Youka Nitta - Too Severely Punished
Youka Nitta traced photographs from magazines to incorporate in her manga works. This crime caused a disaster for her publisher. They presumably had to pull her works from stores, said works being phone-book manga filled with the manga of other creators, and scramble to replace her slot in future anthologies. They were left open to severe legal action from the plagiarized magazines.
There is no doubt that Nitta-sensei deserves some of the heartache she's now going through. This was a costly crime that warrants more than a slap on the wrist.
By no stretch of the imagination does Nitta-sensei deserve to have her career ended over this incident.
First, from a strict monetary point of view, a talent like her has made more money for her publisher than this incident has or will cost them, and her future works would continue to make money for them regardless of this incident.
Second, no matter how much American and Japanese fans love a juicy controversy, no matter their passion in witnessing her shame, they will continue to buy her works. Nitta-sensei is one of the best BL mangaka working today. Her art work is phenomenal. Her storytelling breaks the mold of so many cookie-cutter BL manga being translated from Japan. She didn't say she was bigger than Jesus. No fan is making a bonfire out of her books.
I don't know if it was her publisher who pushed her into ending her career, or if she performed career seppuku out of her own sense of guilt, but it shouldn't matter. Fans should endeavor to make her feel just as guilty for abandoning them. The response I'm seeing more than any other is disappointment over the fact we won't see anymore Embracing Love. The series was available for relicense as of a certain date, and may have already been licensed by the same company who licensed Finder Series. We were going to have our crown jewels of yaoi readily available once again. We've been robbed not due to Nitta-sensei's crime, but her drastic decision following it.
An apology was warranted. A temporary withdrawal from the business was warranted. Permanently ending the career of such a shining star is far too great a punishment. From this publisher's perspective Nitta-sensei should have withdrawn for a certain period of time, then returned with a new project preambled with her continued apology over her past crime, and a desire to make a fresh start. Her current publisher should give her a second chance, if they haven't already offered her one. She can make financial amends to them by virtue of her talent.
I may be naive with regards to Japanese culture. What I'm suggesting may be impossible. I hope this isn't the case. However, I know such a talented woman with such a large following can always find a publisher for her work.
There is no doubt that Nitta-sensei deserves some of the heartache she's now going through. This was a costly crime that warrants more than a slap on the wrist.
By no stretch of the imagination does Nitta-sensei deserve to have her career ended over this incident.
First, from a strict monetary point of view, a talent like her has made more money for her publisher than this incident has or will cost them, and her future works would continue to make money for them regardless of this incident.
Second, no matter how much American and Japanese fans love a juicy controversy, no matter their passion in witnessing her shame, they will continue to buy her works. Nitta-sensei is one of the best BL mangaka working today. Her art work is phenomenal. Her storytelling breaks the mold of so many cookie-cutter BL manga being translated from Japan. She didn't say she was bigger than Jesus. No fan is making a bonfire out of her books.
I don't know if it was her publisher who pushed her into ending her career, or if she performed career seppuku out of her own sense of guilt, but it shouldn't matter. Fans should endeavor to make her feel just as guilty for abandoning them. The response I'm seeing more than any other is disappointment over the fact we won't see anymore Embracing Love. The series was available for relicense as of a certain date, and may have already been licensed by the same company who licensed Finder Series. We were going to have our crown jewels of yaoi readily available once again. We've been robbed not due to Nitta-sensei's crime, but her drastic decision following it.
An apology was warranted. A temporary withdrawal from the business was warranted. Permanently ending the career of such a shining star is far too great a punishment. From this publisher's perspective Nitta-sensei should have withdrawn for a certain period of time, then returned with a new project preambled with her continued apology over her past crime, and a desire to make a fresh start. Her current publisher should give her a second chance, if they haven't already offered her one. She can make financial amends to them by virtue of her talent.
I may be naive with regards to Japanese culture. What I'm suggesting may be impossible. I hope this isn't the case. However, I know such a talented woman with such a large following can always find a publisher for her work.
posted by Yaoi Press @ 12:49 PM
13 Comments:
At July 16, 2008 3:43 PM ,
Kuri said...
It's definately a shame what happened. She did a bad thing, no doubts, but at the sametime it's depressing it went this far. While an apology (and if possible credit given to those she copied heavily from) is definately a need-to-do, ending her career is a shame. I'm hoping it's an emotional choice right now and one she may rethink after things have settled a bit.
I also can't help but ask, but based on what you said, has the Finder Series been relicensed officially now? No surprise that I'm extremely curious! ;)
At July 16, 2008 7:01 PM ,
Yaoi Press said...
"I also can't help but ask, but based on what you said, has the Finder Series been relicensed officially now? No surprise that I'm extremely curious! ;)"
The Finder Series license comment was spurred from the well-known spillage that dripped from Ayano-sensei's fan forum. Anything I actually know about the situation will have to be coaxed out of me with plum saki at Otakon.
At July 17, 2008 7:08 AM ,
junklover said...
I read the announcement on the Nitta-sensei's website. She is using "自粛", a word leaving a possiblity of resuming her career as a manga-ka. A number of individuals and companies have resumed their businesses after "自粛" due to scandal.
So, I believe the publishers are willing to give her a second chance in the future.
At July 31, 2008 9:25 PM ,
seshet said...
I was unfamiliar with Nitta's work before her apology. I've been studying Haru wo Daiteita for the last couple of weeks, and I don't think this is such a pat case of wrong doing. I think what she did would make a great debate for an art school class, but it should never have turned into a scandal.
What's really ticking me off is that some random guys got away with creating a big blogosphere brouhaha that damaged the career of a talented manga-ka and deprived her fans of her work. If they had some personal issue with Nitta, I want to know whether they even tried to get their issues addressed in a conventional way first.
