narcted wrote:The lack of blacks in anime is both the lacking ethnic population in Japan and also of production practicality. Blacks are actually difficult to animate. It's the hair. It's usually so short and curly and requires too much drawing on each frame. Long straight hair is easier.
Example: The title character of Nadia: Secret of Blue Water was originally drawn as an African with curly hair. It was actually kinda 'poofy' on the sides. Gainax discovered in test animation that it was too dificult to animate head movements with the curly hair. So they changed the character sketch so Nadia had straight hair. Nadia is generally recognized as being of African origin.
The big lips is also a production neccesity. With dark skin on the face, you need to highlight the borders of the mouth so people can see lip movement, as the usually pinkish mouth interior does not contrast as well as it does with paler skin tones. With paler faces, viewers can make out the black lines that define the mouth.
I generally agree with you, except for two things:
1) Although I know I do not represent the majority of black people, my hair is long and straight. And, living in a predominantly black area, I know a lot of other girls whose hair is long and straight (or short and straight). Although our hair is naturally curlier and poofier, some of us get chemical treatments, the same way anyone else can to make curly hair. And some of us do have naturally straight long hair.
2) Black lines, although not as visible, does show up on brown drawn complexions, especially lighter ones. Even with the "production necessity", though, lips on black people in anime tend to be more exaggerated than need be. There are cartoons that have black characters on them in which the lips are larger than the other characters' -- rightfully so, because black people's lips are generally bigger -- but not in a vaudeville style.
I prefer to go with the explanation that there is a lack of ethnic population in Japan.
And I know that I am a sap to address this, but I am not an ugly girl and I do care about sexism, because sexism puts my free will in jeopardy. Most females care about sexism, probably even the Asian ones you so love.
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