[CULL][SD] Hair Color in Anime--Slam Dunk's redhead
Philip Yff
In anime, we are used to hair colors that run from
pink through green. Often, the color is just to
look pretty and to provide a distinguishing
characteristic between the characters. In Slam
Dunk, though, hair color is made a central
issue.
The central character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, has
red hair. Frequent mention is made of him as a
red head. Yet, he is undeniably Japanese. He
refers to Michael Okita as a foreigner, implying
that he himself (as can be surmised from his very
Japanese name) is not.
Michael Okita's hair is blond. He has a Western
given name and a Japanese family name.
Sakuragi makes the comment because Michael
spent the previous year in America, that must
account for his hair color. Sakuragi's friends bop
him on his head in response to his stupidity. Is
Slamm Dunk, perhaps, making fun of the
strange un-Japanese rainbow variety of hair
colors in anime.
Mata ato de,
Phil Yff
John Chennavasin
>The central character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, has
>red hair. Frequent mention is made of him as a
>red head. Yet, he is undeniably Japanese. He
>refers to Michael Okita as a foreigner, implying
>that he himself (as can be surmised from his very
>Japanese name) is not.
Then again, Sakuragi dyed his hair so he looked more like a tough guy.
Then again, many of the characters in Slam Dunk look either black or
hispanic, even though they are Japanese. The most interesting case is the
Shohoku team captain (Takenori Akagi) who looks black (even more so in the
anime), and his younger sister (Haruko), who doesn't look black at all.
--
John Chennavasin |
jche...@best.com |
Arnold Kim
My guess is that he's adopted.^_^
Arnold Kim
SD fan
Arnold Kim
Philip Yff wrote:
>
> In anime, we are used to hair colors that run from
> pink through green. Often, the color is just to
> look pretty and to provide a distinguishing
> characteristic between the characters. In Slam
> Dunk, though, hair color is made a central
> issue.
>
> red hair. Frequent mention is made of him as a
> red head. Yet, he is undeniably Japanese. He
> refers to Michael Okita as a foreigner, implying
> that he himself (as can be surmised from his very
> Japanese name) is not.
>
> given name and a Japanese family name.
> Sakuragi makes the comment because Michael
> spent the previous year in America, that must
> account for his hair color. Sakuragi's friends bop
> him on his head in response to his stupidity. Is
> Slamm Dunk, perhaps, making fun of the
> strange un-Japanese rainbow variety of hair
> colors in anime.
I doubt it, since I think it's stated somewhere that he dyes his hair.
Arnold Kim
thought vol. 31 was killer
Sain-Zee Ueng
John Chennavasin wrote:
>
> In article <65bl83$3...@drn.zippo.com>, Philip Yff <yf...@wizard.net> wrote:
>
> >red hair. Frequent mention is made of him as a
> >red head. Yet, he is undeniably Japanese. He
> >refers to Michael Okita as a foreigner, implying
> >that he himself (as can be surmised from his very
> >Japanese name) is not.
>
>
<snip>
I thought his hair was natuarally red, or reddish. Or maybe that was a
translational error into Chinese.
--
***************************************
Sain-Zee Ueng
sain...@cory.eecs.berkeley.edu
***************************************
Wei-Hwa Huang
Arnold Kim <ki...@erols.com> writes:
>John Chennavasin wrote:
>> Then again, many of the characters in Slam Dunk look either black or
>> hispanic, even though they are Japanese. The most interesting case is the
>> Shohoku team captain (Takenori Akagi) who looks black (even more so in the
>> anime), and his younger sister (Haruko), who doesn't look black at all.
>My guess is that he's adopted.^_^
He only looks black because he has thick lips and a blockish head. I've
seen Orientals like that.
--
Wei-Hwa Huang, whu...@ugcs.caltech.edu, http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~whuang/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"[Lucy's eyes] look like little round dots of India ink..." -- Charlie Brown
Chuck Douglas
Philip Yff <yf...@wizard.net> writes:
[edit of a disussion about Sakragi's hair colour.]
>I thought it was naturally red, too. I haven't read (no pun intended) the
>manga only seen the anime. I didn't see any references to him having dyed
>his hair.
