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Tokyo ban on sex in anime, manga, games vs TAN

#1

http://www.theanimenetwork.com/component/option,com_kunena/Itemid,65/catid,7/func,view/id,70350/

The fear is that the ban will not be for just “virtual crimes” (sex with minors, homosexuality), but may affect all “ecchi” anime, manga, and games.

If so, the ban would affect future production of shows like these:

Daphne in the Brilliant Blue
Demon King Daimao
Divergence Eve and Misaki Chronicles
He Is My Master
High School of the Dead
Indian Summer
Koi Koi Seven
Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden and Something More Beautiful
Maria Holic
Popotan
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Samurai Girls
Samurai Harem
Tayutama: Kiss on My Diety
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World
To Love-Ru
Yumeria

#2

http://japantoday.com/category/national/view/tokyo-assembly-panel-clears-bill-to-regulate-sexual-content-in-comics

All of TANs current shows will not be effected.
So I wouldn’t worry about them.

I may effect later unknown licenses however, but that remains to be seen.

#3

im really nervous right now, im afraid this law will change anime as we know it or maybe put the final nail in the coffin for anime. please someone tell me everything will be fine and that theres some type of loophole somewhere

#4

Wow, so Japan is furthering their radical censorship on anything relatively sexual in nature. I wonder what spurred this. I wonder if they feel threatened by China doing a better job at this.

#5

But, isn’t Japan facing a declining population coupled with a bad ratio of older retired citizens to young working ones? Fewer and fewer kids are being born each year Japan. Wouldn’t they want to secretly push the anti up a bit to get things going again?

#6

All this bill would do is put 18+ only lables on the animes, & mangas. Why does people think stuff would be banned? I don’t think it would affect animes to much, I only see manga creators and publishers opposing this law. What Anime studio have you read about that is opposing this law?

#7

Well, is it an outright ban, or just requiring warning labels on packages and/or age restrictions on purchase?

If the latter, who buys anime in Japan? Will making it 18+ cut into already declining sales?

I don’t see it making a difference here, most of them already come with an age rating and content warning. And you can buy it online with a credit card or bank card if you really need to beat someone being a stickler for the ratings.

It is somewhat surprising in that if the stereotypes presented in a lot of series are to be believed, Japanese children seem to grow up faster and be more mature than their US counterparts.

#8

Since most manga starts out pretty much as a comic in magazines, if no magazine will publish it because it’s been deemed inappropriate, then how will it get any popularity, and who would make it into an anime series?

that’s the most extreme of situations, but it makes sense sort of.

#9

I have read several of the responses on here, and I do have something to add that might clarify how this would really effect anime production in the future. In Japan anime is primarily watched by those under the age of 18. Several friends of mine in Japan have commented that they use to watch anime when they were a kid, but not anymore.

You also have to realize that some of these shows are not just sold in stores, but shown on network television over there. That being said either an age restriction or outright ban of such content would more than likely have a major effect on the production of such anime in the future.

Not all anime would be effected. In fact I do not tend to watch the type of anime that would be, but one would have to ask where this would end. Would it ever get to the point where the artist would give up due to their creativity being regulated? Worse yet just produce anime that resembles Saturday morning cartoons here in the US? Just some things to consider.

#10

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/editorial/2010-12-28
[size=2]by Dan Kanemitsu, Dec 28th 2010[/size]

Background on the events leading up to the first aborted bill and the one that passed.