Interest

Magical Girl Site Likely Target in Latest BPO Published Complaint

The dark magical girl series Magical Girl Site is likely the latest subject of a view complaint published by Japan's watchdog group Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO). The complaint, published on the April 2018 opinions page, mentions a late-night anime program that includes "assault against junior high school students and sexual violence" and states that the anime "includes a scene that encourages bullying." The complaint states that such depictions could reaffirm criminal acts committed by minors and as a program that airs on public broadcasting, the content made the viewer uncomfortable.

production doA's Magical Girl Site anime premiered on April 6. The anime's main character Aya Asagiri is subjected to multiple incidents of violence and sexual assault over the course of the first episode.

Also published in April were commentary and complaints about the coverage of the accusation that former Tokio idol group member Tatsuya Yamaguchi committed indecent assault on a high school girl and comments by Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso regarding the recently resigned Vice Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda who is accused of sexual harassment.

Like previous BPO complaints, the exact title of the anime work is not mentioned. BPO regularly publishes complaints about anime. A complaint likely about Master Roshi in Dragon Ball Super was published last year. That same year a complaint about an "extreme sexual content" anime may have referred to Seven Mortal Sins.

Magical Girl Site was also recently removed from Chinese streaming site Youku. Google cache searches show the site hosted the anime up to episode four, but it is no longer available for streaming on Youku. Chinese streaming sites have been "punished" in the past for hosting animated series that contain violence and pornography. Regulations in China that began in 2015 require video websites to seek approval to stream foreign media, and websites that fail to do so will be prohibited from streaming any media.

Chinese streaming site iQIYI temporarily removed DARLING in the FRANXX and Slow Start last season but they were later added back to the platform after edits were made to DARLING in the FRANXX content. According to Sina, China's government division in charge of internet culture has ordered sites to remove more than 279,000 anime videos.

The BPO has published anime-related complaints include criticism of a kiss in Scum's Wish, a scene in Detective Conan in which sushi is eaten off of a woman's body, the masturbation scene in Mr. Osomatsu, a scene involving "suggestive banana-eating" in Yōkai Watch, the violence in Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, and the main characters of PriPara being shown in swimsuits in the ending.

Other anime to receive complaints published by BPO in the past include Owarimonogatari, SHIMONETA, Chibi Maruko-chan, Gintama, Kan Colle, Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, The Seven Deadly Sins, Akame ga KILL!, Your Lie in April, Hunter x Hunter, Blood-C, Fullmetal Alchemist, School Days, Magi, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Pokémon, and NANA.

[Via Yara-on!, 「日中文化交流」と書いてオタ活動と読む]