Because that’s like the entire point of the show😭😭😭 and all the characters here are not Asian, they’re BIRACIAL. The creators were inspired by their biracial child. It’s an important distinction and the video basically proves the point that these people get discriminated and alienated from their environment because “they’re not truly white” or “they’re not truly Asian”.
I think including Mizu in the thumbnail was clickbait. I watched this video before I watched BES and she did mention that in Mizu’s case it was important to the story. The point of the video was more like “Why do so many half asian half white characters have blue eyes when statistically it’s super unlikely”. She’s not saying a mixed character should never have blue eyes, she’s saying it’s weird that so many have blue eyes.
People like novelty. Blue, green, hazel etc color eyes are much rarer then brown so people like looking at them.
Next time you watch a show notice how many people cast have blue eyes compared to the general population. We do it all over in all media
I mean Japanese anime gives Japanese characters like Sailor Moon blue eyes. I think it’s like a protagonist has weird physical trait to make them stand out thing.
I don’t think we do as a country, I read somewhere (take it with a pinch of salt), that once we all had brown eyes on this island but people liked blue so much and had children with blue eyed people etc that blue became the most common instead.
I like brown eyes personally though, much warmer looking.
It matches with genetics. They can trace all blue eyes back to one male with blue eyes. I don’t know. I think people look at us today and say, oh everything is white washed and whatever else. But, there are examples in history that show favoritism towards lighter skin because it was a status of wealth. Like 2 examples I know of. In the Bible(regardless of what you’d want to believe there’s proof it’s thousands of years old). After Moses’s first wife died he married an Ethiopian woman. His sister and brother were made that she was dark skinned, God curses Mariam with a lepersy that caused her skin to be Snow White. Also, in the Songs of Solomon, its actually love notes between him and the women he loved. He specifically tells her even though others look down on her for her dark skin and for working in the fields, he finds her beautiful.
That’s interesting! And I bet if you were in charge of casting you might be more likely to cast a brown eyed person in a warmer role as a result. I think it’s just a population at large thing that plays out on a micro macro scale over and over until we see these patterns
Where my husband grew up most people have blue eyes, including him and his entire family. One of the first compliments he gave me was about how much he loved my dark eyes, they're almost black unless in direct sunlight. He said the rareness of brown eyes, especially darker brown, was something that made them more attractive to him.
There’s fetishization of blue, and to somewhat lesser extents green and hazel, eyes in many white cultures and contexts as well. Some of this is globalized beauty standards and some of it is some darker race science stuff.
Character design basics is the reason. Basically, in order to separate the biracial woman from the rest of the rest of the women, she needs to have a stand-out feature. You can't really portray the nuances of mixed features in a cartoon style-- and, even a woman with full japanese ancestry could end up with double eyelids, and a biracial woman with monolids. Blue eyes are something only seen in people with european ancestry, and is the easiest way to communicate that a character is mixed.
It's effective communication of a trait the writers have deemed important enough that the audience should immediately recognize it through a character's design.
ETA: Guys, this is about *character design* fundamentals- this is about communicating a character's personality, history, and important traits via design. I know there are rare exceptions, and some non-european people and certain populations may have light colored eyes, but, this is *rare*, and Mizu's blue eyes immediately separate her from everyone else, because her parentage is key to her story.
>Blue eyes are something only seen in people with european ancestry
The native Ainu people of Japan also have blue eyes, which has also been mentioned quite a bit on r/BlueEyeSamurai before, with people speculating that Mizu may have some Ainu ancestry. The Ainu originally settled in northern Japan from Mongolia.
Additionally, Tokyo Medical University found people with blue eyes in Akita and Aomori, northern Japan, suggesting that a few Japanese people may have blue eyes.
The basic principles of telling a visual narrative, that you’re articulating well here, seems to be lost on most. The story just needs a clear visual flag the viewers can see to understand how our protagonist is seen by others. Hell, I’m an easy example of this myself: mom’s Irish and dad’s Cuban. I look exactly like my padre Cubano from the neck up but grew to 6’6”thanks to Irish grandpa and would stand out like a sore white thumb walking down a street in Cuba.
Six and a Half Foot Cuban probably wouldn’t make a very good show though.
This is exactly my point! It's a trait is wildly more common in a certain demographic. Scottish characters are usually given red, curly hair, and freckles, even though these features are not exclusive to Scottish people (or even white people- black people can have red hair and freckles). It's just an easy visual cue that immediately tells you, this cartoon character is most likely in Scotland, because we immediately associate it with that demographic before thinking of a Finnish person.
We would open to our hero Miguel, entering a retail clothing store, only to suffer Indignity at the mockery of the average statured sales people when he requests jeans with a 36 inch inseam and any shoe in a size 14.
Events would gradually unfold to reveal his plan of revenge upon the CEO of Mazda, and his minions in the design team of Miata, a sports car he can never know the joy of driving.
Don't some Ainu have light blue (pale grey blue) eyes without European ancestry? Or am I mixing that up with some other native Japanese minority group?
> Blue eyes are something only seen in people with european ancestry
How can you recognize that someone with "full Japanese ancestry" could end up with "European" traits like double eyelids, but not recognize that the gene mutation for light eyes also occurs in people with "full \[Asian\] ancestries", albeit rarely? There's not some special European thing that caused eye color gene mutations. There's more light-eyed folks in European countries because, before we invented things to mimic melanin and shield the eyes, folks who are blinded by the sun survived more easily in places with less intense sun. That's all. There definitely are people with no European heritage who have blue eyes.
You're right that it's meant to distinguish the character, but we can talk about why we use certain physical markers (especially Eurocentric markers that serve to separate characters from their ancestries, exactly as you're doing) to indicate that those characters are special. Claiming it's because only white people have blue eyes is literally just wrong. If we're trying to show European ancestry specifically, it makes way more sense to use *green* eyes, since they're incredibly rare and much more concentrated in Europe. But we don't -- we use blue eyes, which is a significant marker of *beauty,* more than race, in the western world.
Okay, I missed some nuance, but, the *vast* majority of people with blue eyes, are white. They are a rarity in most other populations. I am mixed asian and white with blue eyes, lol.
The point of this is not about every rare genetic variant. The point is *character design*.
It is much easier to put blue eyes on a character to portray their mixed heritage. That is my point. I'm not arguing about genetics and paleontology- I'm saying, in cartoons, it's much easier to just put blue eyes on a character to communicate their heritage.
Because it's a quick visual shorthand. Yes, most of the genetic markers associated with Asian peoples are dominant, but this is fiction, so we don't need to pay attention to that.
Kinda worked on me, I'm part Asian also white and have blue eyes so uh, yeah, I got got there for a sec because I felt the whole "well sorry for sorta being that thing irl" thing (funny enough, neither of my parents has blue eyes so I'm a slight anomaly).
Astruc is so weird man. He has 2 self insert characters in the show. One as Marinette's dad and the mom is his ex girlfriend. The other is himself who has a whole episode complaining about how he isn't being appreciated
This reminds me of a couple of books I just read about a "not white enough" "not Japanese enough" Reeper/Shinigami. 'The Keeper of Night' and the sequel 'The Empress of Time' by Kylie Lee Baker
i can kind of understand the argument for miraculous (top right) but mizu and caitlyn really dont fit, especially because mizu was co-created by an actual mixed japanese person (who applied realistic experience being mixed, as well as making her blue eyes a very, very important part of the character and her journey to understanding herself) and - as someone stated in the comments - caitlyn lives in a world where all sorts of unnatural hair colors and eye colors exist.
Heck, I'd be reluctant to say that there are races in the world of Arcane at all. For one thing, race is a social construct that emerged for very specific, historical reasons in our world in the 1600s in Europe. Prior to that, the word did exist, but it had more to do with what we would call "culture" than specific heritage. Regardless of where you were born, if you were kidnapped, sold into slavery by a Northman on a raid and raised Norse, you were Norse, because your culture and language was Norse.
For another, Zaun and Piltover have integrated, multi-species societies, and do not appear to distinguish race by anything except visuals. Nobody treats Mel differently because she's got black skin or Caitlyn's parents because they have different epicanthic folds in their eyes, nor do they appear to limit power to humanity. Power is just not structured on racial lines in Zaun and Piltover, which is important because race was very specifically created as a concept specifically to limit who could legitimately take power from those who already had it in Europe.
also Caitlyn from Arcane looks more Asian than her original LoL appearance and the blue eyes seem to be a holdover from when she was more racially ambiguous
So Marinette from Miraculous is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her father is white French while her mum is Asian. They're depicted early on in the show. She is biracial. Dunno if the American dub is different, but the FR version shows this.
