I'm Not a Villainess!! Just Because I Can Control Darkness, Doesn't Mean I'm a Villain - Vol. 2 Ch. 12.1 - Publisher 2nd Edition

[NattyGU]

Wasn't there supposed to be big plot stuff because of the light blessing? Is it ok that the story will be extremely fucked and mc will seem psycho reacting to things that didn't happen in this case?
Or is it ok because muh chocolate fetishism?

 

[Khulmach]

People need to know the difference with racism and colourism.
Claudia's skin colour was from a blessing, that is why people were wary of her as the skin showed off that blessing.

 

[Xeredge]

Man, the "parents" don't deserve forgiveness. They judged a little girl based off the color of her skin and demonized her then they turn around and act like they're the victims. They deserve every misfortune.

 

[Pringless]

There, are you guys happy now? jesus christ., Karens in training(its a joke😁)

 

[Pringless]

@Kalamel & @Morsealworth you guys write long sentences.🙃

 

[DeadKinginHell]

Man, the people of the Kingdom sure are evil as f*ck.

 

[Ravellear]

TYSM FOR THE SCANLATORS!!
I'm looking forward for the next chapter!
\( ^//w//^ )/

 

[KinglyManga]

She was never black in the first place. Her skin is literally dyed by her blessing. So when she got the light spirit blessing it turned her a lighter color. Her whole fucking family is white. Why do you dumb idiots have to make everything about race, but then complain they put politics in everything. This literally ruins the whole purpose of the story and its dumb. Also no one was scared of her for the skin alone. It was the fact she had the dark spirit kings blessing who destroyed a kingdom almost. Not skin color. Yea they made fun of her for it but not in a racist way because guess what? They are all the same race from the same kingdom. Grow up you fucking Karens.

 

[Tnyhy]

Keep the dark skin, change the hair color... less backlash and makes sense since IT NEEDS a physical change for the ppl to fawn over here (BTW, garbage ppl)

 

[Xynnic]

!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSS THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

[Anikadagud]

I would fucken yeeted them people out of my life by now. Like what type shitty ass parents would do that like just stop also just run away and live happily with them people who actually love you dude

 

[Lizsa123]

The people who don't understand why change her skin tone have bothered so many people really don't understand what racial representativeness mean and how hard is to have a non-white protagonist in a Asian history and why this sole thing attracted so many readers, and how changing this was like some betraying to us

 

[Alex-S]

@Xeredge looks like i found a rasist who didnt read the story

 

[JabbaDaHud]

@Lizsa123 I would love some more POC MC representation, but this wasn't a betraial imo. Everyone in the manga is white, she is only dark because of the blessing. For a "betrayal" she would have had to be a POC to begin with.
The whitewashing stick was realy yikes and you could read a lot into that, but I see it as a symptome of most mangakas only writing white MCs as well as extras.

 

[Darkblaze6]

I felt like the whole skin tone changing was supposed to hammer home how shitty the people of the country are, but changing a character's aesthetic just for that seems pretty overkill.

Does it count white washing though when her race didn't change at all, literally just got less tanned. A white dude with a perma tan is still a white dude.

 

[plaindot]

This is the first time I see a Japanese publisher backtrack on skin colour, that's interesting.

FYI, skin colour issues are prevalent in Asia since forever ago.
Darker skin is still often seen as inferior to fairer skin (why do you think skin bleachers are so common here lol), and it is deeply ingrained that fairer skin = more 'expensive' or more 'noble' (or more fit to be placed in a higher caste or whatever).
In Japan, there are still this deeply rooted xenophobia towards other Asians as well even though not as much as let's say a few decades ago. This can be seen especially towards south east asians that have naturally predisposed darker skin. Heck, the weird treatment even affect sometimes towards darker-skinned Japanese people themselves.

(Gyaru is a fashion/self expression/lifestyle statement and a niche, so it is not a mainstream thing and can't be used as an 'acceptance' excuse)

So, I figure the Japanese fans who complained may have come from this perspective regardless the original source, because truthfully 'becoming fair and thus more desirable/noble' has been a sus trope since forever ago, not to mention outdated and a very deeply rooted old mindset (skin bleaching anyone?) in which the original author may have had. Not maliciously written, since author did try to instill the fact her becoming fairer showed people's hypocrisy, but the comments they wrote on her friends telling her looking more 'beautiful' after being fairer is definitely based on that deeply rooted old mindset.

The manga version story wouldn't be that damaged since it is truncated from the original anyway (for adaptation purposes), and while the message may have changed a bit, the adjustments doesn't 'ruin' the story overall ending like some of you crying out loud here.

The hypocrisy is still there, aka people being nicer to her because she is now a hero who received the light king blessings which raised her status, while before they had been superficially avoiding her because of her skin colour & its implications despite the fact she has always been the same kind person before and after she received the dark king blessings.

The people are now giving her hollow kindness due to her accolades, which is on the same vein if they became less afraid of her just because she becomes fairer.
The story isn't damaged, if anything it gives a bit more depth or made it a bit layered rather than the simple fairy tale feel.

Then, what's not to like?

 

[MsXhosa]

Wtf? This comment section makes me lose all hope in humanity.
Last chapter everyone was like "oh, why did they have to change her skin color? I liked better brown" and now everyone is "white makes more sense, tf author?"
Hypocrisy at its finest.

 

[Karendesuu]

Literally how shit we humans are, to even bully and threaten an author over a skin tone change plot point.
Claudia's skin colour is like a tan you get from going out in the sun, and people are going mad that now the tan is gone. Like wtf really.

 

[tiredbun]

Gotta give a round of applause to plaindot summed it up really well!!!

 

[Gdsryrox]

I mean they could have just slightly changed the colour, still kept it dark but made it lighter.