Sailor Moon Director Ikuhara Lashes Out on Plagiarism Accusations

Art is one area where it is challenging to ascertain the boundaries of plagiarism. Recreations are legal to a certain degree, as you cannot copyright an idea. When accusations arise, it becomes difficult to distinguish between plagiarism and recreation.

Now, if a famous person is accused of plagiarism, it becomes a sensation. Let’s explore the details of one such phenomenon which has been going on since 2022.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, Revolutionary Girl Utena and Penguindrum director Kunihiko Ikuhara was accused of plagiarism by an unknown woman. Ikuhara has denied all the allegations and filed a lawsuit against her. The court will deliver the verdict on December 13. 

According to the report, the woman described herself as a voice actress and an illustrator. She had sent a Direct Message to Ikuhara and claimed that he had plagiarized her work. 

Later, when tIkuhara’s bandmate posted the same illustration, the woman posted that the illustration was a trace of her work. Ikuhara responded by saying that the two illustrations have no similarity. 

Despite his response, the woman continued to escalate the situation. She contacted e-mailing publishers, record companies, anime production companies, and talent agencies that Ikuhara had worked with and demanded that he apologize to her.

This behavior obstructed the work of Ikuhara and his colleagues. He reported the matter to the police, who began sending patrols to his home twice daily and urged the cancellation of one of his band’s concerts for security reasons. 

Later, Ikuhara filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court Tachikawa Branch against this lady in June 2022, seeking 3.3 million yen (about US$22,000) in damages. Later, he increased the claim to 4.4 million yen (about US$29,400).

Ikuhara seeks compensation for the damage to his work and sees this lawsuit as preventing further harm to his colleagues. 

On August 30, Ikuhara stated that many of his colleagues were paying close attention to the trial’s outcome. He also mentioned the concerning rise of such situations in the industry.

Despite this, the woman did not back down and instead reiterated her claims of plagiarism in court on October 4.

As spectators, we cannot decide to support either one of them. We do not have the information to make such a decision. While Ikuhara claims he never plagiarized, the woman isn’t backing down despite the heavy charges.

Both seem to be standing their ground, and we can only find the truth when the court decides. Until then, let’s not jump to conclusions without proper evidence.

About Sailor Moon

Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn or Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is based on the anime of the same name.

It follows the story of a 14-year-old girl, Usagi Tsukino, who is clumsy and underachieving. One day, she encounters a magical talking cat named Luna, who gives her the ability to transform into her magical alter ego, Sailor Moon.

Reluctant towards this colossal transformation, Usagi soon accepts her fate as she goes on a quest to defeat the evil forces of the Dark Kingdom.

Through this experience, she makes friends, develops romance, and battles evil. Her adventures continue as the earth continues to face many threats as the series progresses.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun