Censorship in anime

[pangmao]

is it really necessary to censor all my favorite anime?




P.S. I HATE 4KIDS TV

 

[Rubber Combusken]

Maybe if there's something really, really bad in it, and the dubber's target audience is children or teenagers.

But if there's a scene with rice balls, they should be called rice balls, not donuts, cookies, or anything else.

By the way, there's a forum on here called "Land of the Rising Sun" just for discussion about anime, manga, and anything else that came from Japan.

 

[pangmao]

well yeah 4kids does that all the time and also why do they have to change the names?

 

[Zephy]

Easier for small children to say perhaps?
They didn't censor Pokémon half as much as they censored Mew Mew Power.

 

[Hyasynth]

Companies like 4kids believe that everything should be watered down and Americanized so small children can comprehend them, ignoring the fact that by doing so they are cutting off the kids' exposure to other cultures (Japan for instance) and not fulfilling the educational quota the zealous hormonal mommies want to see.
It's one thing to do it to what was originally a kids show, but trying to dumb down anything aimed at teenagers will end in utter chaos, which is probably why it seems like 4kids didn't bastardize Pokemon quite like it did Tokyo Mew Mew or One Piece, both of which were aimed at a slightly older audience IIRC.

 

[bell02+]

I like them to have an uncensored option, but as long as the over all dub quality is good then I am fine with it if it builds up the fanbase.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

The issue goes far beyond any single company. 4Kids is a symptom, not a cause (especially since we know they're CAPABLE of doing quality work, which is what makes it all the more frustrating).

It's because the FCC has a stranglehold on things, and how overprotective parents shit themselves with rage if they see anything THEY don't like and don't care if their kid doesn't have a problem with it, and all manner of things. And it doesn't just manifest in edited anime. Look at the overall tone of kids shows in general. You'd never find another Batman: The Animated Series in this day and age, and that was within the past ten years.

 

[pangmao]

Companies like 4kids believe that everything should be watered down and Americanized so small children can comprehend them, ignoring the fact that by doing so they are cutting off the kids' exposure to other cultures (Japan for instance) and not fulfilling the educational quota the zealous hormonal mommies want to see.
It's one thing to do it to what was originally a kids show, but trying to dumb down anything aimed at teenagers will end in utter chaos, which is probably why it seems like 4kids didn't bastardize Pokemon quite like it did Tokyo Mew Mew or One Piece, both of which were aimed at a slightly older audience IIRC.

exactly

 

[P-fan]

I thought Tokyo Mew Mew was suppose aim for young girls. One Piece had been popular to kids in japan.

 

[mr3urious]

If I ran the FCC, I'd tell all the soccer moms to go fuck themselves!

 

[Jeff]

If I ran the FCC, I'd tell all the soccer moms to go *bleep* themselves!

It had to be done.

Anyway, the way I see it, in the US, action cartoons are commonly associated with kids. The few cartoons we have that are meant for adults are comedies (Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, etc.). So when a company wants to take a cartoon and localize it, no matter what culture that cartoon came from, they have to run it by the "who will watch this" test, and if the audience, by western culture, will be mostly kids, they need to cut out anything objectionable. Anime in particular is considered a kid thing here, heck think of the name "4kids", or Toonami's old slogan "kids love it". That is slowly changing, but the change won't happen all at once.

 

[fate]

But if there's a scene with rice balls, they should be called rice balls, not donuts, cookies, or anything else.

And try to open up kid's minds to things outside of America? What the hell are you thinking!?

 

[Miki-Fan]

It's one thing to do it to what was originally a kids show, but trying to dumb down anything aimed at teenagers will end in utter chaos, which is probably why it seems like 4kids didn't bastardize Pokemon quite like it did Tokyo Mew Mew or One Piece, both of which were aimed at a slightly older audience IIRC.

Wasn't Pokemon originally directed at slightly older audience in Japan?

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Nope. There's even a commercial they did making fun of older fans, where a guy sees a demo of Hey You Pikachu, whispers how cute it is, and the kids around him freak out (in a later commercial he's seen playing it with no problem, though).

 

[Adamant]

I thought Tokyo Mew Mew was suppose aim for young girls. One Piece had been popular to kids in japan.

Yeah, they're both kids' shows. Pokemon's target demographic is a bit lower, but none of them are aimed at a teenage audience (or 20/30-something people who spend way too much time on internet fansites ).

 

[Politoed666]

Not all anime is censored. For the most part, only crappy anime (such as Pokémon) is censored. Watch something like Elfin Lied for a change. Or Ikki Tousen.

And thank goodness our fucking forums aren't censored.

 

[fate]

For the most part, only crappy anime (such as Pokémon) is censored.

Huh. Then why isn't Naruto censored?

And Ikkitousen as an example of not-crappy anime? D:

ZING!

Seriously though, it really depends on the company handling it. Elfen Lied and Ikkitousen weren't censored because they weren't handled by companies who market to children. It all depends on the targeted demographic a company aims for.

Funimation's a good example. Look at the old DBZ that aired on Toonami, and now look at their DVD boxset releases. In the old days, Funi aimed at children, and hence... editted DBZ. Now Funimation has grown into a general anime distributor for all ages, and now we have uncut DBZ.

4kids will never stop this practice. Why? Well look at the name. The only chance to get uncut versions of their shows is to have what happened with One Piece... having another company get the rights to it.

 

[Adamant]

And Ikkitousen as an example of not-crappy anime? D:

ZING!

Eh, Ikkitousen is good for what it is. Most of the criticism seems to come from people who think they're actually supposed to take anything in the series seriously.

 

[Politoed666]

Huh. Then why isn't Naruto censored?

And Ikkitousen as an example of not-crappy anime? D:

ZING!

Seriously though, it really depends on the company handling it. Elfen Lied and Ikkitousen weren't censored because they weren't handled by companies who market to children. It all depends on the targeted demographic a company aims for.

Funimation's a good example. Look at the old DBZ that aired on Toonami, and now look at their DVD boxset releases. In the old days, Funi aimed at children, and hence... editted DBZ. Now Funimation has grown into a general anime distributor for all ages, and now we have uncut DBZ.

4kids will never stop this practice. Why? Well look at the name. The only chance to get uncut versions of their shows is to have what happened with One Piece... having another company get the rights to it.

Naruto is censored. They took out alcohol references, sexual innuendo, blood, and a host of other things that CN deemed inappropriate.

 

[fate]

Naruto is censored. They took out alcohol references, sexual innuendo, blood, and a host of other things that CN deemed inappropriate.

...touche. But aren't the discs uncut?

Eh, Ikkitousen is good for what it is.

I'm inclined to agree, as Geneon bundled it with a handcloth at one point.