Censorship Against Animations in America

Why is it that the federal government censors America so well against the animations and products from foreign countries like Japan? Are Japanese children more mature than American children? Or maybe it is because the animations that are being censored weren't for kids, but America made is so by brutally chopping up the stories to have "less violence" and poorly acted dubbed versions. Even cartoons in our own country are being changed for reasons of fantasy violence, use of weapons, use of nudity or sexuality.

The editing of an anime in "American Distribution" describes the process of altering anime to prepare for the distribution of the United States with the right appropriateness for its intended audience...Like what the hell? Was that not previously set by the original producers of the show? The audio and visual content is censored by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), television network regulations and standards, and editing content to American cultural norms for a "younger audience than it was originally intended." They altered things like nudity or sexual innuendo, violence, profanity, possible racism, and/or religious references, which may seem like a good thing, but many of the things are so minor that they don't matter---like that "censors made Disney cover cow udders with dresses and they made Betty Boop lower her hemline so her garter would no longer be seen by the public. Censors sometimes demand absurd changes in cartoon scripts and in completed works," says Karl Cohen, author of Forbidden Animation. If it is not something so slight, it may be so major that they completely change the storyline or character, which is enough to make any crazy fan upset. 

Why do anime fans bother with complaining about the censoring? Anime is not just idealistic characters that shout at each other and say cheesy lines like most may take from it. As Matthew Kizior, author of "Ameritaku: How Goku Beat Superman," states, "I will not deny that some of these stereotypes do exist, yet anime has managed, in general, to stay true to Disney's ideal (audiences capable of understanding the deeper and darker motifs included in his work, beyond the cute animation and catchy songs). Anime is a sub-genre of animation that has captured the hearts of millions of Westerners by giving them rich stories and characters that Western media rarely produces. Using themes ranging from haunted criminal pasts to metaphysics, anime has transcended cultures and stereotypes by giving us stories that speak to multiple aspects of a person simultaneously."

Such great works of art are treated with respect by those who understand its hidden nature behind the entertaining stories. Because of anime popularity, Americans made English dubs for us here, but in a "dumbed-down form" so that kids could also watch with safety precautions. "In America, cartoons are thought to be fore kids. In Japan, anime is as much respected as live-action films, and not at all limited to a specific age group." 

The most popular censored anime has been surprisingly so downgraded for American children, it would be unrecognizable as a kids show out of its origins in Japan. Sailor Moon is the most censored and edited show in American television. "There were some things edited from the series that seem completely unnecessary, such as scenes that depict Serena sticking out her tongue at another character," says C'Loni, author of "Too many Girlfriends: Sailor Moon's Censored Life in the U.S." Many episodes were cut completely out and can only be found in Japanese versions. Sever of the episodes that contained blood had to be brushed over or if there were too much in one episode, they'd cut it completely. American producers were hugely against homosexuality during the time of Sailor Moon's American Distribution. "In the original Japanese Sailor Moon, both characters [Zoicite and Malacite] were male and homosexual lovers, but when the series was edited for U.S. television, a female voice actor was assigned to play the role of Zoicite." They had to change Amara (Sailor Uranus) and Michelle (Sailor Neptune) to be cousins because of the idea of homosexuality was restricted for children. C'Lori continues her rant with: "Another obvious example of this kind of homophobic censorship is the deliberate smothering of Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus' romance in the series. I have watched Sailor Moon since I was in middle school and even then found it very amusing to watch how horrible American producers tried to cover up the fact that they were a lesbian couple. I'm surprised they didn't just cut out all the episodes after meeting Sailor Uranus and Neptune, but then the viewers would never get to see Sailor Pluto or even Saturn. So much was removed from the U.S. version that it is impossible to gain an accurate scope of how great an animated show this was and is, and why it gained and continues to gain so many devoted fans."

I know there are those parents that feel safer about their kids watching something that they know is censored and know that nothing "inappropriate" would be played in front of their child. If that is the case, they should just watch some other shows until they're old enough. They can watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Tom and Jerry, Curious George or Sesame Street. Why does anime have to be censored? One might argue, censorship protects the morals of society and prevents negative displays of cultures, individuals, or communities. There are reasons to the age restrictions on movies and television shows that suggest parents to think twice before letting their kid watch something. They have "warnings" and list what the video footage contains. If you are old enough to watch it, then you are old enough to think for yourself and understand the difference between the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, and depending on the show, the basic lessons of being an individual in a community. If they really need lessons on displays of culture, individuals, communities, take them outside. Take them on trips. "As kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family." 

Some of the things censored by the FCC are fairly reasonable, that being cultural streamlining. Some examples being like changing the Pokemon character Ash from carrying an onigiri (Japanese food item) to a submarine sandwhich---something Americans would be more familiar with. In "Spirited Away, in which Chihiro first sees the bath house, in the Japanese version she just looks at it and says nothing, but the English dub she says 'It's a bath house', and this is due to most American viewers not being able to recognize a bath house, because while bath houses are common in Japan, they are rare in the United States." 

Government censorship on animations and television in general can be both a good and bad thing. Maybe if they just limit it to some minor things instead of changing a show dramatically just to fit the criteria for kids, that would be better for our other fans. In the end, most of the censoring can be quite ridiculous and with such high technology at our fingertips, kids will end up finding the original anyway, so why go to all the trouble to hide it? I find it hard to watch English dubbed foreign shows and movies. After finding the original uncensored Sailor Moon, I can finally understand it as a whole. It's unfortunate that most kids don't get to grow up with the beautiful creation of all those censored animations that is truly an art to be appreciated.