Forum - View topicStandarized Manga Ratings
|
Goto page 1, 2 Next |
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
isaacada1
 Posts: 779 Location: Snohomish, WA |
|
||
|
I notice that Comics One and Tokyo Pop have their own individual ratings system for their titles.
Comics One http://www.comicsone.com/paycomics/comicRatings.html TokyoPop http://www.tokyopop.com/browse/browseageratings.php Does anyone believe that there should be one standard ratings system for all the manga companies to publish under like what Video games and motion pictures have? Wouldn't this create less confusion for consumers and parents? |
|||
|
|||
|
billslates
Posts: 31 Location: Miami, FL |
|
||
|
Not necessarily. Most parents can easily see if a manga is meant for their kids by looking at the cover and/or quickly flipping through the pages.
|
|||
|
|||
radicaledward
 Posts: 776 |
|
||
|
I think it is nice that the companies provied the rating service - but I also think it is unnessecary. Unless you are ordering online you can quickly see what the manga is about/ its content. I think part of the purpose for the rating system is to prevent lawsuits and contoversy, ie:
Angry Mom - Why do you print such smut! Company - We clearly marked it as something you 6 year old should not read Angry Mom - But still it is inapproperate for minors. Company - We labled it 18+ Angry Mom - But... Company - Go away. Just my attempt at humor 
|
|||
|
|||
|
BrianC
Posts: 95 |
|
||
|
I think a ratings system, or content discriptors would be nice. Not everyone wants to flip through all of the pages to see what the content is like. Ranma 1/2 has pages with full female nudity and no content discriptors. One of the Slayers manga graphic novels is rated All Ages and has full female nudity in it. I don't think comic companies should assume that everyone knows what the rating is. I was a bit shocked by those scenes and I like to know about the objectionable content before reading or watching something.
|
|||
|
|||
|
isaacada1
Posts: 779 Location: Snohomish, WA |
|
||
|
Viz has now started their own ratings system for manga. Will Dark Horse follow now with their own system?
|
|||
|
|||
Vigilante024
 Posts: 578 Location: back. but not really. |
|
||
|
While I think the ratings are great, some consistancy would be good too...
and while in the past, I dont think Dark Horse would have need ed ratings, since they have generally been geared towards adults, I think with the rise in populatity of manga and the fact that DK, Viz, TP, and such are all in the same section in bookstores, it would help parents in decierning through titles better...or they could just separate them in to their own sections, like manga for kids, romance manga, manga for adults, etc... actually, I was in one bookstore that did that and it was very annoying because many thinkgs were in the wrng categories so I had to go through the whole store to find the manga I wanted... |
|||
|
|||
king_micah
 Posts: 994 Location: OSU |
|
||
|
The thing is there are a number of bookstores with no space. They fit in books where ever possible. I was once in a Walden store that had a set of shelves full of manga, next to books aimed at ten year olds. This included things such as Love Hina and Chobits, which aren't bad but, you know a kid my pick it up and parents have habits of gooding oh, thats nice. If they see the rating, then they might go, "Oh, no billy. You can't read Demon Beast Invasion." I have had simlar experiance at video rental places mixing anime with the other animation, even when they have anime sections. The full version of Tenchi is something that is marked for a reason. I support voluntary ratings for manga. I hate the idea of restricting people based on it. It's a guide, not a law.
Last edited by king_micah on Sat Jul 12, 2003 5:42 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|||
|
|||
|
Vigilante024
Posts: 578 Location: back. but not really. |
|
||
|
you have a very good point about stores working with space they have, though I couldn't help but smile when I was in a bookstore and saw that all the manga was right next to the self help books.
as far as video stores are concerned, it really annoys me that they will put anime next to the "special interest" which is usually pron or wrestling...it really bothers me esp. when pokemon is mixed in there and kids go looking for it and see all the other stuf too... |
|||
|
|||
molloaggie
 Posts: 578 Location: Texas |
|
||
|
First, I'd like to say that it's really impressive that the studios are trying to give ratings on books even though I can't agree with some of them. But yeah, the industry should get together and have a standard set of ratings. They should also put what that rating means somewhere in the book so that an unknowing parent can find out quickly.
