Los Angeles’ annual Anime Expo will commence July 1, but it isn’t a global event without a little controversy. Aniplex of America have confirmed that the exclusive U.S. premiere of Rurouni Kenshin will be held at the expo on July 3, featuring actors Soma Saito (Kenshin Himura), Rie Takahashi (Kaoru Kamiya), and producer Masami Niwa as special guests at the panel. That’s all well and good, until you remember that the series creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki, was convicted of child pornography and never faced any consequences.
Suddenly, this whole “exclusive” panel feels dirty and totally insensitive. Watsuki was in possession of CSEM (Child Sexual Exploitation Material) and when it all came to light, he received nothing more than a $1800 fine – a slap on the wrist. Since then, he’s been living life as normal, facing zero consequences for exploiting underaged children for twisted personal gain.
Even though fans of Rurouni Kenshin are excited to see the actors and ask their burning questions, they still feel that supporting the series’ promotion and throwing money at the expo in the name of filling Watsuki’s pockets is immoral. Others have found the opportunity to make jokes out of the situation and mock the expo’s gross oversight concerning this major legal and societal issue.
Despite being the series’ creator, Watsuki is totally absent from the panel. Several Twitter users were quick to point out that this could be due to the fact that the Anime Expo is within half a mile of a school, which is a restriction enforced on those convicted of child sexual exploitation in any form. Additionally, Watsuki wouldn’t be allowed to apply for a visa to visit the U.S. on account of his conviction, so he wouldn’t be physically able to enter the country nor stay for a prolonged period of time. At least that’s a silver lining.
Realistically, no one can stop Rurouni Kenshin from airing if the higher-ups give the green light, but Anime Expo can certainly avoid promoting it at their con and offer the spot to a much less messy manga/series instead. Do better, AX.
For anyone attending AX from July 1 to July 4, you could go to the Rurouni Kenshin panel on July 3 to ask why Watsuki isn’t present. At least Japanese news outlets wouldn’t be able to sweep that under the rug.