You could never explicitly mention race, not use suffixes, and simply get the idea of the multicultural blend of Amestris across primarily in how they act. Tea services could reflect more of a Japanese ideal than the British for example. That, or depending on if you're writing anime or manga verse you could bring up non-Amestrian lineage and discuss that say surnames or given names are uncommon or minority.
Really though, I'd argue that Amestria is very western, only it's western as viewed through the Japanese cultural lens, as many characters in anime/manga are and that's where the east-west smush comes in. The untranslatable jokes/status via suffixes are there for the intended audience versus an explicit statement of race. In general I find suffixes to be pretty awkward unless the setting or the status relationships are hardcore integral. I could more easily digest suffixes for Al to Ed, but I'd have a harder time with say Riza to Roy where more polite dialogue or a 'sir' would suffice.
And now I feel like I have yammered on way too much.
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Date: 2010-11-17 02:32 am (UTC)Really though, I'd argue that Amestria is very western, only it's western as viewed through the Japanese cultural lens, as many characters in anime/manga are and that's where the east-west smush comes in. The untranslatable jokes/status via suffixes are there for the intended audience versus an explicit statement of race. In general I find suffixes to be pretty awkward unless the setting or the status relationships are hardcore integral. I could more easily digest suffixes for Al to Ed, but I'd have a harder time with say Riza to Roy where more polite dialogue or a 'sir' would suffice.
And now I feel like I have yammered on way too much.