Amazon Bans Book by Dr. Stone Science Consultants

Dr. Stone is a household name with Shonen Jump fans, and its love of all things science helped fans embrace their inner academics when it launched. From geology to plant sciences and beyond, the franchise deal with all kinds of real-world science through a fantastical lens. Of course, much of its detail came courtesy of several consultants who are known in Japan for their love of learning. But now, it seems two books from the group have been pulled from Amazon.

According to Anime News Network, Amazon Japan has delisted two books from the Impossible Science non-fiction series. For those who don’t know, these popular books are penned by Yakuri Kyoshitsu which is a pen name used by the group of scientists who consulted on Dr. Stone. They began working on the Shueisha series starting on volume 10 and continued with it from there on out.

Of course, the consultant group saw a boost in popularity from the gig, and its Impossible Science novels have continued to grow. However, two of them have now been taken off Amazon Japan, and publisher Sansai Books says the online seller pulled the two books as they were deemed “harmful to youths.” This decree was made based on laws from the Tottori Prefecture, so Amazon Japan chose to delist both books entirely to prevent them from being unlawfully delivered to Tottori.

READ MORE: Dr. Stone Releases Season 3 Trailer: Watch

Amazon Japan did say the non-fiction books could be delisted as 18+ titles, but Sansai Books pushed back on the idea they were harmful to kids. As such, the books in question aren’t available on Amazon Japan, and Sansai Books has yet to receive a clear account from Tottori as to why these books are “harmful” to kids. The consultant group’s books can be bought directly from Sansai Books, but the publisher admits 90% of its sales come from Amazon. And with no sign of reconciliation in sight, it seems the online giant won’t restock the books for some time. 

What do you make of this latest Dr. Stone update? Do you enjoy the series’ take on science…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.