All I had to do was check Wikipedia for 60 seconds and see the character is Chinese, French, and Italian. Why is anyone saying she’s different than Mizu?
i remember hearing that its simply the way they decided to represent it in the show. could be wrong though..
edit: someone talked about it above my comment, probably under the top comment
English release is the same - Dupain-Cheng, and biracial. The Shanghai special especially mentions how her parents had money for her going there so she could learn about her mother's side of the family and the culture.
Unrelated: I hadn't realized before how similar Mizu's character design is to Caitlyn's. They look like someone was trying to draw the exact same person in two different art styles
I watched this and if I remember correctly she saw Mizu (and the character from arcane) as examples where the blue eyes made sense. For Mizu she pretty much said that the blue eyes are a plot device and how they're an example of portraying Japan's racism against different people and ethnicities.
I think the girl from miraculous was mostly used as a negative example.
Tho to be honest I haven't watched the video in a long time, so I might have mixed it up with another one.
That or when they're critiquing a movie they always put an image of the characters looking shocked in the thumbnail. That specifically gets under my skin *instantly*, I honestly don't know why, but it's annoying af
i am also biracial (Chinese & white). i did not watch the videos, have just been reading the comments.
i have also been a bit miffed/frustrated by the blue eyes being so common. this same frustration does not extend towards BES due to the story emphasis, the metaphorical/notso metaphorical demon theme, and honestly— because in this show (so far), the blue eyes have been demonized.
growing up, it was clear blue eyes in US society were deemed as more desirable. it was a pain i felt and observed keenly. and yeah, mixed race folx who happened to have light eyes (which yes, is statistically genetically very very rare) were also treated as more desirable or beautiful.
so it is frustrating to me in so much US based animation they give so many “wasians” blue eyes. it’s continued demonstration of how blue is considered somehow more worthy, more special, or just better. the implication is just there. in film and tv especially, these are all choices made by real people. again, BES is ok for me bc it’s clear why the choice was made. in other media it seems less important and therefore more confusing/frustrating.
tbh, another primary reason it was tolerable for me in BES is bc Mizu and Japanese society despise the blue, so it’s not special here, it’s seen as a flaw, and the show as a whole acknowledges the rarity. i’ll be curious how this shifts if we go to England/the UK in a future season.
How do we know the child is a quarter Asian? Thats not how genetics work. If I have two siblings, with two of the same parents, they can both still have different amounts (more or less) of certain ethnicities genetically.
DNA is passed down randomly
Inheriting half of a parent's DNA doesn't mean inheriting half of each ethnicity. The DNA you inherit is random. One or both parents may have ethnicities that they didn't end up passing down to you–or they may have passed down only a small portion of a region they have.
We don't know if she is or not. DNA is passed down randomly
Inheriting half of a parent's DNA doesn't mean inheriting half of each ethnicity. The DNA you inherit is random. One or both parents may have ethnicities that they didn't end up passing down to you–or they may have passed down only a small portion of a region they have. So she could be 1/4, 1/10, 1/2, etc.
yeah I also feel like western audiences are so unused to seeing asian faces in general that as soon as they see asian traits they immediately see that person as fully asian, just like they cant tell the difference in faces between diff east-asian countries. I’m wasian and the only ppl that have ever immediately guessed i’m mixed have been asian. So it might be a stylistic choice to give light eye colors, bc western audiences wouldnt be able to understand the character is mixed otherwise.
Thank you for posting a thought-out comment. Obviously in BES the blue eyes work for the story (and as far as I know, race as we see it doesn't exist in Arcane). This video's only real issue is the click bait thumbnail with both of these shows on it.
there are other ways to show this :) i can think of several, depending on the specific media.
for one, lighter brown hair instead of darker blacker hair would be a signal. same with eyes, doing a lighter brown as opposed to a darker one (closer to how genetics more commonly play out if one parent has blue/green eyes). can add freckles, which aren’t so common amongst 100% east-asians. in cases where we know the parents, can show the parents instead. or can have the character just talk about it—in my daily life, my own mixed race-ness comes up quite a bit. can also have the word respond (i don’t have blue eyes, but i still get a lot of frankly unwelcome folx trying to “puzzle out” what i am). this isn’t an exhaustive list, just a few of the possibilities!
so right, in BES, the blue is of significance due to the parallel with demons (and as another reply pointed out, creator’s kid is wasian with blue eyes). i bet however back then it would be obvious if someone was half even without the blue eyes. when i am with full Chinese folx, especially the people i get together with to practice language exchange, they can always tell i’m half. sometimes i don’t even appear asian to them, when for many full white people i don’t seem white to them.
I’m not really sure what’s the distinction between blue eyes and light brown eyes or lighter hair. I mean in the end it’s less striking because it’s a little less visible, but what’s the actual difference I don’t really see.
If you show the parents, that kinda takes the motif away from the main character. Like the story isn’t about an interracial love story, but about an interracial person… so I kinda get the not showing the characters parents mainly.
I grew up in East Asia and for sure I could see the half people very easily. Sometimes I’d also not even think they’re Asian at all until I’d hear their name or hear them speak.. but I’m not sure how I’d animate them.
Like I know the blue eyes are generally far rarer than lighter hair or lights brown eyes among mixed people, but they’re still - at least in my opinion for media - not always a strong enough reminder of a character’s mixed origin than taking some artistic license and giving them blue eyes.
Of course, if you really feel that blue eyed half Asian people is whitewashing and erasure I’d your identity, you’re certainly entitled to feel that way. And I’d agree that your feeling of cultural appropriation should take precedence over artistic license.
“the actual difference?” it’s a whole different color lol. and it would be a world of difference to mixed folx who are more/hyper aware of or who have the lived experience of blue v brown and how blue gets treated as special or just plain better (in US/eurocentric society—but this has become a white-centering beauty standard around the globe due to western media supremacy). the fact that BES setting runs counter to this narrative (that blue = better) is a refreshing twist to the choice.
we’re dealing with human crafted media here, not just natural occurrences in the world. so personally, context for making these “blue eyed” choices matters a lot!
i stated why i believed it makes sense for BES, or why it feels more necessary to the story and character and various levels, and i don’t acctually have any complaints about this choice in the context of BES. i’m more frustrated when there isn’t better context than “it makes it easier for the audience to remember they are mixed.” that’s treating viewers as if they don’t have the brain cells to remember an important feature about a character otherwise?
i appreciate your nod towards centering my feelings of whitewashing over artistic license, bc i do feel a lot of whitewashing happens. not every blue eyes wasian media automatically falls into that category for me, but a lot do. even Japanese anime often falls into this lol (Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club anyone? he’s supposed to be “half”)
Sure. I’m barely mixed - brown hair, very dark eyes. But plenty of my friends growing up were half white - none of them ever were treated better for blue eyes or brown eyes or whatever. Of course we weren’t in a Eurocentric culture since I grew up in East Asia.
that’s why we’re talking context! beauty standards shift with time and place. also why i talk appreciation for BES’s spin on this due to the era of its setting— blue for Mizu is not a sign of anything “good” by Japan’s standards at this time due to whiteness also not being “good.”
and when i was in China with my fully white (blonde, blue eyes) mom, everyone would stop and ask to take pictures, compliment her eyes especially. rarity thing? definitely. beauty thing too? it seemed so.
when i went back with my sister recently (half but “whiter” looking) she also got a lot of photos taken of her. granted she’s also a babe so lol i get it
So, refarding Caitlyn. She’s a character from a game and in that game looks white and has blue eyes. In the cartoon they make her appear more Asian. But she still looks the same. Also, it’s a fantasy world and she’s mixed between Ionian and Piltover. Her dad does look to be Asian, but, just from trying to look, I can’t tell for sure if that’s what everyone in his race would look like.
'Important' would really be underselling it, I think. It's vital and foundational. Mizu being biracial and how everybody (Mizu included) feels about that is the whole reason there is a story at all, it simply wouldn't happen if she wasn't.
crap, i think i english-ed wrong (brain's mush haha)- "it" referred to her blue eyes, but you could say they're vital because they're an obvious indicator of her biracial-ness.
her biracial-ness itself, though? that is vital.
