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Akamatsu's J-Comi Site Posts Adult Manga Restricted by Tokyo Law

posted on by Egan Loo
Tokyo vice governor had shown My Wife Is an Elementary Student on TV to push for change in law

Manga creator Ken Akamatsu announced on Monday that the new Premium service on his online manga site J-Comi has posted Seiji Matsuyama's Oku-sama wa Shōgakusei (My Wife Is an Elementary Student) manga. The manga made headlines last year when Tokyo Vice Governor Naoki Inose had shown this manga on television last year. He showed the manga as an example of which manga should be restricted under Tokyo's recently revised Youth Healthy Development Ordinance.

The revised law expanded the number of manga and anime that fall under "harmful publications," the legal category of works that must not be sold or rented to people under the age of 18. Erotic material was already restricted before the amendment, but the amended law also restricts the sales and renting of materials that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government considers "to be excessively disrupting of social order."

The manga's story is set in the near future when the marriageable age was lowered in response to the declining birth rate. A 24-year-old man marries a 12-year-old girl in this gag comedy. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government revealed in April that it had designated this manga to be restricted due to its depiction of child rape.

Akamatsu launched the J-Comi site last November, and the site's "J-comi Premium" service began its beta test on Saturday. The premium service distributes adult, boys' love, and erotic and violent manga, including out-of-print titles, to users for a fee. The site restricts users by requiring a credit card.

Matsuyama explained that he considered various ways that his manga could be published after the revised Tokyo law restricted his manga, and came to the conclusion that J-Comi is the most suitable venue.

Masahiro Itosugi, the author of another manga (Aki Sora) restricted by the revised law, had discussed the possibility of publishing the manga on J-Comi, but added she "probably" cannot do so. Itosugi had revealed in April that there would be no more printings of volumes 1 and 3 of this manga after July. At the time, Akamatsu had not yet announced J-Comi's paid Premium service.

In addition to J-Comi, Akamatsu is known for creating manga such as Negima and Love Hina.


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