Imagine you're watching your favorite isekai anime. The main character is walking down the street when boom! A truck appears out of nowhere and transports them to another world. Classic isekai move, right? Well, it turns out not everyone is a fan of this story.
A transportation regulator in Shizuoka, Japan, is speaking out against the way trucks are portrayed in anime, TV shows, and movies. They say these stories are giving real-life trucks and truck drivers a bad name. It’s not just hurt feelings – this negative image is causing real problems for the trucking industry.
Managers told Weekly Logistics News they were concerned about something called “subliminal messaging.” That’s a fancy way of saying people might be scared of trucks without even realizing it.
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Children who watch these shows may grow up thinking that trucks are dangerous. Some people even discourage their family members from becoming truck drivers because of this.
But here's the thing—trucks aren't just the bad guys in isekai anime. They show up in all sorts of stories when characters need to die a horrible death. The transportation manager says it happens so often that it's hard to ignore.
Some online understood why the moderators were upset, but they also understood why writers continued to use trucks in their stories. “If it were a passenger car, the cutscenes and shots would lack impact,” one commenter pointed out. “A bus is too safe to run over people.” They added, “Only a truck can crush a light car like a hydraulic press.”
But not everyone believes it is fair to blame the media. One commenter said: “Trucks are the best way to show the tragedy of accidental death. Viewers who have a bad impression of trucks because of this are only shown in replay, so shouldn’t we just ignore them?”
They suggest that instead of complaining, the industry should focus on improving working conditions for truck drivers.
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The trucking industry is trying to combat this negative image. They are using social media to share good stories about truck drivers and the importance of their jobs. But it’s hard to change people’s minds when they see so many trucks causing trouble on their favorite shows.
This whole situation is making people think about how the stories we watch can affect real life in strange ways. The transportation manager hopes that maybe one day, anime and TV shows will start showing trucks in a better light.
For now, though, it looks like Truck-kun (that's what anime fans call trucks that transport people to other worlds) isn't going away anytime soon. The isekai genre is still incredibly popular, and trucks are a big part of it.
So next time you're watching an isekai anime and see a truck coming, remember – there's a whole industry out there hoping you won't think too badly of them in real life! And maybe, just maybe, we all need to think a little more about how the stories we love can affect real people in unexpected ways.
Source: Japan Weekly Logistics News
