Feminists and social media users have criticized a
scene where the protagonist of “ Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku ( Akebi's
Sailor Uniform )” applies lip balm to her fingers and then
rubs it on her lips . Initial criticism on social media questioned the
purpose of this action, which was perceived as unnecessary and strange:
- « Why
does the lip balm first sit on your fingers (huff huff!!) before you apply
it to your lips? It's pointless and an unnecessary step (plus your fingers
get sticky!). Do they do this kind of thing in anime because weird guys
like to watch this stuff? »
リップ塗っただけなのに、、、、。 pic.twitter.com/KBqr9H7bw3
— ななし (@anime_comic0623) October 14, 2024
This observation was followed by an avalanche of
comments, with users describing the scene as “disturbing” and
“disgusting”, also pointing out other gestures by the protagonist as
problematic . Here are some of the translated comments that emerged
after watching the video:
- " How
disgusting, don't look at me while you make those exaggerated movements
with your lips ."
- « The
design is cute, but how disgusting! They say she's imitating an idol, but
even if that's true, it's still horrible. I've also seen the scene where
she ties her hair, but every gesture is creepy .»
- " Not
just the lips, but also the eye movements and the gesture of arranging the
hair... why does everything look so repulsive? "
- « It
looks like the kind of anime made by virgins, it's really disgusting, I
hate it »
- " If
he looks at me like that, I'm really going to die of laughter. It's
incredible that they try to sexualize even the most everyday actions, it's
already ridiculous. Can you please stop? "
- « Ever
since the manga, Akebi-chan's feminine gestures and body details have
always been off-putting. Everything feels
sticky and gross .»
- « They
shouldn't show this kind of work made by guys with weird fetishes. That's
why there are so many men with wrong ideas .»
These comments have sparked a debate about the
depiction of girls in anime, with criticism of the exaggeration of
certain feminine gestures and behaviors, which are perceived as fetishistic or
created specifically to satisfy male audiences:
- " It's
an incredibly well-made animation by dedicated animators, it's painful to
see it criticized like this ."
- « It's
clearly a fetish anime, so it's no surprise that it's uncomfortable for
many .»
- « It's
time for anime to stop being something exclusive to otakus. This
type of representation must stop .»
- « It's
an anime that feels like a mountain of fetishes. The manga is also almost
like a picture book. Still, I love it .»
- « We
male otakus, even if we think BL anime is disgusting, we don't say it in
public. Why are girls so critical? »
- " Don't
you think the word 'disgusting' is something men don't usually use? "
- « They
should appreciate the fact that this work manages to package this extreme
fetishism into a wholesome anime guise .»
- " It
would be best not to pay attention to them. They don't even watch manga or
anime ."
- " No,
this work is really meant to be repulsive ."
- « I
stopped watching the anime after the first episode because my eyes were so
disgusting »
- " Even
I, a man, find it repulsive ."
- « Ugly
feminists are screaming again .»
- " If
you don't like it, just walk away. That's all you have to do ."
- " We
should put a name to the phenomenon of feminists discovering something
years later and getting angry about it ."
- « If
you check the staff of the anime 'Akebi-chan', you will see that the
director, the scriptwriter, and the character designer are all women. It
is an anime produced primarily by women. So there is no problem with them
including these fetishistic expressions .»
- « I
don't find it disgusting when they exaggerate the eroticism in anime like
'Boku no Hero Academia', but 'Akebi-chan' and 'Tawawa on Monday' have an
unpleasant touch. I can't explain it well, but I feel it that way .
»
Source: Yaraon!
