Forum - View topicCensored versions of anime
|
Goto page 1, 2, 3 Next |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Boomerang Flash
 Posts: 1021 |
|
|||
|
I'm curious as if anybody else here also finds himself wishing that the licensing company released censored versions of certain anime titles. In recent times, I find that I came across certain titles whose subject matter promises to be interesting, but upon researching into the titles, I find that it contains certain objectionable material that prevents me from viewing it.
Some of these materials seem completely unnecessary to the quality of the work itself. Last year, I was directed to check out Kurogane Communication, a series whose plot involving the last human living with quasi-Asenion robots was interesting. It started out quite innocent, with the most objectionable graphics being one of the robots walking in on the protagonist (a female) while she had something like a towel covering her and some robots bleeding purple blood. Unfortunately, there was a scene later in the series where one of the very humaniform female robots was depicted in a hot spring, and she was drawn with full upper frontal nudity. Later, another female robot was shown in a similarly objectionable manner and while delivering an important narrative. The first could have been censored without losing anything in the scene, whereas the latter not only did not help the scene but also was disturbing enough to distract from it. For this series, I wish there were a censored version without these graphics (or maybe there was, and I just got unlucky). Heck, having only the censored version would have been better. More difficult are the cases where one could argue that the graphical content contributed to the subject matter. I blame an ad hosted by ANN for this line of thought. The banner that promoted Kite Liberator seemed interesting enough that I went to search for information. It turned out that this is a sequel to an OVA series called Kite, which had an extreme amount of objectionable graphical content. Kite had multiple US releases, each subsequent one having less censorship than the previous, to the point that I strongly suspect that any DVD version available would have too much censorship removed. Some of the censorship, I believe, removed the extreme graphical violence used in the series. The presence of violence in Kite corresponds to the theme of the series, which is about the misuse of a child as an assassin. I know, intellectually, that a bullet spins as it is shot out of a gun. As it enters a target, the bullet usually turns off its travelling axis and, as a result, drills a much larger hole in the back than the one in the front--otherwise known as blowing one's brain out. Of course, one can argue that the graphical violence contributed to the theme of the series, but I question its necessity. Gunslinger Girl similarly addresses the issue of using young girls as tools of violence. However, the violence in Gunslinger Girl is quite subdued. You see the action that would produce the violence, and you see some bloodstains, but you do not get the graphical detail. Rather than showing the grey and white matter scattered with bits of the skull from a profile view, Gunslinger Girl merely shows the bullet sized hole in the front and a bloodstain in the back on the wall. It conveys the violence involved in the series quite well without having to subject the viewer to the full graphical detail of the process. I wonder if Kite, or at least a censored version thereof, could have done the same--something that might have induced me to hunt down the series. Sometimes, the broadcast version of a series had just the right amount of censorship, which was removed in the DVD version, which leaves me wondering how much the companies involved would lose if the broadcast version were also available. [Edit] 1. Added some links to the Encyclopedia entries. As it turns out, most of the titles I talked about start with K, so it was kind of easy. 2. Changed "ANN's advertisements" to "an ad hosted on ANN." 
Last edited by Boomerang Flash on Sat Apr 26, 2008 1:29 am; edited 2 times in total |
||||
|
||||
|
Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16983 |
|
|||
|
Just so you know those banner ads you refer to, like the one for Kite, are not by ANN. They are made by the companies themselves and then ANN simply posts them here to promote products. They in no way have anything to do with the creation of them in case you were unaware.
|
||||
|
||||
|
W0LF
SPAMMER
Posts: 40 |
|
|||
|
Actually the -Kite special edition- is THEEE final and intact version, nothing was cut from that and to add to that the content cut wasn't violence but sex scenes. As for K.L. there won't be any other un-cut editions if I remember correctly on a thread posted back when K.L. was announced, Yasumi Umetsu said he wasn't going to do that with K.L. because he didn't want to do the sex scenes for either Kite or Mezzo but during development he was told he had to because who ever he was working for wouldn't produce it or something unless he included sex scenes.
|
||||
|
||||
|
Boomerang Flash
Posts: 1021 |
|
|||
While it's certainly possible to read too much into the phrasing "ANN's advertisements" and interpret it as "originating with ANN," I don't see any reason to find the wording important enough to dedicate an entire post into explaining the creation of the ads, particularly as the next sentence indicates that "I blame ANN's advertisements" is just a wry way of testifying to the effectiveness of the ad in generating interest.
