Sailor Moon is an anime character ambassador for the Tokyo Olympics, and over the weekend she was part of an official tweet from the Japanese Olympic Committee that said, “I hope to see medals shining beautifully like the full moon on everyone’s chest. Go Japan!”
While some netizens cheered on with Sailor Moon, SoraNews24 reports that the majority of the responses haven’t been so delighted. They generally fall into two categories. In the first category fans think Sailor Moon would be cheering for all countries and not just Japan. This got comments like, “Are the anime characters being used to promote the Olympics only cheering for Japan? Isn’t anime for everyone?” and “I want to cheer for all of the athletes and teams, regardless of their nationality.”
満月のように美しいメダルが、みんなの胸に輝きますように。 #がんばれニッポン
⏬日本代表選手団へのエールはこちらから https://t.co/6ddms3HPLq
#キャラクター応援団 #スーパーセーラームーン #オリンピック #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/oMn6jEI1Cq— 日本オリンピック委員会(JOC) (@Japan_Olympic) June 26, 2021
The second category comes from people who are worried about holding the Olympics at this point, with COVID-19 not yet under control. This is causing controversy in Japan. This category got comments like, “So medals are more important than people’s lives?” and “I’m sure having the Olympics is going to increase the number of coronavirus infections.”
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.