Japanese city’s promotional campaign catches heat for using scantily dressed high school girl mascot

A promotional post for Utsunomiya city’s new “Light Rail Train” line has users in a heated debate on the usage of the anime schoolgirl mascot character, Haruka Aozora. The mascot’s outfits, age, and relevance to the city have some users questioning how appropriate the promotional campaign is. On the other hand, user’s who’ve taken a liking to the mascot seem to find the backlash excessive.

On August 21, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Utsunomiya city’s official mascot posted a promotional announcement regarding the opening of the city’s newly built Light Rail Train line. The post features an illustration of five anime girls dressed in school uniforms posing in front of the new train line. The uniforms worn by the mascots show their midriff and their skirts are significantly shorter than actual Japanese high school uniforms. The Haruka Aozora official Booth page describes the mascots as “a group of five high school girls from Utsunomiya City”.

The post left some users unimpressed with the use of the uniform-clad, teenaged mascots. It seems that many users felt that the mascots’ short uniforms might be sending the wrong message, and may even be contributing to the sexualization of female high school students. Numerous users expressed their discontent with the illustration and questioned its effectiveness as promotional material. One user commented, “Unlike in the old days, using moe illustrations in serious advertisements doesn’t have the impact it used to. Using moe images even though it’s so outdated gives the impression that they have nothing else to offer. It’s like they’re just putting up hentai art for the sake of it. I believe it lacks taste as an advertisement.” Another user commented on how the promotional material appears to cater to only men, saying, “Hey, seriously, cut it out with the whole miniskirts and erotic stuff to attract customers. It’s getting old. It’s like something a Showa-aged old dude would think of. Show us something more innovative, that will make both men and women want to get on board.”

Some also felt that the aesthetic of the illustration itself felt unoriginal, with many finding that the use of the moe schoolgirl trope made the promotion feel outdated. One user chimed in, saying, “Moreover, today’s high school girls don’t even dress or style their hair like that. They just look plain tacky… I mean, the thigh-high socks with a school uniform, seriously?” There were also users who were simply uncomfortable with having to see the promotional material, commenting, “It’s gross, seriously, so gross. Being forced to see suggestive artwork is like environmental sexual harassment.”

Haruka’s attire does seem to be relatively revealing more often than not. The mascot frequently appears in short skirts and swimsuits, and is often cosplayed in poses that almost reveal the character’s underwear. These images, seemingly intentional, are frequently reposted on the official mascot’s page.

However, there appears to be a number of Haruka fans who strongly disagree with the backlash. Many users who liked the promotional illustration defended it by saying that the character was cute and that they saw nothing wrong with their designs. Other supporters thought the criticism of the character was unfounded due to Haruka merely being a work of fiction. One user defending the illustration commented, “To put it bluntly, I would call her a character. The same as Mickey Mouse and Chiikawa.” At one point, even the man who “married” forever 16 year old Hatsune Miku chimed in, stating, “It seems that this is sparking controversy now, but it’s important to remember that 2D high school girls are not the same as real high school girls (similar to how Hatsune Miku isn’t a real person). I know it might sound ironic coming from me, but let’s differentiate between reality and imagination.”

While the online response to the mascot and illustration was mixed and the discourse concerning the character is ongoing, the Haruka Aozora page hasn’t appeared to have addressed any negative comments concerning the promotional material so far. Based on the lack of response from the official account, it doesn’t appear that the city has any plans to go back on their concept anytime soon. Similarly, it seems unlikely users will reach a unanimous agreement on the issue.