First off, this is partially related to the issue that recently cropped up in the Goemon Fan Translation thread which is why I'm making this thread, so might be best to keep the whole discussion there for now, though feel free to discuss the issue here (of course)
Second, given my experience watching a lot of anime (and playing a ton of Japanese video games) as a Gay man, it's been an interesting experience, to say the least. Both good and bad, and largely the latter. I felt we could have a discussion about the issues present in Japanese media in this thread and specifically talk about the problems that come up here. While I believe we've had focus more on the Western side, I wanted to talk about some issues that have cropped up over the decades (and some as recent as within the last decade).
That said, there's actually a reason I wanted to make this thread in the first place.
I recently watched the first episode of Ultimate Zero Battle Spirits, which is a long ongoing Card Game series by Bandai and Sunrise/BN Pictures. While the anime has been on break for a bit now (with a new project this year), I decided to check out one particular series I always had interest in, due to it's unique art style (which isn't nearly as common place in anymore anymore).
Anyways, a little over halfway, we get introduced to the Time Bokan style gang (think Team Rocket for those unfamiliar), Ginga Sanba Garasu, who attempt to steal this kid's compass. One of the characters, Hashibuto, is an extremely effeminate and non-binary character, who is... I'll be blunt, problematic in various ways.
Character in Question:
I knew about them going into the series, but I'd been hoping they'd avoid some of the more serious issues. Anyways, they do their song and dance (literally), similar to the various trio introductions, and then it ends with probably the most tasteless and offensive joke they could make.
I'm just gonna link to my tweet in question, which includes the video and follow up scene:
Not only does "Mugen" (the red monster creature) say "You know, that's kinda gay.", it also works as a pun, using the word "Gei" (芸), meaning "Performance" "Artistic Skill". It's a double whammy and it's absolutely the worst tasteless thing that they could do.
This is a show, targeted to kids, aired next to Super Sentai, at 7AM on Sunday mornings. It also aired arguably fairly recent (between September 2013 to September 2014). The fact they got away with this, especially given networks had banned the word "Homo" from broadcasts due to it's derogatory nature, really irritates me to no end, especially when the queer community now uses the English word "Gay" in Japan, rather than the older term.
While there's becoming more and more LGBTQ+ friendly shows/series in Japan, over the years, there's obviously still issues present in media there.
Anyways, does anyone have any examples (both positive and negative) to share here? Would absolutely like to hear it.
Second, given my experience watching a lot of anime (and playing a ton of Japanese video games) as a Gay man, it's been an interesting experience, to say the least. Both good and bad, and largely the latter. I felt we could have a discussion about the issues present in Japanese media in this thread and specifically talk about the problems that come up here. While I believe we've had focus more on the Western side, I wanted to talk about some issues that have cropped up over the decades (and some as recent as within the last decade).
That said, there's actually a reason I wanted to make this thread in the first place.
I recently watched the first episode of Ultimate Zero Battle Spirits, which is a long ongoing Card Game series by Bandai and Sunrise/BN Pictures. While the anime has been on break for a bit now (with a new project this year), I decided to check out one particular series I always had interest in, due to it's unique art style (which isn't nearly as common place in anymore anymore).
Anyways, a little over halfway, we get introduced to the Time Bokan style gang (think Team Rocket for those unfamiliar), Ginga Sanba Garasu, who attempt to steal this kid's compass. One of the characters, Hashibuto, is an extremely effeminate and non-binary character, who is... I'll be blunt, problematic in various ways.
Character in Question:
I knew about them going into the series, but I'd been hoping they'd avoid some of the more serious issues. Anyways, they do their song and dance (literally), similar to the various trio introductions, and then it ends with probably the most tasteless and offensive joke they could make.
I'm just gonna link to my tweet in question, which includes the video and follow up scene:
Not only does "Mugen" (the red monster creature) say "You know, that's kinda gay.", it also works as a pun, using the word "Gei" (芸), meaning "Performance" "Artistic Skill". It's a double whammy and it's absolutely the worst tasteless thing that they could do.
This is a show, targeted to kids, aired next to Super Sentai, at 7AM on Sunday mornings. It also aired arguably fairly recent (between September 2013 to September 2014). The fact they got away with this, especially given networks had banned the word "Homo" from broadcasts due to it's derogatory nature, really irritates me to no end, especially when the queer community now uses the English word "Gay" in Japan, rather than the older term.
While there's becoming more and more LGBTQ+ friendly shows/series in Japan, over the years, there's obviously still issues present in media there.
Anyways, does anyone have any examples (both positive and negative) to share here? Would absolutely like to hear it.
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