WEi‘s Yongha has joined the list of male idols under fire for watching and recommending the highly problematic anime Made In Abyss.
Made In Abyss — a manga series that transitioned into anime — is the brainchild of Akihito Tsukushi and explores the depths of a treacherous pit known as the Abyss through the eyes of a young girl, Riku, and her companion, Reg.
Its narrative is a rich tapestry of fantasy and adventure, earning accolades for the complexity of its universe and impressive animations. However, the show has elements that have sparked significant backlash, including graphic violence and content that raises serious questions about child exploitation and pedophilia.
I did not enjoy made in abyss
byu/GeicoLizardBestGirl inCharacterRant
The anime includes the protagonists being tortured, strung up without clothes, wearing provocative clothing, frequent reactions to their nudity, mentions of their genitalia, and more.
This controversy has been reignited as fans unearth instances of male idols expressing their fondness for the series. Previously, TXT‘s Soobin openly shared his enjoyment of the anime in a broadcast, and NCT 127‘s Taeyong endorsed the manga version, which is noted for being more explicit.
TAEYONG NOT ONLY READ 11 VOLUMES OF MADE IN ABYSS BUT HE POSTED A PICTURE OF IT NEXT TO HIS STUPID BIG RED BOOTS AS A LITTLE HINT TO FANS THAT HE’S INTO THAT KIND OF SHIT LIKE WHYYYY AM I ALIVEEEEEEEE pic.twitter.com/IB5ezGFeGP
— (@diIftaros) November 19, 2023
The 11th volume of the manga spotted on Taeyong’s Instagram story.
SEVENTEEN‘s Woozi and ATEEZ‘s Mingi have also faced backlash for their mentions of the anime, as has YouTuber and reality TV star DEX (Kim Jin Young), who praised its “bizarre” plot.
Made In Abyss. It’s one of my absolute favorite animes of all time. But it is a bit grotesque.
— Mingi
The latest idol swept up in the controversy is Yongha from WEi, who endorsed Made in Abyss to his fans via the Dear U Bubble app, casually recommending it as a fun watch.
Ah, and there is an anime that I recently got into. It’s called Made In Abyss. It’s fun.
— WEi’s Yongha
| Bubble
But fans were more shocked to see Yongha had previously cosplayed as one of the show’s characters during a face-to-face fansign. Videos posted online show Yongha cosplaying as Reg, one of the main characters in Made In Abyss, known for his artificial body and distinctive black helmet and red cape.
Reg
During the fansign, Yongha is spotted wearing the signature pieces that a fan brought for him after he talked about it on Bubble.
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메이드 인 어비스 레그 — 용하
내가 처음으로 직접 만든 코스프레 옷을 입어줘서 고마워! #위아이 #유용하 #WEi #YONGHA #ヨンハ pic.twitter.com/R2wJqfA8ue
— 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒐 (유샌디) ₍ᐢ.ˬ.ᐡ₎♡ᵎᵎᵎ (@miss_youhaaaaa) August 27, 2023
wei yongha cosplaying a character from this, and its not just a random thing a fan made him wear he said he liked it about 2 months before this fansignpic.twitter.com/CvnxNtWjUi https://t.co/ZsGz04sJCY
— mia (@jihoontastic) November 20, 2023
The choice to cosplay a character from such a contentious series raises questions not only about the idol’s personality but also about the influence he has over the audience and his responsibility towards it.
