The Wakayama Prefectural Police revealed on May 8, 2024 that Your Name. movie producer Koichiro Itou has been referred to prosecutors for additional violation of Child Prostitution & Pornography law in Japan, after it came to light that he had paid an underage girl for sexual intercourse.
The latest case involved a 17-year-old high school girl from Yokohama. Investigators believe Itou knew the girl was a minor when he paid her 30,000 yen for having sexual intercourse at his residence in December 2023.
He is also suspected of taking and saving photographs of the act.
Koichiro Ito was the producer, NOT the director who is famous for creating those movies. He collaborated with the studio, he did not write or direct the films. Please do not destroy and undermine these beautiful works of art over a single credited contributor who did not create the films.
Further, he was only arrested in February of 2024 so the studio hasn’t even had an opportunity to turn down future collaboration with him.
Thank goodness. I loved “Your Name” and hope for more films.
Damn. Sorry it has to be you, but i just can’t remain silent, as this agenda of “the creator of an artpice made horrible things, so the artpiece itself is also horrible and therefore must be forgotten” just drives me so fucking mad. I guess it’s hard to cope this thought, but an artpiece is still an artpiece and should be evaluated such. The author itself could be an absolutely terrible person deserving a death sentence, it doesn’t mean his metaphorical child couldn’t be as beautiful as of others. There’s no guilt in admitting it if you remember that even the creation of the most marvelous masterpiece in the universe cannot be an excuse for the creator’s sins. Not to mention this your way of thinking lots of time works other way around, painting famous creators as idols that cannot do nothing wrong. As soon as there will be both morally good and downright awful creators aknowledged of their particularly artistic skills, the aura of some kind of deities around creators of any kind of art will be demistified, therefore they will be finally judged just as any kind of other people, therefore it will be harder for them to cover up the fucked up shit, some of the hollywood directors are known for for example.
The artpiece should not be forgotten, so the wrongdoings of its creator won’t be forgotten as well. I think its a lot more fair, just and harsh at the same time.
I absolutely respect art irrespective of the artist. The problem arises when said artist continues to profit from my respect of the art. Take as a personal example, JK Rowling and her Wizarding World. I grew up with those books. I love that setting. But I’m not buying any of their merch or their video games or going to visit Disneyland to go to Potterworld because I don’t want Rowling getting her mitts on my royalties. She created a series of books that captivated me and many others as children and I respect the hell out of that. But I’m not going to continue to fund her tirades because of it.
A movie seems like a similar case.
Also, often the art itself suddenly changes before your eyes when you review it with a new eye for who the artist has revealed themself to be.
Like the fact the only asian person in the entire set of books is a girl to serve as plot fodder named “Cho”
Or the fact that there’s like 2 times that a girl gets specifically assaulted by a masculine representing figure in a girls bathroom while alone. (Troll attacking Hermione in book 1, and Myrtle by Riddle+Snake in book 2), its one of those “If I had a nickel everytime that happened, Id have 2 nickels, which isnt a lot but its weird that it happened twice” sort of dealios.
The list goes on and on, theres a lot to pick apart in the books if you go back and re-read them. There’s a lot of stuff that makes you pause and go “hmm, what?”
Like perhaps the “goblins” with pointy ears, sharp teeth, glasses, short statures, who strictly only show up working at the one big bank, and are commented on about hoarding money and acting greedy…
(Basically a play by play classic set of caricatures of jewish people the nazi party used constantly to dehumanize them… >_>;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1iaJWSwUZs
There’s a lot of issues with Harry Potter and JK writing in general. Even if you want to hand wave the Goblin thing, she also introduces and normalizes race based slavery and only addresses the issue by setting up the only character to have an issue with it as wrong and annoying for even noticing.
