Anime censorship. We all hate it, because one of the reasons we became fans of animation from Japan was that it was free to tell stories involving “taboo” topics like sex and nudity if it chooses to. But while we especially dislike having app-store games censored for a Western release, or being denied a look at Misty/Kasumi’s sweet short shorts, if the animators are themselves coming up with fun and clever ways to self-censor their characters, somehow we don’t mind anime censoring as much. In this post we’ll look at some of the best times animators got creative hiding naughty bits from fans using “convenient censorship”!
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But why censor nudity in anime at all? I sometimes see this response from readers, usually on Twitter, the last place on the Internet where fans are free to share pictures of anime boobies if they want to. There are many reasons for anime censorship, for example…
- Anime must stay within its genre. If it’s an all-ages series with light fanservice, then covering up nudity in a humorous way allows creators to tell the story they want to tell, but keep things accessible for all viewers.
- Anime is broadcast on TV. While most of the anime we watch is shin’ya anime shown at 2 am, there are still rules to follow if anime studios want to avoid getting in trouble like Interspecies Reviewers did.
- The Japanese believe subjects related to sex are better if they’re handled indirectly, which is why they almost always use euphemisms to refer to sexy subjects. It’s better to make fans use their imaginations than to show overtly.
25 Times Anime Used ‘Convenient Censorship’ to Hide Naughty Bits
A hand. A correctly placed hand can hide everything perfectly.
Fingers. Why go to the trouble of animating a whole hand, when a few fingers will do the job?
A foot. You can also hide delicate regions by adding a foot in the right place.
Arms. If you ever find yourself in a zombie apocalypse, a well-placed arm can provide the perfect anime censorship.
Hair. There’s a long tradition of “magic censoring hair” that always manages to cover just the right places.
Beams of light. We’re all familiar with those strange beams of light that appear whenever they’re needed to cover up certain regions. They always ruin our fun!
Steam. I guess steam magically gathers around a girl’s naughty bits when she’s in the shower? It doesn’t seem to work for us guys.
Vague shadows. What’s this strange darkness that seems to gather under girls’ skirts? It’s a mystery we’ll never understand.
Soap censorship. It’s so convenient that soap insists on sticking to certain parts of a girl’s body when the scene calls for it.
A straw. The “unrated European version” of this clip is here, if you want to see it.
Plumbing, and a fan. More examples of convenient censorship in anime!
A convenient towel. When towels aren’t falling off of bodies at just the right moment, they’re falling at just the right angle to keep things broadcast-friendly.
A spider web. Just the perfect thing for clever anime censoring!
Supernatural hair. When she’s a monster girl whose power is shape-shifting into any form, at least it makes sense.
The Holy Light of Heaven, or the Unholy Darkness of Hell. It’s nice when animators can work humor into the censorship.
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Convenient plants. They’re so darned convenient!
Watermelon censorship. It’s wet and cool!
Exploding clothes. Ever since the days of Cutey Honey, clothes have been exploding in just such a way as to keep hiding the sexy parts, to avoid problems with TV broadcasting rules.
Shampoo bottles and soap. It’s okay to get naked with your younger sisters, as long as they’re protected by these magical barriers!
Frosted glass. This scene from the original To Love-Ru was creative and fun.
A shower door. Always getting in the way of our fun!
A cup. Some things would be too ecchi even for late-night broadcasts in Japan. Thank goodness the cup is providing convenient censorship for us!
A convenient table. *Shakes fist at table!*
Anime censoring with titles. It’s always more fun if you have to use your imagination!
Censoring anime with horrible floating faces. One of the most terrifying ways anime was censored was in Nobonaga-sensei’s Young Bride, which placed cute faces over the character’s naughty bits. Instant boner-killer!
A Venus Fly Trap. The perfect way to hide what the creators don’t want us to see!
Thanks for reading this post on the various ways animators use ‘convenient censorship’ to achieve anime censoring in ways that are fun for fans. Did we miss any good examples? Post it below, or share her with us on Twitter!
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