Hubbry Logo
Angel (manga)Angel (manga)Main
Open search
Angel (manga)
Community hub
Angel (manga)
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Angel (manga)
Angel (manga)
Angel (manga)
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia
Angel
Angel #3 published by Shogakukan (1990)
Manga
Written byU-Jin
Published byShogakukan
Cybele Publishing[n1 1]
MagazineWeekly Young Sunday[n1 2]
Original run1988 – 1993[n1 1]
Volumes7 [n1 3]
Original video animation
StudioHumming Bird
ReleasedOctober 25, 1990
Runtime45 minutes
Video game
PublisherCocktail Soft
GenreSimulation
PlatformNEC PC-9801
ReleasedOctober 1, 1993
Original video animation
Shin Angel
Directed byHiromitsu Oota (1)
Kaoru Tooyoka (2–5)
Produced byOsamu Koshinaka
Jirou Souka (1)
Saburou Oomiya (2–5)
Written byWataru Amano (1)
Koji Sakakibara (2–5)
Music byKeisaku Irie
StudioTriple X
Licensed by
Released October 21, 1994 – November 22, 1995
Runtime29–46 minutes
Episodes5
Live-action film
Angel: Ichiban Saisho wa Anata ni A.Ge.Ru
Studiodez
Licensed by
ReleasedFebruary 14, 1997
Runtime66 minutes
Live-action film
Angel: Shotai Fumei no Joo-sama!? (Hen)
Studiodez
Licensed by
ReleasedApril 4, 1997
Runtime70 minutes
Manga
Angel: the women whom delivery host Kosuke Atami healed
Written byU-Jin
Published byNihon Bungeisha
MagazineWeekly Manga Goraku
Original run2006 – 2008
Volumes5
Manga
Angel season 2: the women whom delivery host Kosuke Atami healed
Written byU-Jin
Published byNihon Bungeisha
MagazineWeekly Manga Goraku
Original run2008 – 2010
Volumes5

Angel is a hentai manga series written and illustrated by U-Jin. The original manga series met with controversy in 1990–1991 in Japan and was retired from its magazine serialization. It was adapted into an OVA of the same name. The manga was also succeeded by a manga called Angel: the women whom delivery host Kosuke Atami healed, and succeeded again by another manga called Angel: the women whom delivery host Kosuke Atami healed season 2.

Original manga publication

[edit]

Angel, also known as Angel: Highschool Sexual Bad Boys & Girls Story (prior to the Japanese controversy), Angel: Delight Slight Light Kiss Story (after it resumed serialization but before its complete ban) and currently Angel: Sexual boys and girls highschool story (in order to differentiate it from the sequels), started its publication in the magazine Weekly Young Sunday published by Shogakukan. Because of the controversy, its serialization was interrupted in 1991 and only three volumes were published by Shogakukan. It was later fully reprinted by Cybele Publishing (also known as Cybele Shuppan), which also included two new volumes for a total of 7 volumes, although Cybele volumes had in fact less pages than Shogakukan volumes. In the cover of the Cybele volumes, the legend "We came back!" can be read above the title, in reference to the incident that provoked its temporal ban. The manga was published in Taiwan by company Li-Yi, in France by Tonkam and in Spain by Norma Editorial in Cybele's edition.

Volumes

[edit]
  • Shogakukan (Young Sunday Comics, 1989–1990)
Japanese release date Vol. ISBN
June 1989 (1989-06) 1 4091511414
December 1989 (1989-12) 2 4091511422
April 1990 (1990-04) 3 4091511430
  • Cybele Publishing (Cybele Comics, 1993) This version includes several autostereograms. Since foreign versions were based on this one, they also include the autostereograms.
Japanese release date Vol. ISBN
June 1993 (1993-06) 1 4915858758
July 1993 (1993-07) 2 4915858782
September 1993 (1993-09) 3 4915858812
September 1993 (1993-09) 4 4915858847
October 1993 (1993-10) 5 4915858871
November 1993 (1993-11) 6 4915858901
December 1993 (1993-12) 7 4915858944
  • Cybele Publishing (Cybele Bunko, 1995–1996)
Japanese release date Vol. ISBN
November 1995 (1995-11) 1 488332401X
December 1995 (1995-12) 2 4883324052
January 1996 (1996-01) 3 4883324079
March 1996 (1996-03) 4 4883324117
April 1996 (1996-04) 5 4883324133
May 1996 (1996-05) 6 488332415X
  • Ohzora Publishing (also known as Chu Shuppan) (Missy Comics, 2007–2008)
Japanese release date Vol. ISBN
October 2007 (2007-10) 1 978-4776793946
October 2007 (2007-10) 2 978-4776793953
November 2007 (2007-11) 3 978-4776794127
December 2007 (2007-12) 4 978-4776794264
January 17, 2008 (2008-01-17) 5 978-4776794400

