Remember when the city of Numazu released Love Live manhole covers and then vandals defaced them? That certainly caused a lot of stir in Japan, as well as the global anime community. But now, it seems that the police have now arrested two suspects regarding the vandalised manhole cover incident. However, those two suspects are minors of high school age, so they didn’t reveal their identities.

The first suspect is a 17-year-old from Kasukabe, Saitama, while the second one is a 16-year-old from Nerima, Tokyo. Both suspects are friends, though they don’t go to the same school. The police suspected them of defacing the manhole covers thanks to a video they obtained via social media. They also said that they’re continuing investigations if other individuals are also involved with vandalising the covers.

Reports were allegedly already filed with the local police. An attempt to clean up the mess was also shown on social media. However given the nature of spraypaint, nothing short of a sandblaster can strip the damage. Chemical solvents may also help, but both methods will require repainting of the manhole covers after cleaning.

The small seaside town of Numazu is the setting for the highly popular Love Live! Sunshine!! media franchise, and it has enjoyed an increase in both local and overseas visitors thanks to the title. The local government has even collaborated with the show to further increase tourism to the area, however it seems that not everyone was all sunshine and butterflies with the anime’s notoriously loyal fanbase.

source: Shizuoka Shimbun