South Koreans enraged over manga portrayal of PSY as a rapist
It was bound to happen eventually. When you’re as famous as South Korean rapper-slash-singer PSY, it’s only a matter of time before you become the target of some rather negative publicity. Of course, it doesn’t help when said publicity involves being likened to a fan-made Japanese erotic comics.
And that indeed seems to be the case when a page from a doujinshi, an unofficial manga made by a fan group, still to be released on December 31 shows a man bearing a striking similarity to PSY leading a Korean gang who kidnaps and then rapes a group of Japanese girls. PSY, with his “Gangnam Style”, transcended Internet and YouTube stardom to become one of the most popular stars of this year, and naturally his fellow Koreans are proud and protective of their fellow countryman and his image. Toss in an ongoing island dispute as well as some World War II wounds and you have an ugly mess in the making.
It is quite surprising that some Japanese are actually amazed at the outrage generated outside the country, considering thousands of erotic manga pour forth from Japan every year and the series on trial, titled Sakura-sō no Pet na Kanojo, is not even that popular. Furthermore, the upcoming issue is supposed to be a criticism of the overreaction of some Japanese fans of the original series over the change from showing an “okayu” (Japanese rice porridge) in the original manga to a “samgyetang” (a Korean soup) in the official anime adaptation. But given unfunny relations between the two countries right now, the tongue-in-cheek humor might not have been the smartest move to make.
[ via Digital Journal ]
-
ConceptVBS