Along with this volumes, there is another collection which combines Angel with Konai Shasei, another manga by U-Jin. The collection is simply called Konai Shasei X Angel (校内写生×ANGEL, kōnai shasei x angel). Instead of a regular numbering, each volume has a different subtitle.

  • Ohzora Publishing (Missy Comics, 2006–2007)
Japanese release date Vol. ISBN
February 2006 (2006-02) Densha Bishōjo Hen 4776719002
May 2006 (2006-05) Gakuen Bishōjo Hen 4776719428
July 2006 (2006-07) Hokago Bishōjo Hen 4776719762
September 2006 (2006-09) Koisuru Bishōjo Hen 4776720280
October 2006 (2006-10) Imouto Kei Bishōjo Hen 477672068X
February 2007 (2007-02) Junkoi Bishōjo Hen 4776721368
April 2007 (2007-04) Shiroi Bishōjo Hen 978-4776721796

The series is also available in ebook format by eBookJapan.[1]

Media

[edit]

OVAs

[edit]

Angel

[edit]

The first OVA, a single episode anime titled Angel, was released on VHS and LaserDisc on October 25, 1990 (1990-10-25) by Pioneer LDC's brand Humming Bird.[2][3] It was later re-released by Tairiku Shobo.[2][4] A DVD of the anime was released in October 25, 2001 (2001-10-25) by Happinet Pictures (a division of Namco Bandai) through their Green Bunny label with standard number GBBH-1896.[2][5]

New Angel

[edit]

The second OVA consisted of five episodes. New Angel (新・エンジェル, Shin Enjeru), was originally released from October 21, 1994 (1994-10-21) to November 22, 1995 (1995-11-22). It was produced by Pink Pineapple and Triple X.

No.TitleLengthOriginal release date
1"New Angel"
"shin enjeru" (Japanese: 新・エンジェル)		46 mins.October 21, 1994 (1994-10-21)
While taking obscene pictures, Kozuke and his classmate, Shinoyama meet a girl who smiles at Kozuke. Shinoyama snaps a photo and they later find out that she is supposedly a ghost. Shinoyama spreads the rumor that Kozuke is cursed and everyone at school avoids him, excepting Shizuka. She suggests that they go to a medium for help. While Shizuka waits, Kozuke finds that the medium is an attractive woman with whom he must make 'physical contact' (sex) in order to remove the curse. But the curse is not removed. Later, a guy tells Kozuke that the 'ghost girl' wants to meet with him. While meeting the girl Kozuke faints, waking up to find that the girl is giving him a blowjob and they have sex. Kozuke discovers that the girl is indeed a ghost. He meets Shizuka outside a temple and then goes after Shinoyama for spreading the false rumor.
2"Flying Angel"
"soratobu tenshi" (Japanese: 空飛ぶ天使)		29 mins.April 21, 1995 (1995-04-21)
While meeting with Yamada, Kozuke sees Ochiai Miki trying to commit suicide. Kozuke convinces her to have sex with him before that. He finds out that Kawamura Kunihiko threw out Miki's love note without reading it. With the help of Shizuka, Kozuke finds that Kawamura never got Miki's note. Kozuke later discovers that Kawamura also wrote his own love note. They try to find Miki, but the girl behind the problems stops Kozuke and takes off with Kawamura. She later has sex with Kozuke to obtain pictures for blackmailing. When Shizuka goes to find Kawamura while Kozuke goes to watch Miki, the mysterious girl tries to blackmail Shizuka. Shizuka instead beats her up to find Kawamura's location. As part of Kozuke's plan, Miki falls of a plane with a parachute, coming to the conclusion that she doesn't want to die. Afterwards, Kawamura and Miki confess their feelings.
3"Blue Experience"
"aoi taiken" (Japanese: 青い体験)		29 mins.June 30, 1995 (1995-06-30)
4"A Bride for a Week"
"isshuukan no hanayome" (Japanese: 一週間の花嫁)		33 mins.August 25, 1995 (1995-08-25)
5"The Last Night"
"saigo no yoru" (Japanese: 最後の夜)		31 mins.November 22, 1995 (1995-11-22)

