Shonen Jump's Most Controversial Series Sparks Debate Over Censorship Allegations

Shonen Jump's hottest new manga, Drama Queen, is once again the talk of the online community after the English version of its first chapter was altered to, allegedly, censor one of its jokes. After debuting in early December 2024, Kuraku Ichikawa's Drama Queen immediately captured and polarized the attention of manga fans in the world due to accusations of racism and xenophobia in its story.

After the debate seemed to have died down, Drama Queen became a hot topic again this week when fans noticed that a panel in the English version of the first chapter was altered to apparently censor one joke made by the protagonist, as it could have angered the LGBTQ+ community.

Drama Queen's Censorship Sparks Debate About Translations and Fan Pressure

A Japanese Word Was Misinterpreted

The story, as reconstructed by @MangaMoguraRE and other users on X, is as follows. In chapter #1 of Drama Queen, the protagonist, Nomamoto, is talking to herself, complaining about the aliens who have moved to Earth after (apparently) saving the planet from a meteorite. She compares them to other things she does not like, including "women who call their boyfriends their 'partner'". At the time of publication, this line was taken by some as being a jab against LGBTQ+ people using the gender-neutral term "partner", "相方" in Japanese.

A few days later, fans noticed that the English translation had been altered, with Nomamoto's line now reading: "I hate women who use pet names for their boyfriends". As there would be no other reason for changing that specific line, manga fans assumed that the change was a result of the pressure of critics online, making it thus a case of censorship.

However, as Mogura and other Japanese speakers pointed out, the word "相方" in Japanese does not have the same meaning as in English and it has nothing to do with inclusive language. Instead, it's a way that some younger Japanese people use to refer to their partner in a relationship without using the equivalent words for boyfriend or girlfriend, to make it sound more casual.

This could mean that the translation was not "censored" but instead changed to better reflect the original intention. Of course, avoiding a potentially offensive meaning could have also played a part, and this is an action that many people could define as censorship. What is interesting is that no other parts of the manga have been touched.

Western Fans Are Not Ready For Drama Queen

Censorship in manga and any other form of literature or art is a serious issue, especially when it appears to have no solid reason behind it, as in this case. Regardless of the motivation behind the change that was made, the misinterpretation of the joke by a segment of manga readers outside of Japan can be taken as further confirmation that some Western fans still don't understand manga. They are forcing their cultural perspective on something that is still a product of Japanese culture, which can cause misinterpretation and, in the worst cases, even censorship.

Older fans will remember when ramen was changed to spaghetti in the earliest localizations of anime such as Sailor Moon. While those changes were more ridiculous than harmful, Drama Queen's case is a stark reminder of the risks that every translation or adaptation carries. While manga and anime's global success may give the idea of this being a truly international form of art, this is not the case. These are still products of Japanese culture, and Western fans would do well to remember it.

Drama Queen is sure to keep making headlines due to its provocative story of a duo of rejects fighting (and eating) aliens that many readers were quick to compare to immigrants. As there is still no official statement on the changed translation, for the moment the accusation of censorship remains.