Manga Canned After Tokyo Deems Reprint “Harmful”

Tokyo’s manga ban is already beginning to bite – mangaka James Hotate reports that a reprint of one of his previously published manga titles has been designated “harmful literature” and promptly cancelled by the publisher.

In a series of exchanges on Twitter, Hotate explains that new copies of the first volume of his manga Itokoi Chidori will no longer be available as the publisher has cancelled them.

The title had been selling well enough to require an additional printing, and it was at that juncture the state stepped in to ban its sale.

The manga is also serialised in Young Comic, which carries ecchi titles and is marketed towards adults but is not considered an 18+ hardcore ero-manga.

It is not yet clear whether it will lose its serialisation in Young Comic or be cancelled outright as a result of the ban, although both do seem likely.

Several other manga titles have already been listed as “harmful” – the only reason given for the bans is a vague condemnation on the grounds that the titles “stimulate sexual desire and impede the healthy development of youth.”

As if to add insult to injury, on the same page that manga are being denounced as harmful, the film “Amazing Grace” is being officially commended as “promoting healthy development” – it certainly appears that the Tokyo government’s official position is now “3D good, 2D bad.”

Striking is the fact that whilst the law only affects Tokyo, the reprint has been completely cancelled for the entire country – clearly demonstrating that Ishihara’s meddling has already become a de facto national backdoor ban on anything he and his cronies in Tokyo deem “harmful literature.”