Japan is a country with no guns at all…or so I thought when I arrived here in 1991, and learned to my surprise that a Japanese friend of mine loved Remington rifles and had a large collection in his home. Private ownership of firearms is strictly controlled through Japan’s Firearms and Swords Control Law, although licenses for hunting rifles may be obtained — I’ve got an American friend who got his Japanese hunting license, which is something you don’t see every day. For various reasons, Japanese are often fascinated with gun culture, and when I taught English my students were sometimes disappointed to hear I didn’t own any guns back in the States. One of the stranger new anime series this season is Upotte!, which tells the story off four girls who are the moe embodiments of famous assault rifles like the American M16A4 or British L85A1, with the personalities of the girls mirroring the features of each weapon. It’s a strange but fun show, and it’s interesting to see moe moving in a new direction. If you’re a fan of the show, we’ve got the Upotte! manga in stock today!
Exploring moe gun culture with Upotte!!
