GANGSTA REPRESENTS!

KHALEA RIDAD - Writer, 4th Year, English

"TFW you wish there were more episodes."

MINOR SPOILERS FOR GANGSTA!

“Gangsta” premiered as an anime in Summer 2015 and had potential as a story centered around two handymen, one being deaf, in a city called Ergastulum, ruled by 3 mafia groups and a mercenary guild where drugs and other forms of corruption are present. Before the animation studio Manglobe went bankrupt, the anime had a great start. In most media, there is little to no representation of people of color (POC) or disabilities and if there is, these communities are often portrayed inaccurately, perpetuate harmful stereotypes, or are “token characters” that exist to add to the main characters leaving these “token characters” flat. However, “Gangsta” by Kohske has a more diverse and progressive representation of characters of color and people with disabilities than most media.

With diverse characters there are possibilities that characters of color may be illustrated stereotypically such as, a dark-skinned character with large lips or are overly sexualized. Many animes illustrate colored characters in this way because mangakas depend on the US's portrayal of these characters due to the lack of diversity in Japan. Features such as big lips and bulging eyes come from minstrel animations and other media that the US has produced. Fortunately, Kohske’s characters do not have exaggerated features, have different personalities, and problems that they face. Her characters are not defined by their skin color. Also, there is little to no discrimination between characters based on their skin color. With a diverse cast in Japanese media that rarely has characters of color, it is a nice change to see that the characters are not portrayed stereotypically.

Another surprising thing is how the anime introduces the deaf character, Nicholas Brown. At the beginning of the first episode, we believe Nicolas is a quiet, stoic character until he uses Japanese Sign Language that Worrick translates for him. Although Nicolas can speak for himself, there is usually no need to as the people around him understand him and he keeps to himself. However, Nicolas would speak if he was irritated or when someone doesn’t understand JSL like the police officer Chad in the first episode. Out of necessity, Nicolas can read lips even from a great distance, but with people he would talk to often like Alex, he tells her to practice her sign language because he prefers to sign. Nicolas also has a soft side as he teaches a girl named Nina, JSL. Kohske's representation of a disabled character is different and progressive in discussing disabled characters, while most media focuses on what they lack or make them victims of bullying or other forms of discrimination.

From the 17+ rating and its title, many would think that the animated series would be filled with action and story in each episode. Unfortunately, the studio, Manglobe, had to cancel the show because they went bankrupt, resulting in most of the story being confined to 12 episodes, with an ending that left the audience unsatisfied and wanting a second season to answer the problems and questions that were presented in the anime. Currently, there are 56 chapters, however, chapter updates are slow due to Kohske’s autoimmune disorders. As of now, there is no news of a second season, but I can’t wait to see where the manga will go, and hopefully, another studio will take “Gangsta”!