Why Do Anime Characters Look White ?

Inquiring minds want to know this: Anime are made and written in Japan since they were created there in the first place.

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It has a large number of Japanese-speaking protagonists who speak Japanese, and the majority of the characters in the anime are Japanese. However, they don’t appear Japanese to us; rather, they appear white.

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As far as I can tell, they’re all white. Anime characters’ appearances are idealized since they are an abstracted representation of reality. Because light or white complexion is seen as lovely in Japan, the majority of Anime characters have it. However, this does not rule out the possibility that they are Japanese. In truth, the vast majority of Japanese people will identify these characters as being Japanese and not as foreign.

Why Do We Think, That Anime Characters are White?

Anime characters are known for their brightly colored hair, large, expressive eyes, and pale complexion.

All of these traits are characteristic of people from the West. Many of us are fair-skinned, with blond or red hair, blue or green eyes, and white skin. As a result, from a Westerner’s perspective, anime characters seem remarkably like us.

The majority of Japanese people have black hair, brown eyes, and complexion that is slightly darker than the average. They don’t resemble most of the anime characters we’ve seen before.

As a result, it should come as no surprise that so many Westerners wonder why anime characters appear to be predominantly white. They appear white to us because that’s what we see.

When it comes to this topic in Japan, however, you may be astonished!

In order to reduce the cost of animation, the Anime style was developed. Instead of going overboard with detail, the animators focused on highlighting aspects like the eyes and head proportions to make it easier for viewers to understand their characters’ feelings.

To make the characters more appealing, they incorporated elements of the modern art style that are popular among the Japanese public. As a result, their characters have large eyes and heads, as well as pale complexion.

In Japanese culture, it is typical for people to find white skin appealing. To prevent getting tanned, this is why you’ll see so many young women avoiding the sun. A UV-resistant umbrella is sometimes even carried to totally block out the sun.

Anime is a very exaggerated art form, so naturally the white skin component is over-exaggerated as well.

Japanese people, on the other hand, don’t believe that their anime characters look like Westerners.

What do Japanese People Think About the Origins of Their Characters?

The origins of certain Anime characters may often be found out by asking Japanese people about them, and most of the time they will tell you that the characters are Japanese.

In addition, you’ll note that the Japanese give little regard to a person’s race. In terms of facial structure, eyes, and overall head shape, they are more concerned.

People in Japan use qualities like these while trying to pin down the ancestry of various fictional characters. It’s not about skin tone!

To prove my point, here’s a video by “That Japanese Man Yuta” that shows you how Japanese pedestrians react to this issue and how they identify the origins of various Anime characters!

Anime Characters, That Are From Foreign Countries, Look Just Like Normal Characters From Japan!

A large number of anime characters have white skin and the same brightly colored hair as other Anime characters in the same show, despite the fact that they are not Japanese.

The shape of the head and eyes is the most noticeable distinction between them. The Japanese see rounder eyes as more Japanese, while those with thinner eyes are seen more European.

A smaller face with sharper, more defined jawline is considered more European-looking, as are rounder heads, which are seen as more Japanese.

They may seem like minor variations to us, but to the Japanese, these are the most important characteristics to look for when determining the origin of an Anime character.

What About The Simpsons?

Another fascinating case study is provided here.

You’ve probably questioned why the Simpsons don’t appear like any other typical American family, despite the fact that they’re plainly depicted as such and live in a universe that is very similar to our own.

Neither have I. I simply accepted the style of animation as it was. An over-the-top visual style to further abstract the humor and make it more unrealistic and unrealistically over-the-top

And it’s a lot less expensive than Disney’s old-school technique of animation.

Isn’t that the same thing that happens with anime and Japan?

Anime is nothing more than a stylized parody of Japanese culture. Both in terms of how they act and how they appear.

The Behaviour of Anime Characters Also Greatly Differ From Reality

Both the visual style and the character behavior in anime are vastly different from what one would see in real life.

The bodily bubble is one such example. Everyone in Japan is extraordinarily polite and acutely attuned to one another’s sense of personal space. On the streets, it’s rare to see people hugging or holding hands.

Public kissing is also extremely uncommon in Japan. In public, you’re unlikely to see a couple kissing.

Although these tabus and politeness are substantially diminished in anime, overreaction is exploited for humorous effect.

It’s not uncommon for anime characters to be boisterous and full of sarcasm. All of these actions are done in private by the Japanese.

Only Western Fans of Anime Believe, That Anime Characters are White.

Only Western anime viewers, as previously said, believe that anime characters are all white. The color of one’s skin has less of an impact on the Japanese than it does on Americans.

If you ask a Japanese person why the anime characters in their country are all white, they won’t understand you!

To explain why western anime viewers believe that the characters are western, they may be picturing themselves in the shoes of the protagonist or their favorite anime character. Because of this, cosplay has become so popular in Western countries.

You can’t help but wonder, “If they are from Japan, why are they not more like Japanese people and actually more like I am?” It is completely normal to follow a character’s adventures and want to be a part of it and imagine yourself as a part of their universe and perhaps subconsciously we start to imagine our anime heroes to be western.

And that’s when the confusion began.. Because their favorite anime heroes are clearly Japanese to them, Japanese people don’t give a second thought to the fact that their favorite characters are from other countries.

As a result, I trust that you have an idea of the difficulty of answering this question. The root of the problem is a misinterpretation of one culture by another. Because they’re merely idealized representations of reality, anime characters aren’t always depicted as white.

Sources: https://www.lunchbox-productions.com
Categori: Anime

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