Had a weird realization about the context some people in this sub must watch anime in when I started watching it in a group setting

Pandemic has given me the opportunity to watch anime at the same time as two of my friends and we have been discussing the series (mostly Naruto, Boruto and Bleach so far). Weirdly enough, it has made me realize for the first time that there are actually limitations to "yooo anime is freedom" belief most people in this sub seem to follow.<br><br>For those who dont know, that phrase is often spammed in this sub as the reason why creators can do whatever the heck they want when it comes to writing as they are not held down by limitations such as realism and they can create whatever they want in their universe. <br><br>While it is true that anime is, by its very definition, fantasy, there are still some things that the viewers wont accept, especially if we were watching the anime with other people. For example, the infamous pain arc in Naruto was a major turn off for both my friends and while they havent dropped it, it is clear they didnt enjoy it as much as they enjoyed the war arc before it. This is the arc where the major villain (Pain) kills 80+ character, kidnaps the main character and then rapes him spiritually and emotionally, killing him. Then at the end of the arc, it is revealed that all of that was "worth it" since he "inspired" the world to become a better place. The message of the arc is very problematic because what pain did was on par with what actual child abusers do to their victims and it is not okay for Kishimoto to make it seem like it is okay if it "leads to a happy ending". <br><br>It is even worse on a larger scale (like in the context of our sub) since we have a very large audience that consists of people who have gone through something traumatic. I see tons of posts daily where people use anime as a way to escape from their mental health issues which makes anime a very important outlet for them. When creators create content that is unacceptably problematic for a minority, they are not only betraying the trust of their audience but are also potentially traumatizing them even further. <br><br>Lots of people have accused Kishimoto of being an emotional sadist who enjoys making his readers cry through questionable means (not saying that I believe this or my friends do) but it is true that almost every time he wants to "make his readers cry", he always has to use some form of abuse as a plot device. So yeah, I agree. While anime creators do have a lot of freedom, they still have a responsibility to create content that is not problematic for their audience. <br><br>Pd: This is a very complicated issue but I tried my best to word it correctly. I understand many people have different opinions on this and feel free to express them in the comments.