A fair and completely agreeable point. Thank god piracy exists :)
P.S. have you heard of our lord and saviour Eliezer Yudkovsky? His turn on the aformentioned saga is actually better than the original imo
Is that the one where Harry grew up with Scientist Parents? The way they horrifically killed off Hermione was NOT COOL
it wasn’t “not cool”, it was rough as fuck, I was crying.
Also, tag your comment as a spoiler pls.
and yeah,
spoilers for the finale
they revived her later
Tbh, I think people should know what they are getting into with this, as that was one of the major moments that led me to stop reading it, if felt disrespectful to Hermione as a character and me as a reader
Wait, Yudkovsky is writing Harry Potter fan fiction? o.0
Amazing. Thanks!
have you heard of our lord and saviour Eliezer Yudkovsky?
I have, the weird cult he’s built upn is creepy, and Methods of Rationality is terrible.
or going to visit Disneyland to go to Potterworld
You’d be sorely disappointed anyway, Disneyland doesn’t have anything related to Harry Potter. That’s Universal.
You say that, but whenever I’ve been bother by an artists irl actions, it tends to reflect in the art once you take a closer look.
Regardless, that’s not the case here.
Yiiikes at the Youtube clip xD
Remember when Transformers 4 quoted incorrect Age of Consent laws? Maybe someone should take a closer look at some of the writers.
I watched that moment in theaters and it was fucking creepy
They said they loved it and hoped for more films, not that they were changing their opinion based on the action of someone connected to it, so I assume they’re just excited that there’s chance for more in the future since this dude was just a producer.
😳
Have you seen Suzume yet? It’s truly wonderful.
Seconded. Weathering with You is also good, but Your Name and Suzume are absolutely top notch
I was so salty when they gave the Emmy for Best Animated Film to Boy and the Heron instead of Suzume. Absolute travesty and so clearly only because of Miyazaki’s name and art style.
Suzume is honestly my favorite of the three and one of my favorite films of all time. I adore how well all of the fantasy and imagery connects with real human experiences. It comes so close to providing perfectly clear, direct metaphor without actually arriving at it and to me that is the most beautiful type of storytelling: where you can see characters, themes, etc and feel deeply how they connect to your own life but never with a concrete “this thing specifically represents that thing”. You can get really close with Suzume, but it never quite coalesces, leaving you with a powerful story, intense emotions, and a sense of wonder that sticks around long after viewing.
Please do not destroy and undermine these beautiful works of art
They were visually stunning but the plot was mid at best.
HARD disagree. You don’t have to enjoy it, everyone is free to like what they like, but all three films are critically acclaimed and adored by fans worldwide for a reason. And no, not all popular media is good media, but these are not popular enough to fall into that category.
Miyazaki’s movies are more in the “visually stunning but mid” status IMO. Like, Howl’s was great, everything else is meh to me. But I also know that many people love them - including my wife - so I respect that they are good movies.
This comment cracks me up.
but all three films are critically acclaimed and adored by fans worldwide for a reason.
You start off by pointing to how popular it is, implying that must mean it’s good.
And no, not all popular media is good media, but these are not popular enough to fall into that category.
And then you go onto to imply that popular can be bad, but because these aren’t that popular (contradicting yourself), it’s implied that that makes them good. Which is, in and of itself, bizarre. . .as if unpopular media can’t be bad.
“popular media that is actually bad” typically involves a formula that panders or a franchise that has hit a critical mass where people start wanting to be part of the “in group”. I don’t feel like Makoto Shinkai’s films fit that type of pattern. That’s all I was trying to say (poorly)
I was on board until you started talking shit about Miyazaki. Have you seen Castle in the Sky? Fantastic plot and visuals.
Castle in the sky is definitely one of his better ones. Wasn’t trying to talk shit either. I know people love them and with good reason. I just don’t think they’re all that. Except Howl’s. That movie rocks.
Howl’s is my personal favorite too. The soundtrack alone makes me feel things.
