Welcome to our roundup of the month's biggest news in the world of anime, manga and otaku culture! This month has been full of controversy and surprises, from the controversy in Japan over the increasing banning of hentai by banks, to heated debates about the impact of these decisions on the otaku community.
We analyze the implications of this news and how it could affect the future of adult content in Japan and beyond. Plus, we keep you up to date on the latest controversies in the Land of the Rising Sun and their influence on global otaku culture.
Don't forget to subscribe and turn on the little bell to stay informed about everything that's happening in the fascinating world of anime and Japanese culture.
We analyze the implications of this news and how it could affect the future of adult content in Japan and beyond. Plus, we keep you up to date on the latest controversies in the Land of the Rising Sun and their influence on global otaku culture.
Don't forget to subscribe and turn on the little bell to stay informed about everything that's happening in the fascinating world of anime and Japanese culture.
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00:00These are the most relevant news or gossip about what happened during the month in the world of
00:04anime, Mamda Japan, or the otaku community. The live-action dating game Super Scout,
00:09released on July 18th, has been greeted with an avalanche of positive reviews on Steam and
00:14has reached a peak of 5,231 concurrent players. This latest PC title from Chinese developer
00:20mountain NC Studio is available in five languages, including English, and has been praised for its
00:26beautiful heroines, compelling story and slightly NSFW scenes. Super Scout is an
00:31interactive live-action romance game in which players assume the role of male protagonist
00:36Shuai Guo. As the title suggests, you are a headhunter. However, due to past events that
00:41are revealed as you progress through the game, you make a deal with the god of entertainment
00:44to become a Super Scout. This ability allows you to recognize the star qualities of each heroine
00:49and help them become top performers. The downside is that the god takes any money you earn in
00:54exchange for your superpower. Fortunately, the beautiful heroines in the game don't care about
00:58your finances. Super Scout became an instant hit upon its release, peaking at 5,385 players on its
01:05first day. Since then, it has maintained at least 5,000 concurrent players daily. At the time of
01:11writing, Super Scout has an extremely positive rating on Steam. 95% of the 1,000-plus user
01:17reviews are positive. Gamers have praised the adorable heroines, well-shot scenes,
01:22and captivating plots. Most of the reviews are in simplified Chinese, indicating that the game
01:27has been very well-received among Chinese-speaking users. Among all the girls in the game,
01:31Yi Shu seems to be the most popular among reviewers. On July 24, the Fukuoka District
01:37Court handed down a judgment against Mangdaka Erika Ikeda, known under the pseudonym Nekagraj,
01:42for violation of the income tax law. The artist, known for her work in the manga Kusuriya no Hitorigoto,
01:48was accused of evading taxes of approximately ¥47 million, more than $300,000. The judge found that
01:54this was serious tax evasion over several years, sentencing Ikeda to 10 months' imprisonment with a
02:00three-year stay of execution, plus a fine of ¥11 million, over $71,000. The three-year stay of
02:06execution means that the prison sentence will not be carried out unless the defendant commits
02:11another crime during this probationary period. If Ikeda maintains proper behavior during these
02:15three years, the prison sentence will be vacated. Well-known screenwriter Makoto Wizu,
02:20responsible for hit series such as Ensatsu Kyushutsu, Akame GA Kill, and Konosuba,
02:26God's Blessing on This Wonderful World, recently answered an interesting question on Twitter.
02:31Asked by a user how much it would cost to produce a one-season anime if a millionaire with no heirs
02:36on the verge of death asked him to do so, Wizu replied, approximately ¥300 million, about $2.8
02:42million. However, even if a person had that kind of money, production companies usually do not
02:48have immediate availability and, in many cases, would prefer to work with trusted clients. He
02:53further stated that if high quality is sought, both the budget and the time required would
02:57increase significantly. Wizu's revelation not only sheds light on the high cost of producing anime,
03:02but also on additional challenges such as studio availability and preference for reliable clients.
03:07The world of anime production remains an expensive and competitive arena,
03:11with prices that can vary significantly depending on quality and available resources.
03:16The digital store Dimphasoft has issued a press release announcing the removal of several adult,
03:21hentai, video games from its platform. This action was taken after receiving a request
03:26from certain banks demanding the removal of titles that met certain criteria outlined by
03:30those financial institutions. This notice is to inform everyone that several digital titles have
03:36been removed from Dimphasoft and are currently unavailable for sale. Initially, we were contacted
03:40by our bank to remove certain securities that matched criteria that the bank had indicated.
03:45Considering the situation we are in, we have complied with these requests out of an abundance
03:50of caution. During this time, users who have already purchased the aforementioned titles will
03:54also not be able to download them. Unfortunately, there is no timetable for resolving these issues.
