: Re: Is it offensive for a mixed raced American of no Japanese descent to use a Japanese pseudonym, merely just because they like it? I’ve grown up on anime, and with unrelated Japanese family.

@Kaufman555

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It will be offensive to some people, and it will be completely fine for others.

From my understanding, Asian Americans tend to look down on this kind of stuff more than the ones living in Asia. In Japan, spoofing or appropriating Western culture is very common and not seen as controversial. I am pretty sure that only a minority of Japanese people in Japan would find it controversial that you use a Japanese pseudonym. (They might ridicule you for the name you chose and for any mistakes you make, however - for example, I'm not sure if it is right for you to call yourself Kumo-san. Isn't that a title that you have to earn? But I'm no expert on this.)

That said, you are probably living in America and might want to publish your stories there. So the opinion of young Asian Americans might be more relevant to your case. And if that opinion is that it is an inappropriate pseudonym, you might run into troubles especially if people start a shitstorm against you for cultural appropriation. This could potentially end badly.

C.B. Cebulski is an odd choice of comparison - as far as I can tell, he seems to be doing fine, and posing as an Asian author might have helped his career immensely. I would be more worried that in this day and age, something like that simply would not fly anymore. Publishers, who have to be mindful of the public opinion, might tell you that they won't touch your work if they fear a public backlash.

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