Anime fans who live in Russia are likely in for a rude awakening as the government might be aiming to ban their favorite pastime in the coming months. From what we can tell, it would seem as if the Russian government wants to link anime with child suicide.
If this move is successful, then Russian anime fans will have little choice but to illegally stream their favorite shows, and that’s quite sad from our point of view.
Now, the following statement comes from Yelena Ivanova, a member of the Center for Protecting Children Against Online Threats.
“They make a lot of quality cartoons in Japan. They’re not dangerous if you don’t watch them all day. It’s another thing entirely if the characters are teenagers, like their viewers, who are also homosexuals, who smoke and drink and even cut their veins. Of course, the root of the problem here is much deeper than cartoons, but they’re tailored specifically for these types of children.”
I’m no experts on the matter, therefore, I’ll refrain from making wild opinions and taking a political stance. What I can say, is that I’ve been watching anime for many years of my life, and never have I felt the need to commit suicide.
In terms of homosexuality, well, I can’t say for certain if gay anime target specific children. What I do know, is the fact that content from Japan does not force users to watch homosexual content from my personal experience.
Every anime has a category, and this is well known before release. Therefore, it’s impossible for anyone to watch an anime with a lot of homosexual content if you’re not interested.