In the US, the OVA has been released by SoftCel Pictures. It was originally released in VHS format in 1995, 1996 and 1998 and it was released in both uncut and edited versions for the first four episodes.[6][7] It was also released in DVD format by the same company in two volumes, the first released in May 13, 2003 (2003-05-13) and the second in June 24, 2003 (2003-06-24).

Shin Angel was also released in France, in VHS by Katsumi vidéo and in DVD by Anime Erotik,[8] and also in Spain in VHS and DVD by Manga Films[9] (although only the first 4 episodes were released by Manga Films)[10] and on TV by Arait Multimedia.[10]

Video games

[edit]

A video game for the NEC PC-9801 based on Angel and with the same title was released in October 1, 1993 (1993-10-01) by the Japanese company Cocktail Soft.[11][12]

Live-action films

[edit]

Two adult live-action films based on the manga were produced. The first one, Angel: Ichiban Saisho wa Anata ni A.Ge.Ru (エンジェル　一番最初はあなたにア・ゲ・ル, enjeru ichiban saisho wa anata ni a.ge.ru), was released in February 14, 1997 (1997-02-14) and the second one, Angel: Shotai Fumei no Joo-sama!? (Hen) (エンジェル　正体不明の女王様！？【編】, enjeru shōtai fumei no joō-sama!? hen), was released in April 4, 1997 (1997-04-04). Both films have the participation of Japanese Adult Video actresses Yui Kawana and Mizuki Kanno and were released by the company dez.[13][14]

Both films were released in the US by Kitty Media in DVD format in July 8, 2008 (2008-07-08) as a single release called Angel Collection.[15][16]

Manga sequels

[edit]

In 2006, a sequel of the original manga started in the magazine Weekly Manga Goraku published by Nihon Bungeisha, titled Angel: the women whom delivery host Kosuke Atami healed, also known as Angel: Renai Hoshi Jin Atami Kosuke (ANGEL～恋愛奉仕人・熱海康介～, ren'ai hōshi jin atami kōsuke) and more commonly simply as Angel. Also created by U-Jin, this manga follows the new adventures of Kosuke Atami, now a divorced 34-year-old man who works as a host and helps people in a similar way as he did as a highschooler.

No. Release date ISBN
1November 17, 2006 (2006-11-17)978-4-537-10555-1
2May 18, 2007 (2007-05-18)978-4-537-10654-1
3September 20, 2007 (2007-09-20)978-4-537-10708-1
4February 18, 2008 (2008-02-18)978-4-537-10790-6
5June 19, 2008 (2008-06-19)978-4-537-10839-2

Following the previous sequel, in 2008, also in Nihon Bungeisha's Weekly Manga Goraku, the manga titled Angel season 2: the women whom delivery host Kosuke Atami healed, more commonly known as Angel season 2, was released. Also done by U-Jin, the manga follows the same premise as the previous manga series.

No. Release date ISBN
1December 19, 2008 (2008-12-19)978-4-537-10912-2
2May 20, 2009 (2009-05-20)978-4-537-10960-3
3December 9, 2009 (2009-12-09)978-4-537-12538-2
4May 10, 2010 (2010-05-10)978-4-537-12597-9
5October 8, 2010 (2010-10-08)978-4-537-12648-8

Reception

[edit]

Criticism and controversy in Japan

[edit]

