@Gokuyuske:

Oh wow 30 series, you've really been around the block. Are you fucking kidding me? I can think of a ton off the top of my head from very popular shows:
Bakuman: http://bakuman.wikia.com/wiki/Akira_Hattori
Gurren Lagann: http://gurrenlagann.wikia.com/wiki/Aretenborough_Koachicchi Not good enough? Maybe you've heard of One Piece?
http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Patty http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Jango http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Tonjit

No no, wait, those aren't important characters, how about:
http://www.onepiece.com.au/content/characters/usopp.gif
ONE OF THE MOTHERFUCKING STRAWHATS. What forum are you on right now, Anbu?

Oh wait, still not enough for you? Here's a list of FUCKING DOZENS:
http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/tags/sausage-lips?page=1

Dude I know what fucking black face is. Did you ever consider that maybe an AMERICAN theater tradition might not have the same social status or notoriety in JAPAN?

So basically your argument is "oh man filthy casual." Congrats, though, on selectively responding to everything I've said.

And of course I thought about the differences. I've already talked about the difference between Japanese and American racial experiences – if only in brief. You might try reading the post before responding next time. The entire point is within the context of this manga, which you seem to conveniently ignore.

So yeah don't know in conclusion maybe what you say makes a lot of sense to you but I don't think any perspective being very enstranged by that view(and arguably to no harm) on Subaru is wrong either. To people like me he's more defined by his father complex, by being a teenager and thus falling into stupid beliefs easily, etc.'

I don't disagree with the latter point – like I said, I don't think the author is intentionally racist or anything. There's clearly an attempt at redemption and character development. I just don't think it approached it from the right angle. I also think it's important to analyze what's actually there.

Anyway, I'm not interested in arguing against "he's Japanese dur!" Whatever keeps you at ease.

I'm glad you grew up in an environment where you don't have to think about color. This, however, is at the root of most sets of privileges. Being the racial minority puts you in a position where, whether you want to or not, there will be times where your race comes into play. It is something to think about.

I guess the language you pulled out is unnecessarily verbose. You can condense it to "Subaru is a black character." In this context, he's portrayed as a thief, stalker, has the appearance of a gangster, given large lips, and is undoubtedly cast as the villain or antagonist. I don't think it should signify anything in a perfect world, but the reality of it is his portrayal here plays into many black stereotypes.

@Gokuyuske:

Seriously? The lips are a really common drawing style that you can find almost anywhere in manga/anime and it has nothing to do with blackface. And yeah the dark guy is totally evil every time right? Tell that to Griffith/Guts, Light/L, and any number of other pairing that are exactly the opposite. Come on. It's like you just want to be offended.

Really? The lips are a "common" style? Even if you find it in other manga, the fact that it's the ONLY one in this context is what really matters. That's the point here. And I've read over 30 series at this point (admittedly primarily Shounen/Seinen) and can't name another example off the top of my head. This probably has to do with the generally low population of black people to base characters off of. I never said anything about the "dark guy is totally evil every time." In this context, Subaru is very clearly meant to be portrayed as black. The tropes are there whether like it or not. I'm not saying the author is explicitly racist–but what's there is, if not racist, playing heavily on stereotypes (regardless of the attempt to later subvert it). Trying to argue otherwise is either flat out stupidity or doing your damned best to turn a blind eye. Nobody "wants to be offended" -- this is the same type of bullshit argument as "oh that's just reverse racism." I made a very clear observation, which you seem to be refuting with whatever pops out of your ass first.

Another comment mentioned this deals more with Japan's general xenophobia, which is maybe true until you consider the vast difference in experience a black person experiences in Japan versus a white person. It's a joke that you can't be bothered to apply a critical eye to this.

Here's an example of blackface: http://static.tweentribune.com/uploads/imagecache/600/blackface_600_10-30-13.jpg

But, you know, go ahead and tell me drawing the parallel is "just looking to be offended."

And clearly he didn't get more black: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140609113426/shokugekinosoma/images/4/47/Subaru_Mimasaka_Profile.png

Clearly he's just Japanese – the same way everyone in America is just American! There's no race!

This is incredibly frustrating because manga rarely deals with anything aside from racially ambiguous mixes of white/Japanese people or one or the other. And here it does. And it really drops the ball.

This is some near black-face level shit here [lips]. Subaru gets darker as he gets older / becomes more of the 'bad guy.' Of course the black dude steals from people. Relying on some lame tropes despite the redeeming ending.

@Robby:

It probably would have been best if the series had never mentioned that little tangent, thus promising bigger better crazier potential later.

Just cut like two sentences and that would have spared a lot.

On the other hand, that's one of the only tensions that kept me interested in the world over the second half.

second half had a lot of potential. i'm still not sure how i feel about the mainland war crap, but i was willing to go with it. mentioning it and doing nothing was not the right move, though. keeping the world isolated would have been fine with me, too. i was really into it initially when the big abyssals were their targets. everything kind of went to shit after that coccoon crap, though.

really loved the interaction with between shin and kyou kai. the flashes of humor / romance / small conversation really sets this series apart for me.

what's also been stressed is that the army falls into chaos once their general falls. it's impossible for the foot soldiers to have a grasp on the scope of the battle. if you hear your general fell, then you might assume the enemy is overwhelming you at all points.

yeah i just finished beelzebub too. the ending was terrible – everything from america on. it was clearly rushed. i wonder if it was executive pressure to end or if he just got bored. i really hope it's the former.

Oh man. I'd given up hope on this shit so long ago.