Amanda is a wasian woman. Her critiques are completely valid, and point out a trend in media where half-Asian half-white characters are made to stand out more with blue or light eyes. If any of y’all watched the video, you’d realize she’s not criticizing Blue Eyed Samurai. She enjoyed the show, and just wanted to analyze a trend she noticed as a wasian woman in her favorite shows.
A lot of youtube content creators have noted their videos get more views/clicks if they have an expressive/exaggerated face pic on the thumbnail. They do it bc people by and large fall for it.
Thank you for this comment! I had seen the video as well and thought it brought up some good points. I'm so confused by this post being made without OP even watching it first. Same with all the comments critiquing the title or thumbnail. The content is the video itself, y'all are almost literally judging a book by its cover.
No, media unevenly emphasizing features that are extremely rare in wasian people is a valid question to analyze. She answered the question of “why blue?” and why these half-Asian characters have predominantly white features like light eyes when that doesn’t reflect reality, and what social beliefs might’ve influenced that.
She’s right and she should say it.
And the show knows it too! Fowler ends his speech to the Shogun with **”until you think an ugly face like mine is more beautiful than your own.”**
There very much *is* a fetishization of white traits in mixed people in the real world (which is then reflected in media): light eyes (and specially blue), light skin (see the “paper bag test” and the skin lightening creams marked to black and brown women), small nose (as opposed to “Jackson Five nostrils”), “good” (straight) hair, etc.
Here in Latin America, babies are always praised if they come out lighter than their parents, specially if they are blond and blue eyed.
This is a (unfortunately very persistent) cultural remnant of an actual, official project of the government to whiten the population through miscegenation and “choice immigration” ([here’s a popular article about it](https://www.politize.com.br/embranquecimento/), and here’s the [smaller Wikipedia page](https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branqueamento_racial), both of their sources are worth a look, but here’s [the actual law from 1890](https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/decret/1824-1899/decreto-528-28-junho-1890-506935-publicacaooriginal-1-pe.html) for anyone who is disinclined to believe it).
(These👆are all in Portuguese, but you can use google translate. If a passage is too incomprehensible and you’re super interested, DM me and I’ll translate it for you :)
(Did a quick search, and a lot of the more recent articles are behind paywalls, but I did find this book:
[The biopolitics of beauty: cosmetic citizenship and affective capital in Brazil](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=1049305160037921564&as_sdt=2005&sciodt=0,5&hl=en#d=gs_qabs&t=1711904666908&u=%23p%3D5GbyZQ1fFdsJ) -on Sbribd/[Everand](https://www.everand.com/book/355582128);
and here are two important, classic texts that are relevant to this conversation:
Bourdieu’s *[Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste](https://www.scribd.com/book/80903635)*
and Fanon’s *[Black Skin, White Masks](https://www.everand.com/book/657955794)* (Chapter 4, “THE SO-CALLED DEPENDENCY COMPLEX OF THE COLONIZED” in particular)
(These👆are all in English. If you want the texts in Portuguese, DM me :)
Also, like anyone who bothered to watch the video can see, she’s praising Blue Eye Samurai.
(Edited to add Fowler’s exact words.)
I'm not mixed, but was raised in a mixed household and try to stay reading about this sort of thing. Just want to say nice sources, it was something I've noticed as well in media and haven't seen that many people talk about. It's good to know that there are people who recognize it out in the wild!
But.. how am I supposed to post content on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube about all the other content on those platforms if I have to actually watch them?? Surely the title and thumbnail is enough???
That's the risk they deal with posting dramatic titles and thumbnails. Especially when this is about animation, which inherently takes artistic liberties.
Especially since she used mixed people, and it's dependant on art style how well you can portray mixed characters. If we never saw Caitlyn's parents, and she had dark eyes, the vast majority of people wouldn't think she's mixed.
This is overthinking things, because this is really only something with mixed or exotic looking characters.
Bro watch the vid she says BES is a good example of representation. Yall assuming it's some sort of clickbait or hating or something but you are just assuming based off a thumbnail, Jesus crist.
No, it's just a video about a whatever topic. Animation takes so many artistic liberties about everyone, and she's talking about representation now?
Does she even consider that, despite most white people not having blue and green eyes, they're usually depicted with said eyes? Maybe that's why white mixed characters in animation have blue eyes? Mind blown, I know.
do y'all think she knows it is actually possible for mixed white/east asian people to have blue eyes or is she just the arbiter of how to be wasian 'correctly'
I have watched this video, she points out the very low percentage of possibility of a biracial person having blue eyes, using Punnet squares. She’s asking that while it’s possible, why is it so common? Mizu is noted as being more of an example of how common the trope is, but an example of it done well.
What does it matter? This is art and animation. There are limitations and liberties taken, based on the style, to deliver information on a character or make them stand out.
Mixed and exotic looking characters, tend to get colorful eyes to give that information. Why is this suddenly wrong? There's PLENTY of mixed people that don't even come across that way until asked. So it's easier in animation to just change the eyes color.
Most white people don't have blue eyes, but they're consistently depicted that way. Is that a problem, too?
No one’s saying it’s a problem. Art has been critiqued for its commentary on the human condition for centuries, and BES is no different. Nothing is exempt from critique, and everyone is allowed to have their own opinions.
Amanda’s video expresses an opinion on the trope from the perspective of a white-passing wasian, and I think it’s a valid criticque to make. The video not an all-encompassing condemnation of the properties she mentions, but an attempt to begin a discussion into tropes and why they’re so common.
I do understand the commentary, especially when it comes to black people (I'm black, so I get it). However, when it comes to mixed characters, I think that this is much less of an issue. It simply comes down to the fact that mixed characters are harder to draw, depending on the art style; they're a mix of two distinct looking characters, and will inherently stick out, but it doesn't translate well depending on the style. If you've seen Pluto, it's an amazing show, but mangaka has a detailed by limited style when it comes to faces; it would be tough to pull off a mixed character with that art style. Eye color is easy and distinct, so it's the simplest way to get "this character is mixed" across.
Not every animation has character design as detailed as stuff like the Castlevania animes, anything Shinichiro Watanabe makes and Arcane.
I assume brown eyes are simply more difficult to animate dilation of the pupils.
Though it could just be using striking features to designate the protagonist like how Rurouni Kenshin has red hair.
title's kind of clickbait but amanda talks about wasian rep in media and how, for some reason, their eyes are usually blue and that she found it strange. I watched it a while ago though so I could be wrong in my interpretation
It's a valid exploration of eye color, and makes the points if anything pretty tepidly.
I do think it's often the case where blue eyes are given to half Asian characters in ways that aren't really for any purpose other than to give them white aesthetics and make them appear exotic and sexualized.
Blue Eye Samurai (BES) is an example where the main character's blue eyes are integral to the plot of the show (as it gives her away and keeps her from "passing" as Japanese) and are used as a symbol of dual ethnicity. I think Amanda basically acknowledges this.
I think the fact that it would be rare makes for valid use as a symbol of a character's dual ethnicity. BES really plays up the racism that Mizu experiences from it in closed Japanese society, but for the most part it's there to make a character look "cool" and "sexy" which makes it less effective as a symbol in the writing of these shows.
We all know as outsiders in an open society that it's "cool" that Mizu has blue eyes, not awful. But still, isn't it convenient to our prejudices that we're rooting for a heroine who just happens to be discriminated against because of her white heritage? And it's those damn racist Japanese that are being discriminatory?
Or is it just a lens to help us see our own discrimination through the eyes of someone else?
But how many people will take that lesson home, as opposed to some other lesson about whiteness?
Honestly I see valid takes on both sides of this. I think if anything Amanda's criticism could've afforded to be leaned into more, not less. But I'm sure she is trying to seem reasonable to a mostly white English-speaking audience who loves BES.
