Yusei Matsui’s sci-fi comedy manga, Assassination Classroom, is now banned from schools in Florida and Wisconsin.
As reported by Anime News Network, Gifford Middle School in Florida removed three volumes from its library back in March. Southeastern Wisconsin’s Elmbrook School District also removed the series from its electronic library. In both states, the bans took place after concerned parents and advocacy groups accused the manga of promoting violent acts against teachers.
Schools’ Objections to Assassination Classroom
These bans appear to be motivated, in part, by concerns about rising instances of school shootings. The volumes of Assassination Classroom that Gifford Middle School removed from its library each featured images of students wielding guns. Jennifer Pippin, chair of the Indian River County chapter of Moms for Liberty, deemed the books inappropriate, stating, “We don’t want students to think it’s OK to kill their teachers.” They cited the recent history of school shootings in the U.S. as another related factor. A Florida-based organization, called Citizens Defending Freedom, also announced that it would take action against the manga for both its explicit sexual content and its alleged promotion of gun violence against teachers.
Wisconsin took action against the series for similar reasons. Elmbrook School District removed five volumes from its electronic library after a parent complained that the manga was blatantly promoting gun violence. Another parent also raised concerns about violence and the sexualization of minors in the series. North Carolina’s Pender Country is also contesting the manga’s presence in its libraries, due to fears that it actually instructs students on how to kill their teachers.
Additionally, Yusei Matsui’s manga is being cited as evidence of the need for further action in school libraries. Virginia Delegate, Tim Anderson mentioned Assassination Classroom while arguing in favor of House Bill 1379, which would require all school principals to keep track of works containing sexually explicit content and make that information available to parents. In his statement, Anderson denounced the fact that the manga is still available in some school libraries. The aforementioned bill passed the House of Delegates back in February.
First published in July 2012, Assassination Classroom revolves around a group of students that must figure out a way to take down their school teacher, who is actually an ultra-powerful octopus-like creature that has pledged to destroy Earth in one year. Since the creature is impervious to all military weaponry, it is up to the students of Kunugigaoka Middle School to devise a plan to destroy it and save the world. Studio Lerche later adapted the manga into an anime series, which premiered in January 2015.
Source: Anime News Network