In a recent column by Fukuda Makoto for the Daily Yomiuri, Fukuda writes about the comparisons of the Miyazaki murders when media bashed on otaku versus the recent Akihabara slayings and how media handled that.

Fukuda wrote, “I was a high school student who loved anime and manga at the time of Miyazaki’s crimes, and the cruelty and abnormality of his acts is not the only thing I cannot forget about them. I also was struck by a storm of otaku-bashing following wide media coverage that emphasized that Miyazaki was an otaku who owned an enormous collection of anime and horror videotapes.”

“I well remember being annoyed by widespread and sensationalistic headlines that looked as if they were trying to identify the abnormality of his crimes and the causes of his acts only with the fact that he was an otaku. There were also calls to abolish “harmful comics,” and shops dealing with dojinshi self-published manga comic books, including some with sexual content geared for adults, became the targets of harsh criticism.”

More on this article

In the latest column by Fukuda Makoto for the Daily Yomiuri, Fukuda wrote, “During Golden Week, I was able to take some time off for a visit to Tokyo. I currently work at The Yomiuri Shimbun’s Fukushima bureau, and I had been away from Tokyo for a long while.”

“During my trip, I noticed two changes compared to the time when I lived in the capital.”

“First, I was able to see changes relating to the exhibition and sale of dojinshi self-published manga comic books.”

“A lot of specialized dojinshi markets focusing on particular themes are held during Gold”en Week. These are smaller in scale than Comic Market, or Comiket, a major event held in summer and winter every year, but they are still significant.”

“One notable new thing seen at such events this year was that some markets banned the entry of people under 18 and asked visitors to present identification to be allowed to enter.”

More on this article