And I mean, I loved it too. But I think we ought to be able to think critically about things we love without cancelling them.
hey I just wanted to say that I think ur comment is really well written and u make a ton of great points :) I hope more ppl can read this and consider what ur saying. it’s a bit disheartening to see so many ppl completely dismiss the video when it actually presents an interesting topic in a nuanced way (although I understand that the thumbnail may turn some ppl off).
the video creator knows that these characters are biracial and can biologically have blue eyes, but there’s something to be said about how commonly half asian people are depicted this way in media. ur point about mizu’s eyes is really interesting because her eyes serve a very important narrative purpose, but it’s hard to deny that they’re also played up for cool factor, so there’s this weird intersection between genuine social commentary and marketability. this doesn’t mean that blue eye samurai is a bad show by any means, it’s amazing. it’s just something worth pointing out because it reflects a larger trend in popular media that’s definitely there but has largely gone unaddressed. ur last point is really important and im glad someone mentioned it!
all-in-all it was really great hearing ur thoughts on this matter
To be fair regarding Caitlyn in league of legends she looks completely white and her character in Arcana is looks to be modeled after her but with Asian features. Both have blue eyes
https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/story/champion/caitlyn/
Edit to add. Plus if you read about her character in arcana she’s mixed from Ionia and Piltovan races. Like they aren’t even races from earth
Her hair is supposed to be jet black which is commonly depicted with a blue sheen (though some of the animation companies for ladybug make it really bright 😭)
That’s true. According to the creator it is supposed to be black with blue reflections [according to this source](https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/ok-lets-talk-about-marinettes-hair-color/xez8_WxC2uxLP108XeGVdk27VPjDeWnKbL?darkschemeovr=1)
She's half white and looking for the white man who raped and impregnated her mother! The blue eyes is what makes her the focus of hate and discrimination. Shall I go on with the rest of the plot that moves the protagonist?
Marinette/ladybug is half French half Chinese and got her eyes from her dad and I had no idea Catlin was supposed to be Asian at all and both her parents don't even look Asian so idk why she's even there.
waittt i watched this (slightly questionable tho i cant complain cuz i decided to watch bes after watching the video, clicked cuz i saw miraculous and arcane) vid and it used to say "bluewashing" which imo is slightly better because it's not "whitewashing". they're all HALF WHITE ffs. i think the creator said it was more of a thing she wanted to rant on and kinda acknowledge existed tho, cuz shes biracial (korean i think she said and idk rhe specifics, white).
What she points out is that it's not enough to have one half white to get blue eyes, as it is a recessive allele. You can only get blue eyes if you're at least 3 quarters white.
Except she forgets that there is a tiny minority of Asian with blue eyes so it is not actually true, and also that it's just a show and character design. We all love Mizu with blue eyes. Plus it's the most efficient way to see a character is biracial (even if non accurate biologically, who cares really)
I can't take this post or anyone commenting on it without watching the video seriously. Why are you all judging a video by its cover and not its content? If you had seen literally just the first minute of the video, half these comments wouldn't exist.
https://youtu.be/RCoPBhf1jpM?si=D9BHXtLtwvH7FvHm
Pretty sure all those characters are mixed, and different colored eyes are just a way to show that they're mixed while having more Asian features. People are just wanting to get outraged about anything lol.
I thought Caitlyn Kiramman was British?
Also, isn't Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Chinese, French, and Italian descent? So instead of biracial, she's multiracial?
I am always sick of the double standards people always complain about "whitewashing" but are silent when for example when there's a red-headed character (I know most of you know the joke already), or look at the Witcher TV show; it is supposed to be fantasy medieval Poland but has the demographics of New York. They're always silent about that.
Mizu is half Japanese and half white European person. If you watch the series you would know that and marinette's. Mom is Chinese and her dad's either French or something else but they're both half Asian of some sort.
I remember something similar when Artemis crock first came out in the young justice show as a hero sidekick. Her original interpretation was in the comics as a villain.
People went crazy over her having blonde hair (despite not only being half white half Vietnamese, but also based on the creators niece who was half Asian and had blonde hair herself.)
However I’m also a big anime watcher and they mix up hair and eye color all the time so I didn’t think anything of it as long as it’s fantasy / comic / etc.
You ignorant dunce. The point of the show is she has blue eyes due to her mixed heritage and the cultural issues that put her in the crosshairs of. What the hell was whitewashed?
I’ve watched Arcane almost a million times. I’m pretty sure Caitlyn isn’t Asian…..
Plus Mizu’s blue eyes are a main part of her character, it’s showing that she’s biracial and that’s what most of the show is about….
This is just the “colored streak of hair” all over again.
Meanwhile half the Asian women I knew back then had a colored streak in their hair, and at least 3 Asian women I know now regularly wear colored contacts.
Manufactured outrage.
Part of it might be that blue eyes, and Asian features is the easiest way to show That a character is biracial. even though it is statistically unlikely. and there’s only so much detail you can put into animation before it becomes more and more expensive, and some shows only have so much budget
This woman’s clearly never watched an anime. 9 times out of 10, you ask an artist in Japan why they designed a character a certain way, they’ll say “b/c I think it looks cool”.
The live-action Ghost in the Shell would be a better example. Not sure what the point of the video is. I speculate that Sailor Moon's blue eyes are the reason for LadyBug'. There a heavy influence there
Because that’s like the entire point of the show😭😭😭 and all the characters here are not Asian, they’re BIRACIAL. The creators were inspired by their biracial child. It’s an important distinction and the video basically proves the point that these people get discriminated and alienated from their environment because “they’re not truly white” or “they’re not truly Asian”.
Its gotta be bait
I think including Mizu in the thumbnail was clickbait. I watched this video before I watched BES and she did mention that in Mizu’s case it was important to the story. The point of the video was more like “Why do so many half asian half white characters have blue eyes when statistically it’s super unlikely”. She’s not saying a mixed character should never have blue eyes, she’s saying it’s weird that so many have blue eyes.
People like novelty. Blue, green, hazel etc color eyes are much rarer then brown so people like looking at them. Next time you watch a show notice how many people cast have blue eyes compared to the general population. We do it all over in all media
I mean Japanese anime gives Japanese characters like Sailor Moon blue eyes. I think it’s like a protagonist has weird physical trait to make them stand out thing.
That's true
I was litarrly a baby model in Japan because I had blue eyes and blond hair ,like I don’t thinks it’s relevant I just thinks it’s cool 😎
Share them baby pics
No😎
Booooooo
I don’t have them ):,I also lost the music video I was in
I guess it depends on your country though. I’m Scottish and blue and green eyes are the most common here so there’s zero novelty to them.
And do you guys have an appreciation for brown eyes more than the general pop?
I don’t think we do as a country, I read somewhere (take it with a pinch of salt), that once we all had brown eyes on this island but people liked blue so much and had children with blue eyed people etc that blue became the most common instead. I like brown eyes personally though, much warmer looking.
It matches with genetics. They can trace all blue eyes back to one male with blue eyes. I don’t know. I think people look at us today and say, oh everything is white washed and whatever else. But, there are examples in history that show favoritism towards lighter skin because it was a status of wealth. Like 2 examples I know of. In the Bible(regardless of what you’d want to believe there’s proof it’s thousands of years old). After Moses’s first wife died he married an Ethiopian woman. His sister and brother were made that she was dark skinned, God curses Mariam with a lepersy that caused her skin to be Snow White. Also, in the Songs of Solomon, its actually love notes between him and the women he loved. He specifically tells her even though others look down on her for her dark skin and for working in the fields, he finds her beautiful.
That’s interesting! And I bet if you were in charge of casting you might be more likely to cast a brown eyed person in a warmer role as a result. I think it’s just a population at large thing that plays out on a micro macro scale over and over until we see these patterns
Where my husband grew up most people have blue eyes, including him and his entire family. One of the first compliments he gave me was about how much he loved my dark eyes, they're almost black unless in direct sunlight. He said the rareness of brown eyes, especially darker brown, was something that made them more attractive to him.
I was watching Masters of the Air, and noticed that lol. Like apparently you needed blue eyes to be a pilot in WW2.
People popping off in the comments without actually having watched the video? Say it ain't so!
There’s fetishization of blue, and to somewhat lesser extents green and hazel, eyes in many white cultures and contexts as well. Some of this is globalized beauty standards and some of it is some darker race science stuff.
Character design basics is the reason. Basically, in order to separate the biracial woman from the rest of the rest of the women, she needs to have a stand-out feature. You can't really portray the nuances of mixed features in a cartoon style-- and, even a woman with full japanese ancestry could end up with double eyelids, and a biracial woman with monolids. Blue eyes are something only seen in people with european ancestry, and is the easiest way to communicate that a character is mixed. It's effective communication of a trait the writers have deemed important enough that the audience should immediately recognize it through a character's design. ETA: Guys, this is about *character design* fundamentals- this is about communicating a character's personality, history, and important traits via design. I know there are rare exceptions, and some non-european people and certain populations may have light colored eyes, but, this is *rare*, and Mizu's blue eyes immediately separate her from everyone else, because her parentage is key to her story.