This is a pretty convenient way of further illustrating the censorship problem. There are many degrees of graphical explicitness in depicting a sex scene. I believe the least graphical way of depicting a sex scene is to show two people under a sheet with bare shoulders exposed, and the particular moment is indicated by a tightening of the grip between the two people's linked hands. I haven't really read enough about Kite Liberator to know to what degree of detail it goes, but it can very well fall short of that which is in Kite. If I trust Wikipedia's entry for Kite, the scene(s) are explicit enough that the article had to discuss the censored aspects using detailed medical terms, which is quite a ways above the minimal depiction. |
||||
|
||||
ManOfRust
 Posts: 1935 Location: Seattle, WA |
|
|||
This is a good example of the difficulty of what you are proposing. You believe this to be acceptable, but it may be scandalous to someone else. The next person may find it so tame as to not be worth any mention. Where do you draw the line with the censorship you are proposing? The perfect level for you will not be enough for some. For others, such as myself who usually wants to see the creator's original version without alteration it will be too much. Your Kurogane Communication examples are interesting. I watched this series and they clearly had little impact on me because I can't remember anything in that show being terribly objectionable. Clearly, we have a different threshold for what we see as offensive. I do think I understand what you are saying. Sometimes the violence or sex seems gratuitous and like it's not really adding anything to the story. Maybe it's even detracting from the enjoyment for some. But that line is going to be drawn in a different place by every individual. Even if you say that a version could be offered based off of broadcast TV standards, what standards do you mean? US standards, Canadian standards, Mexican standards? For which network? For what time slot? All of these variables could result in different levels of censorship of the original work. You also have to look at the economic viability of what you suggest. The R1 anime industry appears to be struggling as it is. To offer even 2 different versions of a show like Kurogane Communication, which was by no means a highly popular title, would be prohibitively expensive. If only one version can be released, then it's not likely the licensor is going to go to the trouble to censor it, especially when a large part of the target audience would complain bitterly about such censorship. For example, I am not in favor of such censorship at all and would seriously consider not buying a title simply because it had been censored. If a title crosses over what I think I will be comfortable with, I simply don't watch it. There's plenty of other anime out there. For me, even if a show does in places cross over my personal comfort zone (say something like Elfen Lied) it can still redeem itself through the strength of its other merits and make the overall viewing experience worthwhile. For others, any kind of objectionable content may be unacceptable. How do you take all these different sensibilities into account? In the end, I think the best you can do is use places like ANN to try to figure out if a title is going to be OK for you to watch instead of depending on the licensor to figure out some arbitrary level of censorship. You can minimize the amount of unpleasant surprises you get out of a specific show if you have a little bit of information before hand. While I see your point, I don't see a viable way to actually do what you are suggesting, nor do I think it would be a good idea. |
||||
|
||||
|
Boomerang Flash
Posts: 1021 |
|
|||
Interestingly enough, the two strongest practical objections you raised and placed next to each other can be addressed with a single answer: the Japanese TV broadcast (if a censored version exists). Since a censored Japanese version is already available, then the editing the R1 release company has to perform to produce a censored version is much less--only edits and possibly different recordings for the dub voice acting and English subtitles. The additional expense is setting up the machinery to produce physical copies of two different versions and setting up the distribution and does not include the expense of censorship. Obviously, there will exist people who are potentially interested but still find the content in the censored version objectionable, but since a censored version is available, then there must exist people will now find the series acceptable. We now return to your first paragraph. The distributors work from the following postulate: If the profits generated by releasing two or more versions is greater than that of releasing one version, then release two or more versions. Since a perfectly logical censored version exists in many cases and requires no graphical editing on the part of the R1 license holder, there is no point in bringing to attention the fact that there exists different levels of standards. |
||||
|
||||
Adremmelech
 Posts: 4 Location: Australia |
|
|||
|
I dont know about other people but were I come from the censorship is pretty lax. I dont really mind the blood and detail. It makes it a bit more interesting for me to watch. With some people they may like the light hearted or comedic animes like bincho-tan or lucky star whilst others will like the violence of some like elfen lied or death note.
The problem is that the companies cant create an anime into different censoring because to suite everyones likings, its pretty much a different edit for each individual. They should just leave its original context though. Maybe an edit that takes over excesive violence and nudity but other than that just leave it. If you like an anime but you dont like the graphical detail, do like what ManOfRust and either way up the pros and cons and if you like it keep watching it but if its to graphical discard it. |
||||
|
||||
guet
 Posts: 492 Location: Sparta |
|
|||
|
Well although I am not the worlds biggest fan of censorship, I am a supporter of a strong rating system. In most forms of entertainment availiable to the public there is some form of rating system in place to let the person know what they are in for. Grabbing three random DVD's I found ratings of some form listed on each. Last Exile has a sugggested 13 and up rating for language and violence. Ghost in the Shell (the movie) lists nudity, graphic violence and strong language, the disk of Basilisk just has a TV MA listed with no description of the content but given the setting of the show its fairly safe to assume there will be graphic violence with the possiblity of some sexuality. So basically what I am saying, although not as elequently as previous posts is that its fairly simple to find out what kind of content a show will have and if it is something that you find objectional, then there are plenty of other options out there.
