NoaIzumiA Short Survey of Blacks in Anime
January 20th 2009 16:54
Dutch (kneeling) and Benny from Black Lagoon
As I post this, my country, the United States, is about to inaugurate its first African-American president, which leads me to think that it’s time to address the other racial question on everyone’s mind: why are there no brothers in anime? Is it a conspiracy? Is Big Anime trying to keep the black man down? Is it a plot of (gasp!) The Man?
Answer: no, of course not. As a percentage of characters, there aren’t many blacks represented, even in animes set outside of Japan, but the reason should be fairly obvious: very few blacks in Japan, very few blacks in a Japanese medium. Moreover, animated African-Americans have been seen in some meaty roles. One of the most prominent characters of one of the most prominent animes of the 80s was Vanila Varda, of Armored Trooper Votoms. He was a crook and a hustler (then again, so was everybody else in the city), but also one of the permanent supporting characters and a pretty big help to main character Churico Cuvie. Around the same time, the classic Bubblegum Crisis had AD Police Chief Todo, who wasn’t as important, but was a definite presence and a decently developed character.
In the 90s, you generally got a definite lack of permanent anime characters who were black, although there were some as guest stars, most notably in Cowboy Bebop.
Recently, however, black characters have started to come more to the forefront. In the 2004 anime Tenjho Tenge, Bob Mikihara is one of the toughest members of the Juken club. He stands out in a crowd, and not just because of his skin color. Bob is also unique, in that he’s in modern Japan. Tenjho Tenge isn’t set in the future like Bubblegum Crisis or Cowboy Bebop, it’s not set overseas like the Eagle or Gunsmith Cats mangas, and it’s not an alternate universe like Afro Samurai. It’s present day Japan, and Bob Mikihara is a black dude in it, and in the anime, it’s no big deal.
Just call him Bob
Speaking of Afro Samurai, who can forget Afro, the revenge-seeking bad-mutha with the righteous hair-do voiced by Samuel L. Jackson? Afro is not just black in skin color, he’s black in attitude. It’s like what would have happened if the makers of Shaft had nixed the New York detective angle and made Richard Roundtree into a kickass swordsman. (Anyone know how to say, “Shut yo’ mouth!” in Japanese?)
Afro
Then we come to my personal favorite, Dutch (top), small business owner and torpedo boat skipper of the very popular Black Lagoon, and main character Rock’s boss. In Roanapur with some of the meanest gangsters in the world, he may seem like a small fish in a big pond, but he knows how to handle himself and deal with (i.e., not piss off) the people around him. He’s as tough as Belalaika and as cool as Mr. Chang.
In fact, the incoming president may want to a few tips from this man. If President Obama can learn to handle the Republicans as well as Dutch handles wild card gunwoman Revy, he'll have the tough town of Washington sewed up.
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