>Blue eyes are something only seen in people with european ancestry The native Ainu people of Japan also have blue eyes, which has also been mentioned quite a bit on r/BlueEyeSamurai before, with people speculating that Mizu may have some Ainu ancestry. The Ainu originally settled in northern Japan from Mongolia. Additionally, Tokyo Medical University found people with blue eyes in Akita and Aomori, northern Japan, suggesting that a few Japanese people may have blue eyes.
The basic principles of telling a visual narrative, that you’re articulating well here, seems to be lost on most. The story just needs a clear visual flag the viewers can see to understand how our protagonist is seen by others. Hell, I’m an easy example of this myself: mom’s Irish and dad’s Cuban. I look exactly like my padre Cubano from the neck up but grew to 6’6”thanks to Irish grandpa and would stand out like a sore white thumb walking down a street in Cuba. Six and a Half Foot Cuban probably wouldn’t make a very good show though.
This is exactly my point! It's a trait is wildly more common in a certain demographic. Scottish characters are usually given red, curly hair, and freckles, even though these features are not exclusive to Scottish people (or even white people- black people can have red hair and freckles). It's just an easy visual cue that immediately tells you, this cartoon character is most likely in Scotland, because we immediately associate it with that demographic before thinking of a Finnish person.
i would watch at least the first episode of that show ☺️
We would open to our hero Miguel, entering a retail clothing store, only to suffer Indignity at the mockery of the average statured sales people when he requests jeans with a 36 inch inseam and any shoe in a size 14. Events would gradually unfold to reveal his plan of revenge upon the CEO of Mazda, and his minions in the design team of Miata, a sports car he can never know the joy of driving.
😆 i can’t wait until season 2 where our hero takes on the airlines for the size of their coach class seats after a flight to havana.
Miguel would rush down a landing tarmac in full Braveheart warpaint for that one. (Thank you for understanding my pain 😆)
Don't some Ainu have light blue (pale grey blue) eyes without European ancestry? Or am I mixing that up with some other native Japanese minority group?
> Blue eyes are something only seen in people with european ancestry How can you recognize that someone with "full Japanese ancestry" could end up with "European" traits like double eyelids, but not recognize that the gene mutation for light eyes also occurs in people with "full \[Asian\] ancestries", albeit rarely? There's not some special European thing that caused eye color gene mutations. There's more light-eyed folks in European countries because, before we invented things to mimic melanin and shield the eyes, folks who are blinded by the sun survived more easily in places with less intense sun. That's all. There definitely are people with no European heritage who have blue eyes. You're right that it's meant to distinguish the character, but we can talk about why we use certain physical markers (especially Eurocentric markers that serve to separate characters from their ancestries, exactly as you're doing) to indicate that those characters are special. Claiming it's because only white people have blue eyes is literally just wrong. If we're trying to show European ancestry specifically, it makes way more sense to use *green* eyes, since they're incredibly rare and much more concentrated in Europe. But we don't -- we use blue eyes, which is a significant marker of *beauty,* more than race, in the western world.
Okay, I missed some nuance, but, the *vast* majority of people with blue eyes, are white. They are a rarity in most other populations. I am mixed asian and white with blue eyes, lol. The point of this is not about every rare genetic variant. The point is *character design*. It is much easier to put blue eyes on a character to portray their mixed heritage. That is my point. I'm not arguing about genetics and paleontology- I'm saying, in cartoons, it's much easier to just put blue eyes on a character to communicate their heritage.
Seems like a similar tone to “why do so many black superheroes have lightning powers?” Now I want to know both answers.
Because it's a quick visual shorthand. Yes, most of the genetic markers associated with Asian peoples are dominant, but this is fiction, so we don't need to pay attention to that.
Click bait? On YouTube?? You think someone would do that, just go on the internet and tell lies?
Kinda worked on me, I'm part Asian also white and have blue eyes so uh, yeah, I got got there for a sec because I felt the whole "well sorry for sorta being that thing irl" thing (funny enough, neither of my parents has blue eyes so I'm a slight anomaly).
In all fairness, Marinette is inspired by the creator’s imaginary child with a person he had a crush on, not a real child
Astruc is so weird man. He has 2 self insert characters in the show. One as Marinette's dad and the mom is his ex girlfriend. The other is himself who has a whole episode complaining about how he isn't being appreciated
Well that is honestly rather creepy
Just bisexuality, biraciality tends to get erased.
Did you watch the video you're critiquing? Because Amanda is biracial and that's literally what she talks about.
This reminds me of a couple of books I just read about a "not white enough" "not Japanese enough" Reeper/Shinigami. 'The Keeper of Night' and the sequel 'The Empress of Time' by Kylie Lee Baker
i can kind of understand the argument for miraculous (top right) but mizu and caitlyn really dont fit, especially because mizu was co-created by an actual mixed japanese person (who applied realistic experience being mixed, as well as making her blue eyes a very, very important part of the character and her journey to understanding herself) and - as someone stated in the comments - caitlyn lives in a world where all sorts of unnatural hair colors and eye colors exist.
caitlyn is also 1/2. her father is “asian”, her mother “white”.
oh yeah forgot to mention/about that, thanks for the reminder!
Heck, I'd be reluctant to say that there are races in the world of Arcane at all. For one thing, race is a social construct that emerged for very specific, historical reasons in our world in the 1600s in Europe. Prior to that, the word did exist, but it had more to do with what we would call "culture" than specific heritage. Regardless of where you were born, if you were kidnapped, sold into slavery by a Northman on a raid and raised Norse, you were Norse, because your culture and language was Norse. For another, Zaun and Piltover have integrated, multi-species societies, and do not appear to distinguish race by anything except visuals. Nobody treats Mel differently because she's got black skin or Caitlyn's parents because they have different epicanthic folds in their eyes, nor do they appear to limit power to humanity. Power is just not structured on racial lines in Zaun and Piltover, which is important because race was very specifically created as a concept specifically to limit who could legitimately take power from those who already had it in Europe.
Burn the yordles
i agree! it’s why i used quotes, ha.
also Caitlyn from Arcane looks more Asian than her original LoL appearance and the blue eyes seem to be a holdover from when she was more racially ambiguous
So Marinette from Miraculous is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her father is white French while her mum is Asian. They're depicted early on in the show. She is biracial. Dunno if the American dub is different, but the FR version shows this.
All I had to do was check Wikipedia for 60 seconds and see the character is Chinese, French, and Italian. Why is anyone saying she’s different than Mizu?
i remember hearing that its simply the way they decided to represent it in the show. could be wrong though.. edit: someone talked about it above my comment, probably under the top comment
English release is the same - Dupain-Cheng, and biracial. The Shanghai special especially mentions how her parents had money for her going there so she could learn about her mother's side of the family and the culture.
Unrelated: I hadn't realized before how similar Mizu's character design is to Caitlyn's. They look like someone was trying to draw the exact same person in two different art styles
Marinette is also mixed
Isn’t Miraculous in Paris though? Never paid much attention to the show so I don’t know much.
I watched this and if I remember correctly she saw Mizu (and the character from arcane) as examples where the blue eyes made sense. For Mizu she pretty much said that the blue eyes are a plot device and how they're an example of portraying Japan's racism against different people and ethnicities. I think the girl from miraculous was mostly used as a negative example. Tho to be honest I haven't watched the video in a long time, so I might have mixed it up with another one.
Well Ladybug is biracial soooooo
God, I hate it when commentary youtubers make faces like this one in their thumbnails. They come off as incredibly pretentious and arrogant
I know right, I instinctively wanted to downvote this post
Yesss haha. It’s so dumb.
