Cultural customs change from border to border, and what’s okay in one place has the potential
to be devastating in another.
Anime has spread across the globe, but because of this, some people still aren’t sure what
to make of it.
Since everyone seems to have an opinion about what should (or shouldn’t) be on TV, audiences
have heard all sorts of different justifications for limiting access to certain shows.
Most of the reasons on this list are pretty over-the-top, but just remember: they all
worked.
Here are Screen Rant’s 10 Famous ANIME Shows Banned Around The World For Shocking Reasons.
Attack on Titan Known for their harsh stance on censorship
laws, apparently the Chinese legal system takes childhood very seriously.
At least, that was their official position when they announced a ban on the popular Japanese
series Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin).
Citing that it was too violent, the censors justified their decision by saying the young
audience would internalize the imagery, and become delinquent.
The same argument people used to make about rock and roll.
Censors cited the move as a public rejection of vulgarity.
But instead of safeguarding their morality, the laws only encouraged fans to find other
ways of watching it.
Excel Saga Excel is the not the kind of employee you’d
want as a personal assistant, even though she’s gung-ho about every assignment.
When the creators of the Excel Saga were nearing the end of their run on television, they decided
to go big.
They wanted her last episode to be banned from airing, and worked hard to include content
so offensive that it wouldn’t make it past Japanese censors.
And just in case, they also edited the episode to be too long for their assigned timeslot.
The self-sabotage paid off in a big way, and they got what they wanted.
The finale was never aired in Japan.
After spending over twenty episodes with the character, a lot of people were left high
and dry.
Death Note Who among us is without an enemy?
Who hasn’t fantasized about what it would be like to wake up to the news that their
greatest foe has vanished?
If that sentiment is a little too dark for you, stay away from Death Note.
Revolving around a notebook with murderous capabilities, the series was labeled as “objectionable”
by.. you guessed it.. the Chinese government!
The reason they gave for the ban was that the content was too violent, but others argue
it’s the series’ anti-authority undertone that makes the censors uncomfortable.
People tried to get it banned in Albuquerque, New Mexico too.
But they were less successful.
Kinnikuman France is an artists paradise.
With it’s rich culture and history of greats, it seems like the ideal place for out of the
box ideas.
Except when it comes to Nazis.
In an attempt to write a character that was a quote unquote “good nazi” the anime
series Kinnikuman got itself banned there.
France has rock-hard hate speech laws that inform what can and can’t be shown on television.
So when the swastika-clad Brocken Jr. appeared on screen, legislators tore the show apart.
Less than half of the series’ episodes made it to air, and the manga is banned outright.
Transformers: Robots in Disguise The devastating events of September 11th,
2001 have forever changed the way North American audiences consume media.
And since then, the World Trade Center’s iconography has been treated with respectful
sensitivity.
Many writers have shied away from imagery that conjures up memories from that day.
And it’s for this reason that the debut episode of 2001’s Transformers: Robots in
Disguise was pulled from circulation.
The episode which had aired just three days prior showed Optimus Prime crashing through
a towering skyscraper.
And given the social climate at the time, the network no longer felt comfortable with
the episode, and ended up pulling it from rotation.
Hetalia Have you ever wondered what the countries
of the world would look like if they were people?
Hetalia has the answer.
Beginning as a web comic, the series gained a massive following and was made into a T.V.
show.
Not all countries were excited to be personified.
South Korea argued the character structure reduced entire cultures to stereotypes.
The show removed the character associated with the country, but that wasn’t enough.
Citizens were insulted that the program continued to run on some networks, and a petition for
the local broadcasters to remove it entirely circled the country.
One exec even alleges that station personnel were receiving death threats because of it.
The tactics worked, and the show was taken off South Korean air.
Blood-C Like we mentioned earlier, the Chinese government
takes censorship very seriously.
And in 2015, they named 38 anime and manga titles as the latest batch of banned stories.
While it took a little while for the full list to be revealed, one series that was officially
named early on was Blood-C. The censors had laundry list of complaints about the show,
so when it came time to justify their decision they had more than a few reasons to fall back
on.
Too bloody, too graphic, or too violent- take your pick.
Again the censors screamed “think of the children!”
and, just like that, the entire series disappeared.
Osomatsu-san In a lot of countries, parodies are passable
at best, and tasteless at worst.
But for the most part, they’re allowed.
A lot of artists accept that once their work is out there in the world, there’s a chance
someone will want to make fun of it.
But Japan is having none of that.
Since Japanese law doesn’t contain any protections for works of parody, anything created there
is subject to strict copyright restraints.
And because of it’s satirical nature, Osomatsu-san, aka Mr. Osomatsu, got into some big trouble
with the bureaucrats.
The first episode, which contained nods to Sailor Moon and Attack on Titan, has been
removed from streaming services.
And reanimated for it’s home release.
Kokomo no Jikan How do you make most of the world’s population
uncomfortable?
Talk about sex!
And Kokomo no Jikan fits that description in a big way.
The story follows a 9 year-old student who has sexual feelings toward her 23 year-old
teacher.
We probably don’t need to explain why that’s upsetting.
But fans of the show are adamant that it’s not that big of a deal, and that it’s actually
a deeply misunderstood dark comedy.
They also point out that there are worse versions of anime out there.
Censors argue that, while that may be true, Kokomo no Jikan still crosses the line.
And debates have even started about if the show should be labelled as child porn in the
United States.
Pokémon Pokémon is a certified phenomenon with followers
worldwide.
Boasting cards, toys, and video games to name a few, there are tons of ways for fans to
engage with the pocket monsters.
The recent smartphone release of Pokémon Go shattered download records, proving that
decades after it’s creation, the franchise is still going strong.
But not everyone loves the adorable creatures.
In 2001, Saudi Arabia banned all things related to the series.
After mistakenly interpreting what the word “Pokemon” means, religious authorities
labeled it as Zionist propaganda.
And argued that the central premise of the game resembled a form of gambling, something
“good” kids are not supposed to do.
So what do you think of our list?
Do you know of any other anime shows banned around the world for interesting reasons?
Tell us about them in the comments below, and check out our YouTube channel for more
videos like this one.