Murder in Akihabara, Japan

[LVUER]

Done. Thanks for the advice PyTom.

As much as I tend to agree that anime/manga/VNs/videogames/whatever shouldn't be blamed for this kind of event, I don't think the above statement is particularly rational. After all, one could equally say:

"If bright flashing lights lead people to have epileptic fits, then everyone who was exposed to bright flashing lights would have epileptic fits."

Which plainly isn't true; some people are pre-disposed to epileptic fits and bright flashing lights act as a trigger. How can we say with certainty that some people aren't pre-disposed to crazy psychopathic murders and anime/games/VNs/manga/etc. don't act as a trigger?

May be those person really have the potential to become psychotic and the anime/VN/games are just the trigger? When they see the disturbing scene, it just goes "click", and they goes in killing/raping spree...
So if it is normal people, who have no potential to become something like that, or just can't do something sickening like that, watch/play those mentioned manga/game/VN, nothing will happened.
If I remember right, there was a research about GTA (some boys said they was influenced by GTA and start shooting at policemen). I think it stated that GTA only influenced about 1% of our violence behavior, or something like that. The conclusion of the research is games won't influence us (adults) that much.

But I wonder if a person is 5 years old that play rape, violence games continuously until he/she is 25 years old, will that person influenced? Kinda like brainwashing/subliminal method?

[JQuartz]

But I wonder if a person is 5 years old that play rape, violence games continuously until he/she is 25 years old, will that person influenced? Kinda like brainwashing/subliminal method?

I believe it would. My argument for this is that VN/Manga/Video games is a form of experience and whether you want it or not, these experience will influence you.

However for most of us, these experience will be offset by our own real life experience. But if you don't have any experience that offset those that are given by the VN/Manga/Video Games, then the impact of these (negative) experiences can really be seen.

Real Life Negative Experience + Virtual/Non-Real Life Negative Experience = Suicidal Killer
Real Life Positive/Balanced Experience + Virtual Negative Experience = Normal Person
Real Life Negative Experience + Virtual Positive Experience = Sad but otherwise Normal Person

Take note that this is based on the assumption that the person has more years of real life experience compared to virtual experience.

[Magnetic Love]

It's probably his fault for wasting his life reading too much manga and watching too much anime.
There is such a thing as an overload of a good thing.
Either that or the guy is completely mad.

[LVUER]

Updates:
According to NHK (I just can't read other sources since they are in Chinese, Korean language, etc), it's all because environment. Stress, uncertain of his own future (his monthly pay could be as low as 1.000 yen), has no job (only various part-time jobs).
It's worsened by the condition of Japan where lots of part-time workers live a horrible life (they are demanded to work so hard but never appreciated as a worker and get fired easily). Well, this is not new story. This is happens everywhere (including my country and countries like USA and China, I believe...).

[JQuartz]

it's all because environment

Part of me agrees with this but another part of me says that destiny lies in our own hands. To say it's all because of the environment implies that the guy is totally blameless, the fault lies with his environment.

This is something I strongly detest because I definitely believe part of the blame lies with him and he will have to pay the price for his actions. Yet sympathy should still be shown towards him, but not because he is blameless instead because he is merely an imperfect mortal, just like the rest of us.

[PyTom]

Yet sympathy should still be shown towards him, but not because he is blameless instead because he is merely an imperfect mortal, just like the rest of us.

Um... we're all imperfect mortals. We don't go around murdering people. I have trouble giving sympathy to people who murder other people. At the end of the day, regardless of what life throws at you, you remain responsible for your own actions.

[papillon]

To say it's all because of the environment implies that the guy is totally blameless, the fault lies with his environment.

Well, if you're an adult, you generally have the power to change your environment. Not always, and certainly you can't always go from terrible to great all at once, but it is an important skill to recognise when your environment is unbearable and do something about it before you snap.

A juvenile, however, has very little control over his environment. If your parents are actually abusing you AND you know how to use the system, you MIGHT be able to get out of that house and to somewhere better... but it's not certain. And if your parents aren't evil but they're just poor and not very bright and don't know how to help you, and you live in a miserable crime-ridden neighborhood full of gangs, you're kinda stuck.

[Blue123]

it's all because environment

Part of me agrees with this but another part of me says that destiny lies in our own hands. To say it's all because of the environment implies that the guy is totally blameless, the fault lies with his environment.

This is something I strongly detest because I definitely believe part of the blame lies with him and he will have to pay the price for his actions. Yet sympathy should still be shown towards him, but not because he is blameless instead because he is merely an imperfect mortal, just like the rest of us.

