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The latest anime Twitter drama involves a Demon Slayer fan trashing Berserk for supposedly being stuffed with fanservice. Fans of both anime took to Twitter to air their opinions on this, and things quickly spiraled into insults, cheap shots, and more than a few confused responses.
Social media allowing everyone a voice can usually mean that people will post whatever they want, whenever they want, provided they don't break the website's terms of service. Given that more than a few people are rather livid about this, this article will dive into the Twitter reactions and what happened when a Demon Slayer fan decided to trash Berserk over the issue of fanservice within it.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Berserk and Demon Slayer. The opinions contained therein are only the fans and the authors.
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Storm of mockery erupts after Berserk trashed on Twitter by Demon Slayer fan
Part 1: The tweets and Berserk fans' response
At first, the tweets in question seem to put forth a very basic idea: the user in question wants nothing to do with Berserk or anyone obsessed over it. This is an acceptable opinion that many fans of anime like Demon Slayer, Naruto, or any other anime can and should respect. Not everyone has to like the same thing, and it's okay to disagree.
The problem for many came in the second tweet wherein the poster states that there's unnecessary fanservice content shoved into Berserk. For the record, many fans zeroed in on that as a sign that the Twitter user didn't understand Berserk or what was happening in it—some thought to try explaining the Eclipse to them.
The Eclipse scene in Berserk is where Guts is forced to witness his fellow Band of the Falcon members being messily sacrificed to multiple demons. Not only that, but Griffith violates Casca, and Guts loses his left arm and right eye trying to stop it. The scene is not titillating or "fanservicey" in any way; it's more akin to the infamous "Hospital Scene" at The End of Evangelion.
Many commentators on the thread couldn't fathom why it was labeled as "fanservice," considering how grotesque the event was and how mentally broken Casca was, to the point where several arcs were spent helping her restore her mind. Likewise, many pointed out that Guts himself was affected horrifically as well.
So, as usual, regarding tweets like this, the insults began flying. From one person who seemed rather unwell to post a death threat to people simply mocking the Twitter user's seeming lack of reading comprehension, as is often the case, it got ugly.
Part II: Demon Slayer double standard?
Many users pointed out that the author appeared to be a huge Demon Slayer fan. This was pounced upon almost immediately as people began accusing the original poster of all manner of things, one of which was a double standard.
Some did this by pointing to a bathhouse scene in which the character Mitsuri Kanroji is seen practically naked. For the record, she's 19, but some people accuse Demon Slayer of endorsing fanservice by having girls as young as 13 with a well-endowed chest because of Nezuko's demon form and a few notable instances.
Pointing out the double standard is absolutely valid, even if that's the only bit of fanservice Demon Slayer ever got, according to fans. Others have pointed out the Entertainment District arc, where three women had to go undercover as courtesans to investigate disappearances in the area. The context, of course, is that the three women are over the age of 18, but that doesn't stop the accusations.
While it is critical to point out where double standards exist regarding opinions, as some can be dreadfully ignorant, some people didn't seem to look into the problem of fanservice in Demon Slayer before going after it. Some have even called it akin to explicit material involving minors in a rather hyperbolic defense.
The only other point of contention some people have is that the author could've left it at the first point of just not liking Berserk. It's just excessively ironic to some people that a fan of Demon Slayer that has fanservice is accusing someone else of not having it in abundance.
Part 3: Practicing don't like, don't read
There's a particular skill that people on the internet, including fans of Berserk and Demon Slayer, have often suggested when misconceptions come up, and someone airs them. The suggestion is that if you don't like something, you're not forced to read it. The hype for a series like Berserk can get overwhelming, as many people admitted, but they're not forcing anyone to read it.
Put simply, if someone finds the material upsetting or triggering, then that's perfectly fine. They don't need to read it if they don't want to, and there's no shame in saying something isn't for them, no matter how many people push it at them. This is true for everything on the planet, especially regarding entertainment.
The problem people tend to have is when others see fit to inflict their opinions on others about something every second of the day or get something wrong when expressing an opinion. It can get very irritating to run through bad takes on a favorite show or game, but it's important to remember that those people are just a small minority in a fandom.
However, some were less than subtle or to the point about their critiques. Some went the complete meme route with either gifs of laughter or other types of mockery, either with one-sentence statements or images reacting to it.
This is usually a typical anime Twitter experience. Some people don't bother putting thought into responses or what they say. It would've probably been easier to ignore instead of spreading the tweet in question, as many people seemed to do.
Regardless, the original point of not liking or watching something still stands. Whether it's Berserk, Demon Slayer, or a more mainstream affair, not everyone is accountable for whatever someone likes.
Final thoughts
Overall, the entire Twitter thread is less of a massive war between Demon Slayer and Berserk fans and more of a roundabout mockery of a bad take someone had and decided to say that others were bad for liking it.
While it may not be a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, it's just a couple of people that may share the original poster's opinions. After all, statements like "delete your account" and one simply showing a noose emoticon aren't warranted.
The whole affair is more a mockery of a rather uninformed opinion that shows the original poster's lack of understanding than anything else. In summation, acts of assault aren't fanservice, and Berserk doesn't contain fanservice.
