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The Anime You Shouldn’t Expose Your Teens To

By on September 4, 2015

Being in Japan exposes us to many unique aspects of Japanese culture from martial arts and gastronomy, to karaoke and anime, which is a good thing.

But when my son came up to me to ask money for manga comics, I simply had to say no.
The reason? He wanted a manga series called Ansatsu Kyoshitsu (Assassination Classroom), the kind of comics that could freak out any mom I know.

For those who are not familiar with the story, it  goes like this:

A powerful octopus-looking alien destroyed most parts of the Moon leaving just enough for a crescent shape forever. Now this creature threatens to do the same with the Earth. The Alien, disguised as a teacher, gets a job at a Junior High School to teach academic subjects and most hideously, ways to assassinate people. The Japanese government, worried about the threat his dangerous actions posed, puts up a ¥10 billion reward to whoever in the classroom is able to succeed at killing Koro sensei. Koro has many tricks up his sleeve including being able to move a Mach 20, that makes him a tough nut to crack. He is also one of the finest teachers at Kunugigaoka Junior High School.  You get the picture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eTu2N1Dv04

I’ve tried on many occasions to understand the good side of this anime but failed.  In my opinion, this one is just too dark and can rub many teens the wrong way.

What’s puzzling to me though is that some mothers find making bentos of the anime’s characters, cute.

As parents, our job is to enrich our children’s lives by exposure to what is good to be had from new cultural experiences. But pick the right comics for your children.

About Tracy Nakayama