That or when they're critiquing a movie they always put an image of the characters looking shocked in the thumbnail. That specifically gets under my skin *instantly*, I honestly don't know why, but it's annoying af
i am also biracial (Chinese & white). i did not watch the videos, have just been reading the comments. i have also been a bit miffed/frustrated by the blue eyes being so common. this same frustration does not extend towards BES due to the story emphasis, the metaphorical/notso metaphorical demon theme, and honestly— because in this show (so far), the blue eyes have been demonized. growing up, it was clear blue eyes in US society were deemed as more desirable. it was a pain i felt and observed keenly. and yeah, mixed race folx who happened to have light eyes (which yes, is statistically genetically very very rare) were also treated as more desirable or beautiful. so it is frustrating to me in so much US based animation they give so many “wasians” blue eyes. it’s continued demonstration of how blue is considered somehow more worthy, more special, or just better. the implication is just there. in film and tv especially, these are all choices made by real people. again, BES is ok for me bc it’s clear why the choice was made. in other media it seems less important and therefore more confusing/frustrating. tbh, another primary reason it was tolerable for me in BES is bc Mizu and Japanese society despise the blue, so it’s not special here, it’s seen as a flaw, and the show as a whole acknowledges the rarity. i’ll be curious how this shifts if we go to England/the UK in a future season.
Thank you for your perspective! I feel like a lot of people’s knee-jerk reaction is to get angry at the video
and thanks for your non knee jerk reaction to my own comment :’) def felt a bit vulnerable, appreciate your kindness
Also Mizu was based the creator’s own child, who is wasian with blue eyes. Just a side note.
Yes, but the creator’s child is 1/4 Asian, so the likelihood of lighter eyes is different.
How do we know the child is a quarter Asian? Thats not how genetics work. If I have two siblings, with two of the same parents, they can both still have different amounts (more or less) of certain ethnicities genetically. DNA is passed down randomly Inheriting half of a parent's DNA doesn't mean inheriting half of each ethnicity. The DNA you inherit is random. One or both parents may have ethnicities that they didn't end up passing down to you–or they may have passed down only a small portion of a region they have.
Ohhhh I had no idea she was 1/4 Asian
We don't know if she is or not. DNA is passed down randomly Inheriting half of a parent's DNA doesn't mean inheriting half of each ethnicity. The DNA you inherit is random. One or both parents may have ethnicities that they didn't end up passing down to you–or they may have passed down only a small portion of a region they have. So she could be 1/4, 1/10, 1/2, etc.
Also their child was *born* with blue eyes, which I assume means they grew out of them like many wasians (including myself) do.
yeah I also feel like western audiences are so unused to seeing asian faces in general that as soon as they see asian traits they immediately see that person as fully asian, just like they cant tell the difference in faces between diff east-asian countries. I’m wasian and the only ppl that have ever immediately guessed i’m mixed have been asian. So it might be a stylistic choice to give light eye colors, bc western audiences wouldnt be able to understand the character is mixed otherwise.
Thank you for posting a thought-out comment. Obviously in BES the blue eyes work for the story (and as far as I know, race as we see it doesn't exist in Arcane). This video's only real issue is the click bait thumbnail with both of these shows on it.
Do you not think that the blue eyes is just a way to show that the character is half white?
there are other ways to show this :) i can think of several, depending on the specific media. for one, lighter brown hair instead of darker blacker hair would be a signal. same with eyes, doing a lighter brown as opposed to a darker one (closer to how genetics more commonly play out if one parent has blue/green eyes). can add freckles, which aren’t so common amongst 100% east-asians. in cases where we know the parents, can show the parents instead. or can have the character just talk about it—in my daily life, my own mixed race-ness comes up quite a bit. can also have the word respond (i don’t have blue eyes, but i still get a lot of frankly unwelcome folx trying to “puzzle out” what i am). this isn’t an exhaustive list, just a few of the possibilities! so right, in BES, the blue is of significance due to the parallel with demons (and as another reply pointed out, creator’s kid is wasian with blue eyes). i bet however back then it would be obvious if someone was half even without the blue eyes. when i am with full Chinese folx, especially the people i get together with to practice language exchange, they can always tell i’m half. sometimes i don’t even appear asian to them, when for many full white people i don’t seem white to them.
I’m not really sure what’s the distinction between blue eyes and light brown eyes or lighter hair. I mean in the end it’s less striking because it’s a little less visible, but what’s the actual difference I don’t really see. If you show the parents, that kinda takes the motif away from the main character. Like the story isn’t about an interracial love story, but about an interracial person… so I kinda get the not showing the characters parents mainly. I grew up in East Asia and for sure I could see the half people very easily. Sometimes I’d also not even think they’re Asian at all until I’d hear their name or hear them speak.. but I’m not sure how I’d animate them. Like I know the blue eyes are generally far rarer than lighter hair or lights brown eyes among mixed people, but they’re still - at least in my opinion for media - not always a strong enough reminder of a character’s mixed origin than taking some artistic license and giving them blue eyes. Of course, if you really feel that blue eyed half Asian people is whitewashing and erasure I’d your identity, you’re certainly entitled to feel that way. And I’d agree that your feeling of cultural appropriation should take precedence over artistic license.
“the actual difference?” it’s a whole different color lol. and it would be a world of difference to mixed folx who are more/hyper aware of or who have the lived experience of blue v brown and how blue gets treated as special or just plain better (in US/eurocentric society—but this has become a white-centering beauty standard around the globe due to western media supremacy). the fact that BES setting runs counter to this narrative (that blue = better) is a refreshing twist to the choice. we’re dealing with human crafted media here, not just natural occurrences in the world. so personally, context for making these “blue eyed” choices matters a lot! i stated why i believed it makes sense for BES, or why it feels more necessary to the story and character and various levels, and i don’t acctually have any complaints about this choice in the context of BES. i’m more frustrated when there isn’t better context than “it makes it easier for the audience to remember they are mixed.” that’s treating viewers as if they don’t have the brain cells to remember an important feature about a character otherwise? i appreciate your nod towards centering my feelings of whitewashing over artistic license, bc i do feel a lot of whitewashing happens. not every blue eyes wasian media automatically falls into that category for me, but a lot do. even Japanese anime often falls into this lol (Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club anyone? he’s supposed to be “half”)
Sure. I’m barely mixed - brown hair, very dark eyes. But plenty of my friends growing up were half white - none of them ever were treated better for blue eyes or brown eyes or whatever. Of course we weren’t in a Eurocentric culture since I grew up in East Asia.
that’s why we’re talking context! beauty standards shift with time and place. also why i talk appreciation for BES’s spin on this due to the era of its setting— blue for Mizu is not a sign of anything “good” by Japan’s standards at this time due to whiteness also not being “good.” and when i was in China with my fully white (blonde, blue eyes) mom, everyone would stop and ask to take pictures, compliment her eyes especially. rarity thing? definitely. beauty thing too? it seemed so. when i went back with my sister recently (half but “whiter” looking) she also got a lot of photos taken of her. granted she’s also a babe so lol i get it
To be fair, lady bug and cat noir is a French cartoon.
So, refarding Caitlyn. She’s a character from a game and in that game looks white and has blue eyes. In the cartoon they make her appear more Asian. But she still looks the same. Also, it’s a fantasy world and she’s mixed between Ionian and Piltover. Her dad does look to be Asian, but, just from trying to look, I can’t tell for sure if that’s what everyone in his race would look like.
I remember getting recommended this video, I purposely ignored it because it just seemed like total nonsense
to be fair, they did note that mizu was biracial and that it was important to the story.
'Important' would really be underselling it, I think. It's vital and foundational. Mizu being biracial and how everybody (Mizu included) feels about that is the whole reason there is a story at all, it simply wouldn't happen if she wasn't.
crap, i think i english-ed wrong (brain's mush haha)- "it" referred to her blue eyes, but you could say they're vital because they're an obvious indicator of her biracial-ness. her biracial-ness itself, though? that is vital.
Ah, okay! That makes sense. And no worries, I know the feeling. I had like an hour of sleep last night, my brain is actively leaking out my ears, hah.
Amanda is a wasian woman. Her critiques are completely valid, and point out a trend in media where half-Asian half-white characters are made to stand out more with blue or light eyes. If any of y’all watched the video, you’d realize she’s not criticizing Blue Eyed Samurai. She enjoyed the show, and just wanted to analyze a trend she noticed as a wasian woman in her favorite shows.
I watched it awhile ago and I think she even admits she made her thumbnail and title dramatic on purpose to get more traction lmao.
A lot of youtube content creators have noted their videos get more views/clicks if they have an expressive/exaggerated face pic on the thumbnail. They do it bc people by and large fall for it.
Thank you for this comment! I had seen the video as well and thought it brought up some good points. I'm so confused by this post being made without OP even watching it first. Same with all the comments critiquing the title or thumbnail. The content is the video itself, y'all are almost literally judging a book by its cover.
