Something manga-like is happening in Tokyo right now.

Have you ever heard of a place called Tokyo? Tokyo is the capital of Japan and the largest city in Asia. It is one of the most globally influential cities in the world. Frankly speaking, Tokyo is the dominant city in Japan and can be called the best city in Japan. It is the heart of Japan.

In 2024, the upcoming Tokyo gubernatorial election will be held on July 7. The prime minister of Japan is decided by the political parties chosen by the people in national elections, so the head of the country cannot be directly chosen by the Japanese people. However, the governors of prefectures (regions) and mayors of cities, towns, and villages are directly elected by the citizens living in those areas, with only one person being chosen.

Japan is now facing a crisis with its future: the economy has been stagnant for 30 years, the population is declining, and there is a possibility that Japan might one day disappear due to the policies of the political parties elected by the people. The country is no longer the technological leader it once was, prices and wages have not risen, and it is considered a cheap country by foreign countries.

Although this is not an election to change political parties, the power of political parties can still impact gubernatorial elections. Sensing a sense of crisis, the trend in the region is that candidates for governor backed by the current ruling party are losing their elections. Tokyo is no exception.

Something manga-like is happening in Tokyo right now. The Tokyo gubernatorial election has become chaotic with more than 50 candidates from various political parties. Despite the large number of candidates, many people do not have anyone they want to vote for.

This Tokyo gubernatorial election is being described as involving chimimoryo or chimei wangliang, spirits of evil. Are these deceptive spirits of rivers and mountains called monsters and spirits in English? Ghosts and goblins? Spirits and demons? It is also likened to “kodoku,” a practice where poisonous insects are made to fight each other in a jar. In manga, would it be like the Hyakki Yagyo led by Suguru Geto in “Jujutsu Kaisen”? In “My Hero Academia,” it would be the League of Villains. In “Berserk,” it would be the Eclipse. It is from among them that the governor of Tokyo will be chosen.

Anyway, voters are being overwhelmed by candidates they don’t want to get involved with. Still, the Tokyo Metropolitan Election will take place.

Current Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is also running for governor this time. Many Japanese people are afraid of change, and Koike, who is popular with the elderly in an aging society, is expected to simply continue in office.

One of her opponents is a person named Renho. She is a charismatic and prominent female politician who attracts many people. However, she is not purely Japanese. Japan is now facing an invasion by China. The threat of China looms over Japan and its friendly neighbor Taiwan, and the possibility of a contingency in Okinawa increases every year. With the country being physically attacked from the west, will it cede central politics to China?

There is also a Japanese conservative named Toshio Tamogami, but he is old and has a weak social networking and digital strategy. He can be seen as the successor to Shintaro Ishihara, who has run the city of Tokyo in the past, but returning to the good old Tokyo of the past is becoming an anachronism in the future.

Then a new force emerged: a man named Shinji Ishimaru. He is young, vibrant, and served as mayor of a city called Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture. If you only look at this, he seems like a savior. Voter turnout in Japanese elections is low, and young people are not particularly interested in politics. A candidate has emerged who can interest even such young people. I also got to know him through this gubernatorial election. He has a good social networking strategy and a strong centripetal force. He also professes to be a fan of manga such as “Soutenkouro (Beyond the Heavens)” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.” He calls himself a manga sage, quotes lines, and is good at getting the attention of young people. Since I also like manga, I thought he would be the most familiar candidate.

However, I was skeptical about his performance. The city of Akitakata, where he worked, has only 1/500th of the population of Tokyo, and he ran for office without completing a full term. So why does he attract so much attention? One reason may be that there is no one else who can be promoted.

I thought it was important for young forces to disrupt the current system, even if they lack achievements, so I decided to continue paying attention to him.

On Twitter (X), I found someone who was attacking him in an unusual way: Akane Himasora. Akane Himasora is an online influencer who does not show her face, and her social networking icon is a two-dimensional girl. He uses what is commonly known as an anime icon, but he is actually an otaku male. His title is a writer and a former game engineer. He is skilled at detecting lies and is also known as an internet detective.

