There seems to be a recent pop-culture fascination with poo. While that may be hard to hear at first, just consider the popularity of the Yokohama poop museum which operated last year. The exhibit is the natural result of a widespread obsession with cutely stylized poop toys, poo mascots, and even creamy fecal treats. Yum yum.

Nevertheless, you’d be remiss to think this scatological trend is representative of anything but whimsy. Indeed, residents in the land of the rising sun take cleanliness seriously, and the cultural tendency towards impeccable hygiene has only been amplified during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Sure enough, despite the popularity of toy turds, the real thing is anything but welcomed. Walking throughout neighborhoods and parks, residents are frequently reminded via posted notices that pet owners are expected to clean up after their pets. And for a good reason: a misplaced step along a crowded sidewalk is sure to sour anyone’s day. With a recent increase in pets throughout the country—cats and dogs recently outnumber children in Japan—it’s all but a basic of necessity that streets remain waste-free.

Street Justice

Nevertheless, some pet owners never got the memo.

Manga artist Gura Hamuko (gura_hamuco) recently highlighted the problem in an installation of her series “Darutto Babakyua.” The series follows the protagonist Babakyua and her squadron of do-gooders as they crackdown on inconsiderate behavior. Sometimes, however, their tactics are a bit extreme.

As you can see, Babakyua and co used karintou snacks to fool the perpetrator. Karintou is a deep-fried cake made from flour and sugar. Although delicious, as you can see in the image below, it admittedly bears a passing resemblance to poo.

Regardless, it seems the inconsiderate pet owner got the message.

Fans of the illustrator had a good chuckle. They commented:

If you liked this piece, you can find more like it on Gura Hamuko’s Instagram page.