Controversial Manga Goblin Slayer is New Target of Book Banning Efforts

The dark fantasy light novel and manga series Goblin Slayer has been singled out by a Texas lawmaker trying to ban “obscene” works from state schools.

The Houston Chronicle reported that the Republican representative of Texas’ 66th Precinct, Matt Shaheen, has named Goblin Slayer among a list of books that a group of Texas lawmakers is trying to ban from schools. The group is part of a wider movement across the United States of lawmakers trying to censor controversial topics from public schools. These topics include the Holocaust (with Art Spiegelman’s Maus banned from schools in Tennessee) and LGBTQ+ rights (Texas is trying to ban Gender Queer: A Memoir by non-binary author Maia Kobabe). Shaheen and his fellow lawmakers say that the bans are only targeting pornographic and obscene material. Shaheen said that this definition includes specific examples of books found in public schools that feature “graphic images of women being raped by demons and little boys performing sexual acts on each other. Anyone who believes this is acceptable is mentally ill.” Shaheen also added that the vendors will be directly pursued.

Goblin Slayer sparked worldwide controversy upon the debut of the first season of its anime in 2018. This grim tale of sword and sorcery focuses on the titular monsters, which are usually depicted as the weakest in any fantasy setting. However, in the light novel by Kumo Kagyu and Noboru Kannatsuki, and in the manga adaptation from Kosuke Kurose, these cunning and sadistic creatures commit all sorts of atrocities, including kidnapping and raping women, a practice that is vividly depicted both in the manga and in the anime. Crunchyroll, which streams the anime internationally, added a content warning to the series shortly after its premiere.

It has to be said that the Goblin Slayer manga, which follows the light novels faithfully, has mostly moved away from the crude depictions of goblin savagery and is instead focusing more on the development of the main characters and their relationships. The protagonist, the titular Goblin Slayer, was at first only motivated by his desire to kill as many goblins as possible as an act of revenge for what they did to his village and his sister. However, he has since found more motivations to live, especially thanks to the group of friends and adventurers that have gathered around him.

Detractors of the US lawmakers’ initiative have accused them of undermining free speech rights and targeting authors from minorities and marginalized groups. For the moment, the Goblin Slayer manga remains available in English through Yen Press, and a second season of the anime is currently in production.

Source: The Houston Chronicle

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