From our other sites
The story
Ikki, a 1985 Famicom game included in a retro game collection released by Sunsoft. An ad image for related merchandise — a soft silicone item shaped like a bamboo spear called “Bamboo Spear Puni-Puni” — was flagged as adult content by an AI review system for social media ads, causing the ad to be pulled. Sunsoft’s official X account reported the situation, sparking discussion online. On 5ch threads, reactions ranged from shock (“What on earth did it mistake this for?”) to nostalgic debates about the game’s quirky mechanics and its reputation as a “kusoge” (notoriously bad game).
Sunsoft’s ad for “squishy tube-shaped merch” pulled over adult-content flag — a limited item you just can’t resist squeezing
Sunsoft’s (SUNSOFT) official X account reported that an ad featuring its “Bamboo Spear Puni-Puni” merchandise was flagged as “adult content.”
Sexualized both in and out of the game… ‘Ikki’s’ bamboo spear merch gets flagged as adult content
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
People back then really had that kind of spirit.
Writing it in hiragana as 'ikki' instead of kanji was a nice touch too.
We're missing that kind of creative power these days —
now you get gorgeous graphics without even trying hard.
The creativity is amazing.
And the fact that it still turned into a decently fun game on top of that.
I'd love to see it remade as a hyper-realistic-graphics FPS.
Where's the sexual element supposed to be?
Even so, games themselves were precious back then, so it got accepted anyway.
Give me a break, you dumb AI.
I kinda laughed though.
Sticking with just the bamboo spear is apparently easier.
Isn't it the other way around? The early-game sickle should be easier to use.
Obviously never played it.
Sounds like half-baked knowledge picked up off the internet or something.
I could at least understand it if they'd flagged it for evoking Japanese WWII-era militarism.
Probably because it reminds people of a Viet Cong booby trap.
A real kusoge is something on par with or worse than Bungeling Bay.
The Famicom games I actually thought were trash were Bungeling Bay and Takeshi's Challenge, honestly.
Ikki was still fun since you could play co-op too.
Which one's the real legendary kusoge?
lmao
One second after starting, lol
The enemy bullets are only 1 pixel, so they just blend right into the background.
Wonder if there's anywhere left to play one.
You can play an equivalent game on Switch, but…
there's a slim chance an actual tabletop cabinet might still be hanging around near some university.
The Amano Game Museum in Nishio City has a tabletop cabinet.
The director passed away this year though, and it seems volunteers are running the place now, so check the opening hours before you go.
Somehow it just doesn't feel right on a big screen.
It's less about the size — with an LCD the resolution gets too clean, which gives it a strong "this isn't it" feeling.
Hmm… safe.
Background and Key Points
‘Ikki’ is a Famicom game released by Sunsoft in 1985, often described as a “legendary kusoge” (notoriously bad game) due to quirks like being able to take down your own co-op partner with friendly fire. The bamboo spear is the protagonist’s starting weapon, which upgrades to a sickle as you progress. This time, the topic blew up because a promotional image for soft silicone merchandise shaped like that bamboo spear was flagged as adult content by an ad platform’s AI review system, halting its distribution. There have been repeated reports of AI ad-review systems mistaking soft, elongated items for sexual products, and this looks like another case of that. The thread ranged from simple questions like “what did it mistake this for?” to nostalgic debates about the game’s own mechanics — though it’s worth noting the technical reason behind the misjudgment itself remains speculative and isn’t confirmed anywhere in the article.
※This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Game] Retro game collection released, but bamboo spear merch from included title ‘Ikki’ gets flagged as adult content — ad also halted.”
Leave a Reply