A man was arrested after buying imported manga, a Japanese comic book that had child sex abuse and bestiality content. The man pleaded guilty and may face 15 years in prison. Manga fans are outraged that a man was jailed for "lines on paper" and that it does not protect against child abuse.
In 2003, the Protect Act was issued that outlaws cartoons, drawings, paintings and such that show children in sexual acts. I understand and agree with this law, but in the world of manga there are no rules.
In Japan, their ideas and culture involving comics are different from the US. I'm a huge fan of manga and Japanese cartoons (anime), but some of their content I question and stay far away from like the "shota" and "yaoi" genre! "Shota" is an attraction for young boys or just male characters seen in a suggestive or erotic act/pose. "Yaoi" is homosexual (not the literal Japanese translation).
According to the article, the man in question is a manga/comic collector in general and would like to get his hands on any comic of any kind just to add it to his collection. This does not make him a pervert and he has no photos of child pornography, but still there is concern about this type of art. It's illegal to have such art in America for obvious reasons, but this may also mean that some great manga from Japan may be at risk of never being translated into english even manga that does not hold such art within it's pages.
I've been a fan of anime and manga for 11 to 12 years and I would be dishearten if it is discontinued for any reason. Regarding the whole subject of this legal case, I have mixed feelings. As much as I love anime and manga, I've always had to be somewhat careful whenever I was in the market for something new just to make sure it didn't turn out to be a "yaoi" or mainly a "shota" since that can invovle kids.
There are some animes and manga that I just wonder, WHY??? Regarding children, why would you write about something like that? I don't want those types of manga/anime to be brought over to America, but I also don't want the whole manga/anime industry to be viewed badly just because of certain types of genres.
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I agree that the whole industry or genre of anime (or whatever it is- I've never really read/seen it) shouldn't be punished because of this particular instance, and I don't really think it will be. BUT I do think that the content about child abuse and whatever else is absolutely disgusting and horrible. Also, if someone was aware that this content was included in the comic I would think that they would want nothing to do with it, unless they were into it. Ultimately, this man knew it was illegal to buy the comic, so he should be punished, maybe not for 15 years, but he should face the consequences.
ReplyDeleteI could have sworn that I heard something like this before you mentioned it to me? Something tells me this issue is about a year or two old. We understand that there are certain moral lines that shouldn't be crossed but I do agree that the industry as a whole shouldn't be punished for it. If I was the collector, I would have done some research before importing ANYTHING that may be black listed by the government.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think the law should be involved in what constitutes art, especially when they can't agree on a definition. According to the article, The Protect Act "outlaws cartoons, drawings, sculptures or paintings depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and which lack 'serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.'
ReplyDeleteWho gets to decide if a piece of art has "serious value"? Apparently, according to the act, the particular defendant's community does. So that means that a small town in Georgia could jail someone for having one of those calendars with pictures of cute naked babies in flower pots.
Personally, I find the whole thing ridiculous. He didn't send the comics to minors, he didn't draw or take photographs of minors, and he hasn't hurt anyone.
I know some might say that looking at nude drawings of minors will cause you to act out, but there isn't any evidence to back this up. I believe that in most cases, the opposite is true. If these guys can "relieve their tension" through a cartoon, that's better than taking their perverted sexual fantasies out on a real person. The thoughts are going to be there regardless of whether or not they have a cartoon to help them along.
BTW, sorry my reply is so long, I'm just really passionate about this topic!
As much as I disagree with child pornography and anything of that sort, what this guy did (by simply adding a comic to his collection) should not be faulted for! He didn't do anything wrong; he hasn't committed any sort of crime, just a lover of comics. It's so interesting to me how things, just in nature, are so different in Japan. Their love of art and how creative (and creepy) some of their movies are. Some of the scariest, most gut-wrenching movies I've ever seen are done by Japanese production, obviously never shown in movie theatres.
ReplyDeleteI am not one that approves of child pornography in any way, however I don't feel as though this man should be punished for something he did not write. It is unfair to him. I also don't feel as though they will discontinue manga/anime because of one incident, I am not a fan of any of it, but I know plenty of people that wouldn't know what to do without it. It's one of those things that too many people like, and no matter how hard people may try, it will stick around.
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