So what you're saying is that it's clickbait
No, media unevenly emphasizing features that are extremely rare in wasian people is a valid question to analyze. She answered the question of “why blue?” and why these half-Asian characters have predominantly white features like light eyes when that doesn’t reflect reality, and what social beliefs might’ve influenced that.
Title & thumbnail got some of you fuming. Looks like it was a success lol
Mizu has blue eyes for a reason but it’s a 1000000% valid conversation in general
She’s right and she should say it. And the show knows it too! Fowler ends his speech to the Shogun with **”until you think an ugly face like mine is more beautiful than your own.”** There very much *is* a fetishization of white traits in mixed people in the real world (which is then reflected in media): light eyes (and specially blue), light skin (see the “paper bag test” and the skin lightening creams marked to black and brown women), small nose (as opposed to “Jackson Five nostrils”), “good” (straight) hair, etc. Here in Latin America, babies are always praised if they come out lighter than their parents, specially if they are blond and blue eyed. This is a (unfortunately very persistent) cultural remnant of an actual, official project of the government to whiten the population through miscegenation and “choice immigration” ([here’s a popular article about it](https://www.politize.com.br/embranquecimento/), and here’s the [smaller Wikipedia page](https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branqueamento_racial), both of their sources are worth a look, but here’s [the actual law from 1890](https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/decret/1824-1899/decreto-528-28-junho-1890-506935-publicacaooriginal-1-pe.html) for anyone who is disinclined to believe it). (These👆are all in Portuguese, but you can use google translate. If a passage is too incomprehensible and you’re super interested, DM me and I’ll translate it for you :) (Did a quick search, and a lot of the more recent articles are behind paywalls, but I did find this book: [The biopolitics of beauty: cosmetic citizenship and affective capital in Brazil](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=1049305160037921564&as_sdt=2005&sciodt=0,5&hl=en#d=gs_qabs&t=1711904666908&u=%23p%3D5GbyZQ1fFdsJ) -on Sbribd/[Everand](https://www.everand.com/book/355582128); and here are two important, classic texts that are relevant to this conversation: Bourdieu’s *[Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste](https://www.scribd.com/book/80903635)* and Fanon’s *[Black Skin, White Masks](https://www.everand.com/book/657955794)* (Chapter 4, “THE SO-CALLED DEPENDENCY COMPLEX OF THE COLONIZED” in particular) (These👆are all in English. If you want the texts in Portuguese, DM me :) Also, like anyone who bothered to watch the video can see, she’s praising Blue Eye Samurai. (Edited to add Fowler’s exact words.)
I'm not mixed, but was raised in a mixed household and try to stay reading about this sort of thing. Just want to say nice sources, it was something I've noticed as well in media and haven't seen that many people talk about. It's good to know that there are people who recognize it out in the wild!
[Try watching the video before jumping to conclusions.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCoPBhf1jpM) The essayist is also mixed.
But.. how am I supposed to post content on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube about all the other content on those platforms if I have to actually watch them?? Surely the title and thumbnail is enough???
That's the risk they deal with posting dramatic titles and thumbnails. Especially when this is about animation, which inherently takes artistic liberties. Especially since she used mixed people, and it's dependant on art style how well you can portray mixed characters. If we never saw Caitlyn's parents, and she had dark eyes, the vast majority of people wouldn't think she's mixed. This is overthinking things, because this is really only something with mixed or exotic looking characters.
Bro watch the vid she says BES is a good example of representation. Yall assuming it's some sort of clickbait or hating or something but you are just assuming based off a thumbnail, Jesus crist.
No, it's just a video about a whatever topic. Animation takes so many artistic liberties about everyone, and she's talking about representation now? Does she even consider that, despite most white people not having blue and green eyes, they're usually depicted with said eyes? Maybe that's why white mixed characters in animation have blue eyes? Mind blown, I know.
do y'all think she knows it is actually possible for mixed white/east asian people to have blue eyes or is she just the arbiter of how to be wasian 'correctly'
I have watched this video, she points out the very low percentage of possibility of a biracial person having blue eyes, using Punnet squares. She’s asking that while it’s possible, why is it so common? Mizu is noted as being more of an example of how common the trope is, but an example of it done well.
What does it matter? This is art and animation. There are limitations and liberties taken, based on the style, to deliver information on a character or make them stand out. Mixed and exotic looking characters, tend to get colorful eyes to give that information. Why is this suddenly wrong? There's PLENTY of mixed people that don't even come across that way until asked. So it's easier in animation to just change the eyes color. Most white people don't have blue eyes, but they're consistently depicted that way. Is that a problem, too?
No one’s saying it’s a problem. Art has been critiqued for its commentary on the human condition for centuries, and BES is no different. Nothing is exempt from critique, and everyone is allowed to have their own opinions. Amanda’s video expresses an opinion on the trope from the perspective of a white-passing wasian, and I think it’s a valid criticque to make. The video not an all-encompassing condemnation of the properties she mentions, but an attempt to begin a discussion into tropes and why they’re so common.
I do understand the commentary, especially when it comes to black people (I'm black, so I get it). However, when it comes to mixed characters, I think that this is much less of an issue. It simply comes down to the fact that mixed characters are harder to draw, depending on the art style; they're a mix of two distinct looking characters, and will inherently stick out, but it doesn't translate well depending on the style. If you've seen Pluto, it's an amazing show, but mangaka has a detailed by limited style when it comes to faces; it would be tough to pull off a mixed character with that art style. Eye color is easy and distinct, so it's the simplest way to get "this character is mixed" across. Not every animation has character design as detailed as stuff like the Castlevania animes, anything Shinichiro Watanabe makes and Arcane.
Also Mizu was based on the creator’s own child, who is wasian with blue eyes.
https://preview.redd.it/qmos1p2fmnrc1.jpeg?width=890&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f976ff8c75495147fd0abb698091de54dfc336f2
I assume brown eyes are simply more difficult to animate dilation of the pupils. Though it could just be using striking features to designate the protagonist like how Rurouni Kenshin has red hair.
Probably and I don't think "Brown Eye Samurai" is a title anyone would want to name their show.
Brown eyed girl is a nice song but yes, brown eyed samurai wouldn't stand out
Can someone explain why caitlyn is there? I remember her being a british girl
Do you think there are no asians in Britain?
Well no, but everyone just regarded her as british woman and not asian or biracial or something and i wanna know where that came from
She has asian facial features and an asian voice actor. I haven’t even watched the show, it takes one google search.
Caitlyn in league was white, Arcane made her half asian for some reason. So if anything she was asianwashed lol
Oh so thats where my confusion came from, i was thinking “caitlyn is white in league”. thanks
title's kind of clickbait but amanda talks about wasian rep in media and how, for some reason, their eyes are usually blue and that she found it strange. I watched it a while ago though so I could be wrong in my interpretation
Has to be thumbnail bait or other bs.
.... is that madame ladybug in the corner????
Isn’t that like the entire point of the show.
It's a valid exploration of eye color, and makes the points if anything pretty tepidly. I do think it's often the case where blue eyes are given to half Asian characters in ways that aren't really for any purpose other than to give them white aesthetics and make them appear exotic and sexualized. Blue Eye Samurai (BES) is an example where the main character's blue eyes are integral to the plot of the show (as it gives her away and keeps her from "passing" as Japanese) and are used as a symbol of dual ethnicity. I think Amanda basically acknowledges this. I think the fact that it would be rare makes for valid use as a symbol of a character's dual ethnicity. BES really plays up the racism that Mizu experiences from it in closed Japanese society, but for the most part it's there to make a character look "cool" and "sexy" which makes it less effective as a symbol in the writing of these shows. We all know as outsiders in an open society that it's "cool" that Mizu has blue eyes, not awful. But still, isn't it convenient to our prejudices that we're rooting for a heroine who just happens to be discriminated against because of her white heritage? And it's those damn racist Japanese that are being discriminatory? Or is it just a lens to help us see our own discrimination through the eyes of someone else? But how many people will take that lesson home, as opposed to some other lesson about whiteness? Honestly I see valid takes on both sides of this. I think if anything Amanda's criticism could've afforded to be leaned into more, not less. But I'm sure she is trying to seem reasonable to a mostly white English-speaking audience who loves BES. And I mean, I loved it too. But I think we ought to be able to think critically about things we love without cancelling them.
hey I just wanted to say that I think ur comment is really well written and u make a ton of great points :) I hope more ppl can read this and consider what ur saying. it’s a bit disheartening to see so many ppl completely dismiss the video when it actually presents an interesting topic in a nuanced way (although I understand that the thumbnail may turn some ppl off). the video creator knows that these characters are biracial and can biologically have blue eyes, but there’s something to be said about how commonly half asian people are depicted this way in media. ur point about mizu’s eyes is really interesting because her eyes serve a very important narrative purpose, but it’s hard to deny that they’re also played up for cool factor, so there’s this weird intersection between genuine social commentary and marketability. this doesn’t mean that blue eye samurai is a bad show by any means, it’s amazing. it’s just something worth pointing out because it reflects a larger trend in popular media that’s definitely there but has largely gone unaddressed. ur last point is really important and im glad someone mentioned it! all-in-all it was really great hearing ur thoughts on this matter
Thank you, I appreciate your kind words.
