PETALING JAYA: There are many serious reasons why two (or more) countries would disagree, such as political disputes, territory spats, or societal stresses.
But would you believe that a diplomatic incident almost occurred between two countries because of an anime (Japanese animation)?
Did something like this happen?
VERDICT
True
Yes, attempts to screen Dragon Ball Super in several Mexican cities sparked a diplomatic incident between Japan and Mexico.
The year was 2018. After airing over 100 episodes, the first season of Dragon Ball Super was coming to an end, and many Mexican fans sought help from their municipal councils to show the last few episodes of the series in public spaces.
However, before the cities could execute the plans, Toei Animation, the studio that produces Dragon Ball Super, issued a statement that read: "Toei Animation has not authorised these public showings and does not support or sponsor any of these events, nor do we or any of our titles endorse any institution exhibiting the unauthorised episode."
"In an effort to support copyright laws and protect the work of thousands of persons and many labour sectors, we request that you please enjoy our titles on the official platforms and broadcasters and not support illegal screenings that incite piracy."
Later, the Japanese Embassy in Mexico issued a letter dated March 16, 2018, to the governor of the state of Coahuila, which expressed Toei Animation's same concerns and requested the screenings be cancelled.
While some screenings were reportedly cancelled, the mayor of Juarez City, Armando Cabada, was able to gain permission to screen the episode publicly after negotiations with Toei Animation and a streaming service provider, Crunchyroll.
On March 17, 2018, an estimated 15,000 people gathered in the city's Plaza de la Mexicanidad to watch the series' second-to-last episode.
It is unfortunate that, six years after this event, the original creator of the Dragon Ball series, Akira Toriyama, passed away recently.
According to the official Dragon Ball account on X, Toriyama died on March 1 because of an acute subdural haematoma (blood clot on the brain surface).
"It's our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation," said the statement attributed to Toriyama's Bird Studio, which praised the artist's "great enthusiasm".
"He would have many more things to achieve. However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world," the statement wrote.
Toriyama's work has influenced not only the manga and animation scene in and out of Japan since the early 1990s, but his works have brought joy, imagination and people around the world together.
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/
https://twitter.com/armando_
