NPR story: "A Black Samurai Fighting Giant Mechas? 'Yasuke' Asks, Why Not?"

May 7, 2021 8:09 AM

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Mar 2017

2852

A Black Samurai Fighting Giant Mechas? 'Yasuke' Asks, Why Not?

This story appeared today on NPR about this anime. Part of the story focuses on the lead being a black character, the fact that they are few and far between in anime, and how this is changing in Japanese culture.

A møøse once bit my sister...

May 7, 2021 9:10 PM

NelZeppyBreach

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Apr 2021

Xesty17 said:
"I don't think true historical biopics in Japanese anime are popular," he said. "Historians will like it, but it's kind of boring for the average viewer."

Vinland Saga manga- 8.93
Vagabond manga- 9.11
Kingdom manga- 8.99

I honestly don't get why it's so pushed that it has a black lead. People want to normalize black people in anime, but when it happens they hype it up unnecessarily and make it anything but normal.

They should've focused more on making a good story instead of constantly reminding everyone the lead is black. And him saying normal people would find a historical anime boring shows how little he really knows about the medium and the community.

I hate taste- shaming, but he makes it so obvious that he doesn't watch anything outside battle shounen.

Maybe because we rarely get to see Black leads in an action anime with fantasy elements ? If you've been watching anime for a long time, you'd know that Black characters when they do appear are mostly side characters except for Afro Samurai, right ? Some people care about seeing something different, so please understand things from their perspective. As for good stories, I agree with you on that point though. Yasuke could have been better if they ditched the mechs and out-of-place elements,but here's hoping that future creators of any ethnicity would make better stories with black leads paired with charismatic heroines of any race or color.

May 11, 2021 9:02 AM

Theo1899

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Jun 2016

13422

He's right in the sense that all three of these are fictional stories that borrow names and events from history. The difference with yasuke is that those series decided to stay grounded in the real world while the creators of yasuke introduced fantasy and scifi because they look cool without bothering to integrate them to their world.

Theo1899May 11, 2021 9:05 AM

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NPR story: "A Black Samurai Fighting Giant Mechas? 'Yasuke' Asks, Why Not?"

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