Manga has been getting pulled from library shelves as states continue to ban various books. It was discovered that a Texas school district had been secretly removing books from school library shelves, and some of the titles in question involved iconic manga series like Black Butler and Soul Eater.
Khou 11 reported that Klein ISD has been quietly getting rid of “controversial books” from school shelves through its “deaccession” process. Originally, this system was used to throw out outdated content, like old history books. However, it was revealed that out of 3000 books that have been pulled since 2020, 67 were titles that were challenged in other school districts, specifically those mentioning topics of race, LGBTQ+, and gender, just to name a few.
But it’s not just those that face being tossed out. ComicBook reported that manga was also affected by this movement. Titles like Black Butler, Soul Eater, and Assassination Classroom have disappeared from Klein ISD’s shelves, making it harder for readers to access these titles.
When asked about the disappearance of these books, Klein ISD released this statement to KHOU 11, saying that it regularly reviews its resources to ensure they follow state law and provide high-quality content for students.
“We regularly review our resources for alignment with state law, and educational standards, and to ensure all instructional materials are age-appropriate and do not contain sexually explicit material. We will not compromise on our commitment to providing our students high-quality, developmentally appropriate instruction.”
The American Library Association reported that there were 1269 attempts to ban or restrict library materials in 2022, and over 2500 titles were targeted for censorship that same year. AnimeNewsNetwork reported that U.S. manga sales saw an annual increase of 9 percent in 2022. It also reported that there was a 171.1 percent rise in volumes sold in 2021, and that manga made up nearly 77 percent of adult fiction sales.
Manga, especially those in the shoujo category, are known for their violence and whacky adventure stories and missions, which unfortunately makes them an easy target for book bans. Texas isn’t the only state where manga has been pulled from shelves. Back in April 2023, schools in Wisconsin and Florida removed Assassination Classroom from their libraries due to “violent actions taking place on school grounds.” Parents and board members argued that this manga series was not appropriate because it “glorifies or promotes violence against teachers.”
