YouTuber forced to apologize for Tokyo DisneySea prank video
A pair of Japanese YouTubers have issued an apology following online criticism of a prank video that took place at Tokyo DisneySea.
A video posted on March 29th by “Thiaro Shippuden” – an entertainment YouTube channel, which is popular among elementary and junior high school students in Japan, titled “If I keep hiding in Tokyo DisneySea after the park closes, when will I be found out?” has generated controversy.
In response to the backlash, the YouTubers issued an apology, stating: “I am truly sorry for causing trouble to the cast members and making our viewers uncomfortable.”
“Thiaro Shippuden” is a YouTube duo consisting of Tink and Kron, with Kron often wearing a bear costume. Their videos, which feature unconventional projects, have gained a significant following.
Tokyo’s DisneySea normally closes at 9 pm, however, as suggested by the video title, the duo recorded themselves hiding in a restroom after the park’s closing time.
They continued to hide even when cast members informed them the park was closed, citing illness as a pretext for still being in the park, which at the end of what was likely a long day for cast members working in the park caused them an unneeded inconvenience.
The video has received numerous critical comments from Japanese netizens, with many suggesting they should delete the videos, or be banned from the park outright in future:
On April 1st, they posted an apology video, titled “Regarding the incident where we hid in Disneyland after closing time and caused controversy.”
In the video, they apologized, saying: “I am truly sorry for causing trouble to the cast members and making the viewers uncomfortable,” and “I crossed the line in my efforts to make a funny video. From now on, I will never post videos that cause trouble to others.”
Despite the apology, the original video remained online, which led to yet more critical comments suggesting that it should be deleted.
In attempts to placate those who were angered by their actions,a disclaimer was placed in the video description advising that the prank should not be replicated by others.
The video continued to climb to over 800,000 views without any sign of being removed, likely due to the controversy helping to push the view count even higher, resulting in more revenue for the video’s creators.
In a further twist, both the original video and the apology were set to “Private” on the evening of the 2nd of April.
By making the video unavailable, the YouTube duo perhaps hope that they can stem the tide of negative reaction to their actions.
With negative comments continuing to flood in despite the video no longer being available, this incident should stand as a warning to others seeking internet fame as whilst the creators will have earned some revenue from the video, the damage to their reputation is likely to be difficult to overcome.
Source: NetLab via Yahoo News Japan, Thiaro Shippuden YouTube Channel