Makulita
Jun 17th, 2008, 09:58 PM
This is for all the 2D depictions of Asians.
And to start it off, here's a fresh new hell I scooped outta Angry Asian Man:
http://www.threedelivery.com/
This time around, the kids are a bit older and amazingly the designs are realistic (in that they're seriously decked out in emopunk attire. Bleached streaks and studded belts fer srs.) This looks promising in a negative and positive way. The young available Asian girl is actually attracted to another young Asian boy. The other two young Asian boys aren't characterized without any go-to stereotypes. One's a cool, stoic type the other is a jokester.
Now is where my cynicism is going to kick in.
All of the kids have Anglicized names; Sue, Tobey, Sid, Barney. All of the adults and most notably the villain have Chinese names. In my cynical militant mode this says that in order to be cool and hip they need to have white names. Having the adults bear Asian names implies that old, uncool and "tradition" isn't as awesome since its the kids who are doing the 'cool' stuff like saving the world.
And, once again, people can't fucking make a cartoon with Asian people as lead characters without making references or tying in so blatantly Asian. The Life and Times of Juniper Lee? She's in a long line of Asian mystical defenders or as the show claims, a "Te Xuan Ze" who keeps the magic world in check. Xiaolin Showdown? Its about a bunch of kids who use kung fu and magic inanimate objects to fight evil. American Dragon: Jake Long? Hapa kid who inherits the ability to turn into a fucking dragon from his Asian mother's side to... fight evil.
As far as cartoons made in America are concerned, the only Asian people seem to be Chinese and they all somehow know kung fu, magic, and are ordered by their particular lineage to fight magical evil to keep the white peo-- I mean, keep the world safe. Shit is getting old.
And to start it off, here's a fresh new hell I scooped outta Angry Asian Man:
http://www.threedelivery.com/
This time around, the kids are a bit older and amazingly the designs are realistic (in that they're seriously decked out in emopunk attire. Bleached streaks and studded belts fer srs.) This looks promising in a negative and positive way. The young available Asian girl is actually attracted to another young Asian boy. The other two young Asian boys aren't characterized without any go-to stereotypes. One's a cool, stoic type the other is a jokester.
Now is where my cynicism is going to kick in.
All of the kids have Anglicized names; Sue, Tobey, Sid, Barney. All of the adults and most notably the villain have Chinese names. In my cynical militant mode this says that in order to be cool and hip they need to have white names. Having the adults bear Asian names implies that old, uncool and "tradition" isn't as awesome since its the kids who are doing the 'cool' stuff like saving the world.
And, once again, people can't fucking make a cartoon with Asian people as lead characters without making references or tying in so blatantly Asian. The Life and Times of Juniper Lee? She's in a long line of Asian mystical defenders or as the show claims, a "Te Xuan Ze" who keeps the magic world in check. Xiaolin Showdown? Its about a bunch of kids who use kung fu and magic inanimate objects to fight evil. American Dragon: Jake Long? Hapa kid who inherits the ability to turn into a fucking dragon from his Asian mother's side to... fight evil.
As far as cartoons made in America are concerned, the only Asian people seem to be Chinese and they all somehow know kung fu, magic, and are ordered by their particular lineage to fight magical evil to keep the white peo-- I mean, keep the world safe. Shit is getting old.