me after seeing YOI get under-marketed and under-merchandised for the past two years, despite being explosively popular and being the third best selling anime of the century so far, then seeing other series that are far less popular getting everything that YOI wasn’t awarded by merchandise companies:
#like hello where’s s2? the movie?#HELLO?
I do want to clarify this isn’t actually what I’m talking about though. The movie will probably be released about 2 ½ years after the anime aired, which is actually quite standard for sequel films based on original properties. I know it seems like it’s been forever, but part of that is because there hasn’t been as much content put out in the interim (image songs, official art, etc.) that you’d normally get with a series this popular.
I’m talking about merchandise, collaborations, magazine art, etc. The fact that series without canon gay get shippier looking art, merchandise, etc. The fact that series like say, Tiger and Bunny get ‘matching ring sets’ for the two lead males and Victor and Yuuri don’t even get to wear their rings in official art because magazine publishers censor them and remove them even when the Mappa artists have included them. It’s a problem when it’s real, after all, and when both characters are adults and neither are dead (applies to multiple series). The fact that I can buy a shippy looking pair figure of Makoto and Haru, and of two characters in an anime that’s only halfway done airing, but not of Victor and Yuuri who literally pair skate. The fact that fewer major companies than you see for other shows popular among similar audiences are willing to take a chance on manufacturing merch for YOI, period.
This isn’t Mappa’s fault. Mappa is not in charge of merchandise and/or who decides they want to do collaborations with YOI. They’re not the ones being homophobic here, and them taking their time on the movie isn’t what I’m calling out!
wabi sabi 