Next Generation God
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- Posted: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 03:27:41 +0000
So for starters I'd like to say I am going to probably be spoiling anime that some people might not have seen. Just purely based on the fact that I will be citing specific events in anime that does give plot points and blah blah blah. Look, spoilers people beware.
So after that admittedly half assed disclaimer time to get into the meat of this. Now the title of this thread is a little ambiguous so allow me to clarify. I'm discussing how America (and some other countries) are portrayed in Anime. Now before you get all up in arms I'm not against having an unfavorable light cast upon the U.S. per se, but there are some things that just don't quite sit right with me.
I'm going to start with an anime(s) that I believe to be harmless and just for fun. Tongue and cheek if you would and I'm sure some of you have seen it.
Yes, Excel Saga.
And to toot my own horn, a great way to start this thread.
A parody that I believe to be hilarious. While it never offended me, it easily could have. (<If I were a b***h.) But stereotypes such as these can be hilarious that even, no, especially Americans can love. And while I'm at it lets throw another good example of a parody done right for good measure.
This is Abenobashi for those who want to know if you didn't already.
These two are done with such a ludicrous image of Americans turned up to eleven (that no doubt does hold some credibility...) that shouldn't be reviled because of its offensive nature.
Now I'm going to discuss quick potshots that I've noticed in anime.
Ben-To for one, in the very first episode we get bashed on recycling. While I do believe we should recycle in America (Not due to global warming reasons mind you.) I can't really take it personally because I believe they are right in terms of recycling. And I can't be mad because... well... we don't really do as much as we can/could.
But on a side note, WTF is up with having characters from different countries, race, origins in general and still be half Japanese? And even though they are half Japanese half (Insert Here) they still cling to a more Japanese mannerisms/tropes. Only a little irritating, doesn't stop me from watching anime that does that.
Moyashimon does this also, in regards to us using certain biofuels. But I gave it a pass considering that certain biofuels are better than others. Also when Sawaki and co. go to France and they eat at a restaurant that serves a hamburger and fires. Kawahama notes that the burger and fries are salty in that restaurant and reminds him of America. I gave this a pass also that doesn't need explanation. But I will say, in America, we have all types of food that goes beyond burgers and fries.
If you see the pattern above, I give things a pass based on my agreement that some things are represented have a truth to them, even if they are stereotypical. Not only that though, if I did disagree with the above I would be wrong because what was presented is generally true.
Yet another side note though. Kawahama dresses up as a Mexican and I would like to know if any Hispanic peoples were offended by this. And I would like to know if anyone from France or has been to France can tell me if the setting, mannerisms of the people there are accurate even if to a degree.
Now this is where I get a little bit more frustrated. In Birdy the Mighty Decode (which I love) has some irrelevancies about the plot in general that seems like it was just because. In the first season M. Night Shyamalan was the main antagonist. No i'm not kidding, he was the antagonist. I'm conflicted because this aired in 2008. And I didn't have a grudge against Shyamalan until 2010 when he made the b*****d version of the last airbender. And it seems they choose him as the antagonist just because he is American. However i'm open to the fact that I might just be oversensitive on this one.
What does bother me though is in the second season of said show. Around the end of the second season the antagonist refugees that cause the Ryunka to come to earth as a testing place. They murdered a bunch of U.S. soldiers that were stationed in Japan for whatever reason they were there. They had a weapon that was not modern by any means that passed as alien technology, despite the fact that most people on earth don't believe in aliens. To be fair the antagonists did have a reason to do this, it was for a weapon held by the Americans at that port. But it seems they made the decision to make them U.S. soldiers because... well just because.
In Senki Zesshou Symphogear it does have a similar affect to this. In the first season Fine was cooperating with America for... I forget. But America cooperated because the Symphogear was something that could alter world power. America doing this for world power I don't disagree with. But there are other world powers besides the U.S. so why didn't they try anything? And this isn't something I take seriously just because... Well ******** how COULD you take this anime seriously. The second season again has a similar affect, as to where the main protagonist is a group of Americans turned rogue that also happened to be working with Fine from the first season. Now I'm going to say I like this series seeing as how it has a lot going for it. And to be fair who wasn't rooting for Dr. Ver to get completely and utterly b***h slapped by the protagonists. But during a scene where Genjuurou was speaking with other world leaders he says and I quote: "Don't trust the Americans."
