Latest Manga School Bans Hit Beloved Shonen Classics

Latest Manga School Bans Hit Beloved Shonen Classics

As a seasoned gamer and avid manga reader with over two decades of experience under my belt, I find the recent wave of manga bans in North American school districts disheartening to say the least. Growing up, manga was not only an escape for me but also a tool that helped me develop critical thinking skills, empathy, and a deep appreciation for diverse cultures.


It’s regrettable to note an increasing trend of manga prohibitions in schools across North America. Our team at egmr.ru has previously reported incidents like the ban on “Assassination Classroom” in South Carolina schools and Scholastic’s decision to ban “Unico.” However, a Tennessee school district has recently published a rather extensive list of manga that will no longer be accessible to students within the Rutherford school district. This ban was announced on November 11th this month, and it notably includes several shonen titles, marking a significant shift from many recent bans.

According to a proponent of the action, the primary cause for banning the books was their explicit content, specifically “pornographic material.” Moreover, the school board pointed out that the ban encompassed any materials containing nudity, sexual content, intense violence, or sadomasochistic acts. Notably, this ban affected series like “Assassination Classroom” and “Fire Force,” among others. In addition to Wilson County Schools, Rutherford County is reviewing several books with the intent of removing them from school curricula.

RELATED: New Manga Ban in the U.S. Puts Heat on Assassination Classroom

The Manga Ban

In relation to schools in Wilson County, Tennessee, the school board has made approximately 400 books unavailable for students. Under scrutiny is a list of manga titles that have been prohibited, which includes:

  • Jujutsu Kaisen
  • Case Closed
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
  • Bungo Stray Dogs
  • Fist of The North Star
  • My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
  • Vampire Knight
  • Parasyte
  • Rosario+
  • Attack on Titan
  • Tokyo Ghoul
  • The Promised Neverland
  • Blue Exorcist
  • Durarara
  • Bloom Intro You
  • Soul Eater
  • Akira
  • The Seven Deadly Sins
  • Inuyasha
  • Black Butler
  • Hunter x Hunter
  • Alice 19th
  • Air Gear

After the prohibition of the mentioned manga series became known, Caleb Tidwell, a member of Rutherford School Board, issued a statement. It read: “As awareness about the questionable content spread within our community, the majority of attendees at our meetings favored its removal. Those who advocated for removal represent various walks of life, including different churches and schools. Regardless of their diverse backgrounds, they all reached the same conclusion: this material is illegal and inappropriate.

The Free Speech Center Responds

After the announcement of the prohibited book list in Tennessee, the Director of the Free Speech Center, Ken Paulson, issued a statement about the ban. “In the entire history of America, neither the Supreme Court nor any federal court has ruled that a book was obscene merely because it contained excessive violence. The books banned in Rutherford County are not pornography. It’s absurd to suggest that they appeal to the same audience as something like Hustler magazine.

Currently, the school board has approximately two months to decide if the controversial books should be permanently banned. There’s a chance some of the manga could reappear in Tennessee schools, but keep an eye on our website, egmr.ru, for updates about this decision and its potential impact on the manga community as a whole.

Via ANN

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2024-11-27 23:40