It’s no mystery that manga creators are a little more than unsettled when it comes to the illegal uploading of their work onto various websites all over the internet. Some prominent figures in the manga world have recently been discussing the controversy via Twitter and blogs, including the creators of the Black Lagoon, Hellsing and Black Butler mangas. Keep reading to see what they have to say.

Black Lagoon creator Hiore Rei recently discovered that someone had posted all of his manga in a ZIP file. He then Tweeted in a joking manner that he wished that the “smugly” individual who uploaded his manga would develop pancreatic cancer! Fellow manga creator Kotobuki Kazuki replied to this Tweet by saying that he wishes the uploader would get struck by lightning, hit by a meteorite or die in some other “constructive” way. The antic continued as Hellsing creator Hirano Kouta added that the uploader should die of an unknown disease, so that the disease would be named after the notorious uploader. Hiore showed his approval and re-Tweeted the aforementioned Tweets with his own comments of approval.

Also speaking out against the issue is Black Butler creator Toboso Yana. In a blog post, she stated that watching manga on unauthorized sites and downloading mangas for free is “…the same as shoplifting or leaving a restaurant without paying the bill.” She continued by saying that if things like this continue, “… we creators and voice actors will not eat; this is no joke, we will starve and die. This is not ‘lol.’”

While I do sympathize with these manga creators, I still stand by my opinion when it comes to manga and anime overseas. In Japan, where these things are highly accessible, there should be no excuse. It’s not nearly as easy to obtain such material overseas, however, and especially in a language you can read. There is definitely a fine line when it comes to these kinds of activities, and I think that people should read this and understand that if you really enjoyed a manga or anime that you should really try to purchase it and support the creators.

Thoughts?

Source: AnimeNewsNetwork