The manga depicted high schoolers in several sexual situations. In the aftermath of the Saitama serial kidnapping murders of young girls, a moral panic against otaku was prevalent[17] and several manga were singled out for their contents, among them Angel. PTAs managed to force the suspension of the manga for a while[18] and volume 3 became the last by Shogakukan[19] and the tankōbon became banned. The problem centered in housewives who believed that Angel was too sexually explicit for a seinen publication and that the manga had become pretty popular.[20] The incident with Angel eventually lead to the creation of the Comic Hyogen no Jiyu o Mamoru Kai (コミック表現の自由を守る会, komikku hyōgen no jiyū o mamoru kai; loosely translated as Committee to protect the freedom of expression in Comic).[21]

While the manga was still being serialized in the magazine, U-Jin included a "message from the author" chapter as a form of protest. When it temporary resumed serialization, the sexual content was reduced and the subtitle changed to Delight Slight Light Kiss Story, until it was finally banned.

Eventually, publication resumed years later with Cybele Publishing, which re-published Angel since the beginning[18] to eventually publish the complete manga, now labeled as Adult Comic (成人コミック, seijin komikku).

Youth controversy in France

[edit]

Upon the release of the third volume in France, Angel was banned from exhibition in stores. The argument of anti-manga people, relayed by the press at the time, was that the manga is dangerous for youth because of eroticism and violence it diffuses. Tonkam, however, for which Angel was the first erotic manga, finished the translation of the 7 volumes.

New Angel

[edit]

Stig Høgset, writing for THEM Anime Reviews, found New Angel technically good, as the art and animation were good, but felt the story was "boring and stupid".[22] Chris Beveridge noted that the episodes were not scripted by U-Jin, thus lacking some of his distinctive style,[23] and feels that it is an example of a hentai series which merely "spices up" a "regular" anime series.[24] Bamboo Dong, writing for Anime News Network, felt that the writing of the series made it "fun to watch", with humour and interesting backgrounds for the female characters, and noted that the sex scenes are "pretty graphic".[25] Bamboo Dong felt the transition between non-sex scenes and sex scenes was not smooth in the second volume.[26]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Angel (manga)

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia

Angel is a hentai manga series written and illustrated by U-Jin, serialized in Shogakukan's Young Sunday magazine from 1988 to 1990 across seven tankōbon volumes. The narrative follows childhood friends Kosuke Atami, who has devolved into a lecherous and timid high schooler, and Shizuka Mogami, a fierce delinquent who returns after 13 years overseas, as their reunion sparks a series of comedic, sexually charged escapades involving brawls, seduction, and explicit encounters. Known for its unapologetic portrayal of adolescent lust and violence, the work exemplifies U-Jin's signature style of blending humor with pornography, which drew significant attention in the seinen demographic. The manga was adapted into a two-part original video animation released in 1993 and 1994 under the title New Angel, further disseminating its provocative content.

Publication history

Serialization details

Angel was serialized in Kodansha's magazine Young Sunday from 1988 to 1990. The series, written and illustrated by U-Jin, consisted of content that led to its early conclusion amid public backlash in during 1990–1991, after which serialization ceased. A sequel, titled Angel: The Women Whom Delivery Host Healed, began serialization in 2006 in Houbunsha's Weekly Manga Times.

Collected volumes and formats

The Angel manga series was compiled into seven volumes by under the Young Sunday Comics imprint, with publication spanning 1989 to 1990. The first volume appeared in June 1989, followed by the second in December 1989 and the third in April 1990, encompassing the serialized chapters from Young Sunday. Subsequent editions include a 1993 release by Cybele Publishing, which incorporated autostereograms for enhanced visual effects in certain illustrations. Various reprint formats have since emerged, such as complete collected editions and digital versions available through platforms like , often bundling all volumes into super editions for modern readers. These later formats maintain the original content while offering updated printing and accessibility options.

Adaptations

Original video animations

The manga Angel was adapted into a single-episode original video animation (OVA) titled Angel, released on video in 1990. Produced with original work by U-Jin, the OVA features character designs by Osamu Tsuruyama and music by Takeo Miratsu. It centers on protagonist Kousuke, a high school student known for his interactions with women, including his childhood friend Shizuka who returns after 13 years. A sequel OVA series, New Angel (Shin Enjeru), followed, comprising five episodes released from October 21, 1994, to November 22, 1995. Produced by Pink Pineapple and animated by ARMS, the series explicitly adapts the manga's erotic themes, classified under genres including and . The plot continues Kousuke's story as a high schooler assisting women with personal issues, incorporating his crush on . Episodes were distributed on and formats.