03:59In addition, it is possible that other titles may also be removed, but we will try to inform
04:04everyone if this situation occurs. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our users
04:10and we will do our best to find a solution to this issue. One of the site admins, known as
04:14Dimphasoft Chris, commented on Twitter about this situation, well, this is worrying. We received the
04:20news a few minutes ago that we are forced to withdraw a large number of our titles from
04:24Dimphasoft. Extremely disappointing, but considering what happened to DL site earlier this year,
04:29not entirely surprising. And before anyone suggests it, no, cryptocurrencies are not the
04:34solution either. You can find plenty of random ways to receive payments, but if banks can simply
04:39close your account, where exactly will those payments go? It's not like we can tell people
04:43to send us cash payments. This action has caused an uproar among users and adult content, hentai,
04:49distributors in Japan, who have already faced similar situations. The unilateral decision of
04:54the bank operators has been questioned, generating a debate on the fairness of these measures.
04:58Many consider the actions of banks and credit card companies such as Visa and Mastercard to
05:03be a violation of consumer rights. During recent negotiations for a new international treaty on
05:08cybercrime at the UN, Western countries, led by the United States and the European Union,
05:14have proposed decriminalizing certain forms of adult content featuring minors. Among these
05:18exceptions, adult material depicting fictional or AI-generated minors, including manga and
05:24digenchi, stands out. A delegate from Austria explained the Western perspective clearly.
05:28Minors over the age of 14 have the right to engage in sexual relations. It is our conviction
05:34that images produced in the course of a legal and voluntary relationship should not be criminalized.
05:39Germany backed this position, stating that these exceptions represent the bare minimum for signing
05:43up to the treaty. However, a bloc of 22 countries, led by Syria, strongly opposes these exceptions,
05:50arguing that they undermine the purpose of the convention, which is to protect children.
05:54These countries, which include Russia, China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,
05:58argue that decriminalizing adult content featuring fictitious minors and practices
06:03such as sexting between minors could lead to impunity for sexual abusers.
06:07The future of the treaty remains uncertain, with countries divided between those seeking
06:11to maintain current international child protection standards and those advocating
06:15greater flexibility in the treatment of fictional or self-generated material.
06:19Toranoana, one of the leading digenchi and otaku merchandise retailers in Japan,
06:23has recently announced the suspension of visa and MasterCard financial services for its online
06:28store. This drastic change severely affects users' ability to purchase products using these
06:33cards, significantly reducing the distributor's sales volume and thus royalties for authors and
06:38content creators. Toranoana's official statement mentions that, as of now, purchases through visa
06:44and MasterCard will no longer be available on its platform. Although other payment options,
06:48such as JCB, will continue to be accepted, the elimination of these two credit card
06:53giants significantly limits the ways in which customers can make purchases.
06:57This move by visa and MasterCard is part of a broader trend of large financial companies that,
07:02fearing a bad public image, decide to withdraw their services from sectors considered controversial,
07:07such as digenchi and H. The pressure from these companies to avoid associations with content that
07:12could be considered controversial is reshaping the landscape of commerce in this niche market.
07:17Taro Yamada, a member of the House of Representatives in Japan, shared a statement
07:21on his social networks informing about the recent approval of the draft of the new cybercrime treaty
07:26at the UN Ad Hoc Commission. According to Yamada, a significant breakthrough was achieved by
07:31maintaining the possibility of limiting regulations only to real people, thus preventing fictional
07:36content, such as anime, manga and video game characters, from falling under the threat of
07:41censorship. However, Yamada warned that the battle is not yet over, as there are latent risks in the
07:46ratification phase and in the implementation of national laws in Japan. Yamada noted that,
07:52prior to the vote, he held a final round of negotiations at the UN headquarters in New York
07:56with the vice chair of the Ad Hoc Commission and the director of the UNHCR Treaty Office,
08:00John Brandolino. These final efforts were crucial to ensure that the treaty does not include
08:05excessive regulations on fictitious content, an issue that has generated great concern in the
08:10Japanese community and among free speech advocates. The treaty, which came at the behest of Russia and
08:15began discussions at the UN in late 2019, has been the subject of controversy due to potential
08:21implications for Japanese popular culture. China, in particular, has been a strong advocate of a
08:27stricter regulatory framework aiming to control the influence of Japanese anime, manga and video
08:32game content in its own country. Yamada praised the efforts of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
08:37and Ministry of Justice for their key role in the negotiations, noting that these entities
08:42succeeded in keeping the defense of freedom of expression as a priority. The news has generated
08:46a strong reaction in the online community, with many expressing relief and gratitude to Yamada
08:52and the Japanese authorities for protecting one of the pillars of Japanese culture.
08:55If it wasn't for Yamada, anime and manga culture in Japan would have been destroyed by China.
09:00It's terrifying to think what could have happened, commented one user on a forum.
