A Childlike Understanding Of Manga

(My girlfriend and I are looking at some books in a well-known charity shop. We look in the children’s section for any graphic novels when we find some manga for a couple of popular adult series. We decide to let them know and take these to the cashier, as she is the only volunteer available at the time.)

Me: “Excuse me, but these books aren’t meant for children.”

Cashier: “Oh, it’s okay; they’re just comics.”

Girlfriend: “Madam.” *holding up first book* “This book has themes of graphic violence, including murder.” *holding second one up* “This one has themes of violence, not to mention incest.”

Cashier: *clearly confused* “But they’re comics?”

(My girlfriend opens up a page showing a man being literally ripped in two in much detail, followed by the age restriction on the back of each book. By this time her colleague has joined her and been quickly brought up to speed on what we were saying, and looks horrified at the shelves where children were looking. While heading over to check if there are any more, we can still hear the cashier.)

Cashier: “But… they’re comics?”