Before going to an anime convention for the first time, I had quite a few expectations. We had the good; good merch and good food, as well as exciting cameos or appearances from leaders in the industry. For the bad, I was expecting the usual stereotypes: an almost corporeal cloud of funk hanging over the air like fog or overzealous cosplayers making a scene in the name of “canon.” Sadly, as a black femme in fandom spaces, I was expecting to see a lot fewer people there who looked like me. But the reality was that Anime Expo 2024 shattered those expectations and was an experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of the highlights of the experience was attending the Anime and Black Culture panel on night 3 (!) of Anime Expo 2024. As I said in my AX24 Day 3 and 4 daily wrap article, this edutaining (educational and entertaining) panel was “something my 14-year-old self probably would have dreamed about when I felt like the only black K-pop and anime fan in my area. Or my 20-year-old self, writing a paper on similar topics while studying East Asian Studies. Or my current self, who still loves learning about all the ways my people were invaluable to the foundation of so many art forms and fandoms.”
It’s no secret that black fans tend to have a complicated relationship with fandom; often because of various fandoms’ incessant propensity for downplaying both the macro and microaggressions we face, as well as the contributions we make. Even though rooted in jokes, the common consensus these days does seem to fall in line with the flippant “you didn’t get bullied for watching anime, you got bullied for (insert cringy “weeaboo” behavior anime fan stereotype here)!” And while there’s usually a bit of truth to every joke and vice-versa, there’s quite a few who did experience some snide comments and side-looks for simply expressing interest in something deemed “out of the norm;” and that went double for those of us who were black! For my blerds out there, how rich would you be right now if you had a dime for every time one of your aunties, uncles, parents, cousins, play-cousins, and god-auntie’s dog’s pastor had something to say about “those cartoons” (or whatever diminutive they have for your interest)? But even worse than that, I think, is being made to feel unwelcome, unwanted, or unseen in a medium you find so much comfort in. For many of us, that’s our experience in fandom, especially those belonging to anime, comics, or video game fandoms.
This topic is broached in the Anime and Black Culture panel, presenting itself as a “fun comedic experience explaining how deep anime and black culture intertwine.” Walking in, I expected the room to be full of black people. And it was, but not exclusively; I was pleasantly surprised to see a smattering of nonblack POC as well as non-POC populating the room. It was a late-night panel; though not a particularly small room it was the last panel scheduled for the room, small details that I found myself paying more attention to after reading fellow writer Sahtrese’s experience with black-focused/blerd panels during Anime NYC 2023. Out of the 4 days of the con, there were three black fandom-focused panels; 3 and a half if you count the Crunchyroll panel with Logic (obligatory Logic is biracial joke). Due to schedule overlapping, I was only able to attend the aforementioned Anime and Black Culture panel; and after doing so, I became even more curious about the others. Did they broach the same topics, and draw the same participating crowds?
This panel opened with our host sharing some fun facts about blackness in media; like the unexpected writer and director behind the film Pootie Tang– not Chris Rock, instead Louis CK– or marketing techniques aimed towards Black people (remember those “we be luvin it” McDonald’s commercials?). Our buying power was a big topic in this panel, starting with the example of the first Kingdom Hearts game. Throughout comics, games, and anime, the foundational fandom bricklaying by black nerds became more and more evident with each example. Even before becoming an anime fan myself years later, I knew many little black boys in school who absolutely LOVED Dragon Ball Z. I think my introduction to the series was through the exclusively black and brown boys yelling about it over lunch tables. Our host even mentions that he watched the show on the Spanish channel, further highlighting the POC solidarity found through Dragon Ball Z.
In the next part of the panel, the audience debated on various topics for characters across a wide variety of shows or games. One example was presidential and vice-presidential debates that humorously pitted Black Dynamite against an anime version of Former President Obama. And yet even through the fun our host was educating us; he explained the origins of the “Blaxploitation” genre that Black Dynamite satirized, shifting the narrative around him into one that was more considering the cultural history behind the character. After voting on the Yoruichi-Dynamite ticket, another debate topic covered “Who is Secretly Black;” spanning characters such as Piccolo (of course), Ussop (naturally), Elmo (I knew it!!), and many more. For me the debates were the most fun, because once audience members were questioned on their choices, or got a little pushback, they went all in on defending their reasoning.
The panel honestly felt like it could have gone on for double the allotted time, but it was clear we would have to start winding the festivities down as the panel shifted into its final segment. In this part, audience members took turns coming up to the mic in the middle of the room to give their blerd testimonials. People outside of the fandom bubble–and especially those belonging to ethnic backgrounds– tend to scoff at the whole “anime changed my life” spiel, but it really is true for many of us. And you could see that sentiment in full force here, with various audience members coming up and telling personal stories of how anime– or just generally blerd culture– caused personal growth in their lives; whether that be through discovering and pursuing talents or interests found through being a fan of a certain medium, or gaining a community and sense of belonging through participating in fandom. This panel not only validated my own experiences and love of blerdom but summed up how I felt about my time at Anime Expo 2024 overall: God, I love being a fan!
