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BPO Watchdog Group Receives Complaints About Anime Content

Japanese media watchdog group Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO) posted a summary of viewer comments it received during the month of July, including several complaints about anime content. Though the complaints describe the content of the anime, the titles of the anime are not posted.

One complaint refers to a late-night anime that, while it uses sound modification, has a line that is recognizable as a vulgar word for genitals. It also "uses a gesture that suggests sexual intercourse." The comment says that the show goes too far because even children can guess what the lewd expressions mean.

The anime SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist, which premiered on late-night television in Japan in July, uses the gestures described as well as censored words for genitals.

Another complaint cited the ending of a children's anime that featured girls in bathing suits. The commenter stated that this is "unnecessary" in a children's cartoon and "lacks consideration, as there are many child predators."

The second ending sequence for the 2015 PriPara anime included scenes of girls at the beach in bathing suits.

The BPO also received a complaint about a lottery commercial that used characters from the popular children's anime. The viewer who submitted the complaint stated that they did not believe lottery ticket sellers should be using children's characters.

Characters from the popular children's anime Chibi Maruko-chan appeared in a commercial to advertise "Chibi Maruko-chan Scratch" lottery tickets.

The BPO last posted a complaint about an anime in its April list. This complaint referred to an anime that airs at 6:00 p.m. featuring a hug pillow and "items used for BDSM." This happened in the 2015 Gintama anime's 4th episode.

[Via Yaraon!]