The highly anticipated Demon Slayer Season 2 was recently announced, and some Japanese parents have raised a concern regarding the content. The issue is the fact that the upcoming arc is set in a “Yuukaku” (Red District). That’s what they call the place where adult services are offered, hence it is inappropriate for children.
Most of the concerned parents aren’t sure how to explain the term and context to their children. A common type of comment on Japanese forums is reportedly “I can’t explain a brothel to a child!”. Furthermore, some also claim that it is inappropriate to glorify a brothel in an anime young fans watch. The topic was debated even before the season 2 announcement. It’s a fact that even preschoolers watch it, and it seems that there is no way for the parents to stop them.
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However, there is also the kind of people who go like “Isn’t this a good opportunity to learn about culture and history?”. Their logic is probably that they might as well not try to stop them, but use the chance to instead teach the kids about a part of the Japanese history. Obviously, Koyoharu Gotouge didn’t put emphasis on that part in the setting. There are also comments with that in mind, such as “There is no description of what goes on in a brothel in the original story, so there is no need to explain it vividly,” and “I just explained that it was a place where beautiful women gathered and worked”. The article also notes that there were more fans who just showed excitement for the broadcast of season 2.
While I can get the reasoning, I think the vague explanation way is better. The movie was also PG12, which means that those under 12 years old had to have parental advice and guidance when watching it. That’s definitely better than removing/adding something that wasn’t in the original and causing a big deal out of a theme that’s not even new in anime.
Ufotable is back to adapt the second season, and it doesn’t have a release date yet. We just know it will take place after the movie and that everyone needs to watch that first. The trailer is available, although region locked:
The synopsis for the upcoming “Entertainment District Arc” goes:
Tanjiro and his friends accompany the Hashira Tengen Uzui to an entertainment district where Tengen’s female ninja agents were gathering information on a demon before they suddenly disappeared. In order to investigate, Tanjiro and the others disguise themselves as women to sneak in!
Although it might be hard to explain it to children, the Japanese parents will surely be able to enjoy Demon Slayer Season 2 themselves at least!
Source: Livedoor News, Aniplex JP YouTube Channel
©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA / Aniplex / ufotable
