Some students in one of my classes proposed doing a research project on an aspect of Japanese culture and history. In honor of their desire for deeper understanding, I have decided to do presentations of my own! One of my dreams is to write a book on representations of different races and ethnicities in Anime. For now, let’s start by talking about the history of anime in Japan and beyond. There are many histories related to anime, but I am going to try to present this in a way that’s easy to follow.

To begin, TEZUKA Osamu is considered by most anime and manga historians to be the “God of Manga.” He created some of the first modern manga in Japan and inspired the “Golden Age of Manga” in the late 1940’s. He created some of the most famous characters in the world, like Astro Boy (1963), Kimba the White Lion (1965), etc. Here is a clip from Youtube:

One of the first things that you mght notice is that Astro Boy has massive eyes that take up well over a third of his face. Compare to this animated short of Betty Boop, a major source of inspiration for Tezuka:

Notice that this particular clip of Betty Boop shows her as a ringleader for some kind of Third World freak show, ahem, I mean “Talent Show,” with caricatures of all races. Betty Boop was created in 1930, way before the Civil Rights struggles of the 50’s and beyond. The Betty Boop series wasn’t the first popular spectacle to make a profit off of racist stereotypes. Minstrel shows like the show Betty Boop puts on in this animated short were popular as far back as the blackface minstrel shows of the 1800s.

Also, going back to Astro Boy, notice that he can fly faster than a speeding train, he can fly around the world (there is a shot of milk maids in the Swiss Alps), and he can explode through mountains. The production date (1963) of Astro Boy indicates that it was made for a post-war (read: after World War II) era in which Japan is struggling to heal from the destruction of the incendiary bombs from the air raids on all major cities. Not only that, the Japanese government, under the Allied (American) Occupation, was trying to promote technological advancement in order to become a “First World” nation.

I think that’s enough for now. More next week! Don’t forget to post your comments!