Yeah I’m a big music nerd and the soundtrack definitely contributes to it being my favorite :D
all three films are critically acclaimed and adored by fans worldwide
You can get critical acclaim for a ham sandwich with the right publicist. And it’ll have fans worldwide with a big enough marketing budget. In no small part thanks to the obscene ad buys for this film and Suzume, they got exactly that.
Miyazaki’s movies are more in the “visually stunning but mid” status IMO
Jesus, this is what I’m talking about. The Boy and The Heron got goose-egg for a marketing budget and people still queued up around the block to see it.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t make it a city block in Tokyo or Seoul without seeing a ten story tall billboard for Suzume. Makoto Shinkai and Koichiro Itou ape the Miyazaki style, but fall far short in the script delivery. They’re riding Miyazaki’s coat tails with all style and no substance.
There’s simply no throughline in Your Name or Suzume. Things just… happen. The characters are never well-developed or distinguishable from their stereotypes. The dialogue is awful. Neither hold a candle to Princess Mononoke.
Wait you actually thought Boy and the Heron had a plot?
My wife literally has multiple limbs covered in Miyazaki tattoos and even she walked out of that movie going “WTF was that mess?”
We’ll just have to agree to disagree here. Clearly we have different opinions of what makes for a good story
Wait you actually thought Boy and the Heron had a plot?
More of a plot than Suzume, definitely.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree here.
The nature of two online nerds talking anime, I guess.
30,000 Yen is only about $300 in USD (using the “move the decimal point” method). That’s a pretty cheap price…but it’s probably going to cost him a lot more, especially if they find any photos
Current conversion puts it at $192. But yeesh…
Here’s the kicker though… Japan JUST raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 LAST YEAR(!)
Yes, but none of the local governments had it at 13, so this is purely symbolic
If you compare that to the average cost of living in Japan it’s a bit closer to $300 in terms of spending power.
Either way it’s a lot cheaper than I’d expect to have to pay anyone for sex work, much less something that blatantly illegal.
Oh, as for the age of consent thing that change just made it a national crime. Every prefecture in Japan had already raised the age of consent to 16 (or higher) well before last year. The only places it didn’t apply were some remote military bases and IIRC the portion of Antarctica that Japan claims. Still a good move but it’s not like Japanese pedos were just having sex with 13-year-olds without consequence before then.
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You know 16 is the age of consent for well over half the US states as well right? Not defending people that abuse that fact, but that is a very common age to use as the cutoff point.
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For what age? Other 16 year olds is fine, no?
There are Romeo and Juliette laws for things like that, essentially a reasonable age gap.
Yes. However, for everyone that doesn’t understand why the word “reasonable” is important here: When it comes to age differences and sexual relationships, what a “reasonable person thinks” isn’t nearly as important as how a reasonable person might react when laying down a sentence. Sexual misconduct involving the word “Minor”, which immediately brings with it terms like “Coercion”, “Authority”, and the “inability to give consent” tend to receive strong reactions, and strong responses.
Basically, if you’re 18 and your partner is 17, be extremely cautious to the point of not becoming sexually active together. This includes videos and photos. People’s lives have been ruined for less. I am not in any way advocating for and validating (or dismissing) large age gaps, only providing information for our younger users who may not realize this.
As I understand it this is in place to prevent having to prosecute teenagers for having consensual sex. Which they’re going to do, illegal or not. But if they were one or both below the age of consent they would legally not be able to consent and this would be considered a rape, easily prosecutable by angry parents.
It is genuinely good that it is this way.
Makes sense, but does it also make it that, say, 30 year olds can marry a 16 year old? When I hear age of consent, that’s what I hear.
that was the national age, just about everywhere had local laws with a higher age already on the books, I think tokyo was 17 or something like that
But that makes it…legal, though, if the girl consented to the sex, right? Or is the prostitution part what makes it illegal?
Prostitution is illegal in japan but individual provinces have a higher age of consent than the country so it’s a mute point anyways. He was being illegal.
