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MAYBE THEY THOUGHT NO ONE WOULD COMPLAIN FOR USING THE MOST POPULAR ANIME FOR POLITICAL REASONS
It seems not, but politics is a very sensitive issue in Japan, especially when anime fans do not want to see it combined with their favorite series. However, sometimes this becomes unavoidable and now it was Kimetsu no Yaiba’s turn.
What happened? Japan will have an election process during 2021 and the different candidates seek to promote themselves by all means. Sometimes it is with videos, in others with radio spots and now we have the traditional posters in the streets. This is where the Kimetsu no Yaiba theme comes in.
Makoto Oniki, a member of the party that leads the House of Representatives, promoted himself on the streets of Fukuoka using posters that have a logo with the Kimetsu no Yaiba design. This was seen by many local fans who lost their minds to such appropriation.
Shueisha, the publisher that publishes the Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, stated that they have nothing to do with the politician and the use of those designs. Makoto Oniki apologized and said that he would withdraw all the propaganda shortly.
THERE WERE OTHER POLITICIANS WHO USED KIMETSU NO YAIBA’S DESIGNS WITH MUCH MORE DESPERATURE
Makoto Oniki was not the only Japanese politician who promoted himself using Kimetsu no Yaiba fashion, but also Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Amagasaki’s adviser Keisuke Mitsumoto who is seeking reelection. They used colors and logos that closely resemble those of the aforementioned series.
The poster of the aforementioned politicians uses Tanjiro’s colors and also the Kimetsu no Yaiba logo. The last straw is that they already used a phrase from Rengoku to promote themselves and that makes them much more brazen. It is worth that the popularity of the latest film is fresh.
@kimetsu_off @jump_henshubu
兵庫県尼崎市内にて、このような特定政党のポスターが掲載されています。『鬼滅の刃』を模したものと思われますが、作者様ならびに集英社様はこのような事実をご存知なのでしょうか。また、このようなポスター掲出を許可し、維新の会を支援されているのでしょうか。 pic.twitter.com/HGT7AioUdC— あらまろ (@suirail) February 2, 2021
On the other hand, there is no law in Japan that prevents politicians from using these designs, so Shueisha can only say that it has nothing to do with them. Finally, the only thing that is going to happen is that they will remove the posters and nothing else because they may have a negative reaction from the voters.
