Hugely popular manga One Piece features its fair share of ridiculously curvy characters. Theyâre prime fodder for adult fan fiction and art. And in Japan, there are even hyper sexualized versions of collectable figures. But watch out, selling those could result in arrest.
Many collectable figures are already heavy on fan service. For some, thatâs not enough as they are looking for something a bit more. That âmoreâ is often âmore explicitâ as the customized figures show character fully nude or engaged in sexual activities. The figures are called âmakaizou figuresâ (éæčé ăăŁăźă„ăą) with âmaâ (é) meaning âdemonâ or something evil and âkaizouâ (æčé ) meaning âcustomizedâ or âmoddedâ. So in English, âmakaizouâ might be called âdemon moddedâ.
Okay, so these are not mainstream figures. Most people in Japan would want nothing to do with them (ditto for regular figurines), but hey, there are customers willing to shell out big money. If you are skilled enough to mod them yourself, you can sell them online for a tidy sum.
In fact, about ten years ago, talented Japanese model builders started making names for themselves by selling their modded figures via online auctions. In the days before the internet, there were even manuals for hobbyists to build their own customized pieces. To this day, thereâs still very much a makaizou subculture in Japan, which is evident at figurine events across the country that allow modelers to show off and even sell their customized work.
The rub has been that Japanese authorities (and anime and manga companies, too) have been willing to overlook copyright violations at these otaku (geek) events, seeing them as a part of fandom. Since the figures have traditionally been available only at these events, and since the figures are usually one off pieces, they modelers can remain untouched by Johnny Law.
But the same internet that helped some of these model makers make a name for themselves in geek circles is now biting some of them in the ass. Back in early 2011, two model builders were arrested for selling a customized Kamen Rider figures for over US$3,000. They were pinned for violating Japanese copyright law.
https://lastchance.cc/do-not-sell-customized-figures-online-in-japan-they-wi-5738494%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Violating Japanese copyright law is exactly whatâs getting makaizou figure creators arrested, not making sexually explicit characters. However, itâs probably true that anime and manga companies are more eager to strike if they see their characters violated in explicit manners.
The latest? Today, the Yomiuri Online is reporting that a Chiba Prefecture police arrested 33 year-old Yuuichi Inamura for allegedly violating Japanese copyright law. He is accused of selling three makaizou figures of One Piece character Nami via online auctions for „40,000 (US$500) without getting permission from One Pieceâs copyright holder.
Itâs not so much that the police with arrest you for selling sexy knock-offs over the internet. Theyâll arrest you for selling knock-offs. And with a conviction rate of 99.97 percent, the Japanese police are the king of the cuffs.
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(Top photo: çŸć°ć„łăăŁăźă„ăąNSFW via 2ch)
