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Today, anime is not just a medium of entertainment popular in Japan. While the medium originated in Japan, its unique art style and incredible storytelling has garnered fans across the world. On April 23, 2023, the Bolivian Ministry of Education released a statement to the public, informing them about the large-scale plagiarism that took place in South America, where over 1.1 million copies of school textbooks featured plagiarised artwork on the cover.
The Bolivian Minister of Education, Edgar Pary, expressed his regret with regards to the plagiarism. He also promised that disciplinary actions would be taken against the perpetrators and legal action would be considered.
That being said, the Bolivian Minister of Education insisted on not recalling the textbooks as he didn’t find any fault with the content present in the aforementioned textbooks.
Anime titles whose artwork was plagiarized by the textbooks
Orange
Orange is a popular shoujo anime and manga series that was written and illustrated by Ichigo Takano. This series revolves around a young student who receives a mysterious letter from her future self. The note asks her to carefully observe the new transfer student. The protagonist uses the letter as a guideline to correct the mistakes that her future self regretted.
One of the key visuals from this anime title can be seen on the cover page of a sixth-grade textbook that was distributed in Bolivia.
Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket is yet another popular title that gained popularity after its anime adaptation. This anime revolves around Tohru Honda who was invited by Souma, one of her classmates, to live with him until she found a place for herself. Soon, she realizes that anyone of the opposite gender that hugged Souma would temporarily turn into an animal of their zodiac sign.
A key visual of this anime and manga title could be seen on a 5th-grade textbook cover page distributed in Bolivia.
Weathering With You
This masterpiece from Makoto Shinkai was a movie that revolved around two main characters. One of them came to Tokyo from a small town, working with a small-time publisher, while the other is trying to sustain herself and her brother. The young boy, Morishima, saves Hina from a group of shady men, and he comes to realize that she has a strange power.
At a time when there is an eternal downpour in Tokyo, Hina has the ability to bring the sun out if she prays for it. However, this power comes at a massive cost.
The artwork seen on the official poster of the movie was plagiarized by a 4th-grade textbook in Bolivia.
Your Lie in April
This story revolves around a young pianist named Arima Kousei, who struggles to get over his mother’s death. She was not only a mother but also his piano instructor, who was rather strict and thus responsible for his trauma. As a result, he quit playing the instrument and feels a great deal of pain upon hearing a note on the piano.
However, his world views change upon meeting a young violinist named Miayzono. This visual was plagiarized by a 3rd-grade textbook distributed in Bolivia.