Here's my idea what happens to manga ratings. Publishers puts ratings on Mom disagrees with ratings sues publishers must pay outside source to give/decide ratings manga prices go up |
|||
|
|||
hakubi_tron
 Posts: 16 Location: San Diego, CA |
|
||
|
A standardized sytem would be fine, but getting all the studios to agree to do it when there hasn't been a major complaint (ie. lawsuit) prompting them to do so. If there is enough of a movement to change, it could happen, but for the foreseeable future things will be the same.
"Ranma 1/2 has pages with full female nudity and no content discriptors."[/quote] But is it offensive? Is seeing onna-ranma naked something that should ellicit a negative response? Remember that American and Japanese values are very different. We, as Americans are taught to fear our bodies so much so that the very idea of being naked except for showering and sex seems absurd. Something like that should be viewed in the same light as seeing paintings and sculptures of naked women in museums. (Where teachers and parents have no problem taking their children) If you think that ranma is pornographic (or at least innapropriate for children), you're entitled to you opinion. But I would prefer that people be more open about how people in other cultures live their lives, and how we can learn from them to improve ourselves. |
|||
|
|||
|
Godaistudios
Posts: 2075 Location: Albuquerque, NM (the land of entrapment) |
|
||
|
It's fine to recognize that the values are different. But you are forgetting something. The ratings should be implemented for the audience reading them. Ergo, the ratings should be based on the American values. It's not an issue of being restrictive, but instead being sensitive to the cuture viewing the content. I think a rating system is a good idea as it makes it easier to sort through and find appropriate content, especially for those who have had no prior exposure.
Whether you consider it prudish or not, Ranma is not going to be appropriate for some people to start off with. It's not a matter of rating it for the Japanese, but rating it for our culture and our country. So bringing in the reminder that "it's a different culture" doesn't mean squat. The rating system isn't based on our perceptions of the Japanese, it's based on the concepts that we, as a country, generally live by. Although I'm generally against censorship, because I think I should be able to choose what content I want to enjoy, I think it is perfectly appropriate to warn of the content itself. |
|||
|
|||
|
molloaggie
Posts: 578 Location: Texas |
|
||
|
Wow, you got that perfect Godaistudios!
The first rule of business is to know your audience. |
|||
|
|||
|
Magatsu
Posts: 33 Location: London, England |
|
||
Well said. |
|||
|
|||
|
hakubi_tron
Posts: 16 Location: San Diego, CA |
|
||
That is exactly the reason CCS was changed so drastically for its American release. Godaistudios, with a medium such as this, aren't parents the only people that would need the ratings ? A ratings system beyond what the studios currently have is just another unnecessary way for yuppies to protect their little ones from harm. It would just serve as a easy way for them to tell if something is acceptable, heaven forbid they actually have to flip through something to tell if it's naughty. They might actually learn something about their child's interests. Though, for me, the problem is that I don't agree with the "concepts" by which most Americans live. The way something is received in Japan SHOULD be considered, specifically because it is a different culture. Aren't we supposed to be a melting pot of some sort? People need to look outside what they are accustomed to or or the American culture will never evolve beyond its current state of semi-stagnation. To me people are becoming far too afraid of the world around them, especially when it comes to their children. And the current state of world affairs isn't helping. |
|||
|
|||
Delthayre
 Posts: 414 Location: One of the good United States |
|
||
|
Yes, for the most part it would be parents who used the ratings (nice use of an social group often held in contempt to try and sell your point, irrelevant jabs always strengthen arguments). And while I don't necessarily agree with the standards that might be applied, ramming another culture down the throat of the unwilling seems hypocritical.
|
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group