In the world of Japanese manga, the Shogakukan publishing house is recognized for being the publishing house of iconic franchises such as “ Detective Conan ”, “ Sousou no Frieren ”, “ Tonikaku Kawaii ” and “ Komi-san wa, Komyushou Desu ”, among many others. . However, recently, this publisher has been the subject of intense criticism and calls for a boycott by some Internet users in Japan.
The reason behind this controversy dates back to the
tragic suicide of author Ashihara Hinako, who took her own life at the age of
50 after facing difficulties related to the live-action adaptation of her work
“Sexy Tanaka-san.” As the author explained in a publication on her
personal blog, the live-action series suffered serious problems due to a poor
adaptation of the script. Ashihara-san was forced to personally intervene to
try to save the series, which triggered intense criticism towards
Tomoko Aizawa, responsible for adapting the manga script for the live-action
series , something that the author did not want to happen.
The situation became even more complicated when NTV,
the live-action producer, issued a statement stating that all the episode
scripts had been approved by Shogakukan , with the supposed prior
authorization of the author. This generated a deep feeling of distrust towards
the publisher, as many felt that it had not provided the necessary support to
Ashihara Hinako during this difficult time.
As a result, some netizens have called for a boycott
of purchasing manga published by Shogakukan as a way to express their
discontent and pressure the publisher to take responsibility for its alleged
lack of support for the author . However, this action has also
generated a debate about whether it is ethical to affect other authors who
publish their works through this publishing house.
Comments such as “ This is no longer about
'protecting the authors', but rather 'wanting to destroy Shogakukan', in short,
'I want to destroy what I find unpleasant' ”, reflect this
controversy. Some consider that Internet users are diverting attention from the
main problem and harming the authors themselves who depend on the publisher to
publish their works:
- « I
don't want to buy it from Shogakukan, so I want you to publish it
somewhere else. It's up to you how you “feel” about it . »
- « But going out of your way to tell people, that's just poor maintenance of a twisted nature. It is the same as throwing food in the trash or trampling it in front of farmers .
- " The
people who are boycotting Shogakukan out of resentment towards her are
blaming the authors ."
- « I
don't want editors to be paid! The result of “I don't want publishers to
get money” is that “the authors I support don't get money or achievements .”
- « Those
who complain probably see him as “an enemy who goes out of his way to
publish Shogakukan in these times.” What a disaster these days are .
This controversy highlights the complex ethical and moral
dilemmas that arise in situations where public outrage is directed towards a
broader entity , affecting individuals who may have no direct
responsibility for the problem in question.
Source: Otakomu
