Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Art and Design Theses Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design Summer 7-23-2021 Representation and Participation in Anime D. Lasseter Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/art_design_theses Recommended Citation Lasseter, D., "Representation and Participation in Anime." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2021. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/art_design_theses/293 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Art and Design Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. REPRESENTATION & PARTICIPATION IN ANIME by D.R. Lasseter Under the Direction of Dr. Melanie Davenport, PhD ABSTRACT Anime, also known as animation, is a style of Japanese film and television animation, typically aimed at adults, as well as children. One of the popular uses for anime—aside from entertainment—is its potential to create powerful messages and address social issues. Despite its huge popularity among diverse audiences, anime is almost entirely devoid of Black and Hispanic characters, as well as social justice themes. After examining the literature, I attempt to provide a model for how a person of one ethnicity can create an authentic character of a different ethnicity, by presenting my character, Ninurai. As a Black artist, I show the stages of character development and share reflections as I work toward accurate representation of an Asian phenotype. This work serves as a model for art educators interested in character development and racial representation.