The most controversial anime movie of all time
The anime animation industry is known as one of the most vibrant and eccentric forms of entertainment there is, hosting such feature film classics as Takeshi Koike’s Redline, Masaaki Yuasa’s Mind Game and Satoshi Kon’s Paprika. However, such unbridled creativity can lead to a number of insane concepts from filmmakers and screenwriters that attract controversy for their shocking violence and challenging themes.
In fact, there have been a handful of anime TV episodes and movies that have been banned in Japan for their disturbing nature, including the final episode of the 1999 series Excel Saga. Telling the story of a secret organisation whose goal is world domination, the final episode of the show, ironically titled ‘Going Too Far’, featured a little too much violence and pornographic material.
But this doesn’t compare to the infamous anime movie Shoujo Tsubaki, a horror based on Suehiro Maruo’s manga that tells the story of an orphaned girl who joins a circus troupe, only to be violently abused by the members. Helmed by Hiroshi Harada, the morbid film strives for artistic greatness but merely feels like needless provocative cinema, depicting a number of truly distressing scenes.
Banned in Japan, as well as in several other different countries, including South Korea and Germany, the film was deemed too sexually explicit and provocatively violent thanks to its disturbing scenes involving minors.
Despite its explicit nature, the English edition of the graphic novel is highly sought-after, and the film was even given a live-action film adaptation in 2016. Helmed by Torico, the remake didn’t get the artistic praise that the original gained, featuring a cast that included the likes of Lisa Nakamura, Takeru Satoh, Shunsuke Kazama, Daichi Saeki, Motoki Fukami and many others.
The anime industry is recognised as one of the most popular forms of entertainment there is, as well as being highly profitable.
To date, the most successful anime movie of all time is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train from 2020, which featured voice work from the likes of Matthew Mercer, Takahiro Sakurai and Natsuki Hanae.
Speaking about Demon Slayer, which remains the most profitable anime movie of all time, voice actor Hanae stated: “I believe Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a work that incorporates Japanese culture and at the same time it also carries the timeless, universal concept of thinking of those who are important to you. I do believe the sentiments carried by Tanjiro and his friends have been conveyed to fans overseas, and I hope everyone will keep on rooting for the characters!”.
But if you’re looking for something a little more provocative, take a look at a short clip from Shoujo Tsubaki below.
