A legion of tired children turn to their favorite new series to relax, and are subjected to intense flashing lights which seem to never stop, as their shocked parents find their children collapsing in convulsions and seizures in front of the television.
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The first wave of casualties, reported to be 300-400 children, were followed by an additional 300 to 500 more who rented videotapes of the episode, or saw the scene when confused Japanese broadcasters reaired it on the evening news the same day. The sequence was not particularly unusual, and many other anime have used similar effects, so it was overlooked as harmless. The sequence was also inadvertently timed in such a manner that it matched the 'firing rate' of common television picture tubes, thus intensifying the effect upon the optic nerve. In addition, photoinduced epileptic attacks can be caused by exhaustion, stress, and sitting too close to the television. All of the above are facts in most Japanese schoolchildren's lives, who live under constant academic and social pressure in small homes.