Japan's largest doujinshi event, Comic Market (コミックマーケット), commonly known as Comiket, held its C105 iteration from December 29-30. This year's event saw an unprecedented surge in attendance, with both days drawing massive crowds, marking the biggest turnout since the pandemic.
Comiket is renowned for its incredibly diverse range of fan creations, covering almost every conceivable topic, so it's rarely surprising. However, one particular booth at C105 caused a stir on X (formerly Twitter) by featuring doujinshi inspired by "Aum Shinrikyo" (オウム真理教), the infamous cult that caused significant social unrest in Japan during the 1990s. This sparked a heated debate about the appropriateness of such a sensitive subject for fan-made works.
"Aum Shinrikyo" (オウム真理教) was a religious organization originally founded in 1984. It gained notoriety for its involvement in several horrific terrorist acts, including the Matsumoto sarin attack, the Sakamoto family murder, the Kameido strange odor incident, and the Tokyo subway sarin attack. The public widely regards it as a cult, and it has been designated a terrorist organization by countries like Canada, the United States, and the European Union. In 1995, Japanese authorities arrested the cult's leader and key members, thwarting their planned "November War."
Although Aum Shinrikyo declared bankruptcy and disbanded in 2000, its successor organization, "Aleph" (アレフ), has continued to operate since 2004, reportedly with over a thousand active members.
While younger generations in Japan might not be as familiar with these events, for many Japanese people, Aum Shinrikyo represents a terrifying social incident from the 90s—a memory many would rather forget. Seeing such a sensitive topic as the subject of doujinshi at C105 certainly raised questions about its appropriateness.
Of course, some netizens argued that if the research was thorough, using such a significant Japanese social incident as doujinshi material could be a valid way to educate people. However, others pointed out that about 27 years ago (in 1997), a creator who tried to sell similar themed doujinshi at a fan event was arrested, though such an outcome is unlikely today.
Some users also expressed concern for the author's safety, noting that while the Aum cult has disbanded, remnants of the group, who are known to be extremists, still exist in society. This led to questions about whether creating such works was truly advisable.
The author themselves responded to the post, stating that their information sources were entirely from public records, including court judgments and books by those involved, assuring everyone that their work would not cause social problems.
Despite the heated debate, all copies at the booth sold out completely on the first day of C105, clearly demonstrating a strong reader interest in this controversial subject matter.
Due to overwhelming demand, the remaining stock was even made available for sale on Melonbooks.
While Japan might still have reservations about using real-world social incidents as doujinshi themes, it appears many readers are genuinely interested in this topic and curious about how the author would portray "Aum Shinrikyo." Given the massive sales, it's safe to say the author definitely hit a nerve!
via： togetter