In an unexpected turn, the bus company Mie Kotsu in Japan has been embroiled in controversy after the launch of two new official characters in commemoration of the company’s 80th anniversary. The revelation of the designs and the request for names for the characters unleashed a wave of criticism and threats from a group of outraged feminists, focusing mainly on the design of the female character.
Social networks, especially on the Twitter platform, became the epicenter of the controversy. Outraged feminists directed their criticism towards the design of the female character, expressing their discontent with the visual representation and other elements. Mie Kotsu’s original post was flooded with negative comments and inflammatory messages.
- «This is the worst, I’m going to vomit. I didn’t know Mie Kotsu was full of misogynistic geezers from the Showa Era».
- «This is pornography. Mie Kotsu is doing this knowingly. Are the worst».
- «Only the girl is like that around the waist for no reason, and smiling forcefully, I had enough. And of course, they would make the female younger. This makes me sick. We are no longer in the years of the Showa Era».
- «You can call her ‘girl who shows the inside of her legs’ if you ask me».
The situation took an even more stressful turn when some feminists decided to take their complaints to the next level, massively sending protest emails to Mie Kotsu’s group. However, after receiving public attention, some of these people chose to make their profiles private, perhaps to avoid possible retaliation or additional criticism.
One user highlighted that This situation bears similarities to a previous incident in which the police attempted to promote a VTuber for public relations purposes and came under fire from feminists. In that case, public pressure led the police to abandon VTuber promotion, and feminists celebrated the decision as an “achievement.”
So far, Mie Kotsu has only stated that they “don’t fully understand the controversy.” The company could face difficult decisions about how to handle the situation, considering both the pressure of public opinion and the need to maintain a positive image. The controversy highlights the growing sensitivity around visual representation in pop culture and how companies respond to feminist criticism in an increasingly influential digital environment.
And of course, the fans did not remain silent:
- «Of course they won’t understand what the controversy is! There is no way!».
- «So far it seems that the company has no intention of submitting to criticism».
- «I love the company’s position, those are the eggs that are needed».
- «When I saw that the company was in serious trouble with feminists, I felt sad because they usually win all these disputes. However, I also don’t understand why a bus company uses anime characters to promote itself.».
- «It must be sad to live such a pathetic life where even an anime character, who is not real, makes your insecurities as a woman flow.».
- «On the contrary, I have become interested in the company with all this controversy. I think I’ll go on a trip soon».
- «The company’s position is as if they have already been waiting for a controversy, they are geniuses».
- «The company was even generous in responding to some of the criticisms, even though it obviously gave a response at the same intellectual level as these women.».
- «I wish these people could be sued for obstruction of business».
- «No matter how far they go, these women don’t realize the power they have. I wish they used it for the right things and not to cancel harmless anime characters».
Fountain: Esuteru Blog