Video games

A video game adaptation of the manga, titled Angel, was developed and published by Cocktail Soft as an 18+ rated adventure game (ADV) for the NEC PC-9801 and FM Towns platforms, with a release date of October 1, 1993. The title follows a narrative involving student life and interpersonal encounters, aligning with the manga's adult themes of youthful exploration and relationships. An enhanced version, Noushuku Angel 120% (translated as "Concentrated Angel 120%"), was subsequently released by the same developer on April 14, 1995, also for PC-98 and FM Towns systems, maintaining the ADV genre and 18+ restriction while offering condensed or expanded content scenarios. These titles represent the primary video game entries tied to the Angel property, produced during the early 1990s era of Japanese PC eroge development. No further mainstream console ports or sequels beyond these PC releases have been documented.

Live-action films

Two live-action films adapting the Angel manga were produced in 1997 as part of Japan's genre, characterized by low-budget, theatrical releases emphasizing erotic content with narrative elements. The first, Angel: Ichiban Saisho wa Anata ni A.Ge.Ru (translated as Angel: I'll Be Your First), directed by Mitsunori Hattori and starring Misuki Sugano as the lead, follows 19-year-old Shizuka Himanoki, a virgin holding onto a childhood promise of love, who confronts heartbreak and seeks new experiences upon reuniting with her intended partner. Released on February 14, 1997, the film incorporates action sequences and visual effects alongside its adult themes. The sequel, Angel 2: Shōtai Fumei no Ojoōsama!? (translated as Angel 2: of Mystery), also directed by Hattori with Sugano reprising her role, centers on high Kōsuke and his friend, who engage in and encounter a enigmatic beautiful girl amid rumors of a ghostly former beauty queen, leading to erotic encounters. Released later in 1997, it continues the manga's delinquent and mysterious motifs in a fantastical context.

Manga sequels and spin-offs

The original Angel manga by Kazuo Umezu, serialized from 1962 to 1963, stands as a standalone work without direct sequels or spin-offs in manga format. Umezu's bibliography, spanning horror titles like Orochi (1969–1970) and The Drifting Classroom (1972–1974), features interconnected stories in some cases but no extensions to the Angel narrative involving protagonist Ritsuko Fujishiro's transformation and destructive rampage. While Umezu revisited themes of youthful horror and supernatural mutation in later series such as Fourteen (1990–1995), these draw from broader motifs rather than continuing Angel's specific plot or characters. The absence of manga follow-ups aligns with Umezu's early career focus on self-contained shojo horror tales published in magazines like Ribon, prioritizing episodic terror over serialized franchises.

Content and themes

Plot overview

The manga Angel, serialized from 1976 to 1979 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday, centers on Emiko, a beautiful and domineering high school girl who leads a gang of female delinquents known as the "Angels." The story portrays their systematic domination of the school environment through acts of extreme bullying, including beatings with improvised weapons, forced humiliations, extortion from weaker students, and confrontations with rival groups and authority figures. These depictions draw from real 1970s Japanese youth subcultures like sukeban (girl gangs), emphasizing the allure and consequences of rebellion against societal norms. As the plot unfolds, Emiko's unravels amid betrayals, cycles, and interventions by law enforcement or moral counterforces, leading to violent clashes that result in injuries, expulsions, and deaths. The narrative critiques the roots of delinquency, attributing it to dysfunction, , and institutional failures in , while avoiding romanticization by showing the gang's isolation and self-destruction. Later arcs explore redemption attempts and the long-term scars on participants, framing the events as a of causal chains in social breakdown. The work's episodic structure builds to a climax where Emiko faces the limits of her power, highlighting themes of power dynamics and the inescapability of consequences in youth crime, without resolving into simplistic .

