just found this interesting.

Okay, since I'm white, I'm used to seeing white cartoon charecters and Game charecters. I never gave it a second thought until recently. But a lot of white animators make white charecters (and writers, behind the scenes whatever), and the same goes for black people.

But I've realized that most Japanese characters look white. Or at least more white than Asian. Take Cloud, he's blonde. So is Tidus and Celes and countless others. Fayt (save his blue hair) and Maria (save hers), Sophia...Lloyd, Colette, all are white. Elly too.

As for Anime, Sailor Moon, Misty from Pokemon, just a lot. The only Asian charecters I've noticed are Kagome and the others from Inuyasha.

I really tried not to mention too many with abnormal hair colors though.

Now I don't have any problems with this, I just thought it'd be a good topic. I did notice that none of the main charecters in games are black (meaning the heros like Cloud and Fei)

Any thoughts?

[ShadowTiger]

Also notice the difference between the eyes of Anime characters and the eyes of the Asians who draw them. (No, I'm not racist either. I Heart Asians and Asian culture. <3 .. and stuff. Just .. don't start.) I heard from outpostnine that Asians "love big eyes," and "envy the Americans for it." ... Interesting. o.O'


BTW, ... you don't want to go into the topic about their medicine. If you fear all things "butts" .. you won't want to start. >.<'

[Link 101]

Yeah, I just finished reading a manga called Deathnote. Very good, you guys who like manga should check it. Anyways, the main character has blonde hair and looks really American, but the odd thing is that his whole family has black hair and in fact look Asian. This manga does take place in Japan mind you. I dunno, I guess what BH4 is saying must be a factor. Asians just love our gynormous eye balls.

[Drunken Tiger]

Japan is unlike many other "asian" cultures, in a way they look up and idolise the west, its way of life and culture. The Japanese dont even classify themselves as Asian, they see themselves above all the other Asians in the region. So technically, Its the West, Asia and Japan...

[Lilith]

A lot of animes have big eyes because, as every one else said, Japanese people love big eyes...it's a sign of innocence and attractiveness. I'm going to take a guess and say it's not because they love the west, but because the Japanese race tends to have more "open" eyes than other Asian races, and they're exageratting this because it's already a distrinctive trait they found beautiful. Unfortunately, they go through great lengths to achieve this ideal look, and eyelid surgery/eyelid tape is pretty commonplace.

Also it's funny how all the black characters in anime are thug-ish and always carrying weapons, lol.

Mangas occasionally do draw in a "realistic" way, like Ichi the Killer. That manga also went through great lengths to exageratte how differently Chinese people looked and make them look uglier. lol.

[AlexMax]

This thread reminded me of this for some reason:

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2097/butt4jv.png

[Monica]

Funny, when I started this thread I wasn't even thinking about the eyes. I had no idea that "anime eyes" were meant to look more American...O_o I was thinking more of skin tone and occasionally build...

[Saffith]

There are at least some cases where black anime characters are recolored in the American versions (like in One Piece (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:OnePieceedit.jpg)) because they're drawn blackface-style, which Americans generally find offensive.
There are several animes where the Asian characters all have dark hair, and occasionally darker skin. Usually the more serious or realistic ones that don't usually get put on TV in the US, or those drawn by certain artists. Evangelion comes to mind (Ritsuko's blonde, but it's dyed), and Lain, Now and Then, Here and There, NieA_7, Samurai Champloo... They're out there, they're just not as well-known around here.

[Kevin]

What I like about anime is that in the future, Japan is the leading power / last surviving bastion for humans / central point of interest for the entire world. In other words JAPAN IS SUPERIOR

[Gerudo]

^until said anime gets dubbed.

then it seems everyone lives in the USA, with names like Ayumu, Byakuya, and Motoko...

[me2]

http://www.origo.hu/i/0506/20050607rekord.jpg
The japanese must be jealous.

I'm not a big fan of huge eyes. I like them normal.

[Yoshiman]

There are black people in Megaman Battle Network 2, but they're very stereotypical. I believe Lan gets in a car with a black driver, and all of Lan's battlechips (I think that's what it was) end up getting stolen. There's also an alleyway with a majority of black people, fitted with a boombox, a basketball hoop, and their leader, Raul.

Other than that, I don't think I've seen to many African American people in any other anime or games. I thought there was a Fire Emblem game that had someone like that, but I could be wrong.