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Ip Idea 1

(Left: Paru Itagaki, Beastars, 2016) (right: Disney, Zootopia, 2016)

I have been rewatching Beastars recently and there is just something so facinating about this anime that makes me come back to it often. The way that prejudice and fear is painted is extremely nuanced. While the Disney movie Zootopia tackles a similar divide between herbivores and carnivores, to me Beastars is much more compelling. While Zootopia deals with a more similar parallel to our own world. One where certain groups are looked down upon for what they can and cannot do, and others that are looked down upon just out of pure fear and hatred. There is a clear divide between the two groups, and this is built off past fear and hatred.

Paru Itagaki, Beastars, 2016

Beastars on the other hand deals with the issue differently, while animals have evolved to be humanlike and as equals, there is still very much an imminent danger present for herbivores. The story follows a gray wolf and rabbit who become friends despite the tense climate. Unlike Zootopia, there are events that take place where herbivores and small animals are devoured by larger predators. This happens due to the existence of instincts which kick in for some carnivores sometimes, and become incontrollable.

Paru Itagaki, Beastars, 2016

The main character Legoshi (the gray wolf) almost devours Haru (the rabbit) and the story follows him struggle with his feelings for her trying to determine if he truly loves her or if he is just following his instincts. Legoshi is very passionate about trying to bridge the divide between carnivores and herbivores and does his best to stick up for them and vouch for them. Another character Juno (another gray wolf) goes to extreme extents to paint a positive picture of carnivores for everyone to see, and that they should not be feared and discriminated against just due to a few disasters.

I think that looking about the way that these two series' tackle the divide between different groups would help me build up my story further. I want to feature different clans that have issues and built up fear and resentment towards each other, and by taking points from these two, I think I can create a compelling narrative.

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Ip Idea 1

Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia, 2014

For my project idea, character designs are integral to having a fun and interesting story and overall project. Something about My Hero Academia that I love so much is the range in the character designs. For a show where almost all the characters have a special power, the designs can range from anywhere to extremely subtle, just a normal guy. To a living breathing block of concrete. I think that they are just so silly and whimsical.

Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia, 2014

like look at Tsuyu's design, shown above. Can you tell what her power is.... yep she's a frog. While her hero suit really sells the frog features. It still peeks through very obviously in her normal design. The way that her hair resembles frog legs, her goofy frog smile, droopy big eyes, and large flipper like hands. So many of the characters are living embodiments of their quirks, and I love how subtly is chosen at random. There is just something so endearing about these designs.

I've been focusing a lot on the way I can show proper representation through character design, but I think that thinking about other aspects of design are important to note on as well. My project idea is ambitious.... to say the least. But I think if I draw different aspects from MHA and other franchises I love with exceptional character designs. I have done a lot of character design work, and I am so excited to dive deeper into creating fun, unique, and exciting character designs.

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Ip Idea 1

Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 2017

While the game The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild has been praised for its breakthroughs in the gaming industry. I myself am a huge fan of the game, but there are defiantly shortcomings of some aspects of the game. Zelda as a franchises has been around since the 90s, and like many games from the time, it came with its controversies. But as time progressed they worked to make many of the characters less controversial.

Many people however were still iffy about the character design choices for the gerudo people (shown above) this group of people are made of only women, and are primarily depicted with darker skin. People have criticized the clothing designs calling them over-sexualized and inaccurate. It almost looks like a distasteful mashup of a ton of different cultures.

One character in particular named Urbosa has been praised for her strength as a well written POC woman. She shows great power and resilience. But even if misrepresentations of cultures isnt intended to be harmful, it still has roos of racism.

Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 2017

I myself am not of middle eastern decent so I cannot speak fully on this issue. I honestly had no idea of the distaste people had up until very recently. I will defiantly need to continue my research on this topic in the future.

But I think that these designs are extremely noteworthy to my project. It teaches me what not to do, and by doing some more research I think that I can become more proficient in creating ethical and respectful characters that represent a character's ethnic background while still fitting a fantasy setting.