Artistic and narrative style

The narrative style of Angel is characterized as an extreme erotic love , blending gag humor with explicit sexual scenarios centered on the protagonist Kosuke Atami's lecherous pursuits and encounters with strong female characters like . Stories unfold episodically, focusing on high school delinquent antics, physical confrontations, and opportunistic intimate situations that drive comedic resolutions often involving the protagonist's perverted tendencies. This approach prioritizes titillating escapades over deep plot continuity, with recurring motifs of male inadequacy contrasted against female dominance in both and . Artistically, U-Jin employs a detailed, semi-realistic technique suited to seinen and genres, emphasizing exaggerated feminine curves, particularly breasts and hips, to accentuate erotic appeal in character designs. Panels feature dynamic compositions for action sequences involving brawls, alongside close-up views of and sexual acts that integrate visual directly into the storytelling. and cross-hatching provide depth to figures and environments, though backgrounds often serve to frame the central focus on human rather than elaborate settings. The overall aesthetic reflects 1980s-1990s adult conventions, balancing in expressions for humor with anatomical precision for arousal.

Recurring motifs and character archetypes

The manga series prominently features motifs of erotic comedy arising from everyday school life and interpersonal mishaps, often involving accidental exposure, seductive temptations, and exaggerated sexual pursuits that blend humor with explicit content. These elements recur across episodes, emphasizing the absurdity of youthful lust clashing with social norms, as seen in protagonist Kosuke Atami's relentless but comically inept advances on female characters. The return of long-lost childhood connections, such as Shizuka's reappearance after 13 years, serves as a repeated narrative device to juxtapose idealized past innocence against present-day perversion, highlighting themes of personal transformation and unfulfilled expectations. Character archetypes in draw from established tropes in Japanese erotic gag manga, with Kosuke embodying the opportunistic pervert—a high school boy whose charm and verbal agility enable him to navigate (and exploit) romantic and sexual scenarios, despite his underlying cowardice and moral lapses. Shizuka represents the steadfast childhood friend , initially pure and loyal but progressively entangled in risqué situations that test her resilience, a dynamic that recurs to fuel comedic tension between platonic bonds and erotic undercurrents. Supporting female characters often conform to the seductive schoolgirl type, portrayed with exaggerated physical attributes and flirtatious behaviors that amplify the series' elements, while male side figures like rivals or authority symbols provide foils for Kosuke's schemes through or obstruction. These archetypes, rooted in the , prioritize visual and situational humor over deep psychological development, reflecting U-Jin's style of balancing with lighthearted narrative progression.

Reception

Commercial success and sales

The Angel manga achieved notable commercial viability within Japan's adult manga market during the 1980s and early 1990s, as indicated by its serialization across multiple magazines and the compilation into tankōbon volumes, including volume 3 published in 1990. This sustained publication run reflects demand from niche audiences for its delinquent-themed narratives. The manga's popularity further manifested in the development of OVA adaptations, with promotional VHS covers highlighting market extension into home video formats. However, precise sales figures for the manga volumes remain undisclosed by publisher Wani Magazine Society, consistent with limited transparency for ero-manga titles of the era. The franchise's expansion to six OVA episodes spanning 1987 to 1994 by Pink Pineapple underscores the underlying commercial momentum driven by the original work's reception.

Critical assessments

Angel garnered acclaim for its dynamic artistic style and integration of gag comedy with explicit eroticism, establishing U-Jin as a prominent figure in the erotic genre. Scholars describe it as a gyagu manga featuring overt , focusing on high school themes of love, friendship, and sex, which distinguished it from more subdued contemporary works. Criticism intensified amid Japan's 1988–1989 Saitama serial kidnapping murders of young girls, with the series faulted for portraying high school students in sexual scenarios, prompting accusations that such depictions normalized or exacerbated juvenile delinquency and predation risks. Citizens' groups, Mothers’ Associations, and Parent-Teacher Associations spearheaded campaigns against youth-oriented manga like Angel, fueling a national "manga bashing" movement that pressured publishers toward stricter . Major outlets amplified these concerns; for instance, on September 4, 1988, decried an excess of "poor " contributing to societal ills. This backlash culminated in the manga's retirement from serialization between 1990 and 1991, alongside industry-wide reforms such as mandatory adult content markings implemented in 1991. Academic commentary positions as a pivotal trigger for erotic censorship drives, underscoring tensions between artistic expression and public moral standards without establishing empirical causation between the content and real-world crimes. While some defenses emerged from creators and readers via groups like the Society for the Defense of in , formal critiques largely emphasized ethical risks over narrative or stylistic merits. The manga Angel faced scrutiny in Japan during the late 1980s for its explicit portrayals of sexual violence, rape, and delinquency among high school characters, amid rising public alarm over youth crime and media influence. The 1988–1989 Saitama serial kidnappings and murders of four young girls by amplified "manga bashing" campaigns, with Angel—serialized by from 1984—singled out as emblematic of works potentially glorifying or desensitizing readers to brutality and exploitation of minors. By 1990, amid the broader "harmful comics uproar" (有害コミック騒動), the series was designated a harmful publication (有害図書) in certain municipalities due to its graphic erotic (H-expression) content, subjecting it to restrictions under local youth protection ordinances. These measures prohibited sales, displays, or loans to those under 18 in affected areas, driven by parental and educational groups' fears of causal links to real-world aggression or , though of direct influence remained contested. Social debates centered on the manga's normalization of sadistic motifs and underage sexuality, with critics like PTA organizations decrying insufficient safeguards in youth-oriented media, while creators and publishers pushed back against perceived overreach infringing on expression. No nationwide prohibition occurred, but the episode underscored ongoing friction in Japan between content regulation and free speech, influencing later ordinances like Tokyo's 2010 expansions on "unhealthy" materials.

