Weekly Shonen Jump In Hot Water Over Some Sexy NSFW Art

It looks like the most recent issue of Weekly Shonen Jump has landed its publisher in some hot water. This week, the 31st issue of Shueisha's magazine hit stores, but readers are now voicing their disdain for one spread inside the issue. Apparently, Weekly Shonen Jump allowed a rather risque illustration for Yuna of Yuragi Manor go to press, and parents are fuming.

In the image below, fans can see the illustration that is stirring all this controversy. The spread shows the main cast of Yuna of Yuragi Manor wearing barely-there bikinis which are all falling off. The girls look horrified by their nude state with several characters are blushing and crying in distress. No censor-prone body parts such as nipples or genitals are shown, but the image leaves very little to the imagination. So, given the demographic of Weekly Shonen Jump, it is not surprising to hear parents are displeased with this illustration being approved.

After online complaints sprung up about the artwork, lawyer Keiko Ōta encouraged parents to not let their sons read Weekly Shonen Jump. She said that "depicting sexual harassment as pleasure is a problem." Gender studies professor Kazue Muta also said illustrations such as this one tells audiences it's okay to see females as sexual objects and even ignore their partner protests when it comes to intercourse.

Still, there are other fans who are pushing back against the criticism. Some question whether it is right for parents to instill their view on public sexuality on their kids, and Sato agrees total censorship is bad as well. The majority of Weekly Shonen Jump readers are under the age of fourteen, so oversight and education is always welcome when it comes to reading. However, total isolationism is not.

Fans have taken the recent controversy as a commentary on the fandom's usage of fan-service. The anime industry is rife with series which cater to NSFW artwork that some may label as softcore or voyeuristic. Some otakus have no issue with the revealing art while others push back against the overt sexualization of characters. The issue is likely to remain unresolved as the offense taken towards fan-service often stems from innate moral values. However, when it comes to Weekly Shonen Jump, it seems critics are willing to show out in droves against the ever-growing trend.

[HT] ANN