Sailor Moon Sparks Backlash Over Tokyo Olympics Rally
The summer season is in full swing now, and that means all eyes are on Tokyo as Japan prepares to [...]
The summer season is in full swing now, and that means all eyes are on Tokyo as Japan prepares to welcome the Olympic Games. After having to postpone its run in 2020, the Tokyo Games are slated to take place in less than a month, but there are still many who would prefer to see the event delayed. After all, Japan is going through another wave of COVID-19, and this pushback has put Sailor Moon in the hot seat.
The whole thing began when the official Twitter for the Tokyo Games hit up fans with a special post. It was there Sailor Moon popped up as one of the event's ambassadors, and she shared a special note. The heroine rallied for Team Japan with a message hoping to "see medal shining beautifully like the full moon on everyone's chest" once the games begin. But given the controversy surrounding the Olympics, fans have flooded the tweet with negative responses.
満月のように美しいメダルが、みんなの胸に輝きますように。 #がんばれニッポン
⏬日本代表選手団へのエールはこちらから https://t.co/6ddms3HPLq
— 日本オリンピック委員会（JOC） (@Japan_Olympic) June 26, 2021
#キャラクター応援団 #スーパーセーラームーン #オリンピック #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/oMn6jEI1Cq
For some fans, they are upset that Sailor Moon is rooting only for Japan despite the character being designated as an ambassador for the entire event. The heroine was made an official spokesperson for the Tokyo Games way back in 2017 along with plenty of other anime icons. Naruto, Goku, Astro Boy, and others were also given the same status. And now, Sailor Moon is stirring up a big controversy for being the first ambassador to speak out.
Of course, the biggest issue with this rally has to do with the pandemic. While vaccination efforts in the United States and the United Kingdom are doing well, Japan has not fared quite the same. The country has vaccinated a little more than 8% of its population according to the World Health Organization, and cases are on an uptick as worry about the emerging Delta variant rises. Overall, Japan has had less than 800,000 infections of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, but much of that is due to the country's strict quarantine procedures for foreign arrivals. But with the Olympics looming, Sailor Moon fans aren't the only ones concerned about hosting the Tokyo Games when so few people in Japan are vaccinated against COVID-19 in any way.
What do you make of this growing backlash...? Do you understand the debate or no? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.