Aki Sora Manga's Masahiro Itosugi Reports Being Banned by Google After Uploading Old Works

Aki Sora manga creator Masahiro Itosugi lamented in a May 16 post about being banned by Google. While uploading older works to Google Drive, Itosugi reported receiving a warning from the service. The creator reported appealing the warning only to receive the ban. Itosugi added that the ban is an issue as the artist uses a Google account for several other websites and services. Itosugi concluded, “It's not an issue for good people, but be careful if you ponder, “Am I… a good person?”

As of press time, Itosugi's post received 25,000 likes and 449 comments. Several commenters sympathized with the creator's dilemma. One of the first replies asked Itosugi if the artist uploaded the files without compressing them into PSG or ZIP files. Itosugi indicated the files were uncompressed and mentioned not giving any thoughts at the time about being banned. Another commenter said Japanese parents should avoid uploading photos of their children taking baths, as Google is set to "Western standards." Itosugi agreed with this sentiment and added Google does not allow people to change the standards according to the region they live in.

Itosugi debuted as an adult manga creator in 2004, and later transitioned to non-adult manga in 2007 with the short series Mono Kuro published under Akita Shoten's Champion RED Comics imprint. Itosugi has subsequently published and worked on several non-adult manga series. The artist is currently working on The Cuckolding Wizard’s Adventure under Akita Shoten's Champion RED Comics imprint.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Governmen revised its Youth Healthy Development Ordinance to expand the number of manga and anime that could be designated as "harmful publications" in 2011, and listed Aki Sora as one of the first six titles to be considered for restrictions. Itosugi then reported that the first and third Aki Sora manga volumes would no longer be printed. As the revised ordinance does not cover non-print distribution, the manga remained available in digital releases.

Sources: Masahiro Itosugi's X/Twitter account (link 2) via Otakomu