Japan's largest doujin event, Comic Market (Comiket), held its C105 iteration from December 29-30, drawing what many are calling the biggest crowds since before the pandemic. Both days saw an insane influx of attendees.
However, one doujin circle owner had a rather poignant encounter. A foreign visitor was engrossed in their yuri adult manga, seemingly very interested, but what they said next left the creator feeling utterly helpless.
The seller explained that the foreign friend, having made the journey to Comiket, meticulously flipped through their original yuri adult manga. Just as the seller was about to enthusiastically introduce their work, the friend regretfully stated, "These kinds of things are prohibited in my country." The seller felt a pang of pity, realizing that despite the person genuinely loving their work, they had to walk away because of such restrictions.
This story quickly gained traction online, with many netizens pointing out that in some Western countries, due to religious beliefs, certain themes—including Boys' Love (BL), yuri, and even more explicit adult content—are indeed restricted, or even outright banned as "forbidden books."
One netizen even shared an anecdote about a friend from an all-girls school who, despite her religious background forbidding BL, still stashed her Comiket-bought BL doujinshi in her school locker. That kind of defiant fujoshi spirit? Absolutely legendary!
Another commenter playfully quipped that this is exactly "what Japan should protect" (?). After all, creative restrictions are a real bummer for fans.
Of course, this kind of issue isn't unique, though the severity varies greatly from country to country. Perhaps it's precisely Japan's relatively unrestricted creative environment that has allowed its ACG (Anime, Comics, Games) and doujin culture to flourish into the global powerhouse it is today.
via： togetter