I haven't read all of the manga and it has been a while since I have
read what I have read but it was heavily implied that he does dye
his hair. That is part of how he got the image as being a "bad guy"
(furyuu or 'no-good') in the manga. I don't think it ever SAID
he dyed it by I got the impression that he did.
They DO say that it is red so one would think that it was dyed.
--
Chucky Douglas -- chuc...@jaka.ece.uiuc.edu
"I don't pretend I have all the answers/Just the obvious ones"
--_Backbone_ by Baby Animals
Homepage now available at: http://jaka.ece.uiuc.edu/~chuckers/
Kaga
Philip Yff wrote in article <65guqj$e...@drn.zippo.com>...
>In article <347B28...@cory.eecs.berkeley.edu>, Sain-Zee says...
>
>>John Chennavasin wrote:
>
>>> In article <65bl83$3...@drn.zippo.com>, Philip Yff <yf...@wizard.net>
wrote:
>
>;>> >The central character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, has
>;>> >red hair. Frequent mention is made of him as a
>;>> >red head. Yet, he is undeniably Japanese. He
>;>> >refers to Michael Okita as a foreigner, implying
>;>> >that he himself (as can be surmised from his very
>:>> >Japanese name) is not.
>
>>> Then again, Sakuragi dyed his hair so he looked more like a tough guy.
>
>>I thought his hair was natuarally red, or reddish. Or maybe that was a
>>translational error into Chinese.
>
>I thought it was naturally red, too. I haven't read (no pun intended) the
>manga only seen the anime. I didn't see any references to him having dyed
>his hair.
>
>In the third Slam Dunk anime, Sakuragi virtually shaves his head to
>atone for a faux pas during a game. His shaved head is still red in
>color.
Sakuragi is supposed to be a natural redhead. The reason was that he is
Japanese and American mixed blood. I think it was from his mother's side of
the family.
Philip Yff
In article <663so1$q13$1...@columbine.singnet.com.sg>, "Kaga" says...
[snip]
>Sakuragi is supposed to be a natural redhead. The reason was that he is
>Japanese and American mixed blood. I think it was from his mother's side of
>the family.
Is that in the manga? If so, could you provide a little more detail.
Thanks in advance,
Phil Yff
R.
> >;>> >The central character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, has
> >;>> >red hair. Frequent mention is made of him as a
> >;>> >red head. Yet, he is undeniably Japanese. He
> >;>> >refers to Michael Okita as a foreigner, implying
> >;>> >that he himself (as can be surmised from his very
> >:>> >Japanese name) is not.
I think I stopped questioning "strange" hair colors
in anime and manga about ten years ago, some things
just aren't important to the story and are done by the
designer to deferentiate the characters easily, or just
because the character might look good with an odd color.
Sometimes a reason is given, usually it isn't. Besides,
Red is nothing...characters with their blue and pink and
green hair...I doubt prim and propper Ami dyes her hair
blue.
On a side note...I have found that, for some
strange reason, I cannot design a character with
unnatural hair color without giving a reasonable
explaination. You wouldn't believe how many characters
I have who dye their hair funky shades. However with
one of my latest, who has purple hair, I'm really
struggling with reason here by not saying she dyes.
0.0
R.
________________________________________
Stormchild Studio
doujinshi - fiction - rants
http://www.stormchild.com
Philip Yff
In article <01bd00d7$998f0ea0$35da66ce@default>, "R." says...
The interesting thing with Slam Dunk, unlike anime
where characters might inexplicably have purple hair, is
the hair color is frequently mentioned. Hanamichi is
often referred to as a red head in the anime, most
frequently in the context of being a hothead.
Right now, we're trying to figure out whether his hair
is naturally red or whether it's dyed, presumably to
enhance his tough guy image. I, myself, don't know.
I'd assumed it was natural, but there have been a few
people who have suggested it was dyed. I'm only familiar
with the anime. If there is a definite answer it would be
in the manga which I don't have.
John Chennavasin
>Right now, we're trying to figure out whether his hair
>is naturally red or whether it's dyed, presumably to
>enhance his tough guy image. I, myself, don't know.
>I'd assumed it was natural, but there have been a few
>people who have suggested it was dyed. I'm only familiar
>with the anime. If there is a definite answer it would be
>in the manga which I don't have.
