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[maquiladora]

A Japanese city hosting the Group of Seven summit next year may change its new community mascot after the depiction of the female character was blasted as obscene and sexist.

The cartoon image of a voluptuous 17-year-old aspiring “ama” diver in search of a boyfriend drew fire from the real divers, who traditionally harvest seaweed, clams and, in some areas, pearls.

About 170 people, mostly female divers, have signed a petition calling for the city to scrap the character, according to a tourism official in the coastal city of Shima 300km south of Tokyo.

Protesters reportedly said the mascot, launched late last year, was obscene and sexist.

“We don’t want foreigners who visit... to think ‘ama’ divers look like this,” one of them told local media.

Cartoon images of young women with exaggerated body features are common in Japan and have attracted criticism.

The mascot spat also comes just weeks after Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic logo triggered plagiarism claims due to its resemblance to the logo of a Belgian theatre and a separate Spanish design.

“We may consider changing the mascot’s design to avoid hurting some people’s feelings,” the Shima official said.

“But at this point we have no plan to retract our official approval for the character.”

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-...ost-city-under-fire-obscene-and-sexist-mascot

The real divers :

 

[Dennis]

I like this mascot. It is very Japan.

 

[GavinGT]

Oh Japan.

 

[show me your skeleton]

why state she is seventeen? like, i just don't get it. must be a cultural thing but why not just make your fictional eye candy eighteen?

 

[Arkeband]

What they're going to get is a voluptuous 17 year old girl in search of a boyfriend... in a skintight black wetsuit.

 

[Escalario]

She's cute :3

 

[zeopower6]

Her sister mascot in Izu is a cute ninja~

Mascot characters are nothing new and most of them are like Kumamon or Funassy but sometime they end up being these moe blobs x_x

 

[Ken]

What they're going to get is a voluptuous 17 year old girl in search of a boyfriend... in a skintight black wetsuit.

You have my interest.

 

[AtomskEater]

People be getting sick of moeblob mascots.

 

[Kuroyume]

“We don’t want brain-dead foreigners who visit... to think ‘ama’ divers look like this,” one of them told local media.

Who the hell is going to look at that and think that's a real human being? That's like saying the the Boston celtic mascot is a real white Irish basketball player.

 

[John Kowalski]

They just want otakus to do exercise you know. Think of all the girls who went swimming because of Free.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Her sister mascot in Izu is a cute ninja~

Mascot characters are nothing new and most of them are like Kumamon or Funassy but sometime they end up being these moe blobs x_x

Just so everyone's clear most mascots look like this:

 

[nynt9]

why state she is seventeen? like, i just don't get it. must be a cultural thing but why not just make your fictional eye candy eighteen?

The age of consent there is lower than 18 so it doesn't matter anyway. It's high school age, that's the point.

 

[OctoMan]

She's actually a 10,000 year old goddess.

 

[Dennis]

This mascot looks like it has seen some shit.

But this is Japan so it probably did.

 

[Firebrand]

Why is she looking for a boyfriend underwater? Is this about tentacles?

 

[lupinko]

The age of consent there is lower than 18 so it doesn't matter anyway. It's high school age, that's the point.

Actually in general prefectural laws trump federal laws.

 

[$h@d0w]

Seems no more sexualised than what you can see in pop videos these days.

 

[Gonzalez]

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-...ost-city-under-fire-obscene-and-sexist-mascot

The real divers :

Can't they just fire the real divers, and hire Yujiro's valets.

 

[Tizoc]

^that black bear is awesome doe.

People be getting sick of moeblob mascots.

I sure hope so....

 

[PdotMichael]

Can't wait when JSDF soldiers start a petition that they don't want the female anime mascot characters because they don't want that the enemy thinks they are shooting at little girls.

 

[Ban Puncher]

 

[John Kowalski]

why state she is seventeen? like, i just don't get it. must be a cultural thing but why not just make your fictional eye candy eighteen?

High school age is very culturally relevant in Japan, so it influences a lot of their imagery and fiction.

