Otaku Lounge: Re-Examining RapeLay

Editor's Disclaimer: The following piece is sure to raise some eyebrows, and for good reason. As violence in America is often cited to be the result of the influence of video games, one has to question if sexual assault is the result of "entertainment" as discussed by the author. There's nothing explicit within, but it does focus on sensitive and adult subject matter.

Writer's Disclaimer: This week I’m going to approach a topic that will at the least raise a few eyebrows, and more seriously be potentially both repugnant and offensive. I’d therefore like to preface this article by saying that my main goal here is not to present a sensationalist or “only in Japan” viewpoint (god knows there are enough articles elsewhere that do a fine job of that already), or to defend the contents of RapeLay. Rather, the aim is to provide the facts and then, hopefully, to encourage some intelligent debate. For this reason, I have avoided including any of the more graphic images from the game. There are plenty around as it is; do a quick Google search if you’re so inclined.

In 2006, a 3D anime-style Japanese video game called RapeLay was commercially released. The game’s main character (i.e. the player him/herself) is the son of an influential politician and a train-groper named Kimura, who stalks and subsequently rapes the Kiryuu family, consisting of a mother and her two daughters. Yuuko, the mother, has the largest breasts of the three female characters and can optionally wear glasses in order to make ‘virgin’ and ‘nerd’ sound effects. Aoi, the older sister, wears a sailor fuku and can either have her hair down or in a ponytail, while Manaka, the younger sister, can be equipped with cat ears which produce various cat noises.


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