How Arthell Isom Became the Head of His Own Anime Studio
“There was a stigma that prevented us from sharing something that we loved with the people we spent so much time with. We weren’t necessarily ashamed of our interest in the genre, it just seemed safe to assume that it was something unique to us individually… There’s always been an unprecedented connection between Black people and anime. Some have credited it to the frequent tales of a downtrodden underdog overcoming the odds—they give us hope through our socioeconomic situation in America. Nevertheless, whatever the cause, many of us have found ourselves intertwined in these Japanese animated stories, without ever being represented in the stories themselves, and sometimes despite offensive representation.
This is why Arthell Isom and his company, D’ART Shtajio are important.”