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Ip Idea 1

Lauren Faust, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, 2010

Racism in My Little Pony? No that can't be right? Really? yes. As crazy as it sounds MLP has dealt with issues of racism and prejudice many times during its airing. In the earlier seasons the show revolves around the world of colorful and magical ponies. There are three types of ponies, the earth ponies, the Pegasi, and the unicorns. These three tribes have a history of fighting with one another, but in order to fight off a monster called a windego which feeds off of hatred and malice, they worked together to fight it off with "the magic of friendship" and keep it at bay through their union. And ever since then the barriers between the three types of ponies have been broken down.

Lauren Faust, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, 2010

But this world has so many more species than just ponies, there are zebras, griffons, hippogryphs, dragons, yaks, kirins, and changelings. And there are many stereotypes surround many of these different clans. In an episode in the first season of the show called Bridal Gossip, one of the first non pony characters is shown, Zecora, she is a zebra and due to her appearance the ponies deem her as evil. And make many remarks that many fans deem racist and xenophobic. In the end of the episode the main cast of ponies find out that Zecora is not behind the curses that were inflicted upon them, and she happily reverses the effects with her knowledge of potions. From then on, the cast sees Zecora as an equal, but it is important to see how they were blinded by their past prejudices.

Lauren Faust, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, 2010

Another example of this is how dragons are portrayed throughout the story. In the earlier seasons, dragons are portrayed as greedy and evil monsters who love to destroy. This is interesting because the main character Twilight Sparkle, actually raised a baby dragon as almost a little brother. They call him "the only good dragon" which is a false claim made off of fear and misjudgment.

In later seasons the dragon settlement is shown, and it is revealed to the main cast that the dragons hold the same amount of bravery and valor as Spike and the pony cast. It is just that their traditions and upbringings are so different that the ponies grew to fear them.

Around the last few seasons of the show, Twilight Sparkle the main character founds The School of Friendship, which is a program that helps bring together children of all the different species together and help form a more united world. The focus of the show shifts from the main cast of six ponies to a new cast of diverse students of the school, which are depicted above. They go on adventures helping solve issues with their unique gifts and helping each other prosper.

Lauren Faust, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, 2010

I think another episode to note on is an episode where Rarity and Pinkie Pie (two of the main pony cast) visit a failing restaurant ran by a father and daughter named Coriander Cumin and Saffron Masala. These characters are heavily implied to be Indian decent, and this episode touches on the effects of gentrification. Pinkie Pie and Rarity agree to help Coriander Cumin and Saffron Masala get their restaurant more attention. Pinkie Pie and Saffron Masala, leave the restaurant to advertise, while Rarity stays behind with Coriander Cumin to do renovations. But when Pinkie Pie and Saffron Masala return they are shocked to find that Rarity has turned the place into a sterile fine dining restaurant. Removing all the charm and culture from the family restaurant. Rarity is eventually shown that what she did was not the correct approach and they help bring the family's restaurant to life in the way that it was intended.

While My Little Pony is a show for children, I think that it deals with racism and prejudice in a very nuanced way that will help teach children to look past what they are initially fed and learn to love everyone, no matter their differences.

I think that looking at MLP will be a very important piece in my research for my project. My project will be dealing with multiple nations that have been taught to hate one another similar to what was done in MLP, how can I build upon the methods used in MLP to paint issues of prejudice in my own project. I do want to make this game for an older audience, but I think that MLP shows the basics of what and what not to do.

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Ip Idea 1

Nintendo, Splatoon, 2015

I have done extensive research about the Splatoon Franchise and how it tackles the issue of racism. In my personal opinion for a franchise that deals with completely non-human characters, it does a great job portraying racism and its effects. I will be copy and pasting research that I have compiled in the past in this blog post.

In the first game out of the trilogy, the story between the war between the inklings and octarians was explained. All of the turmoil between the two species came to be from an event known as “The Great Turf War,” this event has affected many characters in the series and the way that they view the opposing species. After the extinction of humans due to climate change, cephalopods became the dominant beings on Earth. This war was a battle over limited terrestrial territory due to the rising sea levels. At the end of the war, the Inklings rose to be victorious and banished the Octarians underground. This further developed the divide between the two species and fueled the “evil Octarian” stereotype amongst the Inklings. 

