It seems like every other week there’s a major controversy where so-called fans of Japanese anime and manga criticize a franchise for offending their sensitivities.
Recently, the “Chainsaw Man” manga managed to irk Western “fans” who were outraged by a recent chapter that sexually entertained the protagonist instead of sexually tormenting him as per usual. A heterosexual handjob sent Twitter into a frenzy, and unsurprisingly, the tourists are complaining again.
Just a day ago, the first TV anime trailer for the upcoming adaptation of “Tsuma, Shougakusei ni Naru” (If My Wife Became an Elementary School Student) was released, announcing that the animated version of Yayu Murata’s manga will premiere in October.
Despite its title, the series is actually a poignant romantic comedy. It tells the story of Keisuke Niijima, who lost his wife in an accident ten years ago and has since lived like a walking corpse. His family has become depressed and dysfunctional, but one day, a young girl claiming to be Keisuke’s reincarnated wife appears before him.
Keisuke’s life begins to turn around after this encounter as his reincarnated wife simply couldn’t bare to see her previous family mope around with nothing to live for. He wants to tell the world about his wife’s return, but from an outsider’s perspective, it looks like a creepy middle-aged man claiming a young girl is his wife.
His wife also understands this and thinks there’s no way she can let him do that. Though the pure platonic love between a middle-aged office worker and an elementary school student might seem strange at first glance, the tone of this story is very heartwarming and touching, making it a highly positive and uplifting tale centered around loss.
The manga also concluded with 14 volumes in Japan.
Of course, there are various genres to cater to different tastes. Tourists typically gravitate towards adaptations of battle shounen, franchises designed for younger male audiences with long, expansive story arcs and intermittent action.
However, Western anime tourists are notorious for invading this hobby and attempting to dictate it, demanding that everything be sanitized and reshaped to fit their preferences.
They absolutely detest concepts like fanservice, unable to distinguish between fiction and reality. They treat animated characters as if they were real people, getting offended by their portrayals and seeing sexualization where it doesn’t exist. Most notably, they despise the concept of lolicon, insisting that such characters sexualize minors and are therefore pedophilic.
These so-called “fans” have likely only recently entered the anime community, possibly due to the decline of the Western animation industry and anime’s rise as a global phenomenon. Despite this, they seem unable to ignore content that doesn’t align with their ideals and feel compelled to complain about it instead.
Given its localized title, “If My Wife Became an Elementary School Student,” the series effectively shields itself from these pesky “fans.” The story revolves around a man whose reincarnated wife inhabits the body of an elementary school student. Naturally, when the trailer was released, Twitter users were quick to denounce the series as pedophilic, with some even calling for the destruction of Japan and its creators.
It’s clear that Japanese anime going mainstream has been detrimental to the industry as a whole, unleashing a flood of antagonistic Marvel fans who want every form of media to cater to their tastes and adhere to the West’s social etiquette. Instead of simply ignoring what they don’t like and finding something else to watch, they feel compelled to voice their displeasure and demand it be banned.
These people aren’t true fans. They don’t care about the actual plot or premise; the moment they see a loli character, they start screaming and run for the hills. While it’s somewhat satisfying to see such material drive them away, it’s frustrating to deal with their constant complaints. Berating shows as mere pedophilia and threatening to harm the creators is far from the behavior of true and earnest fans of Japanese anime and manga.
Coincidentally, the same group of detractors did the exact same thing to the creator of the popular series “Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out.” After the mangaka announced an indefinite hiatus due to health issues following a COVID-19 contraction, these critics intensified their attacks. As a result, the creator is unable to produce new chapters for the foreseeable future.
Uzaki-chan became the target of a social media campaign leading up to the 2020 premiere of its anime adaptation, with critics claiming that the short-statured college girl was somehow comparable to real-life children. Progressive feminists, such as “Unseen Japan,” even attempted to shut down a legitimate Japanese Red Cross blood donation campaign.
This campaign featured promotional artwork of Uzaki-chan, with her large breasts, playfully mocking individuals for being afraid of donating blood to save lives.
The promotion was highly successful, with the Japanese Red Cross receiving an influx of donations for a worthy cause, However, Unseen Japan deemed the character, with her exaggerated proportions, to be sexist and derogatory.
Western anime tourists, who often criticize depictions of women with large breasts, bombarded the manga’s hiatus announcement with messages of threats and satisfaction. Many Twitter users took this opportunity to mock and criticize the creator.
Interestingly, I found it rather peculiar that the majority of individuals making hateful comments about Uzaki-chan’s hiatus are those who identify with the LGBT movement, homosexuals, transgender individuals, and non-binaries or at least display supportive flags for political conflicts happening halfway across the world, such as those in Palestine.
Anime becoming mainstream has turned out to be a major mistake. It’s become impossible to enjoy content that isn’t universally praised by the masses, masses who claim to be fans of the industry yet are constantly offended by what Japanese anime and manga have to offer.
These so-called fans even go as far as to threaten harm to content creators for producing works that deviate from societal norms or are deemed “problematic.” Given the title of the upcoming anime adaptation, it’s no surprise that Twitter is flooded with backlash from those who react predictably to anime featuring female characters perceived to be below the “height of consent.”
The story centers on moving on from loss and grief, but they seem uninterested in that. Frankly, I’m glad the title has deterred these critics from the show altogether. I was already intrigued by what is likely to be a tearjerker, but now I’m fully convinced.
However, I won’t be satisfied until Japanese anime returns to its roots, where “problematic” series like OreImo, My Wife is the Student Council President!, and Kodomo no Jikan were abundant. These shows were filled with fanservice, nudity, and themes that are detrimental to the progressive bubble that is American sensitivity.
