Kodansha Vows Legal Action Against Online Harassment Targeting ‘Yani Neko’ Manga Author

In a surprising turn of events, Kodansha released a statement on Sep 7, 2023, condemning the online harassment which was targeting Nyannyan Factory, the creator of the manga ‘Yani Neko,’ which is being serialized in the publisher’s Weekly Young Magazine.

Recently, there had been a surge in hostile and harmful content aimed at the creator and those associated with the manga Yani Neko. The online attacks had extended across various social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter).

In their statement, Kodansha said they were aware of this extremely malicious behaviour and will be taking a serious stand against it. The publishing giant added that they are currently consulting with their lawyers to take legal action against this cyberbullying.

A rough translation of the statement released by Kodansha can be read below:

Currently, extremely aggressive and malicious posts directed towards the author (Nyan Nyan Factory) and related parties of the work “Yani Neko,” serialized in Young Magazine, have been confirmed on the internet, including X (formerly Twitter).

Regarding this matter, Kodansha takes this very seriously and has consulted with lawyers to take legal action.

To all our readers, we sincerely ask for your continued support for “Yani Neko” and Nyan Nyan Factory.

Kodansha Young Magazine Editorial Department

Shedding further light into this, Nyannyan Factory also released a statement stating that the significant increase in hostile content towards the author was seen on platforms such as, X, Nico Nico Live, YouTube comments, amongst others, and that they consulted with Kodansha’s editorial department, requesting them to take appropriate measures.

They further emphasised that authors simply desired to create enjoyable manga.

Since the beginning of last month, we have observed a significant increase in malicious posts directed towards the author of “Yani Neko” on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Nico Nico Live, YouTube comments, and others. In response to this, we have consulted with the editorial team and requested appropriate measures be taken.

All the authors share the desire to create enjoyable manga, and we hope for your continued support in the future.

The plot of Yani Neko follows the daily life of a chain-smoking cat girl struggling with her cigarette addiction.

Yani Neko is a Japanese manga created by Nyannyan Factory. It started serializing in Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine on Feb 20, 2023.

Source: X (1, 2)