imasimpandimproud's Topics (30)

don't worry it's not a mistake it's definitely yaoi ^^

bl is yet to come

oh WORRDD. it wasn’t expected but it’s definitely welcome

But then again, the whole comic is of how people see her as evil because of her darkness even though she is a good person. So maybe the author is trying to make a point about how these negative stigmas are total bullshit by showing how ridiculous the slandering is. If the villain of the manga had a similar premise and was evil to the core, then I think you have a point. But as it stands, the comic shows how she is the best person there, even though she is seen as the worst. Her dark skin and dark magic is seen as something horrible, but she has learned to love it and embrace it in the face of how she is treated, her loved ones not caring about how she looks because they love her for her.

The thing is I completely agree with you for the most part. But everything nullified by the fact that at the end, she sheds her darker skin tone, a mark of a blessing from the perceived evil god, after being blessed by the good one. The whole lesson of learning to love herself for who she is is made null and void when she magically gets to change all of these perceived flaws in a happily ever after ending. So it’s not really a part of her. It’s a skin that she can shed. And all of that has some pretty terrible implications.

WAIT WHAT?! Well ok damn. I guess I could make an argument about how she didn't reject the dark blessing but I feel like that would be a headache to make into a cohesive argument. That ending is PROBLEMATIC.

Or maybe, MAYBE, this is not about race. Interesting idea, right ? Reminder : dark / light ≠ black / white (as in skin colour). She’s clearly not meant to be an African, a Semite, or a South American to whom this type of racism would apply, but rather a Japanese or Caucasian person with dark skin (not black / brown, it could even be a simple dark tan). If anything, it’s more akin to a rejection of tans as something tied to commoners, or a rejection of a « stigma » ( a mark of a supernatural force or being, such as a dark spirit). As for the idea of « dark = evil, and light = good, so her shedding her dark skin when blessed by the light spirit king confirms that and is racist » does not work, because it is expressly said that the dark (DARK, not black or African) spirit king is NOT evil.
Btw, her blessing manifests in both her dark skin and dark hair and eye colour. At the end of the manga, does she become blond, or does she become a mix, with light skin / dark hair and eyes ? Because then, I’d say it’s logical that she would change in terms of appearance, as it is explained that the blessings are what give them those traits. The fact that WE (or you, I guess) attach such importance to the skin colour changing (I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have cared half as much if it were her eye and hair colour that changed) is more of a testimony to the current obsession with skin colour than anything else (or rather, the fact that in the 19th/20th century, particularly in the Americas, skin colour became the determinant factor of race and racism, instead of nationality or the likes, as had been the case before).
PS : is she chosen by the light spirit king, or does she choose him ? Because if it’s the former, then you also need to consider that it has nothing to do with her rejecting the physical marks of the dark spirit king’s blessing, and everything to do with blessings affecting your appearance (regardless of choice).

Here’s quick rundown of what happens. The light god takes back the blessing from the the other girl because she’s cruel and evil and gives it to the MC. She gets new powers her appearance otherwise does not change except that her skin tone gets lighter. She turns ‘milky’ white. Everyone begins to treat her nicely, her parents accept her etc.
So riddle me this, and I ask that look beyond the text when thinking about the questions and what it implies on the author’s behalf. When she originally blessed the female anti-lead she just looks like literally every other pale skinned character, her appearance did not change. Why doesn’t she become super super pale with white hair? And when the anti-lead gets her blessing rescinded, she just looks the same? However the MC when she gets the blessing from the dark god she gets turned darker. Then when she gets blessed by the light one she gets lighter. The in text reason has the god go “haha oopsies I didn’t mean to change your skin tone.” (I’m not kidding that’s literally what the god said and the only explanation.) Now she’s treated nicely. Why put the character through her arc of learning to earn acceptance for herself and from herself when people fear and hate her for her skin tone when she will just turn light at the end? What does this imply about the authors thoughts regarding light and dark skin?

Pale as the default. Dark as the anomaly. Pale inherently associated with good. Dark inherently associated with evil. Pale as beautiful. Dark as ugly. Initially the author seems to work to fight those genre conventions. And then negates it.

But to really get down to it. Ultimately, all you’re giving me is in universe reasons for why things logically can happen. And I suppose I can agree that a novel can have internal justifications for why something happens. Unfortunately, I really don’t care about how the fiction justifies it’s own actions. Especially when the authorial voice perpetuates a certain narrative regarding said actions. Because, I said it before I’ll say it again, a real human wrote this. They are responsible for what they write. And I took issue with the the choices that they made and the framing of said choices.

And yea if the eye or hair color changes I wouldn’t care. Because you can change your hair color with hair dye. You can change your eye color with colored contacts. You cannot change you skin tone. No one gives a shit about your hair or eye color. People are degraded, hurt, killed for their skin tone. It happened to the MC, it’s infinitely worse for POC.

To get to your other comments.

Do not say that skin color and race is a particularly American issue. America is just more vocal about it than other places due to its legacy of slavery and social conventions. Japan has long history of racism within it’s own country, not to mention against other people’s. Japans lives in the modern world, and should be treated as such. Japan is just as capable of racism as America is; it’s infantilizing to say otherwise.

