THE HISTORICAL BACKDROP BEHIND DAI GYAKUTEN SAIBAN
A heavily condensed rundown of Japanese history relevant to understanding DGS, which I very strongly urge you to read if you don’t have basic passing knowledge of the Meiji era
(banner by @/grandreturn)

DGS incorporates its historical setting strongly into the story. It’s playable without knowing the history, but that easily causes misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Most western fans don’t know that history, and I don’t expect anyone to.

This thread is intended to be a very brief rundown of the historical background for DGS. I’ve included Wikipedia links as some further reading. If you’re interested in learning more, I’d highly suggest looking up scholarly resources.

Japan signed several unequal treaties with Western powers in the mid-19th century. This was to avoid military aggression from Western powers, which had happened to Qing China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unequal_treaty#Japan

Japan began to Westernize. Government, industry, education, economy, and more took on Western systems (including colonization). Japanese students studied in Britain and the US, and Western scholars were invited to Japan to teach. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_(era)

“De-Asianification” was a concept that was pushed, distancing Japan from China and Korea. Proponents claimed that Japan needed to be more like the West and less like it’s Asian neighbors, who were being colonized because of their supposed “backwards-ness”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_(era)#Society

Japan would later win the First Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars. This increased Japan’s territories and proved Japan’s position as an imperial power in the eyes of the West.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sino-Japanese_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War

Japan was expanding prior to the Meiji era, but it increased significantly in this time. The Ryukyuan Kingdom (1879), Taiwan (1895), Korea (1910), and many others became colonies of Japan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Meiji_Japan#Overseas_expansion

Taiwan and Korea remained colonies of Japan until 1945, surrendered as a result of losing WWII. The Ryukyuan Kingdom was organized into Okinawa prefecture and part of Kagoshima prefecture upon its official annexation, as it still is today.

To wrap all of that up, two important points emerge: Britain and other Western powers had interest in exploiting Japan through imperialism, and Japan reacted to that threat by also becoming a Western-style imperial power and exploiting others.

Regarding the Rising Sun design: While historically accurate for DGS, it is heavily linked to Japan’s imperialism and violence in WWII by its victims, direct and indirect. Don’t make or retweet fanart with the Rising Sun in it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_Sun_Flag#Controversy

One more point worth mentioning: Natsume Souseki was a) a real person, b) Japan’s first Japanese scholar of English literature, c) very influential on Japanese literature, and d) actually very unhappy during his time in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natsume_S%C5%8Dseki

Also, "Wagahai Wa Neko Dearu", which Wagahai is named after, is a series of satire short stories on Western culture and Japanese society during the Meiji era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_Cat 

For those questioning why I wrote this: I’m a mixed Japanese/indigenous Uchinanchu (Okinawan) American. I take it very seriously as both a Yamato Japanese and indigenous Uchinanchu person to make sure that this history isn’t misunderstood and/or misconstrued.

OKAY so this thread has gotten LOTS of attention and I’m incredibly thankful to everyone who rt’d it! Unfortunately it’s also made my notifs impossible to navigate so I’ll be muting this thread. If you have comments or questions feel free to dm me!

I usually have a “please don’t dm me if you’re under 16” rule but I’m ok with getting messages as long as they’re questions related to this thread

(I’m also a curious bastard so I’ll probably come check this thread from time to time for comments lol, it just might take some time for me to get back to you if that’s the case!)

HASTY ADDITION ABT CHUUNOSUKE:
- rats/mice/other vermin were associated with JP people in US WWII propaganda
- there is nothing inherently wrong with Chuunosuke since Nuri designed him but BE MINDFUL WHEN DEPICTING HIM
- do NOT show him caught in mouse traps
- that is VERY racist

Caveat to the above: NO, this does NOT apply the same way to Japanese artists, do not go accusing them of being racist against themselves for imagery they might not know even existed

One more addition: quit making jokes about characters being racist if you’re white. It’s not funny to constantly joke about how funny it is that someone is a cringe racist or something. POC express their frustration using humor, but you sound like you think racism is a joke

Also if I see one more tweet about how [spoiler character] is a cop (they’re not) and joking about them committing police brutality, I’m going to fucking snap

[unrelated to the thread topic, but the artist for the thread’s art changed @‘s and is now at @/snomnium]