I did not know this person in detail, but I watched him because I found it interesting that he was attacking Shinji Ishimaru. The more I looked into it, the more I started following him because I didn’t really understand the meaning of Shinji Ishimaru’s popularity.

In my image, Akane Himasora is a troublesome person who frequently appears in topics. I only recognized her as the type of person who would lose money if I got involved with her, until this moment.

Akane Himasora’s attack against Shinji Ishimaru claimed that Ishimaru is suspicious, and many of his supporters on social networking sites have accounts that look like Chinese agents. After seeing this, I too took a definite stance against Shinji Ishimaru. I was disappointed by the unfortunate development that the savior who finally appeared was of Chinese descent.

Furthermore, one day, information that Akane Himasora was going to have a dialogue with Shinji Ishimaru on YouTube came through on my timeline. I decided to watch the discussion delivery, thinking it would be interesting. Perhaps I would be able to see Akane Himasora directly confront Shinji Ishimaru about his Chinese agents, his attempts to win elections with money, and his activities without any track record.

Everyone’s expectations were betrayed. The interview was not a one-on-one meeting, but rather the producer of the program was present on Ishimaru’s side. Furthermore, there was a lawyer on Shinji Ishimaru’s side. It seems that the questions Akane Himasora was supposed to ask about Chinese agents, campaign activities before the election period, and money were already taken care of.

Perhaps anticipating this to some extent, or maybe judging from the situation, Akane Himasora began to ask questions about manga instead.

Earlier, Akane Himasora had said to Shinji Ishimaru that the manga bookshelf in his office was strange, but I thought it might be a false accusation. However, certainly, some of the manga were in disarray, as manga lovers are supposed to treat their favorite manga with particular care.

In fact, Akane Himasora’s question was about Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, which Shinji Ishimaru has professed to love. For example, questions about favorite manga are easy to answer for Japanese who like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Name one of the Upper Rank Demons other than Akaza. What is the alias (name when he was a human) of Akaza? As for these two questions, I honestly think it would be difficult unless you have just recently read the book.

Who is the boss (rasbos) on the Upper Rank Demons?

When I heard this question, I thought there was no way he couldn’t answer it. Even an American could answer it, right?

Ishimaru asked back, “Muzan? Mugen.” When asked what the last name of this Muzan was, he finally could not answer. This was unbelievable, even watching the delivery.

Muzan Kibutsuji. It is striking, distinctive, and easy to remember, even in the Japanese sense of the word.

Indeed, even manga enthusiasts have shallow and deep knowledge.

But a politician who professes a love of manga and quotes words from them in his speeches. Even though he is away from entertainment in his busy profession, how is it possible that he cannot say the name of the enemy character of his favorite manga? Personally, I thought it was impossible.

For example, is there anyone who likes Dragon Ball who cannot mention the name Frieza? Is there any situation where someone says they like Star Wars and Darth Vader’s name doesn’t come up?

Furthermore, there is a manga called “Soutenkouro (Beyond the Heavens)” which Shinji Ishimaru says is the bible of his life. It is a youth manga and is not as well known in Japan as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Originally set in the Three Kingdoms period in China, the story is mostly based on historical facts. The main character is Cao Cao, a general of the Wei Dynasty. It is a masterpiece with many fascinating characters.

He says it is the bible of his life to the point that he has read it over and over again with sticky notes. He answers that his favorite character is Guo Jia. Then, when asked to say a line from that Guo Jia, Shinji Ishimaru could not answer. Even fragments of situations and scenes were never spoken by him.

During and after the delivery, the comments section and SNS went wild. To Ishimaru’s supporters, it seemed as if a manga otaku was just trying to show off with manga quizzes. Especially since Akane Himasora is the type of person who is not well-spoken or well-behaved, the general impression was that a serious politician got tangled up with a creepy otaku.

But from what little skepticism I had of Shinji Ishimaru, it was a feeling that he was not a fan of the manga.

