Ataru Moroboshi wrote:It was because of a complain of the Assiociation for Black People Dignity (or anyting like this). They said that when Tezuka drew black beings, he drew them on a very charichaturesque style. But at the time (the fifties), almost all comic artists drew black people that way. However, Tezuka, when he was drawing in his "serious" style, he drew black people as very attractive men and women, like one can see in Alabaster. But, you know, it was 1989, the conservative era, and "politically correct thingies" were on the eye of the storm, then.
Tezuka wasn't a racist. In fact, he drew many black charachters, some of them true heroes like the best childhood friend of Black Jack (the only child who dared to give part of his skin to little BJ), the man Higeoyaji meets in this episode (a sciencist) and dies trying to protect him, some doctors in Black Jack, etc.
However, to check and share points of view, if anyone in this forum is black, I would be thankful about knowing his/her opinion on this issue.
While it is indeed true that Tezuka drew the blacks with exagerated features, for the most part, they were depicted as intelligent people. Take Afill in the Cleopatra story. Although his character is soon killed, he is anything but a superstitous coward. True, tribal people were depicted as such, but that would be accurate for them. There was nothing racial about their condition, anybody living under those conditions would also be superstitous, would also fear thunder, as though it were God's anger. Dr. Ram, Atlas' creator, was black; he was clearly an intelligent man.
However, people are biased, & some will perceive racism, even when there is none.
