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This Week in Anime - It's the Anime Rap Battle of the Century!!




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manapear



Joined: 02 May 2014
Posts: 1530
PostPosted: Tue Nov 07, 2023 3:01 pm Reply with quote
As someone Black, a rap fan (a very mired relationship, as a woman), and into joseimuke content; HypMic and Paradox Live have left me all over the place. In general, the way rap is used or referenced generally makes me feel tired or annoyed, because it's obvious how often Black people and culture are still usually a joke in Japan. But the former two titles have a very weird place among that.

There's a lot of fetishization of Black and brown bodies as is in joseimuke media, and when there isn't, there's just a lack of Black characters entirely. And for series like HypMic and ParaLive, it really bugs me. HypMic has historically been worse, because a couple of their songs even had blatant theft. (They stole a Kendrick Lamar song, of all songs!) And I'm sure they feel they can get away with it because they know their target audience isn't versed in rap, and probably won't bother to be. This isn't even touching on everything that happened with Kimura Subaru. (That stung like hell.)

I think Nujabes was a great reference to rap done right, because he was an artist first, and the type that not only credits the sources (but like with Subaru, that doesn't always mean much), but he also really understood the art.

At the end of the day, what bugs me the most is how unseriously a lot of people view and treat rap (and Black people, by extension), and beyond that, how everyone treats its usage. I would love for that to change, but I doubt it will anytime soon. (It gets more complex once we bring K-Pop's presence in Japan into the fold!)
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claymade



Joined: 26 Sep 2019
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Tue Nov 07, 2023 7:35 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Yet, even if some of them are used as a joke or gag, there's still a hint of respect. Kaguya-sama is a gag series, but Shinigami waxing poetic about the intellectual attributes of rap also feels sincere, even if it's followed by how his rapping is even worse than his already infamous singing.

Now after reading the above, I'm just imagining how the plot of Kagya-sama would have gone if Shirogane had had a Death Note. Or if he'd been forced to fight Hollows, in addition to everything else on his insane schedule...
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18463
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Wed Nov 08, 2023 12:46 pm Reply with quote
Didn't Zombie Land Saga also take a rather amusing turn at rap?
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Aster97



Joined: 27 Apr 2022
Posts: 161
PostPosted: Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:16 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
Didn't Zombie Land Saga also take a rather amusing turn at rap?


Yah it did in the second episode haha
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Turtleboy76



Joined: 06 Jun 2023
Posts: 163
PostPosted: Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:41 pm Reply with quote
Not even mentioning Oregiaru's rap scene from S3, tsk tsk
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doctordoom85



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 2094
PostPosted: Fri Nov 10, 2023 11:45 pm Reply with quote
I’m sorry, I love the Aharen is Indecipherable rap segment for two reasons:

1) it shows rap is something that can appeal to anyone. Raido is caught off guard when he tells Aharen that he’ll buy a CD for her and she decides on a rap CD. But he doesn’t make a big deal of it and buys it for her (honestly, the show feels very progressive at times and doesn’t make a big deal about it, like Aharen’s brother enjoying wearing clothes like Aharen but neither Raido or Aharen are judgmental about it, the latter even firmly showing her support for what makes her brother happy). I feel rap has to be one of the highest music genres that s good deal of its haters never gave it a fair chance so any anime saying, “no, give it a chance!” is all right by me if it could potentially draw more people to the genre. Honestly, I find rap and hip-hop to be some of the best music genres to listen to keep my anxiety down while driving, something about a good deal of their songs just calms me. I enjoy rock, but it’s not always best for me when driving.

2. One of the most brutal shut downs I’ve seen in a YouTube comments section. In the comment section for a YouTube clip of the English dub of Aharen rapping, there was this exchange:

“Nothing more cringe than a white woman rapping.”
“Well, for one thing, anyone can rap as long as they are genuine about it. And two, Dani Chambers is white? News to me.”
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Emerje



Joined: 10 Aug 2002
Posts: 7413
Location: Maine
PostPosted: Sat Nov 11, 2023 4:58 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
Didn't Zombie Land Saga also take a rather amusing turn at rap?

As someone who has only a mild interest in rap I read this TWIA expecting mention of the ZLS rap battle and was very disappointed. Gonna have to atone for this with a part 2.

Heck, let's talk about oddly out of place but somehow works rap OPs in anime like Log Horizon, Miss Koboyashi's Dragon Maid and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken.

Emerje
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