Autism Society Japan Issues Statement on Mii-chan and Miss Yamada Manga
The Autism Society Japan (ASJ) issued a statement regarding Nene Azuki's manga series Mii-chan and Miss Yamada and its planned anime adaptation on Wednesday. The society noted that while the manga does not explicitly state the title character Mii-chan has a disability, her depiction and the creator's comments have led to the interpretation that Mii-chan has an intellectual or developmental disability. The ASJ said it has received requests for comments since it is an advocacy organization for disabled people and since the term “Mii-chan” has been used to disparage children, particularly girls, with disabilities.
The ASJ first addressed bullying and disparagement of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It reiterated that “Mii-chan” is being used as a disparaging nickname by pointing to an August 19 comment by the Zenkoku Te o Tsunagu Ikuseikai Rengōkai (National Hand-in-Hand Educational Society). The ASJ added it has received reports from siblings of those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who worry about teasing at school. The ASJ said those with disabilities and their families who have read the manga have felt discomfort and anxiety. It added that while Azuki and the publisher Kodansha may not have intended to cause discrimination, the ASJ “cannot ignore the fact that these incidents have occurred.”
The ASJ statement then examined issues within the manga, particularly how its depiction of the real-life struggles of sex workers, those in poverty, and people with disabilities is being used for commercial profit. The ASJ said Mii-chan's “light-hearted” depiction led to the term “Mii-chan” being used as disparaging nickname.
The ASJ also addressed a now-deleted video of editors from Kodansha's Young Magazine discussing the manga. The ASJ noted the onscreen text in the video used phrases such as “the manga makes you want to see Mii-chan suffer,” “the manga makes you want to see the darkest depths of this world,” and “Mii-chan is a character who makes you want to see someone fall.” The ASJ said this video calls into question the notion that the story is the character Yamada's tribute to Mii-chan, and instead demonstrate it is one that exploits Mii-chan's tragedy as misery for entertainment.
The ASJ said the manga's depiction of Yamada visiting Mii-chan's grave every year can be interpreted as Azuki expressing empathy towards Mii-chan through Yamada. However, the society said that due to Kodansha's and Azuki's attitudes, the manga can be seen as a story turning the misery of vulnerable people into entertainment and causing discomfort for those with disabilities.
The ASJ also pointed to the manga's initial online distribution, before its print publication. It said the editorial oversight and risk-mitigation policies that a publisher provides for traditional print releases should have been in place for this manga. The society added that extra caution should have been taken with this manga, especially considering it is Azuki's debut work. As such, the ASJ suggested publishers should update their oversight and risk-mitigation policies in the age of online publishing.
The ASJ ended its statement by suggesting Mii-chan and Miss Yamada should not be adapted into an anime: “We do not believe an anime adaptation is appropriate, even if it was age-restricted or restricted from freely available over-the-air television.” The society added it is concerned with a production of the anime adaptation “considering the mindset of those involved with the manga.”
The ASJ also requested works that could disparage those with disabilities or their families, and those that depict the struggles of those in poverty or with disabilities, to not be used for commercial profit or mockery as entertainment, but rather as methods to lead to better understanding and connecting people to support systems.
The Mii-chan and Miss Yamada manga ran in Kodansha's online service Magazine Pocket from September 2024 to August 2026. Kodansha shipped the seventh and final volume of the manga on September 9. Flag Pictures announced an anime adaptation on July 26. News of the anime's announcement led to criticism and backlash, and Kodansha issued a statement regarding the criticism on July 27. As of press time, the anime is still in the works.
Sources: Autism Society Japan, Zenkoku Te wo Tsunagu Ikuseikai Rengōkai's website, Mii-chan and Miss Yamada on Magazine Pocket via Hachima Kikō
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.