K-pop stars under fire for watching controversial anime, Made In Abyss

Soobin of TXT

TXT star Soobin, is facing backlash for admitting he enjoys controversial and problematic anime, Made In Abyss.

The leader of the K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together (TXT) was just one of the stars to come under fire for admitting to enjoying the anime Made in Abyss, which reportedly features a number of paedophilic themes.

After several K-pop fans highlighted the offensive content on social media, the TXT leader, along with Seventeen’s Woozi and NCT127’s Taeyong were criticised for having enjoyed the series.

The anime is an adaptation of a 12-volume manga series created by Akihito Tsukushi which was heavily deplored for its graphic and sometimes offensive themes.

Many scenes include protagonists being tortured, strung up without clothes, wearing provocative clothing or ‘lolicon’ outfits, and other offensive and deplorable content.

In a social media broadcast in 2022, Soobin reportedly said he had watched and enjoyed the anime, describing it as “so fun.”

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“The second season of Made in Abyss is coming out right now,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t think the first season was that much fun but the second season is so fun.

“It’s not an anime that I want to recommend to you because it’s kind of provocative but the story is really good and I’m having fun watching it.”

Boy band Seventeen member Woozi was similarly heavily criticised after he mentioned Made in Abyss during a live broadcast in August 2022 which was recently uncovered.

After being asked what he was watching recently, he said: “The one that I enjoyed recently, these days, I enjoyed Uncle from Another World, I saw Komi Can’t Communicate, I saw Jujutsu Kaisen, and I saw Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie and I saw Made in Abyss.

Meanwhile, NCT127’s Taeyong posted a picture to his Instagram which featured volume 11 of the Made in Abyss manga slightly out of shot.

Fans deplored the seeming endorsement, saying he was “[definitely] weird” for having the manga, adding that the anime made them “mad uncomfortable.”