The Portrayal of Black in Cartoons and Anime

Written By: Lamont Pearley Jr. 

Some think Anime and the average cartoon are the same things. However, there is a difference. Cartoons are produced for humor, featuring caricatures created for satire, where Anime focuses on life issues, human emotions, sex, and violence. The first cartoon was released to the public on August 17, 1908. Black people in Cartoons and Anime have become more prevalent in recent years. Black cartoons appeared in the early 1970s with shows such as "Fat Albert and The Cosby kids" and "The Jackson 5ive," the two most popular. Blacks in Anime started becoming popular in the early 2000s with shows like The Boondocks and Afro Samurai, two of the most popular.  I enjoy Anime, black Anime, and Anime as a whole. I play games and watch Anime. However, I've found that the issue is how black people are drawn in Anime.

To keep up with the folk group and community of Anime, I watch YouTubers who cover, give opinions and different aspects of Anime. I've discovered that some people have a problem with the portrayal of black characters in Anime. Many people find the drawings of black people in Anime are stereotypical and racist, mainly because of the puffy lips and bulging eyes, which resemble blackface minstrels. Arthell and Darnell Isom, alongside animator Henry Thurlow, founded an animation studio located in Tokyo, Japan, called D'Art Shtajio, a 2-D animation studio. D'Art Shtajio is the first Black-owned anime production company in Japan. Having a Black Anime Production company is significant because they aim to create a good and more relatable portrayal of Black Anime characters. D'art Shtajio's work has been featured in music videos for The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Pharrell, and other artists in the black community. Black cartoon characters look different from anime characters mainly because of the art style, but they also experienced racism and derogatory treatment. Racism in cartoons started around the early 1900s, and unfortunately, some are still shown today. Cartoons like Heckle and Jeckle are prime examples of minstrelsy in cartoons.  

The early cartoon portrayal of African Americans perpetuated gross stereotypes used to degrade and prevent Black justice. Companies like Walt Disney and Warner Bros have also created many racist cartoons in the early 1900s through the mid-1960s. Nowadays, in cartoons and Anime, racism has dialed down, but the stereotypes are still prevalent. As funny as they may be, sometimes it goes too far, and people get upset. Voice actors have even quit their jobs because of this.

Furthermore, many "White" voice actors have stepped down, stating, "People of color should be voicing characters for people of color." Mike Henry, the voice actor for Cleveland in the Cleveland show, and Jenny Slate, the voice actor of Netflix's Big Mouth, are examples. Cartoons' primary function is to entertain with humor while pushing a message. Sometimes the statements are racist and stereotypical. Some believe it's just a cartoon, so there's no harm or foul, but the reality is it affects people in many different ways, and a lot of the time, it's a negative effect, which applies to Anime as well. There is progress, but we still have work to do.