The Japanese Communist Party has decided to submit an official complaint to the United Nations about the inappropriate sexualization of female characters in Japanese mangas and magazines. While many believe that this is where creative freedom will be limited because artists must now consider a variety of factors when portraying female characters, the Japanese Communist Party believes young teenage boys are getting exposed to an environment in which female characters are likely to be objectified.
They will meticulously study this issue, identifying how these female characters are being irrationally objectified, and demand that all these magazines and mangas be removed after submitting an official complaint to the United Nations.
Japanese Communist Party Will Formally File A Complaint Against The Japanese Mangas and Magazines For Overly Sexualizing Female Characters
These issues appear to be gaining traction since the Japanese Communist Party has made efforts to combat the objectification of female characters in manga and magazines. On March 18, 2024, Misato Nakayama, a user on the Japanese website “Togetter,” revealed that she scanned a QR code printed in the local newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party, where she found a survey researching to find out how many people were interested in magazine stores that specialize in adult magazines.
Besides pornography, the selections also had manga magazines that catered to different age groups of male readers. These magazines included ones for younger (shonen) and older (seinen) males. The latter type of magazine typically included photo shoots of real-life female models. Some examples of these magazines are Young Animal by Hakusensha, Weekly Young Jump by Shueisha, and Weekly Shonen Champion by Akita Shoten, best known as the home magazine of the late Kentaro Miura’s Berserk.
In December 2023, the Japanese Communist Party carried out a survey to look at the availability of adult magazines in convenience shops. They discovered that these magazines were resurfacing in several places again when they thought they had slowly disappeared due to their efforts and surveys. Consequently, the party has decided to execute a comprehensive nationwide study to ascertain if adult publications that depict women as objects of desire are available in convenience stores.
The survey will be conducted at stores frequented by individuals of all genders and ages. Once the survey is completed, the party will submit an appeal to the convenience store headquarters to collect the results. The party will also submit a report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
Old or New Robin art style? pic.twitter.com/s2SOQYxS5s
— One Piece (@onepiecedaiIys) March 30, 2024
It is nothing new for the manga and anime communities to have a specific illustration of female characters designed to attract the attention of teens and young adults. Even Eiichiro Oda demonstrated how he draws the female characters in One Piece. His manga’s illustrations of women are dramatically distorted from reality, with unrealistic beauty standards. Characters like Nami and Robin have received severe criticism for their representations.
In one of the SBS interviews, Eiichiro Oda stated that the main goal was to attract more “young boys and connect them to their fantasies.” This revelation was equally alarming for those who believe it is a cultural phenomenon and that unless attitudes about this society alter, artists will continue with these illustrations.
Source: BoundingIntoComics
