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NEWS: Sword Art Online Episode Censors More Content on U.S.-Based Streaming Services

In addition, many media companies are the sole publishers of their properties, and if they choose not to run something, you simply will never see it, because they chose not to allow you access to a venue in which you could do so.

Whether the media publisher's particular reasons for refusing you access to some of their property were reasonable or not is worth discussing (and you may think e.g. that they could offend or traumatize a large portion of their audience is a bad reason, say), but the simple act of them refusing to allow you to view their content can't itself be impugned as evil. It's just them deciding whether they think showing it to the audience you're part of is worthwhile for them.

One of the English voice actors for SAO said Toonami was likely hesitant to air GGO because of its light treatment of gun violence. (This is just one statement from someone who may or may not know what they're talking about. Don't come after me if GGO does manage to get on Toonami.)

I guess Alicization is out as well. Jason DeMarco will take one look at that scene, even censored, and run for the hills.

I say it is evil and entirely worth discussing because it's a system in which people are working to restrict others access to the media in question. I'm not sure how that can be described as anything other than sick, twisted, and evil. We should be working to advance knowledge, not restrict it.

Shiflan:
I wasn't implying anything about you in regards to piracy. I know these forums are hyper-sensitive about that topic,

but my only purpose was to point out that, when a media company chooses not to release a product to which they own production or distribution rights, they are in fact typically legally barring you from viewing it -- that it is not a polite suggestion, and they are in fact choosing what you are 'allowed' to view/read/hear.

Rather, it is that you disagree with the specific (ostensible) reasons for Aniplex choosing to make restrictions in this case, and specifically that you clearly don't think anticipated offense or trauma are good reasons for restricting or carefully curating the release of media.

I think you've taken that position too far (in particular, when you argue that the earlier proposed compromise for streaming services is completely unnecessary

Regarding the rest -- I feel like we're somewhat going in circles. I think I'll just observe that "I'm not arguing anything about the specific reasoning here" is flatly contradicted by "I think it is a very different thing than censorship in the literal sense because the motivations are entirely different", and that I think your argument can only be made effectively by focusing on the motivations in question (because the simple act of one group choosing what another group can view is not in itself evil or wrong, without considering context, reasons, motivations).

But that'll be my last thought on the issue, don't want to clog up the thread too much.

Considering there was a borderline tentacle hentai rape scene in one part of the first SAO anime from what I saw of it, I'm not surprised.

This kinda reminds me of how Japan handled the "Maze/Maze Megaburst Space" anime (horrible anime that's a Slayers/Ranma 1/2 wannabe with so much horrible creepy overtones, including sexual assault also, you're missing nothing by skipping out), when they released it on VHS they censored it and released it uncensored on laserdisc. Somehow it managed to legally be licensed in the US on DVD using the censored version for it, whilst Japan never had a DVD release.

@Key
I remember reading about some scenes where when Maze turns into a guy, he/she whoever actually rapes some people, one of them being the character Mill, who supposedly enjoyed it and constantly says, and it doesn't help that Maze is college aged and Mill looks like she's round about 12-13...if I'm correct?

This kinda reminds me of how Japan handled the "Maze/Maze Megaburst Space" anime (horrible anime that's a Slayers/Ranma 1/2 wannabe with so much horrible creepy overtones, including sexual assault also, you're missing nothing by skipping out), when they released it on VHS they censored it and released it uncensored on laserdisc. Somehow it managed to legally be licensed in the US on DVD using the censored version for it, whilst Japan never had a DVD release.

@Key
I remember reading about some scenes where when Maze turns into a guy, he/she whoever actually rapes some people, one of them being the character Mill, who supposedly enjoyed it and constantly says, and it doesn't help that Maze is college aged and Mill looks like she's round about 12-13...if I'm correct?

Yeah, not a stitch of that was in the version that made it to the States. I originally saw much of the series in fansubs and don't recall there being anything like that in it. I'm having a hard time buying that what I saw was a heavily edited version, too, since there's no place that rapey scenes would fit and they'd be utterly incongruous with the tone of the series.

Now, male Maze IS portrayed as a lecher, Milli is on the young side, and there is a lot of sex-related humor, but the series still isn't that racy compared to other fare from the later '90s.

Never heard anything about what Zalis116 is talking about, but I'll admit that I wasn't paying close attention to such things at that time, either.

Yeah, not a stitch of that was in the version that made it to the States. I originally saw much of the series in fansubs and don't recall there being anything like that in it. I'm having a hard time buying that what I saw was a heavily edited version, too, since there's no place that rapey scenes would fit and they'd be utterly incongruous with the tone of the series.

Never heard anything about what Zalis116 is talking about, but I'll admit that I wasn't paying close attention to such things at that time, either.