Woman Complains About “Naked Woman” in Comic Featured in City Square Mall Pop-Up Library

Last Updated on 2023-05-05 , 9:38 pm

The National Library Board’s (NLB) first pop-up Manga Library at City Square Mall has recently come under fire for featuring comics unsuitable for children.

In particular, a complaint about a “naked woman” in one of the comics available for loan at the pop-up has prompted NLB’s response.

Comic with “Naked Woman” Featured in City Square Mall’s Manga Library Pop-Up

On 20 February, NLB unveiled their first pop-up Grab-n-Go Manga Library at City Square Mall. According to NLB, the pop-up library features 5,000 graphic novels and comics alongside a showcase of Singapore comics, including local favourites like Mr Kiasu.

However, among the thousands of books available for loan and browsing at the pop-up are some comics which, let’s just say, are the type of comics your primary school self would get grounded by your parents for picking up.

A 42-year-old woman, Ms Hu, brought her 7-year-old daughter to the unmanned pop-up library last Thursday (20 April).

Ms Hu’s daughter started reading a Japanese manga called “Promise Cinderella”. To Ms Hu’s surprise, her daughter suddenly shot her mother a look of disgust, pointing out that there was a “naked woman” in the comic.

Well, you can’t blame the 7-year-old for picking up a comic like that—she probably thought the comic had something to do with the glass slipper and pumpkin carriage fairy tale we’re more familiar with. After all, the comic does have “Cinderella” in its name.

Upon browsing some other comics available at the pop-up Manga Library, Ms Hu discovered that many books contained material inappropriate for young readers. Several books involved violence and nudity as well.

Perhaps there should have been a huge “PG-13” sign at the entrance to the pop-up library.

Many Young Readers Browsing Novels and Comics at Pop-Up Manga Library 

According to Shin Min Daily News, it was observed that there were several young readers, including children aged 6 to 12, visiting the pop-up Manga Library. This was especially so during the weekends when the shopping mall saw more foot traffic than usual.

Perhaps they were attracted by the Mr Kiasu robot at the pop-up’s entrance—you can’t blame children for being enticed by a robot they can speak to. The Mr Kiasu robot offers book recommendations and guides visitors using the Grab-n-Go library service.

Having children in the Manga Library is far from a problem. In fact, it is a testament to how NLB’s efforts to bring reading opportunities closer to Singaporeans are bearing fruit.

However, this becomes a problem when children at the library browse books that aren’t suitable for them.

According to Shin Min Daily News, while many of the comics in the Manga Library were labelled for adults, the words on these labels were small and, thereby, not very visible to the naked eye.

No wonder children are picking up books containing a “naked woman”.

Don’t let the image deceive you; the shelves at the library aren’t filled with as many books as they were when the pop-up library was just opened.

Most books at the pop-up library suitable for young readers have already been borrowed. This leaves mostly “adult” novels and comics available for browsing at the Manga Library, which explains why complaints such as those from Ms Hu have surfaced.

“Special Section for Children” Among Public’s Suggestions to Improve the Manga Library

Several members of the public have recommended changes be made to the Manga Library to ensure inappropriate material does not end up in the hands of young readers.

Among these suggestions, it was proposed that a special section for children be added to the Manga Library such that children do not end up browsing or loaning books containing violent or nude content and imagery.

Others have also suggested that a notice be put up at the pop-up’s entrance allowing only those 18 years old and above to enter the library.

At this point, we might as well install SafeEntry gates at the Manga Library’s entrance.

Members of the public have also suggested that parents accompany children visiting the Manga Library.

Creator of Mr Kiasu Apologises; NLB to Delineate a Clear Section for Children in the Manga Library

NLB and Johnny Lau, the creator of Mr Kiasu, who were jointly behind the Manga Library on the fourth floor of City Square Mall, have since responded to the public outcry.

According to Lau, the Manga Library’s novels and comics are reviewed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) before shelving at the pop-up library to ensure inappropriate materials do not land in the hands of readers.

Clearly, these efforts are still insufficient in the public eye.

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Regardless, Lau apologised for the lapse. Sharing a personal anecdote about how he reviews his 13-year-old son’s reading materials in advance to ensure they are appropriate, Lau agreed that the Manga Library should delineate a clearer section for children’s books to avoid such incidents again.

NLB has also responded to the public’s suggestions, sharing that a particular section designated for children will be added to the Manga Library as soon as possible.

And according to Shin Min Daily News, NLB is walking the talk. On Thursday (27 April), NLB staff were observed to be shelving new comics at the Manga Library already.

Hopefully, the new comics shelved are children’s comics, not more copies of “Promise Cinderella” or other strange variations of Cinderella…

In addition, NLB has also urged parents and guardians to continue playing an active role in fostering a culture of reading with their children. They have also welcomed readers to provide more feedback on the Manga Library.

LAB25 Learning Marketplace: NLB’s Five-Year-Plan to Reimagine Libraries and Archives

The pop-up Manga Library at City Square Mall is part of NLB’s ongoing efforts under the Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025 (LAB25) plan—a plan that aims to reimagine the future of libraries and archives.

This means that instead of using ChatGPT (we see you writing your essays using ChatGPT instead of doing your work…), thanks to NLB’s LAB25 plan, you can look forward to an expanded omnichannel network of library and archives services to aid in your learning within the next few years.

The LAB25 plan consists of four key pillars—building a Learning Marketplace, nurturing an Informed Citizenry, inspiring Singapore Storytellers and being an Equaliser.

The first pillar, the Learning Marketplace, aims to increase access to reading materials by transforming NLB’s physical and digital platforms, providing multiple learning pathways to readers and supporting learning communities.

Thanks to the LAB25 Learning Marketplace, we now have the Manga Library at City Square Mall. If you haven’t heard, the Manga Library adopts a “Grab-n-Go” concept where you can loan books simply by scanning your NRIC or NLB eCard. The pop-up is unmanned, except for a Mr Kiasu robot acting as the library’s concierge.

Aside from the Manga Library, the LAB25 Learning Marketplace pillar has also seen the opening of “Book Nodes”, featuring pre-loved books and e-books. You can find these “Book Nodes” at several locations, including the newly-opened ones at Foreword Coffee Roasters outlets.

The Informed Citizenry pillar aims to nurture reflective readers. Remember the S.U.R.E campaign that saved the lives of countless students whenever there was a research assignment? It falls under this pillar as well.

The Singapore Storytellers pillar aims to, quite literally, inspire people to tell their uniquely Singaporean stories. NLB is essentially giving you the opportunity to rant about that drinks store auntie that calls everyone but you “Shuai Ge“.

The Equaliser pillar has also brought Singaporeans the new Punggol Regional Library, which opened this month.

And believe us when we say this newly-opened library is worth making the trip down to even if you don’t stay in Punggol.

If you’re tired of listening to your neighbour sing karaoke every afternoon while you’re trying to study at home, NLB’s got your back. The newly-opened Punggol Regional Library has a “Study Zone” and a “Teenspace” where you can finally kickstart your academic weapon era.

There is also an “ExperienceIT” area where adults, including seniors, may visit to pick up digital skills and knowledge. The secret to navigating all those options and settings on WhatsApp? You’ll find the answers at Punggol Regional Library.

That’s not all that the Punggol Regional Library has in store. There will also be designated areas for children of all ages at the library and a range of accessible features in the library that persons with disabilities may look forward to.

I guess you could say that the devil works hard, but NLB works harder.