Popular anime series such as Dragon Ball, Naruto and Pokémon appeared in the Brazilian Vice President’s strange “Thank You” message to Japan.
Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President of Brazil, expressed gratitude to Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota for investing heavily in this South American country. As a thank you, Alckmin posted an image of himself in Japanese clothing, looking down at Japan and famous anime characters in a thoughtful way. The anime characters in Alckmin’s image are Goku (Dragon Ball Z), Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura), Naruto Uzumaki as a child (Naruto), Pegasus Seiya (Saint Seiya) and Pikachu (Pokémon).
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Although the classification of anime characters seems random, they all come from series with a strong history of popularity in Brazil. Similar to the 90s anime boom in North America, Brazil experienced its own boom with the appearance of Saint Seiya on TV. Its success paved the way for the airing of more mainstream anime such as Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon, developing a strong anime presence in the country that continues to grow to this day. That said, online One Piece fans are confused by Alckmin’s omission of Monkey D. Luffy, given the series’ international appeal.
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Anime’s unexpected recognition by famous brands and politicians comes at a time when the medium is starting to overtake the mainstream entertainment industry worldwide. In particular, Netflix is investing heavily in anime products such as the live-action adaptation of One Piece and the upcoming television anime remake. Fast-food chain McDonald’s is also getting in on the action, using the anime parody of itself in a series of animated commercials from studio Naruto Pierrot. The WcDonald partnership is also producing a line of special meal products at select locations.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)