A scandal has erupted in South Korea after a number of the country’s top K-pop idols promoted a controversial Japanese anime series containing child torture and abuse.
The series, titled Made In Abyss, first premiered back in 2017, but it’s now receiving widespread attention and condemnation in both Korea and abroad for its disturbing content.
A number of top K-pop idols, including members of the chart-topping boy bands SEVENTEEN and TXT, have publicly praised the series, which has sparked outrage from countless K-pop fans across the globe.
Made In Abyss tells the story of a 12-year-old orphan named Riko, who befriends a part-robot boy named Reg.
Together, they descent into a mysterious abyss that leads to the centre of the earth in a quest to find Riko’s mother, where they are subjected to various horrors.
A scandal has erupted in South Korea after a number of the country’s top K-pop idols promoted a Japanese anime series Made in Abyss (pictured) which contains child torture
A number of K-pop idols, including a member of the chart-topping boy band TXT (pictured), have praised the series, which has sparked outrage from K-pop fans across the globe
According to IMDB, the series features a number of questionable scenes involving the young characters, from implied nudity to disturbing violence.
One scene sees Riko tied up naked in bondage-style ropes and hung from a ceiling, while another scene depicts an excruciating five-minute amputation of a limb.
‘The second season is extraordinarily violent, featuring graphic scenes of murder,’ a user wrote on IMDB’s Parent’s Guide.
‘The carnage is taken to another level in the second season. It is highly disturbing.’
Another warning reads, ‘In the second season, some monsters lure a girl into a dark alley, where they begin to fondle her under her clothes and undress her.’
The series features a number of questionable scenes involving the young characters, from implied nudity to disturbing violence
In one scene, the show’s two young characters are shown taking a bath together (pictured)
Since the scenes came to light, many K-pop fans in South Korea have condemned local K-pop idols for watching and promoting the series.
‘This is honestly despicable…’ one fan wrote in comments translated by Pann Choa.
‘They seriously treat this as some innocent recommendation? The content of that anime makes me want to vomit,’ wrote another.
The scandal has spread to the international K-pop community on social media, where many are condemning the series while others have defended it as art.
‘This Made in Abyss thing is genuinely so sickening… I don’t even know what to say about it I’m so f***ing disgusted,’ one person posted on X.
Another wrote, ‘Anyone who fetishizes children and all those horrible themes deserves to rot in hell. Oh, I’m actually sick.’
Many K-pop fans have condemned K-pop idols for watching and promoting the series
Despite the backlash, many anime fans in the West have defended the series and pointed out its mainstream popularity.
‘K-pop idols are being cancelled right now for watching/reading Made in Abyss. And non-anime fans think it’s some child torture p**n,’ posted one.
‘It’s a dark adventure story about two kids exploring a deep abyss full of creatures and treasures, like Monster Hunter s**t.’
Another wrote, ‘I’m sorry, but let me get this straight. People are mad at this guy because he watched Made in Abyss. That’s it. One of the most popular and widely regarded anime of 2017.’
Despite the backlash, many anime fans in the West have defended the series and pointed out its mainstream popularity
Indeed, Made in Abyss is hugely popular and has won over mainstream audience worldwide.
It’s been critically lauded by websites including Forbes and IGN, and has picked up numerous awards.
Last year, a Made in Abyss video game was released on Playstation and Nintendo Switch, and Sony’s Columbia Pictures is currently developing a live-action Hollywood film based on the series.
Made in Abyss is one of the most popular anime shows of the last five years, spawning a video game and an upcoming Hollywood film adaptation