Anime in Japan vs. America

Over the years we have been seeing more and more anime being brought over here into America from Japan, but did you know that American studios cut out a lot of original scenes before broadcasting it on television? Several things that are taken out are violent scenes, cultural jokes, and fan service. Unlike the United States fan service to Japan is so common and popularized in Japan that it’s accepted. Here in America there are people like parents who are concerned with what their children view. They don’t want their children to be exposed to women in bathing suits or bras and panties. For example, in the original Dragon Ball Bulma flashes her panties to an old man in order to obtain a dragon ball but does not realize that Goku had taken off her panties while she had slept and practically shows him everything. That scene including many was taken out of the U.S’ showing, but could you imagine the reactions the parents would get if they had seen that with their children? Not a very good one.

Next, violent scenes in Japanese animation are a lot more brutal than it seems. In the movie Kill Bill there was a specific animated scene where O-Ren Ishii’s mother is stabbed on top of the bed and blood was scattered on it. Japanese society is more tolerant with violence where as in the United States it’s different because parents are more worried about their children imitating what they see on television. They also fear that their children will grow up violent as well.

Lastly, cultural jokes are either taken out, or rewritten over here and if not they are often misunderstood by the viewers. Nosebleeds for example portray someone being aroused. In Naruto Iruka, Naruto’s homeroom teacher, gets a nosebleed after Naruto’s technique of turning into a nude woman censored by clouds. People here in the U.S who aren’t used to seeing anime would not understand this concept. Another cultural joke is the way the Japanese depict other countries. For example, Americans can be seen as loud people who constantly eat hamburgers. Also men in drag are cultural and are often found in animes. It hints how it must be casually seen in Japan or how comfortable they are with sexuality. In other words, since Japan is a whole distinct culture it’s difficult for us to understand their views. Their education is different so we sometimes don’t get the reference of the students having to go to cram school or entrance exams to colleges. In conclusion, cultural jokes, violence, and fan service are often taken out for many reasons whether it’s exposing the young to adult-scenes or imitate violence or simply because it’s something we can’t relate to.