: Social media posts by animal rights activists using his case to campaign for harsher penalties for animal abuse.
: Oya lost his job as a tax counsellor and was largely ostracised by society following his arrest, a fact his defense used to argue for a more lenient sentence. Makoto Oya Cat Videos 2021
(one year and 10 months, suspended for four years), which sparked massive public outcry and petitions for stricter laws. The Straits Times Socio-Legal Impact (2021 Context) The Quiet Comfort of Makoto Oya: A Look
Why does this matter? In a year dominated by doom-scrolling, Makoto Oya offered "slow content." He proved the internet still has a place for quiet beauty. The 2021 videos inspired a wave of copycats (pun intended), but none captured the mono no aware (the bittersweetness of life) that Oya does. The Straits Times Socio-Legal Impact (2021 Context) Why
: He recorded these acts—which involved using boiling water and a blowtorch—and uploaded the footage to an anonymous video-sharing site.
By 2021, the novelty of the pandemic had worn off. Zoom fatigue was real. News cycles were overwhelming. Psychologists noted a rise in "dopamine snacking"—seeking short, high-reward bursts of happiness. Oya’s videos were the opposite of a loud meme; they were slow, intentional, and organic.