Further evidence has emerged of just how easy it is for young children to view adult material online following a ruling over three ads for the High School DxD anime video game, which ran on YouTube and featured highly sexualised imagery of underage girls.
The issue, which follows a similar ruling against US company Glamour Shots back in July, has been made against Japanese firm CTW Inc.
The first ad featured an image of two anime girls, both with large eyes and open mouths. Both looked at the viewer over naked shoulders. Text below stated, “Official High School. All rise for the gentlemen’s harem titillating browser game. Don’t look away!”.
The second ad featured an image of three anime girls, all with large eyes and two with rosy cheeks. Text in the image stated, “boobtastic game”, “Get your hands full!” and “high school”. Text below stated, “A New Boobtastic Game Is Here […]”.
The third ad featured an image of an anime girl with large eyes and an open mouth. The profile of her large breast was visible. Her thigh, buttock and string-style knickers were partially obscured by the word “Summer”. Other text in the image stated, “Highschool”. Text alongside the image stated, “A New Boobtastic Game is Here” and “All rise for the gentlemen’s harem titillating browser game. Don’t look away!”.
Three complainants, who believed the ads portrayed someone who seemed to be under 18 years of age in a sexual way, challenged whether the ads were irresponsible, offensive and harmful, sparking an Advertising Standards Authority investigation.
In response CTW said they had already withdrawn the ads after recognising they did not conform to UK advertising standards and societal expectations. The firm said it was reinforcing its review and approval processes, and would take steps to comply with the CAP Code in future.
The company went on to explain said that a humorous emphasis on breasts had long been part of the anime series and gave examples. A Japanese term used in comedic anime and manga to evoke light-hearted amusement in an exaggerated way had been translated into English as “boobtastic”. CTW had since recognised that it would not be perceived in the same way in the UK and it would avoid such expressions in the future.
Even so, the ASA was not finished with the matter, even though the ads had been pulled. The watchdog considered that the way the anime girls were depicted in all three ads, including the use of poses, open mouths and partial nudity, alongside text such as “gentlemen’s harem”, “titillating”, and “boobtastic”, invited the viewer to perceive them as sexual objects.
All three also referred to high school and featured anime girls of youthful appearance, partial nudity and sexualised poses, and contained sexual references in relation to those girls.
The ASA went on to rule that all three breached the advertising code by representing someone who seemed to be under 18 in a sexual way and were irresponsible. It considered that by sexualising female characters in a way that objectified them, and by portraying them as stereotypical sex objects, the ads were also offensive and included a harmful gender stereotype.
Banning the ads from running again in the form complained of, the regulator also warned CTW about any future activity.
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