In the story mode of Splatoon and Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion you work alongside a character named Captain Cuttlefish. He is a veteran of the war and Captain Cuttlefish makes his distaste for the Octarians well known to the protagonist and other characters. In a specific dialogue in Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion Captain Cuttlefish says, “You are so articulate, Marina” to a character who is an Octoling. This is a xenophobic remark seen in our own socioty used to dehumanize minorities, so seeing this in a children’s game is a shock to the player if they read this side diolouge. By him saying this to Marina, he is making it evident that he does not view her as an equal. Just her speaking eloquently is foreign to him because he only views Octarians as savages. 

Nintendo, Splatoon 2, 2017

Captain Cuttlefish’s character can be compared to a World War II veteran who still holds fear and hostility towards Japanese people after the events of Pearl Harbor. Although time has progressed, they still hold onto the hatred, fear, and prejudice that they had during the war. Captain Cuttlefish in his chat logs also has the tendency to stereotype Octolings by what he knew them as during the war. When Marina’s friend Pearl brings up Maria’s love for technology and her abilities in the field, Captain Cuttlefish immediately views this a threat. While Pearl is enthusiastic about her friend's abilities, Captain Cuttlefish is unable to see that it is anything other than evil.

And even you as the player are fed the ideas of the inklings until you are tought the other persepctive in the second game. Marie, one of the characters who assists you in the story mode and Captain Cuttlefish's granddaughter, is always describing Octarians as “slobs” or “baddies” implying that she sees them as no more than an enemy and something lesser than Inklings.

Nintendo, Splatoon 2, 2017

Another issue that Splatoon 2 deals with is how minorities can struggle embracing their racial background while feeling that they fit in with the culture of where they reside. One of the main characters in Splatoon 2 is an Octoling named Marina, she is a pop singer in a band called “Off the Hook.” Due to her past of being in the Octarian army, she hides the fact that she is an Octoling from the world, even her best friend and bandmate Pearl. Until the events of the DLC she hid under the disguise that she was simply “an Inkling with a weird hairstyle.” When Octolings start to join Inklings in Inkopolis after the release of the DLC, Pearl states, “I feel like I’ve seen these weird hairstyles before…” and Marina looks concerned, fearful people may find out the truth. Many minorities in America struggle with feeling that they have to choose between their racial heritage and their American identity.  This can be connected to how Marina feels that in order for her to be accepted in Inkopolis, she has to lose her Octarian heritage and conform to Inkling culture.

Splatoon 2 deals with the fear that many minorities have of fitting into their society. They want to be viewed as an equal, but there is a fear that no matter how much they try to fit into society, they will forever be an outsider. For example, many Asian Americans deal with the stereotype of being a “forever foreigner,” being asked questions such as “where are you really from?” This can be connected to how Marina is fearful that if the Inklings find out the truth, she will not receive the same treatment as she did as an “Inkling.” When Pearl finds out that Marina is an Octoling, Marina is terrified, scared that she will be outcast by Inkopolis now that her cover is blown. Marina states, “Do you think I'll still be welcome in Inkopolis? Once everyone knows I'm an Octoling?” Pearl jumps in to comfort her friend, but Marina remains uncertain of her friend's positivity by saying, “Thanks, Pearlie. ;__;” which is a very uneasy thank you. 

Although Splatoon 2 may look like a simple colorful and playful third person shooter from the cover. When the details of the Octarian and Inkling relationship are analyzed one can begin to draw connections between their experiences and our own in our society. Although their society is played off to be one of pop culture and turf war battles for fun, the roots of how the society got to where it is go much deeper. Even in such a perfect looking world, the effects of discrimination, racism, stereotyping and corruption are still a raging issue. Splatoon 2 tackles these issues and brings them to the attention of the player in such a profound way through a way that is easily understood, through the use of non-human cephalopod characters.

How can I look at how such a difficult topic as racism and prejudice is painted in such a lighthearted and laid back game as splatoon and use it to develop my story. When creating my game I want to make sure that representing people is accurate and respectful while not having it in your face. I want it to feel natural and believable, but still gets its point across strongly, just like how splatoon was able to do.

