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Idaho School Votes to Keep Sword Art Online Novel After Student Complaint

Jerome Middle School in Idaho voted to retain the Sword Art Online: Aincrad light novel in its library on Monday after a student raised concern about "inappropriate language and drawings" in the novel. The school's English department formally made the complaint.

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) sent a letter of appeal to Jerome Middle School on Monday, calling on the school to retain the book. In its letter, the NCAC noted that the "inappropriate drawings" cited in the complaint "are presumably images of a female character wearing underwear and sharing a bed with a male character."

The NCAC further stated in its letter that the removal of the book for suggestive language and images could "set a harmful precedent that, for example, could see a classic work of literature that contains adult language, or an art history textbook that includes a nude, be kept away from teens."

The school's review committee will recommend that the school board retain the book.

Sword Art Online: Aincrad is the title of the first two volumes in Reki Kawahara's light novel series, with illustrations by abec. The series has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. The series' first volume, which debuted in 2009, has itself sold more than one million copies.

Sword Art Online has two television anime adaptations, an anime special, and an anime film. The television anime premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami block in 2013. It has also inspired multiple manga series, games, and a virtual reality demonstration in Japan.

Yen Press publishes the Sword Art Online and Sword Art Online: Progressive novel series and their manga adaptations in North America. Aniplex of America releases the anime. Skydance Television is planning a live-action television series based on the novels.

Source: Boise Weekly (George Prentice), Magic Valley (Julie Wootton)