What the hell?

As an animation fan I was excited when I found your website, because sometimes I think it is the little Independent studios that make the neatest work. It was then that I discovered Su and Mo. My God, man! I thought racist gags went out of style decades ago...here you portray Japan as a land of Pagodas and Fried Cat (I am half Japanese, and every time I hear that joke, it reminds me that there is still a lot of ignorant stereotypes floating around about Asians.) The friends that I showed it to were probably even more disgusted by it than I was. It's one thing to use it for a gag, especially when the whole thing is a tongue and cheek affair, but this sort of hackneyed thing is a bit too far...every bit of that third movie was one big "Me Japanesie" cliche. The first couple were sophomoric and foolish (when they say animation should be taken in more adult directions I always hope they mean make the plot more complex, not make it lewd), but it can easily be forgiven (after all, the western stereotype of sumo is just grunting, fat, guys in diapers, not participants in a time honored Shinto Ritual...Have you even seen a real sumo match?). The third one, however, really had me rolling my eyes. Didn't you think any Japanese people would be watching this film? Don't you know how stupid it comes off to have all your relatives portrayed as a bunch of Kabuki actors spouting nonsense syllables? I'm not saying that Japan can not be made fun of. Cartoons have a long tradition of bringing humor to this screwed up world, and I would be the last one to deny their right to caricature. Having spent a portion of my childhood in Osaka, I know that Japan is filled with a lot of of weird and wonderfully quirky things, just ripe for the picking. (what about Japanese Game Shows?) But you don't use them. Instead you fall back upon worn stereotypes that would hardly have been acceptable twenty years ago let alone today. So do your Blasted Research! Read a phrase book to simulate the Japanese language. Watch stuff about Japan. Find a Japanese person to talk to about stuff. You know, research...that stuff you should do when you make a movie. A person who can make sure you know what the **** you're talking about and make sure you don't put things upside down. Especially in the field of animation, with all the connections with Japan and Korea, racism, even if it due to misinformation, is the kiss of death.

Or maybe I've just lost my sense of humor watching all those dark and violent anime. Who knows.

sincerely,

Ishida Terumi (aka Ibaragi)