I personally don't like the idea of censorship. I happen to be a big fan of over the top good old fashioned violence. Some of my favorite series would not have the same impact with reduced content. Imagine the Kenshin OVA's Edited... would they have the same impact? Most definatly not. As far as the sexuality is concerned, I am not the biggest fan of sex in my anime... but sometimes it can take away from the story when removed. One example that comes to mind is the cartoon network airing of Outlaw Star. The content that was removed seems fairly mild by today's standards, but when I bought the series and watched it uncut, the removed material actually added to the depth of Gene Starwind's charecter by showing more of his facination with the female species. So basically what I am trying to say, is that there should be the freedom for creators to put in what they like to tell the stories, but it should also be up to us, the viewers to decide to watch or not. Given the choice between edited and unedited, I will choose unedited every time. |
||||
|
||||
r-18
 Posts: 62 Location: northren oregon |
|
|||
|
I would definitely go with strong rating and perhaps more detail description in a info box on the package than censorship. Once you decide to let other people decide what is acceptable and what is not you let yourself in for more and more of it and who decides who gets to decide. censorship leads to banning and banning to book burning and where books burn people burn soon after, history is very clear on this.
|
||||
|
||||
|
Key
Moderator
 Posts: 19138 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
|
|||
|
While the cost of adjusting a title to censor some content may be negligible, I don't think you're considering the production and distribution realities here, BoomerangFlash. A censored version would require a second different production line and additional costs for distribution. It would also require brick-and-mortar stores to split valuable shelf space in cases where titles rarely have more than 3-4 copies on a shelf to begin with.
And how much would offering a censored version increase sales? Would it be enough to warrant extra costs? Except with certain high-profile titles like more mainstream TV-aired series, the handful of hundred extra sales you might get probably wouldn't warrant the effort. |
||||
|
||||
|
Paludis
Posts: 46 |
|
|||
Why does it prevent you from watching it? I mean blatant fanservice can be annoying, but sometimes nudity or violence can be natural depending on the series. I really dislike obvious censorship like breasts with no nipples or bloodless wounds etc, it just looks bizarre and unnatural. Either depict it properly or don't show it at all if you ask me. |
||||
|
||||
|
sj21
Posts: 312 |
|
|||
|
I would definitely like to see some on dvd with TV-MA rated ones. Because i can't watch those until 2 more years and I really would like to see black blood brothers and hellsing. But for some like hellsing i just can't wait to see hellsing uncut because its freikin awesome.
Also, i think its stupid to waste time on making censored naruto on dvd because even the uncut is just more blood and cursing for what i know. |
||||
|
||||
Labbes
 Posts: 890 |
|
|||
|
Actually, I thought the sex scenes in KITE (And yeah, they are pretty explicite, you can consider them on one level with hentai) really, really added up to the whole OVA. While I wouldn't say the OVA itself was very good, the "explicit" scenes made it disgusting, and that's what actually makes the title interesting for me, the contrast between the beautiful animation and moments between Sawa and Oburi (Non-sexual^^) and the disgusting harshness of the world.
That said, there's no way I could be supporting censorship - I still see most media as art, and art should not be censored. If it is nothing for children, then the state should try to improve the control for the rating system, so no 6-year-old can buy KITE in Best Buy (Exaggerated. Sorry.). However, I don't think that's going to happen, since censoring things is much easier. Edit: One thing I forgot, is that it includes things which prevent it from a release in a certain country (E.g. child porn, really extreme violence) then it simply should not be released. Last edited by Labbes on Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
||||
|
||||
|
sj21
Posts: 312 |
|
|||
Thats a pretty good point, it should be seen from the original prospective. The only reason i want censored is for those sweet, sweet, sweet, swwweeeeeeeeet titles out there. But very good point. |
||||
|
||||
abynormal
 Posts: 427 Location: Louisiana |
|
|||
I don't see why they would, considering Naruto's TV run is surprisingly light on the censorship. I once saw an episode where Kabuto rips his own heart out in an elaborate ploy to kill Naruto, and nary a moment was cut from the entire gruesome scene. |
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group