Anime- Visual

Amine

Emma Sullivan 

Anime is a genre of animated shows that are produced in Japan. The shows are usually an animated adaptation of a Japanese comic book called a manga. It has become very popular worldwide over the last few decades. As anime spread outside of Japan, the racist depictions of darker characters began to be noticed and called out. It is well known that colorism runs rampant in many Asian countries- years of European colonization mean the beauty standard looks as close to them as possible: small lips, a pale complexion, a small nose, and delicate stature. This is reflected in the media they produce. Villains are often made to have features that they have deemed unattractive, like dark skin and big noses (a common problem in American media). Even though they are associated with America, Japan had menstrual shows along with many of the same stereotypes about black people. This can easily be seen through the many racist depictions in their shows. Though there are differences in style, there are some very common themes that are (unfortunately) pretty common to see. Big, shiny, detailed eyes have become almost synonymous with anime. Despite this, black characters are often depicted with small, beady, plain eyes. Mouths in anime are usually nothing but one- maybe two small lines. This is a stark contrast to darker characters who get disproportionately large lips. Even worse are the dreaded donut lips that bear a striking resemblance to those used in blackface. Women in anime are often drawn very delicately- almost childlike at times. This is a juxtaposition to how masculine black women are portrayed. Despite having large budgets and experienced animators, shows tend to give characters with darker skin gray, pallid undertones. This results in a character that looks unmoisturized and dead. If there is a black character in an anime (something that is exceptionally rare), they are usually comic relief or a villain. Things that were used in classic caricatures of black people are often used as character traits (loving watermelon and fried chicken, not being able to swim, not being smart, etc). These negative portrayals of black people in anime perpetuate negative stereotypes. It also makes it harder for black watchers to enjoy shows that might have brought them a lot of happiness. Demanding to see better portrayals of black people in animated and live-action shows produced both in and out of America more often will allow black people to enjoy and see themselves in shows like white people can.