This one also has a pattern to it. I'm not entirely bothered that America was there. They seemed to be there just to be the enemy, just to be evil dicks, and really just to be there for no reason other than being there. In regarding Symphogear I don't take it to heart considering a few things. Genjuurou watches action films that seem to have heavy influences of Bruce Lee. And that Chris has some Symphogear attacks that are based of metal bands from America. Some ******** yeah there for sure, and Symphogear doesn't seem like an anime to be taken seriously anyway. But Birdy the Mighty made me sad that we're a hindrance to them. D':
^--So as far as all this goes I will admit to some mild butthurt.
Lastly this is probably why I made this thread to begin with. Muv Luv Alternative which I didn't make past episode four, but I pretty much read what happened instead of watching it. Muv Luv Alternative in regards to the topic at hand, has made some fragrantly offensive remarks not just towards America, but towards every character representing the part of the world they're from. I'll use a quote from a crunchyroll reviewer that I feel aptly describes my problem with it:
"They are seriously playing up pretty much EVERY international stereotype it could think of. Italians are flirtatious, Mongolians are small, Russians torture, Russians are secretive, Americans are stupid, Americans hate the Japanese, Americans make overpowered machines that are still inferior, Americans just need to experience another culture.........You may be seeing a trend here. These aren't just subtle one-time instances in the story. They are major overriding themes, motivations, and plot points!!!"
The quote above sums it up very nicely. And it's also irritating that an anime that's so disrespectful to other cultures still portrays them as caricatures and, at times, still act as if they were straight from an anime. And the racism the main character shows towards the Japanese people wouldn't be out of place if it were ******** WW2. And considering the plot and the overall situation, you think the world would set their god damn differences aside against a foe that has already taken out 3/4s the population. I'd only imagine this kind of s**t wouldn't continue.
I'm not one to claim America doesn't have offensive stuff about the Japanese culture because we do. But there is being offensive, and flat out stereotyping damn everything about a culture and turning it up to the nth degree. And it's not as if it were even constructive as to where we could learn something, because the creators damn sure didn't suggest anything.
Final side note, I just have a question for the U.K. Did it bother you that Code Geass made the British take over the world? Speaking for myself I can't say I was against this. I was just glad the U.S. wasn't the bad guy for once.
So after that admittedly half assed disclaimer time to get into the meat of this. Now the title of this thread is a little ambiguous so allow me to clarify. I'm discussing how America (and some other countries) are portrayed in Anime. Now before you get all up in arms I'm not against having an unfavorable light cast upon the U.S. per se, but there are some things that just don't quite sit right with me.
I'm going to start with an anime(s) that I believe to be harmless and just for fun. Tongue and cheek if you would and I'm sure some of you have seen it.
Yes, Excel Saga.
And to toot my own horn, a great way to start this thread.
A parody that I believe to be hilarious. While it never offended me, it easily could have. (<If I were a b***h.) But stereotypes such as these can be hilarious that even, no, especially Americans can love. And while I'm at it lets throw another good example of a parody done right for good measure.
This is Abenobashi for those who want to know if you didn't already.
These two are done with such a ludicrous image of Americans turned up to eleven (that no doubt does hold some credibility...) that shouldn't be reviled because of its offensive nature.
Now I'm going to discuss quick potshots that I've noticed in anime.
Ben-To for one, in the very first episode we get bashed on recycling. While I do believe we should recycle in America (Not due to global warming reasons mind you.) I can't really take it personally because I believe they are right in terms of recycling. And I can't be mad because... well... we don't really do as much as we can/could.
But on a side note, WTF is up with having characters from different countries, race, origins in general and still be half Japanese? And even though they are half Japanese half (Insert Here) they still cling to a more Japanese mannerisms/tropes. Only a little irritating, doesn't stop me from watching anime that does that.
Moyashimon does this also, in regards to us using certain biofuels. But I gave it a pass considering that certain biofuels are better than others. Also when Sawaki and co. go to France and they eat at a restaurant that serves a hamburger and fires. Kawahama notes that the burger and fries are salty in that restaurant and reminds him of America. I gave this a pass also that doesn't need explanation. But I will say, in America, we have all types of food that goes beyond burgers and fries.
