Date   : Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:48:19
From   : heyrick.beebsoc@... (Rick Murray)
Subject: [BeebSoc] The end of anim=E9_as_we_know_it?

http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2010/12/13/tokyo-anime-manga-ban-passes/

While pantsu and jiggling titties don't add anything (for me) to HSOD, 
it seems this bit of legislation could well put a stop to anything that 
is even questionable (Haruhi getting Mikuru into all those outfits as a 
running gag through the series?). Maybe they've not actually figured out 
that some stuff (Higurashi?) isn't exactly aimed at children. God, If I 
wanted bland animation, I'd go find reruns of Tom&Jerry and Road Runner.


Perhaps this is Japan trying to appease the world after RapeLay? Now, 
I'm not even going to contemplate defending a game where the objective 
is to rape somebody. However I will ask you to consider some of the 
popular Western games right now. There's one which entices you to make a 
living out of acts of civil disobedience. The worse you are, the higher 
the points. Of course, the cops will notice, but they're only there to 
be shot at, right? And another. It is one thing killing zombies and 
demons, but killing humans is a touchy area... unless you call it a 
"war" sim, call them the "enemy", and spend a lot of effort getting the 
details medically correct for those times when you're all out of ammo 
and have to bludgeon the "enemy" man with an axe or something.

Rape or war? Rape or gangster? Rape or murder... You know, taking a 
moral pragmatic approach, they're both equally evil. And, really, what's 
so bad about animated boobs? For a start, they aren't real. And if I 
wanted real boobs, I've seen enough of Charlotte Rampling's on numerous 
movies on Channel4... Virtual crimes? Most of the movies worth watching 
contain an element of crime. For a more extreme example, look at any 
Tarantino movie ever. Why should things be different in an animated 
world? Is it really okay for reckless use of explosives (Coyote), or for 
a cat to get beaten senseless by a frying-pan-wielding mouse? What's the 
moral anyway? Little dude beats up the bully? That's something that 
could only work in a cartoon.
"likely to interfere with the healthy development of youth" - so 
manga/anim? is bad, but it's okay to turn on the telly and see the 
appalling stuff on the news? If I took my life lessons and role model 
from the current crop of politicians, what would that make me?


To be honest, that's why I like(d?) Japanese anim?. Interesting stories 
that aren't afraid of going to unusual places. Sometimes it works, 
sometimes it doesn't. But since I feel powerless to do anything to 
change the world around me (I'm not even sure I'd have an idea to begin 
with), I can retreat into the beautiful-looking worlds of genki-girls 
and okiagari and the gently rolling Hills of Ghibli as an escape. Yes, 
escape. A 23 minute escape from the shittiness and boredom of the world 
around.

So where does this leave things? I don't know if the producers have a 
guts to fight this, or to move ops to another city that doesn't have 
such a ban in place. Does this mean future anim? will be insipid? And 
those that persist, in order to work around the ban, will be "adult" 
(and end up like Kite). That's not progress. Not really.



Best wishes,

Rick.