The United States continues to ban sleeves

In the past two months in the United States, two school districts in Tennessee have sparked controversy by publishing extensive lists of books and manga removed from school libraries, while other districts prepare to comply with the strict provisions of a new state law that restricts materials available in schools. The law, which seeks to limit access to content deemed inappropriate, has led to the removal of popular titles, including manga acclaimed by fans around the world.

More than 150 titles retired in Rutherford County

The Rutherford County School District took action on Nov. 11, removing more than 150 titles from its libraries following a request from school board member Frances Rosales. Among the affected titles are the first eight volumes of Yusei Matsui's "Assassination Classroom" and the first volume of Atsushi Okubo's "Fire Force," both of which are currently under review.

Caleb Tidwell, another board member, argued that these books violated district policy and state obscenity laws, calling them "explicit" and noting that some included "pornographic material." This action echoes a list presented by Tidwell in February, where he proposed the removal of 35 titles. Now, the district has 60 days to review materials before deciding whether to rejoin libraries or permanently ban.

Wilson County Removes 400 Titles, Including Popular Manga

Wilson County Schools, another school district in Tennessee, took a similar step on Oct. 24, publishing a list of about 400 titles removed from its school libraries. Among the removed books are iconic manga works such as:

Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui.
Fire Force by Atsushi Okubo.
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami.
Detective Conan by Gosho Aoyama.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki.
Bungo Stray Dogs by Kafka Asagiri and Sango Harukawa.
Fist of the North Star by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara.
The Tempest Manga Shakespeare by Paul Duffield.
My Hero Academia: Kohei Horikoshi's Watchers.
Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino.
Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki.
Rosario+Vampire by Akihisa Ikeda.
Shingeki no Kyojin by Hajime Isayama.
Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida.
The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu.
Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato.
Durarara!! by Ryohgo Narita.
Bloom Into You by Nio Nakatani.
Soul Eater by Atsushi Okubo.
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo.
Nanatsu no Taizai by Nakaba Suzuki.
Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi.
Black Butler by Yana Toboso.
Hunter X Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi.
Alice 19th by Yuu Watase.
Air Gear by Oh! Great.

The decision also affected other literary titles, including classic manga such as Rumiko Takahashi's "Inuyasha" and Matsuri Hino's "Vampire Knight."

Legislative changes drive restrictions

The controversy comes against the backdrop of the expansion of the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022, which on July 1 expanded the definition of obscenity in Tennessee. Now, any material that includes "nudity, excessive violence, sexual conduct, or sadomasochistic abuse," or that is deemed to appeal to "lewd interest," is prohibited.

Rosales admitted to using Wilson County's list and the Book Looks website as a reference to compile the list of titles removed in Rutherford County. The Site Book Looks, a platform that evaluates books based on their content, has been used by other school districts in different states to justify the removal of books such as Assassination Classroom.

The debate has grown beyond these two districts. According to local media reports such as Chalkbeat and Clarksville Now, the Clarksville-Montgomery district also received Wilson County's list as a "resource" to consider possible eliminations in its schools.

The educational community and advocates of freedom of reading have expressed concern about the implications of these measures in the United States. Many criticize the breadth of the bans, which include works widely recognized for their artistic and narrative value. In addition, there are fears that these restrictions may limit the diversity of ideas and students' access to a wide range of cultural content.

Source: Clarksville Now