Nationality is about borders and what borders you were born it. White Americans are racist to black Americans. Racism is tied to ethnicity and nationalism to where you were born; they are separate but can overlap. Trying to justify why racism on certain axes instead of others exercise in vanity. Racism exists on multiple axes of oppression and is intersectional. It’s reductive to question why racism occurs for one reason instead of another.

You act as if I am the singular one person who sees problem with this. I am not. I’m reading both the light novel and the visual novel. I’ve read the comments. Others are also disappointed, maybe to different degrees from me, but there are many, many of them. You can argue whether or not you believe there is racism. But it’s clear that you blatantly disrespect that I could possibly see racism in the manga or in the author’s choices. If you deny how other people are impacted by a manga, especially in regards to something like skin color, I would take a step back and reconsider.

Plus you never pretended to say that the author was blatantly trying to *be* racist through their comic, just commented on how it is an example of how ingrained into our society the 'white is good' mentality is. Honestly I love this manga, but I do agree with you, I did not see a problem with the premise until you explained the ending, because such a 180 personality change from those around her *because* of her skin color--and the fact that the god of light and his arrogant ass believed that only 'good' people deserved his blessing--does denote strong tones.
Also having lived in Asian countries for a large majority of my life, I can easily say there is a *LOT* of racism over there, it is just way better stored into the 'we don't talk about this sack.'

I really enjoy this story too which is why I keep up to date with it. I thought the author was doing a good job with a dark skinned character. It’s so rare to see dark skinned people, never mind protagonists, in manga and I guess I’m just really disappointed because the author was going in a good direction for a while only for them to go ‘just kidding.’

Aaah but it would make sense in a world where everyone is white and have light skin to be the norm, that then the MC get the blessing of the light king to also turn lighter?

If everyone is light skinned and truly having a dark skin is one in every couple of generations, it could also have become a blessing but because of the stigma of having dark skin is associated with something bad, wouldn’t it be understandable to be rewarded with light skin?

Of course the characters who can’t see anything but her skin and be wary is asses. But aren’t we the same? She is just getting lighter skin so she can pas in and not removing all her stigma’s.

In my opinion she is lovely with dark skin and I, myself would want her to continue have it. But to be realistic this manga have nothing to do with race and all to do with not meeting the norm.

If you should link it to something then link it to the Witch Children of Africa. Some of them is children born albinos and cast out because theirs skin is a stigma associated with death, illness and etc, etc.

I truly believe this has nothing to do with racism but I can see why it can seem like it.

Sorry for my input.

I don’t think the story is about race either. But I still think that some of the author’s choices were rooted in racism, even if the story itself isn’t. That is why I said I think the author could be racist, not the story. I just don’t think just because her getting light skin makes sense in the story that the author is absolved of all responsibility.

Side note: trust me when I say the light skin wasn’t a smart choice. When the light god gave the MC the blessing, all she said was “oops I made your skin light sorry.” It was not a reward. It was not that the blessing naturally gives lighter skin. It was a conscious choice in the author’s part to make her lighter just to make her lighter. And when I say lighter, I mean milky pale white.

Here’s why I think the author might be racist. A good example is how you say ‘rewarded’ with light skin. Why is light skin a reward and not dark skin? Why did the MC turn lighter when blessed but not the other girl when she was? Why do you consider the norm to be light skin, and as desirable over dark skin? We might all be the same in the inside, but the outside makes us get treated differently.

I think your comparison to albino children in Africa are a poor comparison. The history of colorism and thé favoring of light skin over dark is deeply systemic and affects people at the institutional level all across the world. Even in Africa lighter skinned dark people are favored over darker complexions. Comparing the struggle of albino people in Africa to dark skin people in literally the entire world as an issue only of skin color is reductive.
Also, don’t apologize for speaking your mind (づ￣ ³￣)づ

I love you and your brilliant mind

Plus, this is societal racism. The author created this world, why is 'white' the norm. Our world has mixed enough that POC aren't 'rare,' so it shouldn't be excluded. Conscious or subconscious the author made choices in their world and characters. I don't think the author was pushing this ideology completely consciously, but I do agree with you. Also I'd like to say that you argue your points beautifully ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~

I aspire to be as brilliant as you say my mind is.

And the fact that when they did choose to use a dark skinned character, which belies good intentions in their representation of POC. They then decided to choose possibly the worst way to go about it. The poor optics of the author's approach; it's truly astounding.

I use big words to hide my small meat.

The fact that her skin turns to white at the end is disappointing ngl. :( I dunno about japan, but in my country (also in Asia) there are so many advertisements that promote white skin even though many of us are usually a darker tone. I don’t know about racism, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s about the skin tone.

technically it's not incest if you aren't blood related. the Japanese term is inseki (non-blood related). but i do agree that to us modern folks it feels like the same thing and seems weird.

i know people in historic times did it to keep the bloodline "pure" but yea it's weird nowadays.

That is a personal view. But by definition, by religion, or by any other aspect, it's not incest.

THANK YOU! Under the law in most countries it is incest due to the adoption. And would all you REALLY be okay if you adopt a kid and you other you gave married them. Like I raised you as siblings! This ain't it! Σ(っ°Д °;)っ

Who says she can't have both ε=ε=(ノ≧∇≦)ノ

JUST YURI

sorry for the dislike, i meant to upvote!! let's sign petitions lezgoo

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