In Japan, manga is a part of the culture. However, it is a subculture that is not yet at such a high level that everyone has a favorite manga. Therefore, once you say you like manga, you have a favorite manga and you can talk about it. Not only manga, but music or sports, you should be able to talk about what you like. There are different degrees of liking. Therefore, if you can’t talk about what you like, you shouldn’t say you like it in communication with other people.

Shinji Ishimaru may watch manga and anime. No one will complain until you think you like it. It is fine to say that you like them somehow. But to say that you are a manga sage and use it to gain the attention of voters in an election is wrong. It is clever in a way, but you must not be caught lying. For those who truly love manga, it is irritating. Akane Himasora, an otaku raised on manga and anime, doesn’t like that.

After the dialogue, the attack by Akane Himasora continues.

There are countless Chinese involved among many of Shinji Ishimaru’s supporters. It was Akane Himasora who noticed that. There are unnatural number movements in Shinji Ishimaru’s YouTube distribution and disposable accounts that seem to be created just for that purpose. What I personally found most weird was an illustration of Shinji Ishimaru posing against a background of a map of Japan in one of his fan art. Probably a simplified illustration created by AI generation. There was an element in this image that no Japanese would ever make a mistake, an element that could not be said with impunity to have been completed, even if it was a generated AI. The map of Japan is wrong. I think there are few Japanese who can accurately draw a map of Japan without looking at a sample. But there is a feature that is absolutely drawn as an element. Even if it was a generative AI, we would notice if it was missing. The shape of the Japanese archipelago is wrong. When I compared them, Hiroshima and Nagasaki prefectures were missing. Awaji Island is also strange, and Okinawa Prefecture is missing. Hiroshima and Nagasaki prefectures have a past where atomic bombs were dropped on them. If you are a Japanese supporter, you know how delicate it is, so if it is not drawn, you will not adopt it. Even if it is a found painting, we will not use it. Awaji Island will be included even if you don’t want it, and Okinawa will be drawn as the southernmost point of Japan. Having made fan art as positive without every important element. I also could not believe in such fan art being used for political activities.

Something manga-like is happening in Tokyo right now.

Koike Yuriko, the first candidate for Governor of Tokyo, is uncertain about her academic background and use of Tokyo funds, but she is the closest to winning. Her supposed opponent, Renho, is pro-China and, if elected, will play politics favorable to China against Japan from within Japan. The new supposed savior, Shinji Ishimaru, is also backed by Chinese capital and will be controlled by China. Perhaps Yuriko Koike is not so young, and we can see the possibility of her being succeeded by her deputy governor when she steps down. Will the deputy governor be Japanese then?

I have been reading a manga called “Kingdom,” and sometimes I wonder if the unification of China is not just about the continent. I sometimes think that Chinese unification is not only about the continent, but also about ruling the whole earth. I sometimes think that is what China is trying to do.

Today’s Japan may be equivalent to about 8,000 volumes of “Kingdom.”

Incidentally, Shinji Ishimaru has read “Kingdom,” but he could not answer who defeated the enemy named Houken, who is related to the hero and the hero’s master. This is a matter of course that the main character defeats him. You don’t have to read it to know.

More to the point, there is a scene in “Kingdom” that talks about what law is. I want someone who is moved by that in the same way “Kingdom” fans are to become a politician.

This time, we can only choose the governor of Tokyo by the process of elimination. Chimimoryo.

We do not want to become China’s Japan, so we want to avoid Renho and Shinji Ishimaru. However, Yuriko Koike has failed to keep her promises over multiple terms. Tamogami, former chief of staff of the Air Staff, tries to bring back the good old Tokyo for the future. The other 50 are publicity stunts and too frothy candidates. We are forced to vote for the opponents of the candidates we do not want to be the governor of Tokyo. What is decided in Tokyo will affect the entire country. This is the biggest juncture in the history of Japan’s future.

