“Anime was a mistake.” The legendary fabricated quote from Hayao Miyazaki is indeed false.
However, the message it conveyed is most certainly true in the cases of shows such as
Eromanga Sensei. In this report, I intend to give a brief rundown of some of the plot points of
the anime adaptation, based on the original light novel series by Tsukasa Fushimi and convey
my feelings towards its subject matter.
The story revolves around Masamune Izumi, a fifteen year old who strives to be a successful
light novel author. In order to make His current work, a series known as “Silverwolf of the
Reincarnation” more appealing, he hires an anonymous illustrator known under the alias
“Eromanga.” Eromanga has the reputation of being an extremely talented artist, primarily
working with ecchi content. Ecchi is sexually suggestive content.
At this point, it becomes important to address Masamune’s younger stepsister, Sagiri Izumi,
who suffers from Hikikomori syndrome, a condition where one confines themselves in their
room, to the end of isolating themselves. The siblings live together alone sans parental
supervision, under the impression that Masamune will become successful and provide for both
of them. As such, Masamune takes on the role of a caregiver for his sister. Masamune delivers
food to Sagiri’s bedroom, but otherwise has very little social contact with her at the beginning
of the series. However, during a masked art live stream that Eromanga was performing,
Masamune comes to the realisation that his twelve year old sister is in fact the acclaimed
illustrator.
Now, one word in that breakdown may have stood out to you in hindsight. Eromanga is known
for having an ecchi style and now that we know their identity is a twelve year old. This is the
first issue I have with the show. As a recluse, Sagiri has no contact with the outside world. It
is then presented that she uses herself as a model and reference for her illustrations. The
anime uses this note frequently in order to pose her inappropriately and to have her in risqué
situations for Masamune to find her in. Later as Sagiri adapts and is able to interact with other
people, she immediately harasses other girls and either tricks them, or suddenly without
warning puts them in compromising positions in order to use these moments later in her
illustrations. This is played off for laughs in the anime, however it left me extremely
uncomfortable.
The second major problem I have with Eromanga Sensei is the relationship between
Masamune and Sagiri. It is heavily implied that Sagiri has romantic feelings towards
Masamune and shows great jealously when he interacts with any of the other female cast.
This dynamic I found to be unsettling for a number of reasons. Firstly, Masamune acts as a
caretaker and to some extent as a parental figure despite them not being blood related.
Secondly, due to both her age and her isolation she is socially immature. Lastly, as Masamune
is the only other person she has interacted with in years and due to her social anxiety, her
feelings towards him could be considered to be on some level reminiscent of Stockholm
syndrome. Although Masamune does not necessarily share her feelings he also does not
explicitly refute them. Additionally, when a more appropriate love interest comes along that is
his age and shares his interest in writing, he turns them down in order to not upset his sister.
Together this information suggests that he may share Sagiri’s feelings. This is not the only
light novel Tsukasa Fushimi has written about a romantic relationship between an older
brother and a younger sister, having also authored the light novel My Little Sister Can’t Be
This Cute. With Eromanga Sensei additionally having the major character being an aspiring
light novel writer, I cannot help but wonder if we are getting an overly in depth look at Fushimi’s
personal interests.
Although the art design and framing of the scenes are usually pleasant, these few redeeming
qualities are not enough to save it from the major flaws outlined previously and the frankly
irritating side cast of characters. Overall, the experience of watching it was damaging and I
doubt a group watch to ridicule it could salvage it, due to the uncomfortable subject matter
featured in the majority of its scenes. In conclusion, I would not recommend watching it unless
you suffer from a morbid curiosity towards terrible anime.