Rurouni Kenshin case - Would you stop supporting DB?

[coola]

Got "inspired" by comments under latest New Rurouni Kenshin news https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2 ... na/.190098 Some people think Watsuki, author of manga, got away with slap on the wrist for owning child pornography, because he is famous (Unlike Act Age author or Sun Vulcan Vul Panther actor). If it turn out someone important from Dragon Ball related stuff owned child pornography, would you stop supporting products he/she was involved with?

[Zinnia]

If it turn out someone important from Dragon Ball related stuff owned child pornography, would you stop supporting products he/she was involved with?

You know there was a certain someone already, albeit on the western side of the spectrum.

Thankfully enough the Japanese side is clean of this stuff and is made of people with honor. Mr. Toriyama makes some silly interview comments here and there, but he's happily married so I believe he's in the clean. Majority of the VAs are professionals too so they're definitely clean too.

Which means that I don't think there's a chance of anyone involved with DB franchise being involved in such messy things.

[VegettoEX]

I don’t see how I could possibly keep running this website were such a thing to come out at the same primary author level, no. I’m hoping this never needs to extend beyond this awful hypothetical which is gross to have to consider.

(“Some people think…” is a goddamn WILD claim to make, by the way, on that one. That’s like saying “some people think water is wet.”)

Thankfully the worst we have is a likely case of an ignorant rich dude who sends his taxes off to be done somewhere else and hasn’t ever questioned anything but gee golly maybe he should have???

(Well, there’s the aforementioned-Jones, which yes everyone’s been advocating for a translation replacement/update in lieu of for years.)

[fleahop]

If it turn out someone important from Dragon Ball related stuff owned child pornography, would you stop supporting products he/she was involved with?

Thankfully enough the Japanese side is clean of this stuff and is made of people with honor. Mr. Toriyama makes some silly interview comments here and there, but he's happily married so I believe he's in the clean.

Happily married does not equal "not a pedophile" in any way. I'd argue Toriyama should be under microscope for his past works and interviews.

Also, to the original question, it depends. How high up in the Dragon Ball brand are they, how long have they been involved, who all knew, etc. If it was Toriyama? Oh yeah I'd never watch it again.

[Hellspawn28]

I still love the franchise, but I don't think I will ever support it again. I never had a strong connection with KR like some people did, so I wasn't super upset over Watsuki's actions. I put Watsuki is on the same shit tier list as Woody Allen, Bryan Singer, Victor Salva, Roman Polanski, etc. They are all sexual predators that hurt kids by the end of the day.

[Majin Man 101]

I think that in most cases, it is easy to separate the art from the artist, but not in all cases. This one is especially egregious. However, all of Hollywood still cheers on Roman Palanski and praises his films even though what he did was extremely wrong, hardcore and illegal. When I watched his films, I didn't even remember who the man behind the camera was because the content in the movie was good. That all being said, If this was the (Hypothetical) case with our beloved series DB, I don't see myself boycotting it just because the original creator was an awful person. I think for most fans here, there is too much investment in the story and the characters to turn away now. Toriyama is a celebrity, but its not like we know the guy intimately like other mega icons of our time. We also don't have any TV interviews or anything like that. He is just so disconnected from us as fans I don't think the fandom at large would abandon the series.

[chitsunameru]

Not unless the author himself was the offender in this case. If it was to be some animator or even toei exec while yes that is a big evil it is not their creation they were at most a drawer in the long end not the creator.

[MrSatan2099]

That's a difficult question for sure. Obviously I hope it's a bridge I never have to cross with any creator, but it happens. I never watched Rurouni Kenshin, though I was aware of it, and later the creator's crimes.

A specific example for me would be Ren and Stimpy. One of my very favorite cartoons growing up and into my teenage years, but once I became aware of all the scummy stuff the creator John Kricfalusi was up to I stopped watching it. I thought I could continue to enjoy the product on it's own merit but I just couldn't. I certainly don't let my kids watch it now. Even though they're curious about it when we're watching stuff like Doug on Paramount Plus.

So yeah, god forbid anything like that ever happen, but if it did I would most likely be completely out on Dragon Ball.

[MuscleRobo]

If Akira Toriyama was found guilty in the exact same situation as Watsuki; absolutely I would stop supporting him. The magnitude of Watsuki's crimes has been severely understated and brushed over. Also, he showed a shocking lack of remorse and never even made a formal apology like Kenya Suzuki, artist behind Galko-Chan, ever did.

I think a lot of people would get mad at me because I view these on a circumstance by circumstance basis. I have no problem reading and enjoying Toriko because he served time for it, it was two decades ago, and as sketchy as it is I don't put seeing a prostitute quite on Watsuki's level.

