Talk:Merli/@comment-34606486-20180816200411/@comment-53539-20180817094626

Basically, its fans wanting to enforce their opinions onto Vocaloid studios. Many still feel their ethnic minority is not fairly represented in Vocaloid and want Vocaloids to reflect their ideals. I myself prefer to let the studios just toss out whatever design they feel is best. For example there was fuss made at VO forums because of the lack of black singers. Though we found out about this time Leon and Lola were supplied by voices by black singers, countering the whole issue. However, the focus always fell onto the Japanese Vocaloids because they have the most interest and the fans at the time wanted a black Japanese Vocaloids.

One such problem we have though is trying to explain that the Japanese Vocaloids do not represent western ideals and Japanese skin varies from fairly tanned looking to pale like Europeon depending on where your from and your lifestyle. It used to be an indication of your overall wealth since the more time you spent on labour and faming the more darker your skin got. But indoors, say as a nobleman, you had lighter skin. IT wasn't 100% failproof (nothing is) but its something thats culturally common. An athlete for example, such a runner, would be expected to have a bronze tan - but they can be worth a small fortune. So this cultural ideal is slowly basically falling apart over time.

Blacks are a minority in Japan more so then many other wealthy countries and few are found there at all. Technically the Ainu are descended from early blacks who settled in Japan before the main population as we know it today settled there. The Ainu, however, have pale skin despite this as they basically have a mutation that caused them to pale down, making them as pale as Europeans. This is the only major population in Japan of "black ancestry" and their not even black.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFohbr7ALeQ&t=1s

All and all I tried to remind people back then in that topic at VO forums, that we're not the main focus and target market of Japanese Vocaloids and our demands mean nothing. Still people celebrated Merli as though her release meant that tanned skinned people were finally represented, when this isn't the case. She is Dark skinned Japanese; not Latino or Arabic, or Indian or any of those groups.

It also a funny thing because there were people on VO forums who tried to say "avatar doesn't matter" and a couple of them joined in on this. IF a image doesn't matter then why are they complaining on skin colour? Its all hypocritical, and I admired the person who finally said it best that no matter what powerful or fast a car is, a customer won't buy it if its ugly. The point was, that looks matter to many, even those who claim otherwise and that results in Merli being given attention to her skin colour. Personally, I think she looks like a clown, her top is what doing it, its pretty awful and looks a little jester-y or harlequin-y.

People also don't get that Merli is meant to be the opposite of Lapis, that Lapis is "light" and Merli "dark" and this is also why Merli is meant to be darker skinned. From we've been given, Lapis is the crowned princess of their people, Merli is the tossed aside princess because of this. So its hinted Merli is suppose to be resentful of her sister. ITs all part of a unwritten storyline. We've only got the description of the two girls and the rest is left for us to put the pieces together. Sadly, instead of some epic plot twisted storyline songs, we tend to see just the same old run-of-the-mill songs for the pair, a complete wasted opportunity for Vocaloids only Protagonist and Antagonist.