Swiss otaku who threatened to leave homeland over confiscated manga is reunited with his comics
Perverted dojiinshi fan wins legal struggle with customs officials, asserts that loli comics “cause no damage whatsoever to any real people.”
Earlier this month, it looked like Melonpan, Switzerland’s most famous otaku, was no longer going to be a Swiss resident. The trouble started following a recent trip to Japan, where Melonpan bought a ton of independently produced dojinshi comics.
Well, technically, he bought 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of dojinshi. That’s still a lot to carry home in your luggage, though, and Melonpan opted to mail his dojinshi haul back to Switzerland, where upon arrival it was seized by customs officials.
While there’s been no public statement from the Swiss government regarding Melonpan’s case, it’s likely that customs snagged his manga because much of it falls in the loli category, which features young girls in provocative clothing and/or circumstances. Bemoaning a lack of tolerance by his country’s government for what he contends is an example of “the wonderfulness of Japanese art,” Melonpan went so far as to say that he felt like moving to Japan, and even bid his homeland farewell in tweet form.
But Melonpan is in a much better mood now, having come out of his tangle with the law not only with his freedom intact, but also his property in his hands.
His new tweet reads:
“After a long and repetitive process, finally my fervent pleas have reached the hearts of those in charge! The situation ended with an understanding that ‘Dojiinshi is culture that should be protected, and the production of dojinshi causes no damage whatsoever to any real people.’ Look, everyone! I have the bag stuffed with loli dojinshi!”
Melonpan hasn’t updated the thread in which he said he would be leaving Switzerland, so it’s unknown whether this reversal of fortune has changed his mind about emigrating. It’s also worth pointing out that in Melonpan’s recap of the end of the debate, he doesn’t specify whether “dojiinshi is culture that should be protected, and the production of dojinshi causes no damage whatsoever to any real people” is the statement he was given by the customs officials or is simply his personal interpretation of the conclusion due to the return of his dojinshi. As such, it might not be advisable to expect the same sort of eventual acquiescence from Swiss officials, or those of any other particular country that you’re trying to transport or ship a large quantity of loli dojinshi to.
Source: Twitter/@MeidocafeR via Hachima Kiko
Featured image: Twitter/@MeidocafeR
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