The Aesthetic of Black Anime Characters: A Conversational Video

an interview with a fellow anime lover



this is a ten minute pull from an interview featuring myself and Nate Robinson, a fellow Black student who also enjoys anime.



The video includes the following questions (and some similar to those in the video)  and more:


Why are you a fan of anime?
What is it about anime that you like?
What are some of your favourite anime?
Are there characters of colour in anime?
How are these characters of colour presented?
What practicalities did you notice?
What emotional or mental traits did you notice?
Does this affect the way you view anime?
What's it mean to be a Black anime character?
What's it mean to be a Black anime character fan?
Whats it mean to be a Black anime fan?
How do you see Black anime characters?
Do you have any problems, accolades, or solutions for Black anime character?





If you'd like to view the full video, click the link below.
The video is slightly over an hour and a great listen, enjoy!!

Comments

  1. Professor WhaleyApril 17, 2018 at 5:31 AM

    Excellent questions. A theme I am seeing correlates with my research insofar as there remains a question about the race or ethnicity of "brown" anime characters. I learned about some new titles, and will check out the Jayden Smith voiced anime. I agree with your interviewee that the use of hiphop in anime in conjunction with black characters is essentialist -- assuming the two are the same. I am noticing a discussion of hair texture and color being congruent when discussing black or brown anime characters. I think the different color hair is an interesting mix and congruent with the anime form. The discussion of Bleach made me think: can anime serve as a place where race is evacuated or radically reconfigured? If you can edit out some pauses, great, if not, no worries. Excellent work!

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