This is mentioned in the first chapter of the manga, where his friends
mentioned that his sulking and introverted character is out of his place
with his dyed hair.
--
John Chennavasin |
jche...@best.com |
Philip Yff
In article <663so1$q13$1...@columbine.singnet.com.sg>, "Kaga" says...
[snip]
>Sakuragi is supposed to be a natural redhead. The reason was that he is
>Japanese and American mixed blood. I think it was from his mother's side of
>the family.
We just got a post where the author gave a reference from the first
volume of the manga to the effect that Sakuragi died his hair? Do
you have a reference about his mixed blood.
Philip Yff
In article <668dgf$952$1...@shell3.ba.best.com>, jche...@best.com says...
Later, in both the anime and the manga, Hanamichi virtually shaves his
head. His hair is down to a stubble but it's still red. Is there
an inconsistency here?
Are there further instances of mentioning dyed hair? Could it be that
the dialog in the first volume of the manga was someone making fun of
Hanamichi? Not trying to lead you one way or the other.
Kaga
For the last time, Sakuragi is a natural redhead cause he is American and
Japanese
mixed blood. American on his mother's side I think.
Chuck Douglas
"Kaga" <l111...@singnet.com.sg> writes:
Where is this stated in the manga? I have read most of them
(a long time ago) and the only real mention of ANY family that
I recall was that his dad died when he was young which is why
he was VERY keen on getting the coach to the hospital when
he collapsed.
Philip Yff
In article <chuckers....@jaka.ece.uiuc.edu>, chuc...@jaka.ece.uiuc.edu
says...
>"Kaga" <l111...@singnet.com.sg> writes:
>>For the last time, Sakuragi is a natural redhead cause he is American and
>>Japanese
>>mixed blood. American on his mother's side I think.
>Where is this stated in the manga? I have read most of them
>(a long time ago) and the only real mention of ANY family that
>I recall was that his dad died when he was young which is why
>he was VERY keen on getting the coach to the hospital when
>he collapsed.
All this discussion makes me wish I'd started collecting the anime
series. I did take a look at it at one time, but there seemed to
be no Furigana (cheats for the kanji) in the early volumes and
that makes the reading more difficult for me. I think I did see
a wider use of furigana in the later volumes, but I think the
most recent volume I saw was 23 and that was not the end of the series.
My manga store sells the Tankoubons at $7.00 a pop which adds up to
a sizable investment.
But it seems there's a whole lot more material in the manga than the
anime--so I'm tempted. What say you? Is it worth it?
Sain-Zee Ueng
Philip Yff wrote:
>
<snip>
> All this discussion makes me wish I'd started collecting the anime
> series. I did take a look at it at one time, but there seemed to
Do you mean the manga?
> be no Furigana (cheats for the kanji) in the early volumes and
> that makes the reading more difficult for me. I think I did see
> a wider use of furigana in the later volumes, but I think the
> most recent volume I saw was 23 and that was not the end of the series.
> My manga store sells the Tankoubons at $7.00 a pop which adds up to
> a sizable investment.
The manga's over, been over for quite a while actually. Unsure what is
the last vol, though. Sorry.
>
> But it seems there's a whole lot more material in the manga than the
> anime--so I'm tempted. What say you? Is it worth it?
>
It was okay. It was very popular, in my opinion, because it was a
different sport (not soccer or baseball), and it was very good and funny
in the beginning. Things started to drag towards the end (what manga
doesn't) where a 40 min(?) game lasts multiple Tankoubuns. And the
ending, well . . . let's just say people are wondering when SD 2 is
coming out.
Philip Yff
In article <3489AF...@cory.eecs.berkeley.edu>, Sain-Zee says...
[snip]
>> All this discussion makes me wish I'd started collecting the anime
>> series. I did take a look at it at one time, but there seemed to
>Do you mean the manga?
OOps--gomen nasai. Slip of the tong--I mean keyboard.
Philip Yff
SPOILER ALERT
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
In article <66bkor$63g$1...@columbine.singnet.com.sg>, "Kaga" says...
>>We just got a post where the author gave a reference from the first
>>volume of the manga to the effect that Sakuragi dyed his hair? Do
>>you have a reference about his mixed blood.