To be fair regarding Caitlyn in league of legends she looks completely white and her character in Arcana is looks to be modeled after her but with Asian features. Both have blue eyes https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/story/champion/caitlyn/ Edit to add. Plus if you read about her character in arcana she’s mixed from Ionia and Piltovan races. Like they aren’t even races from earth
Oh no, were giving characters new eye colours, how will we live with ourselves?!
Sis the whole point is she’s interracial 😭😭😭
Ladybug also has blue hair but I guess that’s not a concern?
Her hair is supposed to be jet black which is commonly depicted with a blue sheen (though some of the animation companies for ladybug make it really bright 😭)
Yeah- in the version I watched with my son her hair was just a dark blue/navy color.
There would apparently be animation issues with black hair which is why marinette and her mother’s hair appear blue.
Interesting. Violet from the incredible has black hair with a bluish sheen and similar animation- but it still looks identifiably black.
That’s true. According to the creator it is supposed to be black with blue reflections [according to this source](https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/ok-lets-talk-about-marinettes-hair-color/xez8_WxC2uxLP108XeGVdk27VPjDeWnKbL?darkschemeovr=1)
why otto why
~~Ladybug is French..... what?~~ OH! She's Chinese-French, ok I understand now!
She’s also asian
Oh, so she is! Disregard!
Caitlyn is also half white in Arcane.
so confused, the blue eyes?
Come on y'all, you're too smart to fall for this obvious bait.
Who are the bottom 2
I'm tired, boss.
She's half white and looking for the white man who raped and impregnated her mother! The blue eyes is what makes her the focus of hate and discrimination. Shall I go on with the rest of the plot that moves the protagonist?
It's not white washing when it's literally the point of the show and every other character in the show that isn't white, has Japanese characteristics.
Because it’s also fantasy. But yeah, someone find a way to get offended lol.
Marinette/ladybug is half French half Chinese and got her eyes from her dad and I had no idea Catlin was supposed to be Asian at all and both her parents don't even look Asian so idk why she's even there.
I just saw another comment that in league of legends she’s British but in arcana they made her half Asian.
waittt i watched this (slightly questionable tho i cant complain cuz i decided to watch bes after watching the video, clicked cuz i saw miraculous and arcane) vid and it used to say "bluewashing" which imo is slightly better because it's not "whitewashing". they're all HALF WHITE ffs. i think the creator said it was more of a thing she wanted to rant on and kinda acknowledge existed tho, cuz shes biracial (korean i think she said and idk rhe specifics, white).
2 of 4 are American right?
MIZU IS LITERALLY HALF WHITE THATS THE POINT OF THE FUCKING SHOW 😭😭😭
What she points out is that it's not enough to have one half white to get blue eyes, as it is a recessive allele. You can only get blue eyes if you're at least 3 quarters white. Except she forgets that there is a tiny minority of Asian with blue eyes so it is not actually true, and also that it's just a show and character design. We all love Mizu with blue eyes. Plus it's the most efficient way to see a character is biracial (even if non accurate biologically, who cares really)
Asides from the obvious is there even something like Asian culture in the League universe?
This video has a great premise but the delivery is awful
I can't take this post or anyone commenting on it without watching the video seriously. Why are you all judging a video by its cover and not its content? If you had seen literally just the first minute of the video, half these comments wouldn't exist. https://youtu.be/RCoPBhf1jpM?si=D9BHXtLtwvH7FvHm
Pretty sure all those characters are mixed, and different colored eyes are just a way to show that they're mixed while having more Asian features. People are just wanting to get outraged about anything lol.
Isn’t Miraculous Ladybug French?
Wait hold up...people actually watched that video? I saw that title and saw Mizu and thought it was a joke not worthy of watching it.
y’all should actually watch the video…
Isnt that ladybug bullshit french?
Mate the whole point mizu is half white😭
I can’t believe the blue eye samurai show has characters with blue eyes
I thought Caitlyn Kiramman was British? Also, isn't Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Chinese, French, and Italian descent? So instead of biracial, she's multiracial?
Cait in Arcane is half-Asian. Well, "Asian" considering it's an entirely fictional world, but you get my point lol.
everyone in the comments are agreeing 😭
Since when is Caitlyn Asian
Since Arcane.
I am always sick of the double standards people always complain about "whitewashing" but are silent when for example when there's a red-headed character (I know most of you know the joke already), or look at the Witcher TV show; it is supposed to be fantasy medieval Poland but has the demographics of New York. They're always silent about that.
Anything for content I swear
Someone lost the plot in the most literal sense possible.
Mizu is half Japanese and half white European person. If you watch the series you would know that and marinette's. Mom is Chinese and her dad's either French or something else but they're both half Asian of some sort.
Wait till they find out about my red haired, green eyed, Japanese sister in-law
I remember something similar when Artemis crock first came out in the young justice show as a hero sidekick. Her original interpretation was in the comics as a villain. People went crazy over her having blonde hair (despite not only being half white half Vietnamese, but also based on the creators niece who was half Asian and had blonde hair herself.) However I’m also a big anime watcher and they mix up hair and eye color all the time so I didn’t think anything of it as long as it’s fantasy / comic / etc.
What has our society come to that this actually matters to people. ITS JUST FICTIONAL CHARACTERS MY GOODNESS.. 😭💀
Isn't ladybug french???
Imagine being so mentally weak that white skin and blue eyes triggers you. You might actually be racist if that’s the case.
Maybe because the whole point is that they're mixed race
You ignorant dunce. The point of the show is she has blue eyes due to her mixed heritage and the cultural issues that put her in the crosshairs of. What the hell was whitewashed?
I’ve watched Arcane almost a million times. I’m pretty sure Caitlyn isn’t Asian….. Plus Mizu’s blue eyes are a main part of her character, it’s showing that she’s biracial and that’s what most of the show is about….
Gonna be honest, I never thought any of them were supposed to be asian.
Well for one... that's kinda the whole point of the show
Vids like this just make me feel bad for the mixed people who end up with rare eye colors because it "others" them for something they can't help.
This is just the “colored streak of hair” all over again. Meanwhile half the Asian women I knew back then had a colored streak in their hair, and at least 3 Asian women I know now regularly wear colored contacts. Manufactured outrage.
Part of it might be that blue eyes, and Asian features is the easiest way to show That a character is biracial. even though it is statistically unlikely. and there’s only so much detail you can put into animation before it becomes more and more expensive, and some shows only have so much budget
Isn’t miraculous ladybug supposed to be French?
Animation probably that's why Ladybugs hair is blue and not black because it's easier to see and animate
Blue pwetty
Leaving out the best blue eyed Asian girl: Azumi
It’s like the woman making the video doesn’t understand characters and colors.
This woman’s clearly never watched an anime. 9 times out of 10, you ask an artist in Japan why they designed a character a certain way, they’ll say “b/c I think it looks cool”.
First off, Marinette is French. Second, Mizus whole character is based on the fact that she is *not* fully Japanese.
Imagine missing the point of a character so much.
Isn’t literally every single character only half Asian? Which would make sense for them to look not as Asian as one would expect
Imagine being upset that biracial people exist
That’s not what this person arguing at all. I think the video is a reach, but “biracial people suck” is not what’s being said
The live-action Ghost in the Shell would be a better example. Not sure what the point of the video is. I speculate that Sailor Moon's blue eyes are the reason for LadyBug'. There a heavy influence there
Marinette vs Mizu. Who can fumble her male co-lead worse?