Indeed, perhaps a small amount of sympathy is needed. People generally don't act without reasons or motivation, and, as we are all imperfect mortals, are affected by the things happening around us. Everyone has a breaking point, for some it's exceptionally high while for others' it may be dreadfully low.

[LVUER]

Indeed that he's not entirely innocent (he's the one who choose to go for a killing spree) and environment share the blame too. That's why we (government, community, etc) must make sure that this kind of things will never happen again.

In the news, they babbling about prevention of future crimes (including copycats) and how to make things/environment better. Like the probability of "No More Pedestrian Heaven" (Pedestrian Heaven is where vehicles are prohibited entering Akihabara in specified times) or reporting to authorities (here, just report it to BlueLemma or PyTom ^_^ ) when we notice users with strange behavior or threatening messages.

[Nebi]

This is sick. The man is sick. The stressors that pushed this man over the edge must have been sick as well. Do you want to see who this man is? Take a look at this man and tell me if you could pick him out from the street as someone with premeditated murder on his mind:

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/photospecials/gr ... ing/1.html

Somewhere in life he fell through the cracks and crevices that social services, networks, family, friends, colleagues, etc. were to have filled. Manga and animation, if involved, would undoubtedly have tainted his decision making. Attachment is a part of entertainment too; it's part of retention and establishing a consumer base. Products are designed to attract people, and then people subsequently become attached to them! Does that exclude emotional or psychological attachment? No.

Don't tell me you've never lost control of your emotions. That prickling feeling on the back of your neck, the stiffening of the spine, the tightening of muscles...

Except that in this case this gentleman decided to vent his frustration via a vehicle and lashing out with a bladed weapon on a busy street. Can you imagine what went through his mind - if any semblance of rationality was still there - when he drove into the first victim? The human mind is far more fragile and lacking in self-control than we would like to believe.

And there are a lot of sick people out there.

My condolences to the families of the victims.

[azureXtwilight]

This is sick. The man is sick. The stressors that pushed this man over the edge must have been sick as well. Do you want to see who this man is? Take a look at this man and tell me if you could pick him out from the street as someone with premeditated murder on his mind:

Except that in this case this gentleman decided to vent his frustration via a vehicle and lashing out with a bladed weapon on a busy street. Can you imagine what went through his mind - if any semblance of rationality was still there - when he drove into the first victim? The human mind is far more fragile and lacking in self-control than we would like to believe.

And there are a lot of sick people out there.

My condolences to the families of the victims.

You know, if I take a quick look on him, he doesn't look like it.
Now I understand that we can't judge people based on his appearance.

I don't think anything rational pass his mind when he murder his first victim.
Rationally, he doesn't have a reason to kill.
I'm glad he was captured.

Yeah, a lot of people are sick.
In my town there are so many of 'em.
They got stressed cause their life is miserable.

[deinarious]

He looks... confused... That's all I'm saying about that picture.

Also, anyone who would repeat something done from anime, manga, video games, anything, IS mentally ill or easily impressionable. I know this because I myself am ill to a degree, or was (once diagnosed with schizoeffective, but that has been removed from my diagnosis, since what I am seeing is caused by psychic gifts), and when I was, at a time, extremely ill, I was both playing Dungeons and Dragons, and repeating things from it in real life. It didn't help that I wasn't getting the right help from psychiatrists, or support from friends or family, but I got through that illness rather... quickly.

If that man is mentally ill, and he watched anime or read manga, then it could have influenced him. Trust me on this one. (Severe) mental illness + fictional content can equal something along the lines of "OH MY GOD THAT GUY JUST MURDERED SEVEN PEOPLE!"

After all, the pen is mightier than the sword in the means of influence. And it so happens that the mentally ill are the most easily influenced by the pen, to pick up the sword.

The same goes (sort of) goes with young children. They think everything is real at some point. Parents need to tell them otherwise, or they end up believing that purple dinosaur is God, or something...

I wouldn't know exactly, I don't have kids. But, I know the mindset of a child, since I am one at heart. And they are more impressionable than the mentally ill. They are gullible to the point of that they would believe that kittens can fly if thrown out a third story window. Then what do you get if left unchecked? A sick person who loves throwing poor defenseless animals out of windows >.>

...

Okay, I've said too much, time to shut up!

[Mistik]

I just it's weird that he did his killing spree in Akihabara. I mean people who go on killing sprees generally don't go after there own kin. I'm would more expected him to go killing in a non otaku district of tokyo. though I also put some blame on the on lookers for not helping out. You don't let someone stab 17 people with some knives. Thats my opinion atleast.