Oh shit thanks. Never knew I was using it wrong.
Ahh, I see. Not defending the guy, obviously, just wondering about the technicalities.
Prostitution is illegal in japan
Certain services, I guess is the word, are not illegal. Penis-in-vagina sex definitely is, but a lot of other stuff seems not to be due to the way the laws are written. So, depending upon what he did, some may violate laws about age of consent, some prostitution, some both. What a piece of shit.
I certainly hope so. Japan is notoriously light on punishment for pedophilia. They usually just give small fines for people found with child pornography, no matter the amount.
Well, it’s like 90% of their entertainment industry.
Divide by 150. It’s more like $200 these days due to a weakened Yen.
I like moving the decimal place for its simplicity. I’ll just keep the change! Lol
You’re right, she should have asked for at least 40k yen.
$300 isn’t much hush money, nor does it sound life-changing enough to want to sell one’s body for at such an age.
Do you think that makes it better just because the payoff was cheap? Or that the low monetary value degrades the victims such that you shouldn’t care? Either way, I’d argue that makes it all the more fucking disgusting and horrible.
If your whole argument is, “oh, but he got a bargain deal on all the corruption and prostitution!” Then you belong in jail right next to this scumbag.
What the fuck are you even on about. You just invented that argument and attributed it to otp, just to argue against it and be mad.
Man who makes movie with half naked anime girls who look like children is caught having sex with children? No way. Never.
You seem to be confusing a heartfelt movie animated in Japan with the contents of your “homework” folder, champ.
Sorry pal, not into women.
Or research/Knowing what you’re talking about.
Like what?
Look two comments up and start rereading.
Koichiro Ito was the producer, NOT the director who is famous for creating those movies
Wait was your name like that? It was recommended to me so many times when it came out that I started calling it your rope because of people saying the Japanese title when I didn’t know what they were talking about.
Koichiro Ito was the producer, NOT the director who is famous for creating those movies
And no, Your Name is not like that at all
My name? What the fuck did i do!
You know what you did 😤
The only thing i’ve done thus far is kill time!
Well for one thing you killed time itself, Atheon is livid.
i did kill something i suppose that is true isnt it.
Gotta get that Mytho somehow.
Still. Haven’t. Gotten it.
I ran that raid like 85 times back in the day and gave up
I got that and Gjallarhorn in D1 first run getting carried by friends. Never had luck in anything since.
Vex and thousand voices are the ones I’m convinced I’ll never see
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You are a terrible human being. Stop victim blaming.
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I’m not defending
Then why bring up the victim at all? Really just sounds like you’re justifying what happened by saying “Well she took money for it, therefore consent”.
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Nowadays girls can’t wait to prostitute themselves
She should have been doing something more productive
Yo bro this is blaming the victim
instead of being prostituting herself.
This is putting the blame on the minor victim, implying the choice was her responsibility to make, and not the fully developed adult.
You can go straight to hell bro
The comment section in that article is cancerous. Lots of defending pedophilia in there. Ugh I feel dirty after reading through it.
I don’t know about “defending pedophilia,” but I would bring up “death of the author.” There’s no propaganda in the film, and horrible people can create incredible works of art. Art stands on its own own.
Was the dude the author? I thought he was just a director.
He’s not even the director.
Oh shit I completely misread it. I’m tired.
I was referring to the concept from the essay, Death of the Author, not that the guy was the author.
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Koichiro Ito was the producer, NOT the director who is famous for creating those movies
One of the early thought experiments in art history is this:
You’re walking through a forest and come open a beautiful arrangement of rocks evoking a sweeping movement, like a bird’s wing in motion. It look’s artificial, but you can see that the rocks could just be there by an accidental result of nature. The effect is captivating, but you can’t tell if it’s man-made or not. Is it art?
The argument Barthes makes is that the meaning of art is always more a function of the interpretation by the viewer than the intention of the artist.
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