The European Trend discussion.

[quamp]

Lately I've noticed an increase in the number of European characters in anime. (e.g., Negima!, Jenny Martel of Cosplay Complex, etc.)

Is the increase in characters due to:
- Anime wanting to break into the European Market?
- Poking fun at non-American gaijins?
- Wanting a variety of characters that weren't from Japan?
- Something else entirely?

Discuss.

[galfwend]

if u can give examples or sites of this maybe the users can comment on you ^_^

[Duuz]

I think it has more to do with the anime you're watching. There have been plenty of characters with European names in anime in the past, you're only noticing it now.

The series Giant Robo has the organization Big Fire and it's top agents Shocking Alberto, Ivan the Terrible and Genya who is really the son of professor Franken Von Fogler.

And if you've ever seen Legend of Galactic Heroes, which literally has a cast of thousands. The Empire primarily has names like Reinhard Von Lohengram, Ansbach, Rosen Ritter, Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld, Maximillian Von Kastrop, Wolfgang Mittermeyer... Well you get the idea.

And in Gundam Wing the majority of the OZ and Earth Alliance had European names. Tuberov, Duke Dermail, Zech Merquise. Even the salad suits (dress uniforms) of the OZ was napoleonic looking.

[quamp]

True, but there seems to be a large increase over what has come before. Most of the time European characters were in the background and not the focus of the story. Lately, there have been more prominent Europeans in manga.
Another example is Poirot and Marple, based on the Agatha Christie characters.

[Deacon]

I think it's natural that there are more European character in anime...Europeans are better!

Hey, I'm jocking...

[galfwend]

JAPANESE ANIME D BEST
LOLS