The Internet has opened the door to a host of new moral and legal quandaries. One of the most thorny issues is what rights users of social media have to repost snippets of works from creators. Now, one manga artist in Japan is pushing the boundary by asking readers to refrain from posting material that could ruin their work for others.
Don’t Drop Spoilers, Pleads Author
The comi in question is Kinnikuman (キン肉マン; Muscleman). Its authors, writer Shimada Takashi and artist Nakai Yoshinori, go by the pen name Yudetamago. The eponymous main character is a down and out hero who dedicates his life to fighting space monsters who attempt to attack Earth. (Hey, it’s 2020 — does that actually sound so preposterous?)
The manga is something of an institution at this point. Its first issue ran in Shonen Jump in 1979, and has continued running in multiple publications for the past 41 years. What makes the publication unique is that, for the past nine years, not a single serial episode has appeared in print. Up until this August, when it began to appear in Shukan Playboy, the serial work has lived a digital existence for almost a decade. (The individual episodes are still made available after serial publication in collected volumes [tankobon; 単行本].)
The controversy surrounding the comic began with episode 319, which just ran in the wrestling magazine Shukan Pro. Number 319 apparently contained a rather dramatic development in the series. But instead of letting other fans enjoy this twist for themselves, some have decided to spoil it for others. Spoilers have abounded on Japanese Twitter – and some users have even taken to sharing screenshots of the critical scene.
“Like Reading 20 Pages in a Single Screenshot”
The oversharing prompted one-half of Yudetamago, author Shimada Takashi, to send out a simple request to fans: don’t post screenshots of our work!
Today, a warning towards those who share screenshots of KINNUKMAN. Particularly, screenshots of the current issue’s final scene abound. That pains me. If this continues, I’ll pursue legal penalties with Shuseisha [their publisher]…Please, stop screenshotting.
(Note: I believe the author’s intention in the above tweet was to write 苦言を呈します; I have translated it as such.)
In a more recent tweet, Shimada implored fans on Twitter to think about other fan’s feelings before posting spoilers:
Compassion + Kindness + Love = The Power of Friendship. Give the Power of Friendship to those who haven’t read the actual volume.
But Shimada didn’t stop there. In an article on Shuukan Playboy posted on September 10th, he criticizes those who’ve posted spoiler screenshots:
私たちの血肉ともいえる漫画原稿のうち一枚が、私たちの意図が伝わらず望まない形でSNSに上げられただけで20ページの原稿をすべて読んだように思われたことも非常に残念でした。20ページすべて読んでくれたら、もっとおもしろいのに。
I’m sad that this manga, which is like our flesh and blood, gets posted to social media with no notice and against our wishes in a way that makes people think they’ve read all 20 pages of the original. It’d be much more interesting if they’d read all 20 pages.
Shimada goes on to note that Kinnikuman gets syndicated in various publications. This means some dedicated fans won’t get to read it until it comes out in their magazine of choice. “I ask that everyone practices restraint, knowing that others might get sad or angry [at reading spoilers], and that everyone is kind to one another so everyone can enjoy the story equally,” Shimada pleaded with readers.
A Moral Argument – with Legal Threats
But Yudetamago and their publisher aren’t simply stopping at a moral argument. Shueisha has backed up their artist’s words with legal threats, assuring people that they would take legal action if the posting of spoilers continued. On the NTV morning program Sukkiri!, legal expert Kokuchi Yoshio said the company could argue that releasing spoilers amounts to obstruction of business and seek damages from overzealous fans.
The legal status of sharing anime and manga on the Internet has been a hot topic in Japan lately. With anime and manga becoming a larger share of Japan’s exports, it’s natural the country would want to defend one of its greatest assets. That thinking led to the promulgation of a new law that would have ostensibly made it easier for authorities in Japan to crack down on illegal pirate sites.
However, the law was seen by many – including many manga authors – as a sloppily worded piece of legislation. On some readings, the law would have made the sharing of a simple screenshot of a manga a criminal offense.
Fair Use vs. Foul Play
The screenshot debate is part of a larger debate over the responsible use of social media in Japan. Many have called for harsher penalties for online bullying in the wake of the death of pro wrestler and Terrace House star Kimura Hana. And activist Ito Shiori has taken several individuals to court for re-tweeting vicious images claiming that she fabricated her rape allegations against a prominent journalist.
Obviously, in the Kinnikuman case, the stakes are much lower. But it still poses an interesting question: How much of a creator’s work can fans share on social media? And how do courts determine when someone has crossed the line from fair use into foul play? It’ll be interesting to see how this debate – and the ensuing legal drama – play out in the coming years.