There was no need for any sort of scandal here. A simple conversation with the manga-ka or her publisher would probably have changed her practice. These jerks wanted a public scandal, and unfortunately the rest of the blogosphere fell for it and like robot minions went to repeat the tale of Nitta's "wrong doing" - that's what forced Nitta to apologize and her publishers to abandon her.
grr...
At August 30, 2008 4:38 PM ,
otrfk929 said...
I've been following up on the "scandal" per se...Even though what she did might be unforgiven to some people, I truly value all her works...It is all due to her Embracing Love that introduced me to the world of BL. I really want her to come back!!! It would be such a tremendous loss to have someone with talent like her ending her career just like that.
Forever, I'll support her!
At August 30, 2008 7:52 PM ,
femfatale said...
I have always been a fan of hers... I love embracing love. Having said that, I feel she broke the law and deserved to know that it was not the right thing to do. However, I could care less if she stole some ads, or even murdered someone (she hasn't; I'm using it for dramatic effect) leaving this series unfinished is a tragedy and shouldn't be allowed to happen. Like you said, let her make up for the money by working it off, but abandoning the fans is unforgivable in my eyes. To the crime of stealing ads, I simply thought "wow, that was stupid but I'll keep reading anyway." In regard to the crime of abandoning fans, I still feel it is not merely stupid but cruel and makes her copying of ads go from a stupid mistake to a huge deal causing only those who cared for her works to suffer.
At January 19, 2009 3:54 PM ,
xxtaken9 said...
i've recently read 'secret diplomacy' and i just realized she is the same person who wrote 'haru wo daite ita' which i am a huge fan of. this is too cruel of a punishment because she's not the only one suffering, but we are too! it's not like she plagerized her stories! their only pictures that can be replaced! her stories are incredible and it does break the molds from other BL mangas! this is too sad! i know i learned this a little too late but i really hope she'll be back soon and her leave isn't permanent!
At February 20, 2009 4:55 PM ,
Kaida said...
this is absolutely horrible!!!!!!!! she can't hang up her pen; at least not forever!!!!! i have been waiting FOREVER to find out how Haru Wo Daiteita is resolved!!!! obviously, something is going on behind the scenes here. Nitta-sensei shouldn't have been forced to 'take a break'!! obviously, i realise that her hands aren't totally sqweaky clean; but my opinion is that a slap on the wrist and a small, TINY!!!!, vacation was all this should've warrented! no one was hurt by this!! not even the brand was offended. they took it as a compliment!!!! they said, Quote: "Nitta, don't worry, we're not that kind of brand, we consider this a tribute, only the greatest are copied, right? But honestly, our chick is hotter than yours!" we, as Youka Nitta fans, cannot let this happen! someone needs to get ahold of an email, and/or mailing address for the publisher and start sending around a petition!! if enough people sign a petition saying that we don't want her to quit indefinitely, surely they'll have to let her return to writing!!! and if a petition doesn't sway them, we can see how they like a boycott. if everyone stops buying their stuff and we say we won't buy anymore until Nitta-sensei comes back, they'll have no other choice, but to let her!
calling all Nitta-sensei fans!!!!! don't let them deprive us of our manga, and Nitta-sensei of her well deserved profits, career, fanbase, and everything else she deserves!!!! please, if someone knows of an existing petition i can sign, let me know!! and if someone knows the email address for the publishing company, or whoever is in charge of letting Nitta-sensei come back, please forward it to me! i will be starting my own electronic petition in the meantime.
Long Live Nitta-sensei!!
At May 7, 2009 7:30 PM ,
fullmetal168 said...
if everyone knew how many graphic and fine artists copy other photos and artwork from other artists and from books and magazines....you would be shocked. This is truly ridiculous. The people involved are acting like she committed murder or rape or something incredibly horrible. Edith Head the late great fashion designer and dresser in the Golden age of Hollywood--landed her first job with borrowed art paintings from her fellow art students...Nitta-sensei should really come to the USA or the UK and resume her work
Her storylines and artwork are just beautiful and amazing
as a footnote: I am a newbie fan
to yaoi and I have her Viewfinder series in Japanese and Secret Diplomacy and the artbook "Kiss of
Fire" and I was wondering why I
couldn't find anymore of her work.
Now I know why but hell, don't let
this so-called "scandel" get you
down Nitta-sensei because we all
love you !
fullmetal168
At May 29, 2009 4:48 PM ,
Lara Yokoshima said...
@fullmetal168: Viewfinder series are actually the master work of Yamane Ayano.
At June 7, 2009 9:07 AM ,
Rosalind said...
Despite all that.. I think the greatest irony is:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-18/diesel-brand-describes-nitta-tracing-issue-as-tribute
At October 21, 2009 12:55 AM ,
jazzy2may said...
Am very much interested in any news regarding Youka Nitta and whether or not she will be returning to her Mangaka work? I love all of her works. She is truly a talented artist and story teller. I love ~Boku No Koe~ (Sound of my Voice) and ~Haru wo Daiteita~ (Embracing Love) as well as the Minister's Secret Diplomacy. Youka Nitta, what she has gone through can be very devestating and might have even caused writer's block, but I hope that with the support and love of her fans she will once again take up her pen.
Any news would be appreciated.
Thank you
At January 16, 2010 7:24 AM ,
Noura said...
I was so disappointed when I first heard the news as I was anticipating more of "Koushi Kakka no Himitsu Gaikou." Haru wo Daiteita, Boku no Koe, and Koushi Kakka no Himitsu Gaikou are her bests.
I am not sure but I think she is back. She is currently working on her "Otodama" which is not a BL.
Do you guys think it is impossible for her BL works to be reprinted? I want to have her works in Japanese.
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