Thread by @OhsakaRin

I wanted to stay out of this but since it’s a needed conversation then here we go

the anime avatar in and of itself isn’t a problem. it’s when Western VTubers pick Japanese names and use what they think are “kawaii Japanese voices/mannerisms” in an effort to APPEAR Japanese

https://twitter.com/mooooooon_man/status/1634349274606751745

that’s why it is considered a form a digital yellowface. These interpretations of what Japanese people, especially younger Japanese women, are usually based in hyper exaggerated ways of talking and speaking in anime that don’t reflect actual Japanese people IRL

I can see, especially as a mixed Japanese whose heritage has been questioned and denied her entire life (lol the QRTS and comments on That One Post) why a lot of Asian diaspora would be upset to see someone “cosplaying” as being Japanese via an anime avatar

Because this person is literally cosplaying an ethnicity with their avatar, acting like KONNICHIWA MY FANS I’M KAWAII ARINA DESUNYAN YOU CAN CALL ME ARINYAN AS A NICKNAME I’M A NEKO NEKO VTUBER FROM PLANET MAU DESUNYAN and littering their speech with Japanese for appeal/views

I’ve also seen Western VTubers with zero concept of Shinto whatsoever try to have their avatars be “Shinto” inspired but their understanding of the concept of divinity is painfully Western (Christian) and they just… idk slapped a kitsune on it and called it a day

It feels too much like it’s accessorizing Japanese culture for views and to be popular, with zero actual respect for it. It’s fun, they get to act out their fantasy interpretation of what they think a Japanese girl would be like, all while hiding their real ethnicity

So like… I have no problem with VTubers who want to use Japanese culture in their avatars but I have a much bigger problem with people who think “ah yes Inuyasha is a GREAT source material for my Shrine Maiden VTuber avatar” and don’t actually understand Shinto. Stuff like that

This is an area where I strongly encourage VTubers to consult actual Japanese people before creating their avatars. There are English speaking Japanese and mixed Japanese, myself included, available as sensitivity readers. Please consult someone

It’s also not necessary to litter your speech with (bad) Japanese in efforts to sound MECCHA MECCHA KAWAII DESUNYAN like please stop? you don’t need to act Japanese for views/engagement. I’m sure if you have a cute enough personality, it’ll shine on its own

so yeah, you’re welcome to disagree with this but that’s the argument in a nutshell. Take it or leave it.