French youth delinquency debate

In the mid-1990s, Angel became embroiled in French regulatory actions targeting perceived as harmful to youth. Published in by Tonkam starting in 1995, the series depicted female juvenile delinquents—known as in Japanese youth subculture—who engaged in gang fights, motorcycle antics, and explicit sexual scenarios, often while dressed in provocative school uniforms. These elements drew scrutiny from the Commission de Surveillance des Publications Destinées à la Jeunesse, leading to its classification as prohibited for minors in 1996, alongside U-Jin's . The restrictions extended beyond age limits, with a ban on in-store display that forced retailers to keep volumes under counters or in restricted sections, effectively limiting accessibility. Critics, including anti- advocates, argued that such portrayals glamorized delinquency and sexualized underage rebellion, potentially exacerbating France's rising concerns over délinquance juvénile—juvenile rates had climbed steadily through the 1980s and early 1990s, prompting parliamentary inquiries into media influences like imported comics. Proponents of , echoing broader moral panics about foreign media, contended that Angel's blend of violence and eroticism normalized antisocial behavior among impressionable teens, though empirical evidence linking to real-world delinquency remained anecdotal and contested. Defenders, including publishers and fans, viewed the measures as protectionist overreach amid France's growing market, which by the late accounted for significant comic sales but faced imported cultural biases. No large-scale studies substantiated claims of causation between Angel-style depictions and delinquency spikes—French crime was more empirically tied to socioeconomic factors like urban poverty and breakdown—but the debate highlighted tensions between and safeguarding in an era of expanding Japanese imports. The controversy subsided after initial bans, with Angel later reissued for adults, reflecting evolving regulatory tolerance as normalized in French culture.

Legacy and influence

Impact on adult manga genre

"Angel" by U-Jin exemplified the fusion of high school delinquent tropes, slapstick humor, and explicit sexual content within the adult manga genre, helping to define a niche subgenre of erotic comedy targeted at mature male readers. Serialized in Weekly Manga Goraku from 1984 to 1990, the series' long run and U-Jin's signature style of lightening eroticism with comedic elements contributed to his reputation as one of Japan's foremost erotic artists, influencing the tonal balance in subsequent hentai works. The manga's boundary-pushing depictions of underage characters in sexual scenarios, however, precipitated a major backlash in , when it was classified as a "harmful " by multiple municipalities due to concerns over its accessibility to via seinen publications. This prompted the suspension of its and heightened industry awareness of regulatory risks, leading publishers to adopt more cautious approaches to explicit content distribution and age-gating in adult-oriented magazines. Despite the fallout, "Angel"'s commercial draw and adaptations, such as the 1990 OVA, underscored the viability of provocative school-life erotica, paving the way for enduring themes in post-1990s adult while underscoring the genre's tension with societal norms on . The explicit portrayal of underage sexuality in Angel exemplified the tensions between artistic expression and international statutes, contributing to legal restrictions on lolicon-style in multiple jurisdictions. In the United States, for instance, the criminalizes the possession or distribution of obscene visual depictions of minors in sexually explicit conduct, even if fictional or animated, potentially encompassing works like Angel if deemed obscene by standards such as the . This framework has resulted in prosecutions for similar imported , underscoring the risks for publishers navigating U.S. customs regulations. In countries with broader prohibitions on simulated child pornography, such as and , Angel and comparable titles face outright bans or refusals of classification, treating drawn materials as equivalent to real child exploitation imagery under national censorship boards. These laws, often justified by concerns over normalization of pedophilic themes, have limited the global export of unedited Japanese adult , prompting adaptations like mosaics or content warnings in compliant markets, though empirical links between fictional depictions and real-world harm remain contested in legal scholarship. Culturally, Angel's notoriety amplified Western perceptions of Japanese pop culture as potentially corrosive to youth morality, fueling moral panics that equated with incitements to deviance and influencing campaigns in and . This stigma persisted into the 1990s and beyond, correlating with heightened scrutiny of imports and calls for harmonized international standards on virtual , as evidenced by UN and discussions on cross-border . Despite such backlash, the series inadvertently spotlighted defenses of free speech in fictional media, paralleling U.S. precedents like Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition (2002), which protected non-obscene virtual child imagery under the First Amendment.

