The city of Shibushi in Kagoshima came under fire after releasing an eel-farming ad that features an eel personified as a young woman in a school uniform bathing suit. The city quickly pulled the ad after receiving many complaints that the commercial is "sexist" and the concept of "cultivating" a woman is inappropriate.

The video starts with a girl in a pool asking to be fed. A man narrates over images of her swimming and relaxing poolside. The man says, "I fed her delicious food until she was full and let her get a good night's sleep."

Part of the objection to the ad likely stems from the commercial's loving tone, complete with soft piano music, in which a man seemingly starts to discuss his beloved girlfriend. Some viewers might also see sexual innuendo when the young woman repeatedly fails to pick up a water bottle with her slimy eel hands.

Only at the end of the commercial does the girl transform into her true eel form and let viewers know the real meaning of the ad. Before she transforms into an eel for her final swim, the girl-eel says "goodbye" in a light-hearted voice with a smile. The video ends with images of real eels cooking on a flame.

Although designed to promote a rural eel-farming industry, the commercial clearly misses its mark. Some net users commented that the ad is misogynist and "like child pornography." Another net user said that was obviously designed by middle-aged men who tend to govern Japan and control its companies while using images of uniformed high schoolers for promotion.

Ai Ōsawa, the actress who stars in the promotional video, defends the content of the ad. She says the criticism is undeserved and people who object should look at the ad again from a different perspective.

Conveying eels as disturbing, and even likening them to the Chestbuster from Ridley Scott's Alien films seems acceptable. It is off-putting, maybe, but not an offensive depiction of food. Portraying a young woman as something to be raised, slaughtered, and eaten, on the other hand, is understandably hard for viewers to swallow.

The city of Shima in Mie Prefecture faced a similar controversy last year over its new mascot character Megu Aoshima. People complained that the "bright, energetic, and a little clumsy" 17-year-old mascot was an inaccurate, sexualized representation of female pearl divers who average 70 years in age. Shima, the location for last year's G-7 diplomatic summit, withdrew its official recognition of the character. Nevertheless, Megu continued to appear on some promotional items in the Shima area.

[Via Kai-You]