So, last week a friend of mine sent me this hilarious video called “Anime House” and it basically blew my mind and left me with major rib pain from laughing so much! The video features Goku, Naruto, Ichigo, Luffy, Vegeta, Light, Kira and many other anime characters being played by –you guessed it- black nerds. I’m just gonna say it: We truly stan black nerds and their content! It’s not something we see every day in media and honestly, I love every shred of representation we can get.
But the video is also something to behold, the concept is so great. Basically, all of these anime characters are living in a house in a reality show type of situation. You get their own interviews and a glimpse into a day at the Anime House. We start with Inuyasha being irritated at Spike for playing his opening very loudly every morning. Can’t blame him, though! Cowboy Bebop does have one of the best anime openings of all time!
Then we get a scene where Goku is –quoting Yusuke- “trying to start shit” and it’s the funniest thing! Honestly, the sheer amount of shade that is thrown in that scene is simply magical. I found that the art of shade is something wonderful when it is handed to us nerds. Then, Vegeta agrees to fight with Goku and as they return he –and I’m quoting Yusuke again- got his ass whooped. And everybody saw it coming! As usual! Poor Vegeta!
What I also loved about the sketch was that we actually got to see Light and Kira from Death Note, offering an interesting contrast between the usual fight anime and the psychological thriller that was Death Note. Light, still being Light and Kira well, still being Kira. Their dynamic is the same but it is also interesting to see the way they interact with the other characters.
This video was made by a group of talented young men who clearly feel passionate about what they do and most importantly, they’re having fun. Sure, there were some bad words but I still enjoyed very much and I’m so excited that we get to have this sort of content, which show us, minorities, simply having fun and being silly together. I know for a fact that being geek, otaku or nerd as a minority can be hard and sometimes it even means not finding people who like the stuff as you. Back in the day, I remember being one of the very few people of color in my Otaku community. And I was the only Afrolatina.
Seeing these kids with their costumes and their wigs made me feel happy and hopeful. Hopeful for a time where these things are taken to be what they truly are: fun. We know that there is a lot of stigma in the Otaku community and that especially black people usually have to gather a lot of courage to cosplay their favorite character just because they are black and will be judged. But I truly believe this shouldn’t matter, let people have fun and you’ll then discover the great things they can do when you allow them to be themselves and showcase their passion.
To summarize: We stan black nerds making content and we are LIVING for this brand of geeky shade they throw! Check the video here and let us know what you think!