 

[Oersted]

She's actually a 10,000 year old goddess.

Demon man, demon. Thus, she actually deserved it. /sarcasm

 

[maquiladora]

This mascot looks like it has seen some shit.

Looks like he just discovered that his arms are too short to reach his penis.

 

[zelas]

Forget actual aesthetic looks. That mascot had me thinking "ama" divers werent even real divers. That outfit looks like it would be used in ankle deep water.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Is that obscene?

 

[Finaika]

I thought Japan love those type of characters?

 

[maquiladora]

Is that obscene?

They say the demure girl cartoon character, with large breasts, tight top and skirt riding up her thighs, is overtly sexual and is disrespectful toward a dignified profession.

“The character is obscene. I believe it verges on child pornography,” said Isako Utsubo, 39, a local housewife who supports the campaign.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...e-city-mascot-demand-withdrawal/#.VcyQafS6OPU

 

[kmax]

"It''s embarrassing guys. Guests are coming"

 

[Fury451]

This is actually one of the most conservatively dressed and non-sexualized young anime type characters I've seen. The breasts are even normal human size.

If people think this is bad, oh my, nobody show them Najica Blitz Tactics.

But it is...odd, as a mascot. I certainly wouldn't be showing it off if I lived there. Wonder how it got approved to begin with.

 

[JDSN]

Im betting two pages unless someone brings out, without anyone asking, the difference between pedophile, ephebophile and hebephile. The user might or might not have an anime icon.

 

[jett]

Japan gonna Japan.

 

[Ratrat]

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-...ost-city-under-fire-obscene-and-sexist-mascot

The real divers :

http://jezebel.com/the-disappearing-ama-japans-tough-topless-free-divin-1679290183
They used to swim completely naked too.

 

[andymcc]

Im betting two pages unless someone brings out, without anyone asking, the difference between pedophile, ephebophile and hebephile. The user might or might not have an anime icon.

lmao

 

[beato_angelico]

Seems no more sexualised than what you can see in pop videos these days.

how the hell is this relevant?

 

[Messypandas]

Uguu

 

[Replicant]

She's actually a 1000 years old demon, y'guys!

 

[andymcc]

how the hell is this relevant?

she's also not as bad as some stuff as i've seen in OTHER anime!!!!!

 

[CTLance]

To be frank, I expected a whole lot worse. I mean, it's rather tame, all things considered.

That said: Good on the women. Go show them who's boss.

 

[Dryk]

The design's pretty standard fare, the characterisation is the real problem here. Take the same design, stick her in a less come hither pose, give her more character traits than "Wants a boyfriend lol" and it'd be a lot better.

 

[sixteen-bit]

the mascot sucks. good to see them taken to task.

 

[Femmeworth]

They'll just change it to a sexualized anime girl in a really tight wetsuit.

 

[linsivvi]

You just want an avatar quote, don't you?

 

[border]

Politically Correct Muckrakers versus Pervy Anime Apologists

I don't think I could pick a side in this battle if I had to.

 

[superseohyun]

are there many young girls who still want to be a Ama anymore? most likely not.

 

[Otakumegane]

This is mascot for an international thing?

Just use diving Hello Kitty, why make a shitty char design.

 

[superseohyun]

The design's pretty standard fare, the characterisation is the real problem here. Take the same design, stick her in a less come hither pose, give her more character traits than "Wants a boyfriend lol" and it'd be a lot better.

The city describes Megu on a website dedicated to the character as 17 years old and a girl who greatly admires her grandmother, a veteran diver. Megu dreams of becoming a “cute, fashionable” ama. She has a vivacious personality but is a bit clumsy, the narrative says, adding she is currently looking for a boyfriend.

 

[Htown]

gonna keep this in mind the next time somebody tries to say it's just an American/western thing to be creeped out a bit by these characters

 

[maxcriden]

Amachan (live action Japanese drama) was an okay series for the first few episodes. I want to give it another shot, though the 140ish (fake edit: 156!!) episodes, even at 15 mins a piece, is a pretty overwhelming concept.