Veteran animator Terumi Nishii has taken to social media to express her frustration with what she perceives as unreasonable demands for political correctness in anime production.
Nishii Terumi, has worked as an animation director on various anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures, and Death Note, among others.
In a series of tweets, Terumi recounted an incident, where an overseas client had requested that black characters in her work be given defined noses to distinguish them properly from other characters, who typically lack detailed nostrils.
This request, she argued, would disrupt the visual balance of the characters and create an inconsistent level of realism within the same series.
“None of the other characters even had nostrils, so if just the black characters had a different level of realism, it would look unbalanced. That kind of thing is just… yeah. In the end, it turned into a conversation about how it’s safer to make the hair colors something like lime green or purple so you can’t tell what race they are.”
Terumi then highlighted the cultural divide, noting that the Japanese approach of indicating race through a simple brown skin tone does not align with overseas expectations of realism, emphasizing that Japanese animation traditionally doesn’t prioritize racial representation.
She expressed frustration that foreign producers, who often lack a deep appreciation for anime, are pushing for these changes.
Nishii further criticized the notion that Japanese animation needs to cater to Western ideas of political correctness. She argued that anime thrives on its unique style and that pandering to external pressures would diminish its appeal, citing that neither she nor the domestic anime fanbase desired such changes.
“Because of this, I don’t feel any attraction to incorporating political correctness and creating works for an overseas audience, and local anime fans don’t want it either. If we did that, it would take away from the appeal of anime, and we’d lose out quickly. So, I want to stick to making things by Japanese standards.“
The animator also touched on broader economic and demographic issues faced by Japan. She emphasized the need to address the country’s declining birth-rate to revive domestic demand for anime.
Even if Japan were to experience a baby boom now, she noted that it would take at least a decade before the industry could afford to ignore overseas market demands. She expressed concern for the future, hoping that steps could be taken to ensure the freedom of the next generation of animators.
“Even if we have a baby boom now, we’d still have to cater to overseas sensitivities and make changes for at least ten years, so I personally won’t make it in time. But I hope something can be done for the sake of the next generation’s freedom. The declining birthrate. In other words, economic policy.“
Nishii Terumi isn’t the first one to call out overseas demand for political correctness in the industry.
Akira Kanai, renowned manga editor known for his work on Vinland Saga, Ajin: Demi-Human, and Planetes, had also came forward recently taking a firm stance against letting political correctness influence manga.
Source: X