Nisioisin, the author of the well-known Bakemonogatari series, recently mentioned the western term “mansplaining” in their latest manga, Cipher Academy.

The term appeared in chapter 42 and was uttered by an artificial intelligence character named Dekiai-chan.

It didn’t take long for users to notice, and a Twitter user who uploaded the Japanese text version of the page proved that the word was present in the original as well:

Here’s the full page for more context (the topic is never touched on again past this page):

Some commenters were convinced that Nisioisin was actually “mocking” the term and not endorsing it.

Borrowing western phrases is common and seen as “trendy” in Japan, even to the point of the Japanese often incorrectly using said phrase/word.

The fact that the word is being acknowledged might have some feeling disappointed, as it could lead to others believing it was used unironically.