Veteran animator Terumi Nishii has taken to social media to express her frustration at what she perceives as unreasonable demands for political correctness in anime production. Nishii, who has worked as an animation director on several anime such as "Jujutsu Kaisen 0," "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure," and "Death Note," shared her experience in a series of tweets.
Nishii recounted an incident in which a foreign client requested that black characters in his work have defined noses to properly distinguish them from other characters, who typically lack detail in the nostrils. She argued that this request would alter the visual balance of the characters and create a level of inconsistent realism within the same series.
«None of the other characters had nostrils, so if only the black characters had a different level of realism, it would look unbalanced. In the end, it became a conversation about how it's safer to make hair colors something like lime green or purple so you can't tell what race they are," Nishii wrote.
Nishii highlighted the cultural divide, noting that Japan's approach of indicating race by a simple brown skin tone does not align with foreign expectations of realism. He emphasized that Japanese animation traditionally does not prioritize racial representation. He expressed frustration that foreign producers, who often lack a deep appreciation of anime, are pushing for these changes.
In addition, he criticized the idea that Japanese animation should conform to Western notions of political correctness. She argued that anime thrives on its unique style and that giving in to outside pressures would diminish its appeal, citing that neither she nor domestic anime fans desire such changes.
«Because of this, I don't feel any attraction to incorporate political correctness and create works for a foreign audience, and local anime fans don't want it either. If we did that, it would take away the appeal of anime, and we would lose quickly. So I want to keep doing things according to Japanese standards," Nishii said.
The entertainer also addressed the broader economic and demographic issues facing Japan. He emphasized the need to address the country's declining birth rate to revitalize domestic demand for anime. Even if Japan were experiencing a baby boom now, he noted that it would take at least a decade before the industry could afford to ignore the demands of the overseas market.
He expressed concern for the future, hoping that steps will be taken to secure the freedom of the next generation of animators. "Even if we have a baby boom now, we would still have to adapt to foreign sensitivities and make changes for at least ten years, so personally I won't see it in time. But I hope that something can be done for the sake of the freedom of the next generation. The decline in the birth rate. In other words, economic policy," Nishii concluded.
Source: AnimeHunch
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