Takopi’s Original Sin is fiction, but in reality, things like this do happen to children in Japan. There have been cases where teachers chose to cover things up in order to “not make a fuss.” And this has not been limited to individual teachers — there have been cases where boards of education did so as well.
There have been cases where, when the perpetrator was connected to someone in power such as a politician, attempts to seek justice through proper legal procedures did not receive a serious response. There have been cases where people requested official documents about an incident, only to receive them completely blacked out. There have also been cases where police participated in this kind of cover-up.
There have also been cases where perpetrators were connected to organized crime, making police reluctant to intervene. In some widely reported incidents, communities were accused of closing ranks to protect those involved — as in the case often referred to as the ‘Murder of Junko Furuta.’
Because of this, publicly exposing cases on social media and causing them to go viral has become one of the most effective ways to impose social consequences. In many cases, it’s the only thing that actually works.
In reality, things are often worse than in the anime.
2026/01/18
The relevant ministries have announced they will request the prompt removal of “evidence videos” of bullying posted on social media.
The state has chosen the side of the perpetrators. If institutions continue to fail victims, vigilante justice via SNS will likely continue to accelerate.