Can we just vibe and appreciate the story and art from BWAT? You dont need to nitpick everything and find faults at wrong representations of culture etc where it was obviously a fictional plot. Stay deceased my goldfish
Let me get my crayons for you, just because something is fictional doesn't mean it can't be respectful. The 'inspiration' for these stories at the end of the day is still someone's culture and ethnicity. "Obviously a fictional plot", easy for you to say since it's not your people, your culture and your people getting racially stereotyped and getting culturally appropriated. Capeesh?
Its not that deep yall
Bro you need to get the hint that most people see civilizations, take things they like, simplify and portray as they see fit, mix and create based on reality and their own imagination, and no matter how much that offends someone, it literally doesn't matter. Yes the more research put into it, the more intricate and deep, the more familiar and realistic it feels, the best it feels for people that care about world building, and it often enhances the sense of the story greatly.
But fictional settings in fictional worlds with fictional conflicts and fictional everything, telling stories that focus on character development and porn? Not gonna happen unless they spend decades in the same story such as Harry Potter, Avatar, The Lord of The Rings, you get the gist. A Korean trying to represent an Arab/Indian inspired civilization is going to have the same results as the trend of Koreans trying to represent a Victorian European civilization (for the innumerable romance reincarnation fantasies out there) It's a mixture of all the clothes, places, graphics, foods with no rhyme nor rythm putting on the values of what Korea thinks Europe is, not actually portraying what Europe actually was. In other words, everything is stereotypes and it works and that's fine. If you're looking for more researched cultures that are lotyal to Arabs and Indian cultures, GO LOOK FOR THEIR AUTHORS AND SUPPORT THEM.
In fact, what culture do you think the MC in the story is based on? European af. People don't even notice it because of how overused it is at this point. It's fetishizing Europeans and their culture yet it is celebrated because at the end of the day, it's a way to celebrate Europeans even if it is from outsiders with ignorance. People like you having bitch ass tantrums because an author took their time, talent and actually put in the effort to create art based on a culture that's not theirs just incentivices people to get away from that culture because in the eyes of loud sentimental psychorigid people their interpretation is unworthy.
And if most Korean comics that decide to have browns tend to have mc whites and thus the leads are brown, so what? You want to feel satisfied looking some brown on brown action? Read all the stories with brown main characters as leads, mostly found in stories by authors of countries with an actual high demographics of browns, not homogenous countries that glamorize light skin like Korea.
Weird comment as a whole that does absolutely nothing because this is a pirating website, guess I'm as weird for taking the time to respond.
Honestly, kudos to you, very good points, and I very much agree. The author is pretty much also just mixing a bunch of European culture together as well, don't know why OP didn't really take that into account too if they're getting so worked up on fictional representation of cultures.
It's not like significant representatives of the manhwa like the author is SCREAMING at the readers promoting their work as GOOD representation, this is obviously just a work of fiction for entertainment, nothing more, nothing less.
Honestly, kudos to you, very good points, and I very much agree. The author is pretty much also just mixing a bunch of European cultures together as well, don't know why OP didn't really take that into account too if they're getting so worked up on fictional representation of cultures.
It's not like significant representatives of the manhwa like the author is SCREAMING at the readers promoting their work as GOOD representation, this is obviously just a work of fiction for entertainment, nothing more, nothing less.
If you guys just want to be racist. Go right ahead, instead of finding random justifications. Apparently, being south Korean, gives them a pass to being ignorant. And those of you so up in arms around european culture being mixed up... tell me, are europeans facing marginalization? were they colonized and dehumanised for their skin colour? does mischaracterization actually affect them?
It affects brown people disproportionately. I wish this was just in a vaccum as much as the next person, but it is not. It is so painful to get ridiculed for my culture, only to see others warp it to their liking and disregard years of struggle and oppression for entertainment.
And what a sound logic, that people should automatically not bring up questionable aspects just because effort was put into it. So, if one were to put incredible detail and effect into a racist caricature of another ethnic group, say the black ethnicity, we must all appreciate the efforts, huh?
100%
The story is nice but that’s not what being pointed out.
The fact the poc kingdom has a king with a harem, sons killing each other, they believe in many gods or magic while the other don’t and the constant praise of paleness. Im seeing the exotic label a mile away.
Out of context not insane but we live in a world fetish culture exist and it is a trend, the titans bride another well known sore spot on issue. Hopefully tho the uke will make it more even out on the lust of just one side.
This is left field but there was this huge issue in mortal kombat 11 I think where the character Jax. The poster poc rep smh wish in his arcade ladder for the world to promote blackness. So basically where the racial dynamic flip let’s just say it didn’t go well.
Yeah being told it’s no bigger only makes sense till it used in reverse and people flip out. I still can’t stomach the fact the show Peace maker has a plot element of “cleansed nation” for comedy.
I will read story as I am a product of the force assimilation of endlaved people so I won’t be here if it didn’t occur but yeah calling it out should be allowed and you in no way wrong for doing so.
Oh, I was completely unaware of a backlash against Jax Briggs. I was always under the impression that he was a super cool character, this just shows how much representation matters. According to criminology and social studies, pop culture representation shapes how people perceive those different from their own. What you have provided is a good example of that.
On a slight tangent this reminds me promblamatic caricature of south asians in street fighter (Dhalsim, Good lord that was horrendous) and in Avatar the Last Airbender, there's but one Indian (also a racist caricature and they also had a monkey that spoke in an 'indian accent), despite the show being heavily inspired by Hindu beliefs and practices. Things like chakara and all are from Hindu practices. Avatar is ofter revered as being diverse. But, it was sad to see such pathetic representation of the very culture it took inspiration from. Even the name avatar is a sanskrit word.....
And your statement of 'being the product of forced assimilation of enslaved people', is so profoundly sad... but also strangely hopeful. From what I know the people who were taken away against their will, were also stripped away from their roots and culture, and yet they managed to create their own culture, music and art. Which sadly for decades others have been appropriating (jazz, hip-hop, even hairstyles). Hopefully, someday the credits will be given <3
You font have to read it if it bother you
This is not about this story in perticular, but it feels so odd to see so many stories with a person of colour being paired with a white person. Most of these stories fetishize brown culture and brown people....... Everytime I see a pairing like this, I just pray they aren't using common stereotypes and perpetuating debased ideologies of brown culture. I'm so sick of people saying it's not that deep. Why is it always with a white person too? Haven't we moved past the white saviour.
Anyways, I hope this is different..