09:04In a recent political move, Taro Yamada, a member of the House of Representatives in Japan,
09:09came to the defense of the adult content industry in Japan, which has been facing increasing
09:14pressure from interbank companies such as Visa and MasterCard. These companies have been
09:18withdrawing their banking services from adult content distribution sites, putting a significant
09:23portion of the industry's financial transactions at risk. The problem is serious, as Visa and
09:28MasterCard operate the vast majority of bank cards worldwide, and the loss of these services means a
09:34considerable reduction in the site's ability to conduct transactions, which in turn directly
09:39affects their revenues. Taro Yamada decided to take matters into his own hands and traveled to
09:44Visa's offices in San Francisco, USA, where he presented a detailed report on the situation,
09:50and the industry's response was swift. Sites such as Getshu, known for distributing adult content
09:55and other sensitive material, have started accepting Visa bank card payments again. In addition, it is
10:00rumored that Dealsight, another major distributor, may follow suit and bring back Visa card payments.
10:06In recent weeks, there has been a notable increase in actions against pirate anime streaming sites,
10:12leading to the closure of several popular platforms operating in Vietnam. Chief among
10:16these sites, AniwaVE.to, formerly known as 9Anime, which received a staggering 170 million
10:23monthly views, AniwaVE.to, along with other related sites such as Animesurge.to and Aniex.to,
10:31has decided to abruptly close its doors, issuing a farewell message that came as a surprise to
10:36many of its users. In the announcement, the site's operators noted that now that everything has
10:40improved, it's also time to say goodbye. It's hard to part with something we've invested so much
10:45effort and passion into, but it's something we have to do. This message ends with advice that
10:50resonates throughout the anime community, if possible, use paid legal services. It's something
10:55we should do to show our respect for content creators and producers. This kind of message is
10:59not new in the world of pirate streaming. The same parting tone was used by FBOXC.to, another popular
11:06site linked to movies, which also recently shut down. FBOXC.to accumulated more than 55 million
11:12monthly visits in recent months, but has now decided to cease operations, urging its users to
11:18support content creators through legal platforms. The wave of closures seems to be connected to a
11:22coordinated action by authorities and organizations such as the MPA, Motion Picture Association,
11:28and ACE, Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, who see Vietnam as a key point in the fight against
11:34online piracy. This is not the first time that Vietnam has found itself at the center of these
11:39operations. In 2018, the 123 movies site, also originating from Vietnam, was shut down following
11:46an international operation. Now, the fate seems to be repeating itself with sites linked to movies
11:51and Aniwave. These closures are leading a significant mark on the pirated anime streaming
11:56landscape. With the demise of these platforms, millions of users are left without access to
12:01free content and urged to opt for legal alternatives. As more information comes to light,
12:06it will be interesting to watch how the situation evolves and how it affects the anime community at
12:10large. In recent weeks, a comment posted by an erotic artist on the deal site platform has
12:15generated a great deal of discussion and gone viral on Japanese social networks. The comment
12:20in question, posted alongside a screenshot showing nearly 16,000 digital copies of his work sold,
12:26reveals that the author has raised over 6 million yen, which is equivalent to over
12:3143,000 US dollars. The message accompanying the image read, even at my level, just by drawing a
12:37few illustrations, we're talking about a world of several million. Plus, since it keeps selling
12:42steadily, the money keeps coming in indefinitely. It's better to become an illustrator than to work
12:47as a salaried employee. In a recent interview with Nikkei, Crunchyroll's top brass, Rahul Purini,
12:52CEO, and Gita Revapragada, COO, discussed the past, present and future of the anime industry,
12:58stressing the importance of the medium remaining inherently Japanese and focused on Japanese
13:03creators when asked about how to maximize the popularity of anime in light of past failures.
13:08Such as the Japanese government's Cool Japan project, Purini expressed support for any
13:13initiative that would increase the number of anime fans and the production of more works.
13:17However, he stressed the importance of maintaining the Japanese essence in anime.
13:21I believe anime should be inherently Japanese and told from the perspective of Japanese creators.
13:26We want more anime, more diverse stories, and it's crucial that Japanese creators continue
13:31to be involved. This view is likely to resonate with many fans who wish to preserve a clear
13:36distinction between the themes and animation styles typical of Japanese anime and animation
13:41produced in other countries. The question remains, however, as to how productions such as
13:45The Glassworker, a film animated in Pakistan but heavily inspired by the art style of Japan's
13:50famed studio Ghibli, fit into this vision. This film, animated by Mano Animation Studios,
13:56was very well received at the ANSI International Animated Film Festival in June. Although Purini
14:01advocates that anime should retain its Japanese essence, he says that stories worthy of adaptation
14:06can come from anywhere. A notable example is the anime series based on the Korean webtoon
14:11Solo Leveling, which has generated great buzz and was pitched by Crunchyroll to its Japanese
14:16sister company, Aniplex, due to global audience demand. These were the most relevant news of the
14:21month. Thanks for watching until the end. Don't forget to check the other videos of the channel.
14:26Until next time.