If you see the pattern above, I give things a pass based on my agreement that some things are represented have a truth to them, even if they are stereotypical. Not only that though, if I did disagree with the above I would be wrong because what was presented is generally true.
Yet another side note though. Kawahama dresses up as a Mexican and I would like to know if any Hispanic peoples were offended by this. And I would like to know if anyone from France or has been to France can tell me if the setting, mannerisms of the people there are accurate even if to a degree.
Now this is where I get a little bit more frustrated. In Birdy the Mighty Decode (which I love) has some irrelevancies about the plot in general that seems like it was just because. In the first season M. Night Shyamalan was the main antagonist. No i'm not kidding, he was the antagonist. I'm conflicted because this aired in 2008. And I didn't have a grudge against Shyamalan until 2010 when he made the b*****d version of the last airbender. And it seems they choose him as the antagonist just because he is American. However i'm open to the fact that I might just be oversensitive on this one.
What does bother me though is in the second season of said show. Around the end of the second season the antagonist refugees that cause the Ryunka to come to earth as a testing place. They murdered a bunch of U.S. soldiers that were stationed in Japan for whatever reason they were there. They had a weapon that was not modern by any means that passed as alien technology, despite the fact that most people on earth don't believe in aliens. To be fair the antagonists did have a reason to do this, it was for a weapon held by the Americans at that port. But it seems they made the decision to make them U.S. soldiers because... well just because.
In Senki Zesshou Symphogear it does have a similar affect to this. In the first season Fine was cooperating with America for... I forget. But America cooperated because the Symphogear was something that could alter world power. America doing this for world power I don't disagree with. But there are other world powers besides the U.S. so why didn't they try anything? And this isn't something I take seriously just because... Well ******** how COULD you take this anime seriously. The second season again has a similar affect, as to where the main protagonist is a group of Americans turned rogue that also happened to be working with Fine from the first season. Now I'm going to say I like this series seeing as how it has a lot going for it. And to be fair who wasn't rooting for Dr. Ver to get completely and utterly b***h slapped by the protagonists. But during a scene where Genjuurou was speaking with other world leaders he says and I quote: "Don't trust the Americans."
This one also has a pattern to it. I'm not entirely bothered that America was there. They seemed to be there just to be the enemy, just to be evil dicks, and really just to be there for no reason other than being there. In regarding Symphogear I don't take it to heart considering a few things. Genjuurou watches action films that seem to have heavy influences of Bruce Lee. And that Chris has some Symphogear attacks that are based of metal bands from America. Some ******** yeah there for sure, and Symphogear doesn't seem like an anime to be taken seriously anyway. But Birdy the Mighty made me sad that we're a hindrance to them. D':
^--So as far as all this goes I will admit to some mild butthurt.
Lastly this is probably why I made this thread to begin with. Muv Luv Alternative which I didn't make past episode four, but I pretty much read what happened instead of watching it. Muv Luv Alternative in regards to the topic at hand, has made some fragrantly offensive remarks not just towards America, but towards every character representing the part of the world they're from. I'll use a quote from a crunchyroll reviewer that I feel aptly describes my problem with it:
"They are seriously playing up pretty much EVERY international stereotype it could think of. Italians are flirtatious, Mongolians are small, Russians torture, Russians are secretive, Americans are stupid, Americans hate the Japanese, Americans make overpowered machines that are still inferior, Americans just need to experience another culture.........You may be seeing a trend here. These aren't just subtle one-time instances in the story. They are major overriding themes, motivations, and plot points!!!"
The quote above sums it up very nicely. And it's also irritating that an anime that's so disrespectful to other cultures still portrays them as caricatures and, at times, still act as if they were straight from an anime. And the racism the main character shows towards the Japanese people wouldn't be out of place if it were ******** WW2. And considering the plot and the overall situation, you think the world would set their god damn differences aside against a foe that has already taken out 3/4s the population. I'd only imagine this kind of s**t wouldn't continue.
I'm not one to claim America doesn't have offensive stuff about the Japanese culture because we do. But there is being offensive, and flat out stereotyping damn everything about a culture and turning it up to the nth degree. And it's not as if it were even constructive as to where we could learn something, because the creators damn sure didn't suggest anything.
Final side note, I just have a question for the U.K. Did it bother you that Code Geass made the British take over the world? Speaking for myself I can't say I was against this. I was just glad the U.S. wasn't the bad guy for once.
