.::Avoiding Accidents and Anime Awareness::.

I'm pretty sure many of you are familiar with some of the oddities in the world that relate to anime. The most notable of these have been notes being left beside severed body parts in Belgium, with the proclaimation of being Kira, the main character in the popular anime/manga series Death Note. Yes, it's quite an odd event. However, the police dubbed 'Manga Murder' case has met a dead end. There have also been numerous incidents in which a student has written names of their staff, and school mates in a Death Note replica. Other than this, there hasn't been a whole lot going on, but last week that all changed, and anime once again felt the harsh spotlight of potential criticisms.

Last week Naruto headlined the anime news world, and this time it wasn't about successful manga sales. An 18 year-old had uploaded a video on YouTube in which he threatened students of his former school using a quote from the Naruto character, Gaara.

"The Corpse's Crimson Bitter Tears Will Flow And Mingle Though The Endless Sand Feeding The Chaos In Me And Making Me Stonger."

Her's the full article if you're interested. It's certainly a strange one, and makes you wonder about all the crazy anime fans out there. However, this wasn't the only news involving Naruto that surfaced. Now just to clarify, it'swell-known that Naruto is one of the most popular anime/manga series right now, very similar to the sucess of Dragon Ball Z. Additionally, it is also known that many younger viewers also watch Naruto, as we did with Dragon Ball Z. And, while most of us were able to keep things in perspective, that's not always the case., especially if you're only 10 years-old.

Earlier this week, it was reported that a boy had been hospitalized after attempting to imitate a scene from Naruto. Shortly after though, a follow-up was reported.

According to KOMO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Seattle, Washington, 10-year-old Codey Porter died at 3:35 p.m PST today. The boy was hospitalized on Saturday after suffering respiratory failure when he was buried, headfirst, in a sandbox. He had reportedly asked his playmates to bury him in order to recreate the attacks used by the fictional ninja from the Naruto anime's fictional Village Hidden in the Sand.

Porter had been resuscitated with CPR and taken to an Everett hospital and later transferred to the Children's Hospital in Seattle where he died.

A memorial fund has been set up for Porter on the Gold Creek Community Church's Web site.

Of course this is incredibly sad. You can't blame the anime, nor could you blame the kid because he's simply to young to differientiate fiction from reality. So who do we blame, if anyone at all? Do we blame the parents for not stopping the kids from playing? That wouldn't b very logical if all they were doing was playing in a sandbox. So, who else is there? Do we blame the perception that anime is merely intended for children in North America? If you were to relate this to gaming, many would probably say that parents should be more aware of what their kids are watching in the same way they should pay attention to the games they buy their children.

Is this even a viable argument to make, and what's the solution? Anime hasn't gotten to the same heights as gaming, so it may not get its own personal Jack Thompson or attention from the government but I think this perception of anime being intended for children is a problem. Animation in general has been mainly used to either entertain the young minds with show like Spongebob Squarepants, or Fairy Odd Parents or for humor with shows like The Simpsons, and Family Guy. Outside of that animation isn't used in the same way that we see with anime. Where we can see the struggles of two borthers who've lost everything but each other, and embark on a journey to correct their mistakes. You don't see animated shows that can provide that sense of emotion.

I'm not saying that anime is the greatest medium, and is suited for everything but what I am protesting is that I think North America as a whole should open up more to animation, and watch movies like Grave of the Fireflies, and understand why it' a bad idea to create a live-action movie, or see the wonderful depth it can carry as a medium for truly deep, and entertaining stories with all of the potential to make someone laugh, cry, and flat out enjoy the ride. And, while there's nothing to say for someone who's just off the ball in regards to their fandom. I think if this happens, we can avoid cases like the ones I've mentioned because I'm quite sure that if this boy's parents knew the intended audience of Naruto, and its contnet. That little boy would still be alive today.

~Edward Elric