Manga or mayhem? Assassination Classroom banned in US schools amidst gun violence concerns

The popular manga series “Assassination Classroom” is facing controversy and being banned in public schools in the United States’ Wisconsin and Florida due to its controversial content, particularly in light of continued gun violence in American schools. The manga has already been banned by two schools, one in Wisconsin and another in Florida, with more bans potentially on the horizon.

The manga follows a class of misfits and drop-outs who are tasked with assassinating their teacher, an octopus-like creature named Koro-Sensei who is also planning to destroy the world. The series includes images of students holding guns and trying to shoot their teacher, which has led to complaints from parents and teachers, as well as disputes over sexually explicit content involving underage characters.

In Florida, the Citizens Defending Freedom organization has disputed the manga over its violent and sexually explicit content, while in Wisconsin, the manga was banned due to concerns over images of students with guns. The controversy has also led to the introduction of a bill in Florida that would require all school libraries to only stock materials that have been approved by an educational media specialist certificate holder.

The bans and controversy surrounding “Assassination Classroom” are not new for manga series in the United States. The series “Death Note” faced similar controversy over the last twenty years but was also named one of the Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens and used to raise awareness against banned books.

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However, with America’s current climate regarding gun violence in schools, it’s no surprise that manga featuring gun-toting students trying to shoot their teacher has become a point of contention. The future of “Assassination Classroom” in public schools in the United States remains in question, and likely will until the issue of school violence is resolved.