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Director Yamakan's Twitter Accounts Suspended for 'Abusive, Threatening, Discriminatory' Behavior
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Anime director Yutaka Yamamoto (also known as Yamakan; director of Wake Up, Girls!, Kannagi), known for his unapologetic and irascible presence online, has landed in hot water with Twitter. Both his personal Twitter account and that of his Twilight Studio have been suspended.
Initially, fans speculated that the suspension may have been the result of Yamakan's response to a fan's gibe at his influence on the Wake Up, Girls! franchise. However, he posted on his official blog on Tuesday to reveal one possible reason.
On his blog, Yamakan said he was "not surprised" by the suspensions because he is familiar with Twitter's recent "absurdity." He said he plans to inquire about the reason for the suspensions, but he already received a message from Twitter about at least one of his recent posts. The message, which Yamakan posted to his blog, states that his account has been suspended for violating Twitter's rules against abusive, threatening, and discriminatory behavior.
The image posted on the blog also includes an image of one of Yamakan's tweets from Monday. Yamakan criticized Kōji Saitō, general producer of the "Animelo Summer Live" anime music festival, in the tweet. This year's concert event was held this past weekend at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama. In the tweet in question, Yamakan called Saitō a "true idiot" and said that he has had a negative influence on the music festival. The tweet also included a link to another fan's tweet thread that mentioned a dispute between Yamakan and "Animelo Summer Live" that began last year.
Yamakan ended his blog post by saying he thinks it may be better to use accounts under pseudonyms. He then said, "My courteousness has run out."
Yamakan has made many inflammatory comments on Twitter in the past. Recently, he gained attention for blaming otaku and China for the cancellation of the [New Life+] Young Again in Another World anime. Yamakan tweeted about his separation from Wake Up, Girls! on apparently poor terms in 2017.
Sources: Yutaka Yamamoto's blog, @hirabaru_hi17's Twitter account, @kuman217's Twitter account via Hachima Kikō (link 2)
