One of the most delightful aspects of fandom is how it brings so many diverse people together to celebrate one thing. In this atmosphere of diversity, it is inevitable that cultural cross-pollination would influence not only the in-jokes of the fandom but also wrap around and influence the art itself. I wanted to find out how Black creatives have been influenced and how they are now influencing anime culture.
Black representation in anime – both the product and in the industry – has been pretty lackluster in the past, mostly due to a number of reasons such as the language barrier and strict immigration and work laws. This has not stopped traditionally Black culture from seeping into the art form, though. Hip-hop infused shows like Samurai Champloo used Nujabes‘ now famous lo-fi hip-hop as its soundtrack and director Shinichiro Watanabe‘s latest show Carole and Tuesday cast a teenage Black girl as the singing co-lead.
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