A recent figure of the titular Sophie from Atelier Sophie has been the subject of controversy after being attacked by feminist critics.
The figure features Sophie in a state of undress, angrily looking at the viewer with the implication that someone walked in on her changing clothes.
https://twitter.com/famitsu/status/1778588894495412353
However a comment war has broken out beneath the tweet, with many users criticizing its depiction of a young woman in a vulnerable state, while fans of the video game series are seemingly unbothered by what’s relatively tame fanservice.
Both Japanese and western fans are increasingly aware of bad faith critics who aren’t even interested in the product in the first place, rather their criticism comes from a moralistic approach that believes no one should buy it. Even when these products are censored, these critics presumably aren’t interested in the product either way, leaving fans unsatisfied, and businesses left holding the bag for “fake fans” and “tourists”.
You can read one comment calling these critics out below (translated by Google).
In the past, people used to say that if you watch anime, read manga, or play games, you won’t be able to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
In reality, people who are not familiar with such things tend to talk about human rights for things that do not exist.
People who can’t distinguish between space and reality are becoming more and more noticeable.
And even if we fix it based on their complaints, they won’t pay us.
A popular meme explaining the phenomenon has even been translated into Japanese. You might recognize it.
https://twitter.com/torofuki1/status/1778993216903356486
However, just as voices in support of fanservice are growing louder, so are voices critical of it. Recently the Japanese Communist Party asked for its members to report fanservice in manga to the United Nations. Also back in 2023 Atelier franchise developer Gust and publisher Koei Tecmo implied there would be less fanservice going forward.
You can order the figure yourself from Play-Asia through our affiliate link here.
This is Niche Merch. In this column, we regularly cover merch and toys from games, anime, geek culture, and more.
