Killer B, ‘Naruto Shippuden’–I am beyond how to deal with this mess

Despite how abrasive I find the racial/ethnic mess of presentation that is the character of Killer B, I managed to catch up with the subbed episodes of Naruto Shippuden.

I just have so many issues with Killer B. He
is
a
total
racist caricature
I can barely stand to listen to him so its hard for me to watch the newer subbed episodes of Naruto Shippuden.

There aren’t many clearly brown people in this series. But you just cannot ignore the racism present in a character like Killer B.

Here’s most of my beef:

1. Killer B is called ‘Killer’ B and happens to be a big brown dude.
2. Can we have a brown character that doesn’t have blonde hair?
3. What’s with the rapping, posing, giving concerts, and doling out dap? That’s what really bugs me about B and what I feel undeniably marks him as a caricature of Black hip-hop culture, which the Japanese and whites are known for making fun of. Eminem was enough.
4. Standing with the Raikage, bursting through walls, popping with muscles, and acting all aggressive doesn’t help.
5. He is bestial, unrealistically oblivious, and unrealistically unphased by his situation. Like he’s just stupid instead of wise.
6. Laconic comic relief (another stereotype)
7. Yeah, the whole getting along so well with animals and being so “dark-skinned”, masculine and “in touch nature” is yet another stereotype.
8. His hair is unmistakably fashioned in imitation of corn rolls–’nuff said
9. When I think about it, I think I actually might have liked Killer B as a character if his crafting had been a little more subtle and careful. But the core of his character relies on too many racist, shorthand stereotypes for me see any depth or originality.

urrgghhhh!!!!

~Tavia

Black Butler, European British motif

So I picked up a new anime today, Black Butler.

The truth is I kind of think its funny, occultish, and interesting, despite its exaggerated, supremacist European motif. I’m not surprised because many Japanese manga and anime artist seem to think anything white/European is the best thing on the planet. What I can’t stand for is the ever-present supremacist British attitude of Ciel as the main character.

Reading the English subtitles, which may or may not be accurate, I noticed in episode 13 that Ciel described the men from India as “Indian savages”. Considering all this bullshit talk coming out of England about Black folks and western Europe/Britain’s history with colonialism and their use of this word towards people of color, I wasn’t happy or impressed with its use in the subbing or Ciel’s attitude towards the Indian immigrants.

The funny thing about this show though is that they take hits even at other white people. So far they’ve made Italians and Irish out to be villians while Britains remain pure of Englishmen…smdh.

Japan needs to work ont their issues with racism towards [other] people of color so it stops popping up all over place or at least represented in a light that makes me believe their aware of what their doing.

~Truly,

MsQ

Anime: A Precursor

A lot of people in America think Japanese animation, known as anime, is just kids’ cartoons. Maybe in Japan, they view it the same way, but to many fans of anime in America, such as myself, believe differently. For every person who disparges anime and dismisses it, there are just as many who love it (sometimes labeled as otaku), giving rise to manga (“comic”/”graphic novel”) and anime DVD sales, anime conventions such as Washington state’s Sakura-Con and Atlanta, Georgia’s Momo Con and Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA).

Personally, I watch anime forseveral reasons:

 The music

• opening and closing animation songs that rock, OST (original soundtrack) music that I’ve just got to have
•  music associated with the feeling/mood, battles, and drama of the show
• at least 30%-40% of the music in my iTunes library is anime-related

The story:

• I’m always interested what story the mangaka (manga artist) or animators and writers are trying to portray
• I prefer a unique blend of several or more of these elements: drama, romance, fighting, strong heroines (which is rare), magic, slice of life, magical girl, certain school life types, shinobi (ninja) themed, supernatural, vampire, yaoi (boys love), comedy, and even mobile suit stuff sometimes. Haven’t seen any good yuri….
• I generally enjoy anime’s with strong stories and developed characters that the artists and animators have given a lot of care to.

The artwork:

• I’m not going to lie, I have certain tastes in artwork and there are some that really turn me off. For example, I enjoy Miyazaki films but the way his characters are drawn isn’t my usual style.
• I like beautiful and defined characters with some sharpness as necessary, in particular I enjoy many of the beautiful and strong men I see in yaoi, even more “delicate-looking” ones sometimes.
• I love the eyes. Beautifully expressive eyes are often the mark of a good anime or manga.
• I’m not an expert at drawing so I can’t really delve too much into the topic without giving examples. For those who are familiar with anime, maybe the list of anime I have seen will help with an understanding of the style I enjoy…?
•  Sometimes, an artist’s style will grow on me though even if I’m not fond of it initially.

Like field of literature, there is just as much to love as criticize about anime and manga. This post is a precursor to my adding anime to my list of things to talk about.

Read also:

• Ms. Queenly’s Reply to Why do the Japanese Draw Themselves as White (via Abagond)
• T’he Black “Gurrlfriend” Character