The Boondocks, Representation, And Its Influence On Anime

[@Anivangelist]

Thank you to everyone who lent a hand in diving into this video's research! A special shout out to my buddy David, for his help and turning me onto Masego via their song "Black Anime". And I know there are more artists and creators out there that deserve more attention and credit - who are they, and what are they about? Let me know in the comments!

[@kktt433]

"Id love some cheese" always gets a chuckle from me. This show was a gift and probably was too good for network television but damn it had strong messages that held a mirror to America, which is what comedy is for, making you laugh while listening to some uncomfortable truths. Bernie Mack and Dave Chappell also do this and many others but just two for example.

[@Anivangelist]

The fact that there are a few episodes that Cartoon Network didn't air (and I think there's one that even HBO won't stream) is evidence enough that it was ruffling some feathers (maybe even the *right* feathers?) The episode that-is-absolutely-not-Tyler-Perry's Madea, "Pause", was one I didn't see until a few years back streaming the series on HBO.

[@Elementa2006]

There's actually a good number of black and POC characters in anime since the 60s, while a lot of black characters in early anime had that "problematic" design, some of them were treated like proper characters than stereotypes like Pyuma/008 from Cyborg 009. Also we had well developed, properly drawn POC anime characters in the 80s such as Claudia LaSalle from Macross and Tapp Oceano from Metal Armor Dragonar.

[@Anivangelist]

Certainly exceptions to every rule - and all your citations are definitely better depictions than the likes of Mr. Popo or Chocolove. Keeping exceptions to the rules in mind, though, I'll point out Chocolove's first anime incarnation was in 2001. The Time article with LeSean Thomas I cited in the video explores this kind of thing, specifically around black character designs, both in Yasuke and Cannon Busters. From that article, Thomas: "When I did Cannon Busters, which was my first show with Netflix featuring an all predominantly brown cast, there were so many notes I had to give on the show...They [the animators] were just on default mode drawing these Black characters with the sausage lips."

[@MetalClassicalRocks]

Great to see this during Black History Month. You are truly a responsible person, socially speaking.

[@Anivangelist]

That's the goal, anyway! Always room for improvement and growth. Thanks for watching :)

[@MetalClassicalRocks]

@@Anivangelist You're welcome. I also try to understand the other as best I can and improve in that area.

[@mastatheif9909]

Black history? I have Newports and Hennessy right here while rap is playing.

[@jordanglasper1064]

Exceptionally Great Vid, loved the humor too. Just subscribed notifications bell on!!!

[@Anivangelist]

Thanks for watching, the sub, and the kind words! The next one is in the works. Hope you like heist movies!

[@alexanderwong6191]

Thoughtful, researched and well made, nice work guy 🤘

[@Anivangelist]

Thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@BluePlaysGamess]

That scientist was so messed up for what he did. All my FMA homies hate him.

[@Anivangelist]

Tucker has been a meme for a long time for good reason!

[@BluePlaysGamess]

@@Anivangelist Fair point

[@degamasters]

As a brazilian i love how brazilians are depicted in anime, specially Dom Pedro the 2nd, Taurus Aldebaran and Mewtwo. And Michiko to Hatchin looks amazing, i have to watch it.

[@miitroarts789]

Carole and Tuesday was the firdt instance of japanese creators going out of their way to get a very diverse crew and cast. The show itself isnt perfect, but i view it highly because of the representation and can forgive it for its short comings

[@Anivangelist]

While not my favorite Watanabe work, Carole and Tuesday is a solid show - even with its "We Are the World" overtones - but it's part of why I chose the word "improvement" in terms of the quality of representation over say, Fantasia and the like. More intentional listening, more thoughtful questions, and more collaboration will keep making art and people better and better. Thank you for watching!

[@SauceySenpai]

Love the boondocks and love this video Thanks for always making Bangers Rev

[@devis613depresso]

Great video very interesting

[@Anivangelist]

Thanks for watching!

[@IssacDeesnuts-nl3pt]

You know its a good day when its black history month and the boondocks are playing on tv

[@Anivangelist]

That was what made the MLK episode punch so hard - we'd been eased into the series, and then McGruder threw that one at us. Thanks for watching!

[@charlieel36]

As a white person I can confirm most of us really like cheese

[@Anivangelist]

I'm a gruyere man myself! :P

[@kekero540]

Now I say this as a dumbass who hasn’t personally been black, but bear with me, I just want to understand. Correct me if I have any errors. Boondocks always fascinated me. I’m always trying to get in the head of other cultures through history but African Americans are special in the fact their history is extremely localized to the various cities due to their extreme poverty and the fact most of their cultural history was purposefully destroyed through slavery they were very disparate groups of West African and Bantu peoples forced into the same situation, it’s why you get cultural differences from black dudes from Memphis and Atlanta, and the only thing they share is the “black experience” of being designated to the lower caste. But I think Boondocks tries to encapsulate what being black entails and their own internal struggles which I will not dare comment upon. But I still find it all the more fascinating, mainly because of my long standing interest in the differences in perspective of historical groups like the Romans, Gauls, My own native tribe and other native groups as well. Another thing I find fascinating is the vast majority of the black population is barely represented in media. Around 2/3rds of the American black population lives in small very impoverished communities in the south, which often get outright ignored by everybody, as a member of a native tribe I see similarities of the systems of poverty . Not within the urban centers of Chicago, Atlanta, and LA. That part I find fascinating. We rarely get to see people from the small towns around the south their community and shared values. It’s mostly in the dark. It’s the stem from which black culture grows yet it remains largely unknown, ngl this is gonna sound like poverty tourism but I do want to visit the places and talk to the people there.