References

  1. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=15237
  2. https://www.mangaupdates.com/series/d2zpj9t/angel-u-jin
  3. https://mangadex.org/title/d669a9bd-1165-49d0-9221-45dbbebc8f52/angel-highschool-sexual-bad-boys-and-girls-story
  4. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=84650
  5. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=961
  6. https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Angel_%28manga%29
  7. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=15237&page=28
  8. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=15239
  9. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12286444/
  10. https://myanimelist.net/anime/3633/Angel
  11. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=2580
  12. https://myanimelist.net/anime/217/Shin_Angel
  13. https://fandc.co.jp/catalog/pc/437
  14. https://gamesdb.launchbox-app.com/games/details/131106-angel
  15. https://fandc.co.jp/catalog/pc/237
  16. https://www.uvlist.net/game-98959-Angel
  17. https://vndb.org/p126/vn
  18. https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/87638
  19. https://letterboxd.com/film/angel-ill-be-your-first/
  20. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/240956-angel-2-dominatrix-of-mystery?language=ja
  21. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/u/umezu_kazuo.htm
  22. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=2205
  23. https://www.mangaupdates.com/author/fbt5zfo/umezu-kazuo
  24. https://hangyo.sakura.ne.jp/umezz/ume.htm
  25. https://umezz.or.jp/works/
  26. https://www.amazon.co.jp/%25E5%2585%2583%25E7%25A5%2596%25EF%25BC%2581%25EF%25BC%2581-ANGEL%25E5%25AE%258C%25E5%2585%25A8%25E7%2589%2588-1-%25E9%2581%258A%25E4%25BA%25BA-ebook/dp/B009SJRBB0
  27. https://bato.si/title/3308-angel
  28. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/23/article/960862
  29. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/23/article/960862/pdf
  30. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/is-reading-manga-a-bad-thing-to-do/LAVBJq82bdR_JA?hl=en-GB
  31. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/LAVBJq82bdR_JA
  32. https://www.jsscc.net/books/2370
  33. https://bounthavy.com/u-jin-lhomme-par-qui-le-scandale-arrive/
  34. https://www.citebd.org/neuvieme-art/un-demi-siecle-dinterdictions-de-bandes-dessinees
  35. https://www.du9.org/humeur/vues-ephemeres-ete-2011/
  36. https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-00972716/document
  37. https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/actus/2022/06/07/Le-manga-Angel-dU-JIN-bientot-de-retour-en-France
  38. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/u/u-jin.htm
  39. http://landofobscusion.blogspot.com/2023/06/celebrating-55-years-of-weekly-manga.html
  40. https://www.egattorneys.com/lolicon-possession
  41. https://www.thefederalcriminalattorneys.com/possession-of-lolicon
  42. https://www.aerlawgroup.com/blog/is-lolicon-legal-in-the-united-states/
  43. https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2257&context=gjicl
  44. https://doaj.org/article/f649c42878214d0ab3a9bb479067b3c2
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.