>I've read the manga from the first book to it's last one. There are some
>special edition
>books that run side articules one was on his hair and one if memory serves
>me correct was
>an anime print type at the back in the facts section stated that his hair is
>naturally red.
>Wonder if Inoue Ta KeHiko-Sama would make good his promise to continue the
>manga
>after Sakuragi's recovery from his spinal injury. Right now he seems to be
>busy with his
>new work Buzzer Beater.
Does this mean the manga ends on a cliff hanger? What is the final
volume number of the manga?
Kaga
>We just got a post where the author gave a reference from the first
>volume of the manga to the effect that Sakuragi died his hair? Do
>you have a reference about his mixed blood.
>
>Mata ato de,
>
>Phil Yff
I've read the manga from the first book to it's last one. There are some
Arnold Kim
Philip Yff wrote:
>
> SPOILER ALERT
>
> S
>
> P
>
> O
>
> I
>
> L
>
> E
>
> R
>
> S
>
> In article <66bkor$63g$1...@columbine.singnet.com.sg>, "Kaga" says...
>
> >>you have a reference about his mixed blood.
>
> >special edition
> >books that run side articules one was on his hair and one if memory serves
> >me correct was
> >an anime print type at the back in the facts section stated that his hair is
> >naturally red.
>
> >Wonder if Inoue Ta KeHiko-Sama would make good his promise to continue the
> >manga
> >after Sakuragi's recovery from his spinal injury. Right now he seems to be
> >busy with his
> >new work Buzzer Beater.
>
> volume number of the manga?
32. I don't think it was a cliffhanger thereI could be wrong, though, since I
couldn't totally understand the dialog.
Arnold Kim
thought vol. 32 was great, though
Philip Yff
In article <348994...@erols.com>, Arnold says...
[snip]
>> Does this mean the manga ends on a cliff hanger? What is the final
>> volume number of the manga?
>32. I don't think it was a cliffhanger thereI could be wrong, though, since I
>couldn't totally understand the dialog.
That's a lot of volumes. A lot of money to collect them all. I guess if
I'm interested I need to get someone to scour the second hand manga stores
in Japan.
Mata ato de
Phil Yff
Chuck Douglas
Philip Yff <yf...@wizard.net> writes:
>In article <chuckers....@jaka.ece.uiuc.edu>, chuc...@jaka.ece.uiuc.edu
>says...
[edit]
>All this discussion makes me wish I'd started collecting the anime
>series. I did take a look at it at one time, but there seemed to
>be no Furigana (cheats for the kanji) in the early volumes and
>that makes the reading more difficult for me. I think I did see
>a wider use of furigana in the later volumes, but I think the
>most recent volume I saw was 23 and that was not the end of the series.
>My manga store sells the Tankoubons at $7.00 a pop which adds up to
>a sizable investment.
Several years ago, Shonen Jump Mangas were produced with only minimal
Furigana. Around 1990 or 1991 (I would have to look it up) they apparently
decided to include furigana in all of their manga. Manga that started
before this period have minimal. If the continued passed that point,
they are done completely. Both City Hunter and Slamd Dunk are examples
of these manga that went through this transisiton period. I *think*
that around book 10 or so of SD, full-furigana was in use (however, I
don't own the series, I borrowed a friends a LONG time ago. Never finished
the series btw as it was still running when I read most of his.)
>But it seems there's a whole lot more material in the manga than the
>anime--so I'm tempted. What say you? Is it worth it?
Hard to say. As you mentioned, $7.00 a pop is quite an investment
especially for something like 34 books(? not sure.) Is it worth it?
I guess it depends on whether you *really* like the series or not.
I do know one thing that it can DRAG for LONG periods of time. I can't
imagine reading it from week to week in Shonen Jump. Every time I saw
a chapter in it, it seemed to be nothing but a lot of guys sweating and
panting. Week by week would have been agonising. Even as tankobon,
it can be a bit tedious to read as sometimes several minutes of game
time is stretched into several books! It can be slow going.
I haven't decided if I should get a set for myself. At the moment, I
am not interested as I don't really have the bookshelf space (14 shelves of
nothing but manga with a few stacks off to the side because I am out
of room!) Since I never finished it, though, I toy with the idea
every once in a while. I should probably just borrow them from another
friend who has the whole set.
>Mata ato de,
>Phil Yff