Still, the day will come when we will have to choose someone. We have to debate over who is better. Renho and Ishimaru had been engaging in election-like activities before the election period, but they were not censured. Perhaps we can no longer resist Chinese capital. If controlled by China, all aspects of Japanese culture, including manga and anime, will come under its control. The content will change, and even the good aspects will be lost. Not only manga and anime but also idol culture, games, traditional Japanese food culture, and customs may change.

The day of the election candidate deadline. To our surprise, Akane Himasora ran for the Tokyo gubernatorial election. A situation that no one had expected. No political experience. We thought he was just a boisterous influencer. Everyone watching thought he just wanted to stir up the election. The more I looked into it, the more I learned that this man was fighting. He has filed lawsuits against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government multiple times and has won some of them. He is a man who sees the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as an enemy and knows its dark side. He used manga to mock and moved to prevent Shinji Ishimaru, who is trying to govern Tokyo with Chinese capital, from being elected.

Akane Himasora has three commitments.

(1)Public money misuse (‘public money chu-chu’)
(2)Digitally entertain Tokyo
(3)Not accept any political donations

What a straightforward pledge. (1) is excellent.

Public money is the citizens’ blood money used by the metropolitan government. Politicians are the ones who hold it. Politicians give money to their close corporate friends so that they can get votes in the next administration. This is why money is being siphoned off and funneled to things that don’t really need it. It is truly a public money misuse.

The idea is to eliminate the organization that is eerily connected to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Currently, politicians are ridiculed for their ability to pocket national and local taxpayers’ money. Having free access to public money is the best part of being a politician.

Up until now, Akane Himasora has been fighting Tokyo. And he has won some victories. However, that fact is also rubbed out by the Japanese press. His victories are inconvenient for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Nowadays, with the internet environment such as SNS, it is something that comes to light if you look into it, but you still cannot find out about it from the news media.

Japanese elections are governed by the rule of equal coverage. Then came Akane Himasora, who made a public pledge to eliminate corrupt public money. He became a “test” (fumi-e) to see which news organizations are receiving corrupt public money. As a result, he is not mentioned on TV, in newspapers, or magazines. If it is not reported within Japan, it is unlikely to be reported overseas either.

When I saw the pledge (2)Digitally entertain Tokyo, I thought he had managed to raise something that sounded like it. However, if you know his career, you can see that he is trying to improve Tokyo in a way he is good at. Japan is lagging behind digitally on a global scale. There are still many situations where seals are required or cash is needed. Furthermore, politicians and the public cannot see a future where they can adapt to the increasing number of elderly people. As a former game creator, Akane Himasora has brighter knowledge in the digital realm than any of the other candidates. For example, there is the projection mapping of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, but aside from why it was done, anyone who is digitally savvy can see that there is no way this kind of money could have been spent. It is connected with (1), but public money was misused. It must have gone to someone in a high position at some major advertising agency.

(3) It is also unique in that it does not accept any political donations. Most of a politician’s ambition is money. They become politicians to receive political donations. They receive donations and use them to keep their seats in politics. They keep their families alive for generations, and their political children live on for decades as politicians, receiving money. Akane Himasora does not accept donations.

Originally, Akane Himasora is a person who has hundreds of millions of yen in assets but has no interest in money or family background. He would be an unusual type if he becomes a politician.

If you try to resolve interest issues, the media will not like it and will not acknowledge its existence. Originally, it is a good action for manga and anime creators, but these creators are active in the media. This means that even if they have opinions, they are in a position to be suppressed by the media. Even if they want to support, they cannot express it.

Shinji Ishimaru moves influencers, celebrities, and even higher-ups with his egregious Chinese capital. There is a flurry of support without substance. Even if you surpass Shinji Ishimaru’s vote count, he is “the weakest among the Four Heavenly Kings.” Renho and Yuriko Koike have even more votes.

Akane Himasora has many enemies. Maybe it is because of his past behavior, his foul mouth, shitty personality, etc. He doesn’t even show his face until he wins. But he is fighting to win. I find myself wanting to believe that only this hated figure can change the future of Japan in Tokyo.

Something manga-like is happening in Tokyo right now.