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Furano City Denies Funds for Dropkick on My Devil! X Anime

Furano City's select committee for budget audits announced on Tuesday that it did not approve the city's settlement of general accounts, as it has deemed the Furano-focused episode of the Dropkick on My Devil! X anime as inappropriate. Thus it has quashed the payment of its planned 33-million-yen (about US$236,200) contribution to the anime's production.

The anime was partially funded through "hometown tax" programs from various cities, such as Furano. Through these programs, taxpayers can donate to city programs in exchange for tax breaks and other incentives. As a result, the anime has episodes that highlight these cities by having those episodes' stories take place in them.

A committee member said that the Furano episode's plot — where the titular Jashin-chan attempts to sell her organs to pay off her debts — is "socially unacceptable" and "casts Furano in a bad light." Another committee member said in rebuttal that the story is just a random episode's premise, and should not be taken out of context for the sake of this argument. Mayor Taketoshi Kita expressed his deep disappointment on the vote, and his regret at what he described as an encroachment on the freedom of expression.

According to the city council office, this is the first time in 17 years that a general account settlement has not been approved. Seven committee members voted to approve the general account, while seven also voted to not approve it, with the committee chair casting the tie-breaking vote.

Dropkick on My Devil! X is the third season of the anime. It premiered on July 5. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired.

The first anime season premiered in July 2018. The anime is streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video inside and outside of Japan. Amazon Prime Video premiered the final bonus episode in October 2018. The second season, Dropkick on My Devil!! Dash, premiered in April 2020 with 11 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed all 11 episodes of the season.

The anime's production committee plans to launch a new crowdfunding campaign in the future to help fund OVA episodes for the franchise. The overall goal of the franchise is to crowdfund enough episodes to make an entire fourth season.

Yukiwo launched the original manga in Flex Comix's web magazine Comic Meteor in April 2012, and the series is ongoing.

Source: Hokkaido Shimbun via Hachima Kikō