African American Anime Fans

[shooraijin]

No, but she is someone else's here. It starts with an I.

[yukinon]

um...Icarus?

yayIwin!!

[Rachel]

Yeah, except I'm not his brother. XD

[yukinon]

We are an idiot. -_-

[Mr. SmartyPants]

We are an idiot. -_-

Yes we are ^o^

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Okay guys! The big experiment is tomorrow! I'm going to fill you guys in as to my results. My playlist will include:

1. Ready, Steady, Go!
2. Digimon Theme Song
3. Wild Challenger (Bobobo-bo-bobobo Theme)
4. Cruel Angel Thesis (Evangelion Theme)
5. Pokemon Theme Song

To be played at full volume from THIS car (Minus the Taichi and the spraypaint) though three of the major shopping centers in my town! My mission: To see which shocks people more; the fact that there's an anime fan in Louisiana or the fact that he's an african-american anime fan!

[truthgone12]

I'm black and I love anime so YEAH.

[Starfire1]

Awww...

::ejects the CD with the US version of the Digimon theme on it and replaces it with the orignal Japanese version, "Butterfly"::

cannot...resist...to sing along.

[Myoti]

Dude, you need to play "We Are" or "Kokoro no Chizu". Now THAT would be interesting! XD

Let them eat cake! (Don't know where THAT came from. . .)

Marie Antoinette?

[Tommy]

Okay guys! The big experiment is tomorrow! I'm going to fill you guys in as to my results. My playlist will include:

1. Ready, Steady, Go!
2. Digimon Theme Song
3. Wild Challenger (Bobobo-bo-bobobo Theme)
4. Cruel Angel Thesis (Evangelion Theme)
5. Pokemon Theme Song

[size=100]To be played at full volume from THIS car (Minus the Taichi and the spraypaint) though three of the major shopping centers in my town! My mission: To see which shocks people more]

Good luck with that, but how do you know people are going to know that`s from an anime to start with?

[starwarsboy90]

Simple, people at one time or another watch anime or their kids or friends or people that they know, who in turn talk about itm listen to it's music, etc. So it's probable that some people might know!

[Yumie]

Good luck with that, but how do you know people are going to know that`s from an anime to start with?

Only people who know a decent bit about anime will get it, and those are the only people who he wants a reaction from anyways. If someone doesn't know anything about anime, then it wouldn't exactly matter to them whether the person was a black anime fan, would it? And that's the whole point of the experiment.

Either way though, he's going to be playing such a variety of songs that I reckon a pretty good number of people will at least recognize them. Especially the digimon theme.

I'll be interested to hear about what happens!

[Eastkun]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Somedays it feels as though I'm the only black dude in Louisiana that watches anime or reads manga. Whenever I join a forum, I always have the feeling that I'm the only/first plack person there. Don't get me wrong, I consider it a great blessing to be this unique, but I was wondering if anyone else ever felt this way]

I'm a black dude In louisiana that watches and reads anime!

[Sweet Mercury]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Somedays it feels as though I'm the only black dude in Louisiana that watches anime or reads manga. Whenever I join a forum, I always have the feeling that I'm the only/first plack person there. Don't get me wrong, I consider it a great blessing to be this unique, but I was wondering if anyone else ever felt this way]

That's interesting. While I'm not trying to discredit your feelings of isolation, I wonder if the fact that you don't notice that many black posters or message board members is due to the fact that while people still have a tendency to identify with others of similar skin color/ethnicity, all of that is erased when communication is reduced to electronic message, and we get to choose, by means of avatars and the like, how we are represented visually as opposed to being restriced by how we look. Isn't it interesting that in these modern times, we live not only in America (the "melting pot" of cultures), but in an age of cultural diversity on a global scale; and yet, despite this diversity, we still look almost desperately for a (superficial) common thread: skin color, ethinic origins, and other things over which we have absolutly no control. It's in our very human nature to find comfort in others that we see as "like us," yet all too often, the reasons we find these people to be like us are beyond our control. No one wants to be the only black/white person in a room full of white/black people. And yet, most of us also realize that it would be foolish to allow skin color or ethinicity to define our interests in art, music, religion, or anything else. Anyone who did do that would only be pigeonholing themselves and doing themselves a disservice. It's important for people to understand our respective family histry and cultural heritage, our minds our free enough to not allow that understanding to become a restriction. "I'm black so I have to listen to rap," "I'm white so I have to listen to rock," are both equally foolish sentiments—ones that are unfortunatly and panderously perpetuated by pop culture conduits like MTV.

On the other hand, there is also the unfortunate truth that, in our society, blacks are still dispropotionatly poor. Blacks constitute only about 13% of the American population, and a much higher percentage of black Americans are poor than other races (hispanic Americans are a close second). I say this because people who live far below the poverty line are unlikely to have the money for superfluous expendatures, including both internet services and anime/manga. As a result, you are statistically less likely to run into black people on the internet (as the internet is a reletively accurate cross section of America).

Either way, take comfort in the fact that everyone here, aside from the trolls who join messege boards to start trouble, is here because there are a common threads of interest: religion and anime. There's no need to feel isolated—aside from that fact that we are all most likely sitting alone at our computer desks .

edit: Oh yeah, and good luck with your experiment!

[MorwenLaicoriel]

OOh, I wish I had the BoBoBo theme song...XD I ADORE that song, but I'm not really sure how to get it legally.

