by quater Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:29 pm
First: I do not think foreigner implies racism or anything like that. If someone is a foreigner, they aren't from that country and are foreign. What else would we call them? I'm sorry, and I could be wrong, but I just got the impression of super political correctness from you in that. And yeah, I can't stand political correctness. It destroys, not creates.
Second: I agree that biology has nothing to do with it, but there is a big difference in people's cultures and that can cause them to see the world differently. Nothing wrong with noting that because even though we are all human that doesn't mean we see the world the same or were raised similarly at all. Different cultures can be pretty plainly seen, too. Someone raised in a tribe in Africa is pretty easy to differentiate from a crowd of Islamic believers or a group of Canadians. Its okay to look at cultures and see their differences, and pretending that they're not there is silly. (Again, I dislike political correctness, you have no idea.)
Third: Gintama is extremely Japan-centric, and that's why it hasn't been translated. But I don't think that it's trying to say all non-Japanese are bad. More or less, its that the show relies on a looooot of Japanese culture for its jokes. Actors, events, history, etc are so meshed in Japanese culture that a lot of jokes would go right over Americans heads and other western country's heads, hence it hasn't been translated yet. Although, I think the Manga is now being translated, but yeah the Anime.
Fourth: Even though its Japanese-centric, I don't think it tries to support racism, bigotry, or any of those things, really. The person who wrote it I am pretty sure was just looking for an interesting way to use the Shinsengumi and mix silliness with seriousness. I could be wrong, but considering just how much fun the series spends poking fun at Japan, I'd argue you could see it as the opposite, too. That Japanese people treated foreigners like they were evil aliens trying to cling onto their traditions while embracing the part of westernism they liked. When real men would embrace protecting all life, as Gintoki often saves aliens from bullies, even human/Japanese ones!
Or, it was just a silly idea the author had. Usually I am good at reading the subtext but this series is SO incredibly silly, I would not be surprised if there was not any greater meaning there. And, the author of Bakuman based Hiramaru, the guy who writes Otters 11, off of the guy who writes Bakuman. So, you can see how it just really might be silliness mixed with epic. Either way, its really funny and really epic. And to be honest, even if it is pro-Japanese, its slightly noticeable in my opinion, as I never noticed it. I can handle someone saying Japan is the best it doesn't bother me, and if it bothers you, well, don't be sensitive :P