I was just wondering if anyone knows why characters who are suppose to be Japanese in games don’t look Japanese. These games are created in Japan for a Japanese audience so I would think that if someone is suppose to be Japanese they would look Japanese. Just thought that this was odd and maybe someone here knew why.
This is true for a lot of anime as well. Perhaps a similiar question might be: Why doesn’t Homer from the Simpsons look even remotely human? Isn’t the aim of the character designers to design characters that look as realistic as possible? No, not necessarily. Perhaps it’s just a case of artistic license, or the character designers just wanted to try something different. If every character from every anime that was Japanese had to look Japanese, then character designs would quickly become redundant, I think. Also, anime with many un-Japanese looking characters (who are nonetheless supposed to be Japanese) often features character concepts (or character personalities) that highly emphasize individuality (as opposed to the common collectivist-thinking that’s prevalent in Asian countries). Making the characters look Western might be a way of complementing their personality with their appearance (a very common element in character design).
Not to get off topic…but is it just me or did I use way too many parentheses in this post?
[This message has been edited by Dark_Shiki (edited 10-17-2004).]
Hmm…come to think of it, I can think of quite a few anime (Chobits for one) where the male characters all look pretty Japanese, but all the female characters definitely look “Western.” I wonder if the Japanese really do find white skin and Western features more attractive?
The Japanese draw Western people because they find themselves ugly.
Ohhh, ohh, I know this one, call on me! Okay, first of all we can’t talk directly about bishoujo games up front. This goes way, way back. We all know how anime and manga contain almost limitless contents from romance, to violence, even to educational themes. Well, way back a long time ago with these somewhat sexual themes and violent themes were introduced into manga to get the audience’s attention, they didn’t want to make those stories about Japan. It’s like, “Japanese people wouldn’t do that.” So lots of old manga were written about Europeans or Americans, and the characters were drawn to look that way. The big eyes were copied from early American animation like Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop. These western-looking, big eyed characters became the style of manga and as more manga with such themes started to have stories that take place in Japan, they drawing style was kept the same. So this can explain why Japanese and American characters look the same in anime. Here’s a great example:
Minako Aino of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon:
http://www.animegalleries.net/album/26/img/0
She is Japanese, yet blonde hair and blue eyes. Now here we have Tina Foster from Ai Yori Aoshi. She has long, stright blone hair and blue eyes but she is supposed to be an American living in Japan.
http://www.absoluteanime.com/ai_yori_aoshi/tina.htm
@Benoit
If the Japanese viewed themselves as ugly, why are there countless female photo books published in Japan every year? I have a couple. Most of them focus on one girl in non-pornograpic images. It’s just for guys to look at how pretty they are in different outfits, in differnt poses. Lots of them are hard cover books, pretty nice.
Another thing to consider is the degree of realism used in anime. Some anime do have characters that look more Japanese. It really depends. And keep in mind that when we play bishoujo games, read manga, or watch anime, we are the outsiders looking in. Maybe the average American would look at an anime character and think “white” but I belive that most Japanese people view the anime characters simply as anime characters and don’t really think about it too much. Anime style is what it is, and everyone expects anime to look like that. Not many trace back the roots. They don’t have such a diverse population in Japan so people aren’t as touchy on the subject of race as the average American would be. In any case, it was a valid question and almost every western fan asks this at some point. I hope this was a little bit helpful.
Very informative.
benoit, I think you once asked us to let you know if you say something offensive. That time may have come…
As for the Western appearance of some Japanese characters in games and anime, Animenation’s Ask John column agrees with previous responses
quote:The Ask John archive answers many questions on Japanese art and culture, including bishoujo games.
If anime characters were Japanese, but looked Western, they could be everyday Japanese people that had a little bit more worldliness to them, a bit more diversity and freedom and either more or less responsibility than the average Japanese person.
anime characters look western to you because you are western yourself(culterally at least)
to someone japanese, the characters look japanese
caracitures are a simplification of human image, on a simple level we are all the same, it is your interpretation that introduces distinguishing concepts like 'western’
also in japan, basically everyone has dark hair and eyes, almost no one has seen a foreigner in person
they introduce outlandish(to them) hair and eye colors in their drawings as a way to help differentiate characters, its not meant to represent foreigners necesarially, since most of them havent met any, and wouldnt make that connection
fiery personality → fiery red hair, etc
Whoops, sorry.
I guess I should never listen to my brother at all. He’s the one who told me this…
It’s all in how you phrase it. Notice how I basically said the same thing, but in a much more diplomatic manner.
quote:
Originally posted by Benoit:
The Japanese draw Western people because they find themselves ugly.
You want to heat up the disccusion. Don't you. ^^
Anime characters generally don't have tall noses. They pretty much look like each other when they don't have hair. Japanese used hair color and hair style to distinguish anime characters. It also depend what anime you are watching. There are many famous anime defies that rule, but oversea companies don't bring them over. Theose anime lack the pop culture appeal. I can name two right now, Chibi Momoko and Doraedmon.
[This message has been edited by Logicgate (edited 10-19-2004).]
quote:
You want to heat up the disccusion. Don't you. ^^
Not at all! I had been told by my brother a long time ago that that was the reason, but apparently I/he couldn't be more wrong.
@Benoit: You trust easily, don’t you? Just because ‘Ask John’ says it is so, doesn’t mean that it is, or that the explanation provided is the whole truth. This is an issue that’s not based on a whole lot of fact anyway. We’re just spinning some explanations based on psychology and our perceptions of Japanese culture. Some explanations may seem more intuitively correct then others, but I’ve learned from studying psychology that the most accurate models of human behavior are often less intuitive than we might expect.
[This message has been edited by Dark_Shiki (edited 10-19-2004).]
I know, and I don’t trust everyone so easily. I should add my brother to that list.
I think the anime artform doesn’t lend itself well in depicting nationality. Anime is a very simplified character drawing where there isn’t much detail in the face other than in the eyes where they are usually very big round detailed eyes. And asians usually don’t have big round eyes.
quote:
Originally posted by wanfu2k1:
I think the anime artform doesn't lend itself well in depicting nationality. Anime is a very simplified character drawing where there isn't much detail in the face other than in the eyes where they are usually very big round detailed eyes. And asians usually don't have big round eyes.
Our country's often termed a "melting-pot," but I don't know anyone here in the U.S. who has big round anime eyes either. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img] However in many anime there are male characters that look decidedly Japanese. Hideki from Chobits is a prime example. His skin, and Shinbo's skin for that matter, is a shade darker than any of the show's females. In fact, Japanese-looking anime girls are pretty rare. I find that interesting. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/wink.gif[/img]
The men in Chobits looking Japanese is just part of that particular style. You know, how their eyes are. Same with the women.
I wouldn’t say that their skin being a shade darker than the women’s is a valid arguement. Many animated shows’ men have darker skin than women’s.