Protecting your eyes : censorship and moral standards of decency in Japan and the United States as reflected in children's media

Abstract

Introduction: Anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comic books) are extremely popular in Japan amongst consumers of all ages. In America and other non-Japanese countries, the international anime and manga fanbase is rapidly expanding. Yet, in some Western countries such as the United States, comic books and cartoons have traditionally been relegated to the realm of childhood, while in Japan, some anime and manga are targeted at child and adult audiences. Of course, these titles usually deal with issues that are not generally considered (in Japan and elsewhere) appropriate for children. However, even in some manga and anime targeted at children and teenagers, there are issues of sexuality and violence that the general Japanese public considers acceptable for younger audiences, while most American consumers probably believe that such content does not belong in children's media. How, then, does the American publishing and media industry reconcile these ideological disparities when importing and localizing Japanese anime and manga?