I don’t usually share my thoughts about this, but after recent events today I need to talk about something that has been sitting on my mind for years. In case you haven’t heard: the author of Ganbare!Nakamura-kun!! was so brutally harassed (she even received death threats) that she couldn’t take it anymore and deactivated her social media 😥...
And no, unfortunately this is not the first time something like this has happened. We saw it happen with Horikoshi-sensei (My Hero Academia) too, when part of the fandom decided that the characters and the story had to go in the direction they wanted—leading to death threats, insults, and harassment. And he wasn’t the first either.
Criticism is always legitimate, but a part of the fandom has clearly crossed the line: from “I don't like this” to “this is wrong and you are wrong for doing it, change it or you are a bad person”, turning a valid opinion into harassment.
This is no longer about morals, it’s about control.
I feel like there is a tendency for some people to feel entitled to have everything tailor-made, catered to their personal taste. They appropriate characters and stories that don't belong to them, and expect the author to comply with their demands; if they don’t, they take it as a personal attack.
Creating is not about trying to appeal to everyone, it’s about exposing yourself, your ideas, your feelings . Give so many times full time of you...Seeing someone dedicate years of their life to sharing a story for people to enjoy, only to receive hate and harassment because it doesn't match someone’s expectations, is deeply disheartening.
And no, it's not about not being able to criticize. Analyzing, debating, or pointing out what we find uncomfortable is always healthy. I’m speaking out because this turns into a full-blown lynching. At that point, you are no longer defending values, but using them as an excuse to behave like a bully.
Artists aren’t your slaves 😥