[@Anivangelist]

Like I said in the video - I'm the whitest of white guys, so I'm not sure I'm the best source of information on your particular points / questions. My great-grandfather was a "Henry Ford American", meaning he left all of his Italian culture behind - my grandfather was the last to know Italian (to speak to his grandparents), no one knows how to make wine / cheese anymore (they were farmers), etc. And even *that* doesn't really compare to the experience of black folks, if for no other reason than it was a choice great-grandpa made, rather than being forced to. The Boondocks came out when I was in college, and having grown up in white, rural America, it was an accessible way for me to start growing up and out of just that one life experience. Something I think made it accessible, and something I think McGruder does well, is using humor and satire to poke at existing and historical structures and mind sets. The episode where Riley works with an homage to Bob Ross to explore graffiti, not as vandalism, but as art (along with the pretention that comes with art); the episode about Grandad's service as a pilot has a B-plot that seems to revolve around what it means to be black (which has a quote from Kahlil Gibran I've repeated in the years since: "pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding"); and there are lighter episodes that are just goofy, like the Kung-fu Wolf B***** episode I mentioned. Ultimately, I like the use of satire and comedy to break down barriers between and within communities, whether it's McGruder, Molière, Carlin - you name it.

[@SuperPickle86]

Stunned 0:18

[@Anivangelist]

Hey now, Weird Al is an icon! ;)

[@RaçaAtoa]

AMERICA NEED BOONDOCKS✊😔

[@BradleySmithYoutube]

Great video, responsible white person! The Boondocks is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, Adult Swim show. Thank you for covering this amazing cartoon

[@Anivangelist]

I agree, The Boondocks was definitely some of their best content (with Aqua Teen being their best absurdist show!) Thank you for watching!

[@Alan.4317]

Theres no good way to have an opinion on this. All i can say is the past isnt the best. But everything that was made shouldn't be demonized. Some of it. Yes. But not all of it. We have moved forward a lot. We are not perfect. But we have moved forward from what was made in the past. Good video.

[@Anivangelist]

I agree, there's a lot of nuance when dissecting the past, especially the art of the past. It's important to learn from it and the context in which it was made. Thanks for watching!

[@Alan.4317]

@@Anivangelist I'm happy. You seem like a genuinely good guy who's willing to talk about opposing thoughts without starting an uproar.

[@jjasuka]

It isn’t an anime tho

[@Anivangelist]

Part of why there's a section to call that out, and part of why the last section gets into LeSean's directly working with anime studios in Japan - and Arthell's artistic training in Japan / owning an anime studio. Thanks for watching!

[@thepartyrock]

For a second I thought your little avatar dude was yesod from lobotomy corporation

[@Anivangelist]

I...can't unsee that now. Definitely not my intention, but a fair call out! Thank you for watching!

[@thepartyrock]

@@Anivangelist you’re welcome, the video was a great watch anyways

[@YA_boi_SAUCE]

Awesome

[@Anivangelist]

Mah boi sauce! Thanks for watching!

[@YA_boi_SAUCE]

@@Anivangelist yw

[@DontGiveNon3]

Morrrrrr

[@Anivangelist]

I'll do my best - if there's something in particular you'd like me to dig into, please let me know!

[@tayzers69]

as a black anime fan, the blatant antiblack racism in my favorite shows specifically regarding designs has always been difficult for me to grapple with. it can feel really bad and extremely dehumanizing to be watching and enjoying something, connecting with the characters and empathizing with their struggles, only to get slapped in the face with a reminder of my own inhumanity in the eyes of others. ill say that while im happy that the presence of black people in shows and behind the schools is being acknowledged, it doesnt really feel "enough" to me. for one, almost all representation of black people (anywhere, not just anime) is that of black americans. where is the acknowledgement for black japanese people, or black africans, or black british people? this is probably too much to expect in general since most anime rely on simple, recognizable tropes, but i think that kind of attitude is exactly what allows this kind of thing to persist. art imitates life, no matter how unrealistic it is, so to me it shouldnt be "too much" for an entire, extremely disparate group of people to not be represented by one or two characters. i would love to see an anime with an all black cast which could explore the characters in-story motiviations as well as the way their personalities and choices interact with their race.

[@Anivangelist]

First, thank you for watching and the thoughtful comment. I do think (and hope) that as the Zeitgeist gets more and more intertwined that broader, nuanced stories can be created and shine through. And, since you mentioned being a black anime fan, if you're unfamiliar with Zeno Robinson, you might check him out. I attended a panel at a local anime convention where he touched on this topic as a black voice actor - it was awesome and honest. Fully own it might be a swing and a miss, but figured I'd pass that insight along!

[@JohnBlacksouls]

wall of text not reading all that