Anyway....good luck with your experiment! I haven't met up with many african american anime fans, but I think part of it is where I live in Colorado tends to be mostly white with some spanish people thrown in... :\

[KhakiBlueSocks]

EXPERIMENT UPDATE! EXPERIMENT UPDATE!

I started my anime experiment this afternoon at about 2:00! So far, no data to report with the "On the road" tests, but the major part of the experiment, the shopping center test, is coming up! I also plan to gather more data on the roads because traffic is backed up for miles! I'll keep you informed and give you the final results tonight!

[ashfire]

With my family background of Portuguese, some Portuguese could have been mistaken for being black because of the darkness of their skin. I learn of this from a article in the newspaper I had seen about groups that lived in areas of country.
I am one of the forth descendants of the man and his brothers who came to this country in the 1800s to make a living here. He married a woman of English descent whos family was established in the area and owned land where he came to live. I have never seen a picture of him to know what he looked like. but have met some Portuguese and have noticed the skin coloring. Acourse there is also Irish, German and American Indian in my background.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Okay guys, I have the results of my experiment!

The results wern't that promising, but I did get some evidence of African-American Anime fans (and anime fans in general!

Overall, through my tests, I've discovered 7 people recognized the songs I was playing--three of them were african americans! I also did a bit of RECON in the book stores and arcade/anime/manga store in the Mall of LA, and only discovered 1 black dude in the manga section, and ZERO in the anime/arcade shop.


My final results: Black anime fans in Louisiana are either at home during the hours of 5-7, or they're really, REALLY spread out! I'll repeat this experiment NEXT Saturday, and hopefully get more results!

[Tommy]

Um......cool!

[MorwenLaicoriel]

The only problem with the radio test, is...if I recongized a song someone was playing, I'd WANT to talk to them, but I'd be too shy to. I even have a hard time talking to my co-workers when I see them reading manga.

[CreatureArt]

Good point, Morwen.

To be honest, though I like anime I don't usually bring it up, especially around strangers. A lot of anime fans might be quite shy, Khaki, so you mightn't be able to notice them. Apart from that...


...what a cool experiment! I'll be interested in seeing what other results you get.

[MorwenLaicoriel]

I think your idea of staking out at the manga section is a good idea. Generally, people who would be shopping there would like manga. *nods, pretending this to be an actually profound idea*

Also...you could try joining an anime club, of some sort. Or even starting one (if you felt like you could handle the responsibility). That might help you just find more anime fans in your area in general, and you might find out there's more african-american fans than you think.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Bump!

I'm back guys! The experiment lives on! For those who don't know what I'm talking about, allow me to refesh your memory...

I started this experiment to show whether or not there were any anime fans in my homestate of Louisiana. I drove through three of the major shopping centers in my area with all four windows down, blasting familiar anime tunes like "Ready, Steady, Go" or "Cruel Angel Thesis" from Eva. My goal: To see if any one recognized the songs and, out of those people, how many were african american.

Last Saturday's test results wern't that conclusive, so hopefully this Saturday's test will have more results!

[termyt]

Keep us informed!

[CreatureArt]

Agreed. Let us know how it goes on Sunday!

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Field scientist Socks Reporting In:

Because I had to go visit my aunt and cousins (Bar-B-Que...need I say more?) I only had a chance to run my experiment on the street and in the library parking lot.

I didn't get a lot of results or reactions (from either race)--I tried my whole arsenal of anime music from "Ready, Steady, Go" to "Pokemon World"...I even blasted "Cruel Angel Thesis" (Eva theme song) next to a car with the windows cracked (It was COLD this day) and the Digimon theme song in the library (As loud as was reasonable of course..it IS a libary, after all!)

Only one thing to do...TRY AGAIN NEXT SATURDAY with an ALL NEW ARSENAL of music to blast!:dance: If anyone have any suggestions for WELL KNOWN anime theme songs, please let me know before next Saturday!

[termyt]

I would think that music that would be hot right now comes from One Piece or Full Metal Alchemist. Those seem to be among the most popular at the moment.

[Wise Dragon]

This whole experiment is kinda funny when you think about it actually. Most everyone around where I live just gives you strange looks.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

This whole experiment is kinda funny when you think about it actually. Most everyone around where I live just gives you strange looks.

I've gotten those too. Numerous occassions...wonder why?

Anywho, tomorrow the great experiment continues! Once again i'll fire up my 1993 Acura Legend's sound system and let loose a concussive blast of anime tunage the likes of which Louisiana has never seen! (Or, if my experiment is a success, HAS seen!)

[KhakiBlueSocks]

BUMP!

Okay, as part of my ongoing experiment to find anime fans that are African-American in my hometown, I decided to glue pictures of various, well known anime characters on the cover of the notebook I use at work and see if anyone recognized them.

• Season One Digidestined (Digimon)
• Wolfwood and Vash (Trigun)
• Inuyasha and Sesshie (Inuyasha)
• Edward and Alphonse (Fullmetal Alchemist)
• Naota (Furi Curi)

I slapped my notebook open and asked did he know any character on the page. He said "Yeah, Isn't that DragonBall Z, or something?" while pointing to the Inuyasha picture. To add insult to injury, he thought Naota was the band member of "Gorillaz"! I just glared at him in complete disbelief. How could you confuse Inuyasha with DBZ or Naota with "Gorillaz"?!