[Wrigglything]

It's a very tricky thing to consider. If it's someone like, say, the main man of the house with a medium that does not have too many others involved (in this case, Akira Toriyama), then it would probably be something I won't actively support as much, as in not buying figures and miscellaneous merchandise. Even if I were to appreciate the work they put out, I'd be lying if I said that I would be comfortable the whole way through. I wish that it is a rule or at least a standard for works of fiction mention the terrible or shady things about the creators, but that's usually only for the ones where the works are deliberately made to demean others or if they are literally evil, which stuff like Rurouni Kenshin, Toriko (even though its after the incident, but let's not get into that), Act Age, and the like most likely don't fall under.

If it is something that is originally a TV show or a movie, a stage play, like the aforementioned Ren and Stimpy or the many anime that accompany Dragon Ball, then I'm not as bummed since it is involving different hands and are made of other people that have their own talents and, most important in this case, moral standards. This way, I could say that I at least feel bad that one key figure brings down the whole production and mood down.

So if you are to ask me, I'd probably still appreciate the work and might probably even get the official release if it is good enough still, but I'd only do the bare minimum like streaming if I had the choice.

[LoganForkHands73]

It's very unfortunate that if -- and I really hope it's not the case -- it emerge that Toriyama is a wrong'un, I don't think many people would be surprised. Not just because many of his neighbouring Shonen manga creators have come out to be far worse, but... let's be real, Toriyama has been widely documented saying some real "hol up " shit, both in interviews and through his work. He's a self-admitted pervert and outright identifies with Muten Roshi the most out of all his characters. Like, yeah, he probably just has a dark sense of humour and that's all par for the course but, especially on this forum, we've all picked apart the questionable presentations of sexuality in his work. Not much more needs to be said on that if you've been browsing on here for the last few years. While, again, I really hope he's just a harmless rich guy with a weird sense of humour, it's sad that there's always a glimmer of doubt, especially as trust in public figures is at an all time low.

Separating the art from the artist is easier for some than it is for others, and I wouldn't judge anyone for still consuming Dragon Ball. Scenes with Roshi and Oolong's antics, which are already deeply uncomfortable, would become 100000% harder to sit through.

[Metalwario64]

I would hate Toriyama and I'd never support the official releases any more (and with figures I'd go exclusively Demoniacal Fit or stuff instead of Figuarts because I'm sure Toriyama gets some amount of money from merch), but life is so short and problems numerous that I couldn't just give up one of my favorite series. I'd hold everything against the creator, but I love Dragon Ball so much I couldn't just stop enjoying a series I love to death.

[TobyS]

I'd stop buying stuff if I thought he got a kickback but I'm not sure if I'd stop consuming it all together. I'd probably just pirate everything.

[PurestEvil]

What an awful topic. I find speculating whether or not a guy is a nonce from some arbitrary stuff about them to be gross.

I know that Toriyama has produced some rapey shit and whatever, but if we needed to talk about "separation of art from author", wouldn't that stuff be sufficient? You know, apart from a baseless hypothetical like what is being discussed here?

[Soppa Saia People]

What an awful topic. I find speculating whether or not a guy is a nonce from some arbitrary stuff about them to be gross.

I know that Toriyama has produced some rapey shit and whatever, but if we needed to talk about "separation of art from author", wouldn't that stuff be sufficient? You know, apart from a baseless hypothetical like what is being discussed here?

Well I agree it's a pretty gross topic, I don't really think it's related to any feelings related to things Toriyama wrote, just more so that Rurouni Kenshin is coming back, and as far as America goes a lot of people grew up with both.

It's really hard to say, unlike some other series' I love, the main reason I love Dragon Ball is because of Toriyama. I grew up with the manga, I dislike most of the anime's original content, I don't like the modern stuff, and I find his writing style really fun and interesting. So I really don't think I would, as far as any like, uniquely bad crime went. It just would be far to difficult for me.

[TheBlackPaladin]

Hoooo man, that is...not a scenario I'd ever want to have to deal with, considering how much DB means to me. The Dragon Ball universe will always hold a deep place in my heart no matter what, and nothing Toriyama did would take that away from me.

That said, if this horrible hypothetical did happen...then going forward, the area where I'd be really, really, really uneasy would be when it comes to financially supporting the brand. In other words, whether or not I stopped supporting it would, I think, have a lot to do with whether or not Toriyama was directly profiting off of it. Hopefully he would be given a far, far more serious punishment than Watsuki was. Hopefully he would be cut off from any profits of his creation, which would make it a lot easier for me. Creative works have been inherited from other bad people before. For example, HP Lovecraft was an ardent anti-Semite, but works in his universe would later be written by Jewish writers.

Thank God I don't have to actually deal with this dilemma!

[Saiya6Cit]

No. I would never stop supporting Akira Toriyama neither Dragon Ball if he is ever found to be like that.

[Cursed Lemon]

[Kamiccolo9]

No. I would never stop supporting Akira Toriyama neither Dragon Ball if he is ever found to be like that.

You would support someone collecting child porn?

[Geraldo]

No. I would never stop supporting Akira Toriyama neither Dragon Ball if he is ever found to be like that.

I hope this is a poor trolling attempt. Cause it isn't funny. I will no doubt stop following Dragon Ball at once and convince others to do the same if Akira Toriyama was found to be a psycho like that.