AniFem Round-Up
Oshi no Ko shines a light on an issue that people who don’t watch much (if any) reality TV have probably ever considered. But what does the way it goes about this mean for its overall message?
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Beyond AniFem
Victim Speaks Out Over Manga Publisher Shogakukan Sexual Assault Controversy (Unseen Japan, Marin Akasaka)
An overview of the situation to this point, with the statement included at the end.
IT journalist Shinohara Shuji got to the heart of what made this case different. Non-disclosure agreements in settlements happen all the time. But this victim specifically asked for one thing: if there’s going to be a settlement, at least let people know why the manga got suspended in the first place. The editor refused that basic transparency while simultaneously trying to help draft a gag order.
“The biggest problem is that in 2020, the creator was arrested and received a fine, yet in 2022 MangaONE started a new serialization under a different name,” Shinohara explained. “They started the serialization even though no settlement had been reached, which makes it look like Shogakukan prioritized continuing the serialization over the victim.”
What this case reveals about the industry
Under mounting pressure, Shogakukan announced on March 2nd that it would set up a third-party committee to investigate MangaONE’s hiring processes. The company’s statement hit all the right notes: “We absolutely do not condone sexual violence, sexual exploitation, or any human rights violations.”
But look at the actual timeline. The creator committed his crimes in 2020. Shogakukan found out and canceled his manga. An editor helped negotiate a settlement in 2021 that would have kept the victim quiet. The company hired the same creator under a new name in 2022.
Mega Man Voice Actor Won’t Return for Dual Override as Capcom Reportedly Won’t Hire Him With ‘The Protections of a Union Contract’ (IGN, Vikki Blake)
SAG-AFTRA has filed a “DO NOT WORK” order for the project, as Capcom would not agree to a unionized project.
In a statement posted to BlueSky, Diskin said: “With a broken Blue Bomber heart, I am no longer the voice of Mega Man. I was asked to return for Mega Man: Dual Override, but only on the condition I work without the protections of a union contract.
“I was told there are ‘full A.I. protections in place that guarantee in writing that [my] voice will never be used for A.I. development’ but was also told ‘with certainty, from [Capcom], that the project will not go union.’ While I certainly appreciate the acknowledgement of the concern around AI, working without a contract I can realistically enforce isn’t something I can risk.
“The only way to enforce non-union contracts like this involves personally taking giant companies like Capcom to court and suing if I thought they’d used AI. I don’t have the mental, emotional, or monetary strength to survive a protracted legal fight,” he added. “In my heart, I want to believe Capcom would never use AI… But in my HEAD, I’m aware that basically every major corporation is looking to incorporate generative AI to save money.
“The video game industry is facing record layoffs and huge amounts of uncertainty. I need a union contract to feel safe.”
Blood Ties: The Power of Sorority in “Mayonaka Punch” (Anime Herald, Beatrix Kondo)
A celebratory retrospective of the vampire YouTuber anime.
The deal Masaki proposes is visceral and transactional: help her reach one million subscribers and Live can drink her blood. Live is thirsting hard for the other woman’s blood (and possibly other bodily fluids) but genuinely wants to know more about this new person in her life, language that carries romantic overtones even as it remains predatory. For Masaki, the offer is both a lifeline and a gamble, trading her literal life force for a chance to rebuild what toxicity and violence had destroyed.
As the channel begins to take shape, their connection grows through shared work and instinctive reaction as mistakes and creative chaos push them into constant motion. When Yuki arrives to demand they delete their channel for revealing vampire powers, tensions explode. Masaki objects since they put hard work into it, enraging Yuki who rushes to attack her. Live blocks the assault, and Masaki fires garlic sauce into Yuki’s mouth, suddenly shifting her hostile personality into a positive one and leaving her imagining herself in a flower garden.
Every act of cooperation strengthens what they have built together, not just as business partners but as two people learning to shield each other from forces that would tear them apart, turning survival into collaboration and danger into another moment of alignment between them.
Most unmarried people under 30 in Japan do not want children: survey (Kyodo News)
The percentage increase has grown year over year throughout the 2020s.
The poll conducted by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co. in December found that 62.6 percent of 400 men and women between 18 and 29 are reluctant to have children, citing concerns over finances and career development.
These respondents also said social media or online posts about pregnancy and childrearing also make them anxious about having children.
Some 64.7 percent of women are unwilling to have children, topping the rate for men, which stood at 60.7 percent in the latest survey, for the first time since 2020 when the survey started collecting answers by gender.
Those hoping for a childfree lifestyle have been on the rise since 2020 when the ratio was 44.0 percent. The figure exceeded 50 percent for the first time in 2023 to 55.2 percent.
A Rohto spokesperson said the results showed the need for society and the workplace to provide support for young people even before they have children, helping them gain appropriate knowledge about childbirth.
To raise the birth rate, the government plans to expand childcare allowances and benefits for those on parental leave, among other measures.
Charithra Chandran interview on One Piece casting backlash, racism, Indian roots, Miss Wednesday (India Today)
Short video interview with Chandran about the harassment she’s faced over her casting as Vivi.
After facing backlash for her casting in One Piece Season 2 on Netflix, British-Indian actor Charithra Chandran says she refuses to let online noise define her journey. She speaks about representation, resilience and playing Miss Wednesday, in her chat with India Today’s Bhavna.
VIDEO: Response to Chandran’s casting discussing the missed opportunity to cast a SWANA actor for an Egyptian-coded character.
VIDEO: Accessibility review for Pokopia.
VIDEO: Interview with academic and industry veteran Helen McCarthy.
VIDEO: Keeping You Animated episode about Black magical girl stories.
POST: Announcement about a new LGBTQ+ youth charity in Japan (must be logged-in to view).
https://bsky.app/profile/mishimakitan.bsky.social/post/3mgzhm232hc2i
AniFem Community
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Heike Monogatari (2021). The way it got completely snubbed at the CR awards that year was a an actual literal crime
— Li㋐ of the Rebellion (@dairokutenmajoo.bsky.social) March 17, 2026 at 11:36 PM
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dancouga nova
— Benevolence Frosh (@benfrosh.bsky.social) March 17, 2026 at 1:02 AM
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