Three “No Game No Life” Light Novels Now Banned in Australia Because of “Sexually-Explicit Content”

Some sad bit of news for our friends from the Land Down Under: the Australian Classification Board gave the 1^st, 2^nd, and 9^th volumes of Yuu Kamiya’s No Game, No Life a “refused classification” mark, effectively banning the importation and sale of these three volumes. This is after South Australian MP Connie Bonaros contacted the store selling NGNL in Australia, Kinokuniya, last July and requested for not just NGNL but other titles as well to undergo classification.

This July, Kinokuniya pulled out the following titles—which were deemed “kiddie-porn manga”—from their shelves in compliance with the Classification Act of Australia:

·        Eromanga Sensei

·        Sword Art Online

·        Goblin Slayer

·        No Game No Life

·        Inside Mari

·        Parallel Paradise

·        Dragonar Academy

For context: published works, such as manga and light novels, do not normally undergo classification process in Australia unless they are specifically brought to the attention of the Australian Classification Board. Published works can be forwarded to the Board for their review if these “contain sexualized nudity or sexually-explicit content”—a reason which was used against the above titles.

In the case of No Game, No Life, it was the Centre Alliance—the national political party of MP Connie Bonaros’ SA-Best party—which lobbied for the classification of the light novel series. The result of the classification process was, then, the “Refused Classification” mark on volumes 1, 2, and 9 of NGNL, effectively banning the import and sale of these volumes in Australia.

The Board cited the following as reasons for the Refused Classification mark on volumes 1 & 2:

“Pubs 1(b): The publication is classified RC in accordance with the National Classification Code, Publications Table, 1. (b) as publications that “describe or depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult, a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not).””

The following was the given reason for banning of volume 9:

“Pubs 1(a)&(b): The publication is classified RC in accordance with the National Classification Code, Publications Table, 1. (a) as publications that “describe, depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified,” and (b) “describe or depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult, a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not).””

Last February, Australian senator Stirling Griff had called for the “review” of Japanese manga and anime depicting child exploitation. In a speech delivered to parliament, Griff highlighted anime and manga series that according to him depicted child exploitation—citing as an example the anime adaptation of Tsukasa Fushimi and Hiro Kanzaki’s light novel series Eromanga Sensei. Griff is also affiliated with the Centre Alliance national political party.

Anime News Network describes No Game, No Life’s story as such:

“The story of Kamiya’s No Game, No Life light novel series centers around Sora and Shiro, a brother and sister whose reputations as brilliant NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) hikikomori (shut-in) gamers have spawned urban legends all over the Internet. These two gamers even consider the real world as just another “crappy game.” One day, they are summoned by a boy named “God” to an alternate world. There, God has prohibited war and declared this to be a world where “everything is decided by games” — even national borders. Humanity has been driven back into one remaining city by the other races. Will Sora and Shiro, the good-for-nothing brother and sister, become the “Saviors of Humanity” on this alternate world? “Well, let’s start playing.””

Source: Crunchyroll News