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Hoyoverse, Genshin Impact, 2020

I've personally never played genshin impact but I have indirecly followed it for a long time. The game is something that seems right up my alley, an open world fantastical rpg. But something never truly sat right with me about the game. There is an extreme lack of diversity when it comes to the cast of characters. As of today there are 88 playable characters that the player can use during their play through, but I can count on one hand the number of non white or non light skinned asian characters that are included. Many of the heros that are of a darker skin tone appear to be very washed out, and "whitewashed" to fit the east asian beauty standard.

Hoyoverse, Genshin Impact, 2020

One of the offenders that stand out to me the most is the character Candace, who is based off of Kandake, which originates from Africa, and is depicted to be darkskinned in almost all deptictions. But genshin flips this into a character that is just slightly tanner than the rest of the cast.

For a game that prides itself on representing different nations and different types of people, to be blunt it fails miserably at doing so in a respectful and accurate manner.

The game has come under more fire as of recently with the release of the new region which is based on Southern and Northern indigenous cultures. The image attached above, there are three characters depicted. The one on the left is based around south American indigronous cultures, the middle is based around north American indigenous cutlure, and the one to the right is based on indigenous hawaiian culture. But still they are as white as the characters from the asian and European regions. Fans love to say, wait for the next region, but this time they don't have an excuse.

I would have loved to play this game, but the utter failure at even an attempt at proper and respectful representation is asinine to say the least.

How can I use the shortcomings of Genshin impact and it's diversity to push my own project forward? How can I make sure that I don't do what this company is doing and create an accurate and respectful depiction of different regions of people.

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Ip Idea 1

Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia, 2014

I think that when it comes to thinking about prejudice through the lens of a fictional world. My hero academia does a pretty good job of talking about this issue. With the rise of superpowers known as quirks, people didn't know how to handle them at first. There was a very distinct divide between those who had "heroic" and "villainous" quirks. The fear that surrounded those who were deemed as villainous usually caused the people who had such quirks to fall down this path due to miss treatment and judgement.

Later on in the series, a quirk counseling program was founded by one of the main character Ochaco Uraraka after her friend Himiko Toga (villain) died while saving her life. She founded this program to help children, like toga, who could not control their quirks, and provide them with the much needed support to learn how to embrace it and so that they would not fall through the cracks like many had before them. It is so important for children to see that their qurik no matter it's nature at first glance can be used to support them and society if applied in the correct way.

Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia, 2014

By looking at the stories of Himiko Toga and Tomura Shigaraki, they had the potential to be as heroic as any of the other characters. But due to the mistreatment and being ostracized they fell down a dark path, because this is where they felt supported. They were doomed from their birth, and society did nothing to help them.

When thinking about writing my own story, I defiantly think that it would be interesting to include something similar to this. I think that its very interesting and could work for what I have in mind.

Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia, 2014

There is also the aspect of the divide between non mutant and mutant quirks. While some people resemble a normal human, others in order to adjust to their quirk, take on a different appearance. For example the character Fumikage Tokoyami has the body of a human, and the head of a crow to mirror his quirk which is called dark shadow, which is a shadow figure that is in the shape of as avian like monster that he can control at will. But something that has been brought up again and again is that people who have mutation quirks can be treated as less than human due to their appearance.

Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia, 2014

The character Mezo shoji covers his face with a mask the majority of the series due to comments made about him as a child, calling him a scary monster. There have also been instances of humanoid characters calling mutant characters names that I personally feel like have to be some kind of slur. The character Hitoshi Shinsou calls the character Mashirao Ojiro "monkey" multiple times due to his tail. And the character Shoto Todoroki calls a police officer with a dog's head a "mutt." In the end of the storyline, two of the character Shoji and Kouda go on to extreme efforts prejudice towards people mutation quriks. With the rise of more "odd" quirks as time progresses, moving towards a more inclusive society is integral to keeping peace.

While My Hero Academia breaks many boundaries when it comes to thinking about prejudice when it is through the lens of fantasy. It falls extremely short in real life representation. While yes, this is an anime that takes place in Japan which is a very "monolithic" country. (not calling it that for sure, because it is a myth on its own). The show features only a handful of non Japanese POC. And the POC that do exist in the show, their backgrounds aren't really developed upon. I defiantly think that they should have included more of this, since quirks arose around the globe and not just Japan.

How can I use the fantasy elements of MHA to my advantage while pushing forward and still representing real life underrepresented people?