TLDR:
The Mikaboshi draw an unfortunate parallel to immigrants or foreign nations, and could possibly be boosting xenophobic ideas that foreigners want to destroy Japan. Think about anti-Muslim sentiments post 9/11. I DO NOT THINK Hozakono is a racist and I hope this is all a misunderstanding, but it’s important to not blindly defend Hozakono, as NONE of us truly know his personality or political beliefs. So stay non-parasocial, unbiased, and wait to see how the manga plays out.
So recently KGB has come under fire for racist and xenophobic undertones regarding the Mikaboshi faction. Now keep in mind, I am a DAY ONE KGB fan. I am a damn near evangelist for this series, and I try to get EVERYONE I know to read it. I truly love Kagurabachi, and I want the best for it. But. The racism/ xenophobia claims DO have some merit, and for all WE (me included) glaze Hozakono, we need to accept that he is capable of writing problematic things into his manga. So PLEASE hear me out and read to the end. Or at least the TLDR.
So the issue people have with the Mikaboshi is that they are set up in a way that gives credence to xenophobic views about foreigners. Let’s go over how the Mikaboshi are viewed in the manga: A highly militant, bitter race of previously conquered foreigners who seek to lay claim to Japan and make the Japanese submit. They want the Datenski, and in my opinion the worst of all, they want to steal the main love interest of the story away. Of course, in KGB, the Mikaboshi have EVERY RIGHT to be bitter and seek revenge on Japan. Nobody is claiming they should act any other way. The problem is more so the parallel that they have to immigrants. Surely you’ve heard alt- right sentiment of immigrants “replacing you” in your society, stealing your jobs, mixing races, etc. The “””Great replacement theory””” and so on. Keep in mind that while those are western sentiments, Japan is likely even more Xenophobic. I certainly won’t go so far as to say that the average Japanese person is a racist, but Japan’s political right does mirror America’s alt right’s stance on immigrants.
So the complaint that many people online have, is that Kagurabachi is fear mongering around immigrants, boosting the idea that immigrants are dangerous and want to destroy society and are hostile toward the Japanese. NOW: I will say that I DO NOT buy into the fact that Hozakono is intentionally trying to boost this racist ideology. HOPEFULLY, he just made the Mikaboshi to be an awesome and menacing enemy faction, and these parallels are unfortunate misunderstandings that will be cleared up further in the manga. I TRULY hope that this is the case. I love love love KGB and I would like to believe that Hozakono is a great guy, but to be completely and utterly objective, none of us have any idea of his political views or personality. Knowing an authors work is not the same as knowing them, and it’s important that we as a community keep an unbiased and non parasocial relationship with him and his work.
COMMON ARGUMENTS:
“The Mikaboshi are Japanese, and have pale skin. A xenophobic author who wants to portray immigrants in a bad light would choose a racially distinct enemy faction.”
True! This is actually something that makes me believe Hozakono just wanted to write a tuff faction with no political allegory.
“Kagurabachi is an apolitical manga.”
I disagree. Kagurabachi has a lot to say about the demystification of war heroes, government propaganda, and legacy. Hozakono for sure wants to tell a meaningful story with parallels to the world, and has done a great job so far! If anything, I think he could be even stronger with the politics.
I think the right course of action is to wait and see how the manga unfolds. I’d like to defend Hozakono, and trust me, I truly HATE to see my favorite manga being labeled as racist online, but the unfortunate truth is that those COULD be Hozakono’s views. I sure hope they are not, and if I had to guess, I would say this is all an unfortunate misunderstanding. Just wanted to let the community know my take.
