The history of anime goes hand-in-hand with the history of anime censorship. In this blog post, let’s delve into the history of censorship in anime around the world, and see what the most censored anime have been!
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The History of Anime Censorship: Why Does It Happen?
Whenever we watch anime that’s been localized for a different region, there’s a chance that some changes will have been made. Some of these might be harmless — changing onigiri rice balls to doughnuts, for example — while others might remove important story elements fans think should stay untouched. Happily, fans now have greater access to anime that honors the original creators than ever, thanks to more enlightened licensors.
Is all anime censorship bad? Not really. A little editing can make sense depending on the audience and the context. Anime has always been produced for different demographics: kids, teens, and late-night otaku. Visuals that would be acceptable for a mainstream shounen show are obviously different from a harem anime that airs at 2 am. So I understand the reasons for some story changes, even though I wouldn’t want to watch anime that had been altered from the original.
Can I tell you a secret? I actually welcomed anime being censored when it happened back in the ’90s and early 2000s. I knew that fans would be upset that the stories they loved were being edited, and would seek out the unfiltered originals. That usually led them to J-List, where they found lots of uncensored anime DVDs and Blu-rays as well as parody doujinshi featuring their favorite characters.
Anime Is Censored for Many Different Reasons
Here are some situations where anime can get edited for a new market.
- Licensors want to remove nudity and gratuitous violence to avoid complaints from parents. That’s understandable to a certain extent, especially when companies had to follow broadcast rules. In the era of streaming, there’s less excuse for it.
- Sometimes anime gets censored for unique cultural reasons. A 1986 anime called Alpen Rose was heavily censored in Italy to remove any references to WWII, a subject seen as inappropriate for children.
- Star Blazers was a great early anime in the US, and it didn’t remove any drama or violence. But the scene in which the crew of the Yamato drank ceremonial sake before going off to their possible deaths did get removed from the English version, as well as one fan service episode.
- These days, funding for anime increasingly comes from Chinese companies like Tencent. Often, episodes are censored to fit conservative Chinese social rules, and this ends up affecting anime fans in other countries.
What Were the Most Censored Anime?
Let’s look at some of the most famous examples of anime censorship over the years!
Anime Censorship in Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon had a lot of edits made to it. Water was digitally added to the bath to make sure we couldn’t see any of Usagi’s cleavage, and the story was edited to let the world know that America was more down with “cousins with benefits” than a lesbian couple. I’ll bet they even removed that scene where she farted in the bath and couldn’t resist the urge to take a sniff!
Cardcaptor Sakura Was Also Heavily Edited
Another influential anime in the ’90s was Cardcaptor Sakura, which removed story elements like same-sex crushes and age-gap romances. They also did silly things like digitally draw swimsuits on characters while they were in the bath, despite no nudity being visible. Who the heck wears a swimsuit into the bath?
What happens when fans use Photoshop to “de-censor” their favorite sexy anime moments? Read this blog post next!
Anime Censorship So Bad, It Ruined the Whole Show
If there’s a single worst case of censorship in anime, it has to be World’s End Harem, which blacked out anything sexy, including two characters kissing, mainly to avoid getting in trouble with Chinese censors. At times, the entire screen went black. By the time the uncensored Blu-rays came out, most fans had moved on.
Interspecies Reviewers Was Too Hot for Streaming
I felt bad for Funimation when the Interspecies Reviewers scandal hit. They thought they were buying a normal anime with fan service, but it was a celebration of prostitution with monster girls that was way too sexy for streaming services, even with heavy digital editing.
We posted the new Interspecies Reviewers trading card game to the site. Find it here!
Censoring Anime to Promote Blu-ray Sales
Another reason anime gets censored is to push fans to buy the Blu-rays, which show you all the juicy details. This can frustrate fans. Ayakashi Triangle, for instance, quickly lost momentum, thanks to digital cats covering every pantyshot. Still, uncensored Blu-rays help keep the industry alive, so I can’t complain too much.
Evangelion Embraced “Convenient Censorship”
In my opinion, if we must have censorship, it should be clever and fun. If you want to see more examples of convenient censorship in anime, read this blog post!
Censorship in Robotech Was Actually Not That Bad
One of the most influential series for fans of the pre-Pokémon generation of anime fans was Robotech. As I wrote in my Robotech 40th anniversary post, the show was actually pretty cool when it came to censorship. Sure, Minmei’s shower scene was removed, but it kept the core story elements in place, including depictions of violence and war.
The shower scene from episode 4 of Macross was cut from the English version for obvious reasons. Here it is, in case you haven’t seen it!
On J-List’s Twitter account, I make a “today’s random ecchi anime” post every day. Recently, I found some fanservice shots from Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, the middle part of Robotech. So, naturally, I had to go hunt for the whole version for my followers.
Finally, Genesis Climber Mospeda slipped in a few sexy moments that wouldn’t have made the cut on American television in 1985, including underage drinking, because why not? And now I present them to you!
Thanks for reading this blog post about the most censored anime in history, and why anime censorship generally sucks. What censored moments in anime did you notice as a fan back in the day?
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Don’t look now, but J-List has started a new sale! Through November 17th, get an automatic 18% off all wonderful adult toys and ero lotion. Browse awesome companies like Tamatoys, Magic Eyes, Maccos Japan, and more! Or browse all sale items here!
