![]() ![]() Thus, a lot of what Japanese people know and perceive has been spread through western media which is dominated by America through entertainment, news, music et cetera. When trying to answer these questions, it is important to note that Japan has always been a homogeneous nation and this has created a kind of distance between them and other cultures from many parts of the world. Do all the people of African ancestry have these characteristics and why have these stereotypes been continuously perpetuated? So this leaves me to question why some characters of African ancestry are represented in this manner in manga and anime. ![]() It seems as though the creators of this manga and anime went all out to display Bugnug’s supposed ‘Africanness’ by naming the character Bugnug which they go on to translate as Ant-Eater, having her fight naked, which I believe represents a kind of primitiveness and then including a coup d’état in her storyline which occurs within her revolutionary organization. When she is finally defeated by Yō Hinomura, the two become allies and she later on gets his assistance to defeat a coup d’état in her organization. It is impossible to compare her to the other Japanese females in the same manga as they seem more fragile and feminine.ĭuring the battle with Yō Hinomura (Crying Freeman), Bugnug is completely naked and only carries a blade. She is beautiful with long curly hair but is muscular and masculine in her behavior. Bugnug is first introduced to Crying Freeman manga readers when she launches a surprise attack on Yō Hinomura who is the main character. The characters mentioned are all African American with the exception of Bugnug (which means Ant-Eater apparently) who is the leader of the Askari (Swahili word to mean soldier) which is an African revolutionary organization. ![]() Popo from Dragon Ball and Jynx from pokemon who both appear to be in black face, Staff Officer Black and Killa from Dragon Ball, Bugnug or ‘dark eyes’ from Crying freeman et cetera. Ohh and his animal spirit is a Jaguar! Many other non-Japanese characters are as controversial for example Mr. Where do I even start with this … His name is CHOCOLOVE!!! The character is an African American who has his hair in an afro, has exaggerated lips and wears an African wrap on the lower half of his body. One such character is ChocoLove McDonell (pictured above) from the manga and Anime ‘Shaman King’. This can be seen in their dressing style, behavior, speech patterns and activities they are engaged in. Never did it ever occur to me that the way the Japanese creators illustrate their artistic work had significance on how race and ethnicity is viewed or construed in Japan.Īs I began to read and watch more Manga and Anime, I began to notice how non-Japanese characters (people of color, specifically of African origin) were drawn and represented and many of them had very stereotypical characteristics. That is, many of them have exaggerated and flamboyant features and this always stood out for me and many other fans alike. The characters in Manga and Anime have always stood out because they are unique. I always admired how the Japanese style of drawing cartoon characters was different from that of popular western comics and animations. I have been a big fan of Manga and Anime for as long as I can remember. ![]()
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